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For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Thread starter blackjackstudent Start date Sep 21, blackjackstudent Well-Known Member Sep 21, Which of the following is a better game? I am from Australia and most Australian casinos offer Pontoon unfortunately from a CSM and not a ASM - I just wanted your opinion as to which game is better?

In Australia both BJ and Pontoon equivalent to US Spanish 21 is played through no hole card but most casinos will take OBBO and not ENHC.

Provided that all the rules are the same such as 5 carded 21 pays 3 to 2, triple 7 spaded pays 3 to 1 and mixed suit pays 3 to 2 - which is a better game? In Australia, there is no hole card.

You can beat the dealer's natural if you get 21 first and should you put an insurance bet, you can win that bet as well. However, when it comes to soft doubling, you are doubling at the lowest number - say you have A,7 vs the dealer's three and if you decide to double, you are doubling at 8 and not 8 or Also in Australia, you can only surrender on TEN or ACE but if the dealer gets a natural, you lose all but if the dealer doesnt, you get half the bet back.

In US casinos, there is a hole card. Obviously, if the dealer gets a natural, everyone loses unless you have a natural which you win. You can double on any number of cards and this includes soft doubling, so if you double on A,7 vs 3, you are doubling on 8 or 18 and if you draw a 2, the total is 20 but in Australia, the total is 10 only.

You can surrender after the dealer has checked for a natural on any dealer's upcard including 7,8,9 - well you can surrender on 2 if you want to as well. You will get half the bet back though In the state of Washington, there is the double-double rule effect but I think in my opinion, this could be costly.

In Katarina Walker's book, she mentions doubling again if your total is 12 versus the dealer's 7 or 8. The double-double rule can make you win a lot of money or lose a lot of money - so its hard to see how its valuable.

All the other US states, there is no double-double rule. So which game is better? FLASH Well-Known Member Sep 21, However, there is no dealer up-card and the dealer wins all ties. A five-card trick is any five-card hand that has not busted.

Stateside, Cliff, we call it a five-card Charlie, but you are not paid for them here. All five-card tricks are of the same value; the point total does not matter. There are plenty of other differences between Pontoon, Spanish 21 and blackjack, so possibly a second column on additional dissimilarities might be in the offing if my mailbag shows any more interest in this game.

Regarding the more popular game, Spanish 21, there are two notable exceptions when comparing it to a regular blackjack game.

In Spanish 21, all the 10s not the jacks, queens, kings are removed from the deck. In addition, the player is paid for a hand total of 21, or the standard three-to-two payoff for a blackjack, even if the dealer's hand is a natural blackjack.

So, guys, is Pontoon or Spanish 21, a decent play from the player's side of the table? Yes, definitely, if you utilize perfect basic strategy specific to each game.

By employing Spanish 21 basic strategy — which obviously differs from normal blackjack strategy — you can reduce the house edge down to. As for Pontoon, the house edge can be as low as 0.

Dear Mark, Your blackjack strategy card shows hitting a pair of sevens against a 10 when on a multiple deck game, but standing with them on a single deck. I don't quite understand why. Can you explain? Justin M.

The reason for the difference, Justin, is that once any card is withdrawn from the deck, it will have an impact on the distribution of the remaining cards. Single deck basic strategy calls for standing pat with a pair of sevens against a ten. On a multiple deck game, most strategy cards advise that you hit them.

Since the probability of catching that third seven on a single deck is lower, that is why it is best to stand versus hitting. Gambling quote of the week: " I suspect that the spouses of gamblers have heard 'I broke even' more than any other lie. Gaming Strategy. Featured Stories. Gaming News.

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Banking game Casino game Game of chance Game of skill Poker. Categories : American gambling games Blackjack Banking games. Provided that all the rules are the same such as 5 carded 21 pays 3 to 2, triple 7 spaded pays 3 to 1 and mixed suit pays 3 to 2 - which is a better game?

In Australia, there is no hole card. You can beat the dealer's natural if you get 21 first and should you put an insurance bet, you can win that bet as well. However, when it comes to soft doubling, you are doubling at the lowest number - say you have A,7 vs the dealer's three and if you decide to double, you are doubling at 8 and not 8 or Also in Australia, you can only surrender on TEN or ACE but if the dealer gets a natural, you lose all but if the dealer doesnt, you get half the bet back.

In US casinos, there is a hole card. Obviously, if the dealer gets a natural, everyone loses unless you have a natural which you win. You can double on any number of cards and this includes soft doubling, so if you double on A,7 vs 3, you are doubling on 8 or 18 and if you draw a 2, the total is 20 but in Australia, the total is 10 only.

You can surrender after the dealer has checked for a natural on any dealer's upcard including 7,8,9 - well you can surrender on 2 if you want to as well.

You will get half the bet back though In the state of Washington, there is the double-double rule effect but I think in my opinion, this could be costly. In Katarina Walker's book, she mentions doubling again if your total is 12 versus the dealer's 7 or 8.

The double-double rule can make you win a lot of money or lose a lot of money - so its hard to see how its valuable. All the other US states, there is no double-double rule. So which game is better? FLASH Well-Known Member Sep 21, There are a few mostly TINY casinos with VERY low limits that offer the double-double rule in Washington State and I believe there is 1 in Oregon and 1 in Las Vegas "Fitzgeralds".

There is a cap on the double-double which is the table max, e. Other states do NOT offer the rule. Most states offer 6 deck H17 Atlantic City and Canada offer 8 deck S17, as does a few casinos in the MidWest. Your mention of the dealer's bust rate in relation to this rule is off the mark, as it ignores your simply getting a winning hand or a mediocre hand with the dealer getting a 17 or Basic Strategy for those games even have you doubling on a Hard 5 or 6 against a dealer's 6.

Explore the possibilities today and become a pro at your new favorite form of blackjack! PHOTO CREDIT: istockphoto. BLOG MENU. Your email address will not be published. By David Aprig. The Allure of Spanish A Unique Variant Spanish 21 is a unique variation of blackjack that has become increasingly popular in the gambling industry.

Pontoon: Sailing into New Waters Pontoon is another exciting blackjack variation which starts out the usual way — players are dealt two cards and then they try to reach a total value of 21 without going over.

European Blackjack: Staying Close to Tradition European Blackjack is a more traditional experience , straying the least away from the original rules of the game, while still managing to make every hand exciting.

Plan Your Strategy Before You Enter The Game To maximize your chances of winning while playing Blackjack, regardless of its version, you must first consider applying proper techniques. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.

Blackjack variant. is for Shuffle - Blackjack Review Network". Blackjack Review Network. Glossary of blackjack terms Card counting Shuffle track Hole carding. Chinese Blackjack Spanish 21 Super Fun 21 Double Attack Blackjack Double Exposure Blackjack Elimination Blackjack Pontoon Malaysian Pontoon Power blackjack Edge sorting.

Blackjack Forum Blackjack Hall of Fame Al Francesco Peter A. Griffin Thomas Hyland Zeljko Ranogajec Arnold Snyder Edward O. Thorp Ken Uston Stanford Wong Steven L. Heston Mike Aponte Max Rubin Blair Hull Lawrence Revere James Grosjean Richard W.

Munchkin Don Schlesinger Darryl Purpose. Banking games. Baccarat Basset Blackjack Blind Hookey Banker and Broker, Dutch Bank, Honest John Blüchern Chemin de Fer Ferme Farmer Faro Lansquenet Macao Monte Bank Onze et demie Polish Bank Pontoon Quinze Rouge et Noir Seven and a Half Silesian Lottery Spanish 21 Speculation Stuss Jewish Faro Tempeln German Faro Trente et Quarante Twenty-One Yablon Acey Deucey , Between the Sheets.

Banking game Casino game Game of chance Game of skill Poker. The rules uncertainties I notice in Pontoon is number of decks, and whether Late Surrender is offered it probably is since Double Down Surrender is offered after hitting a doubled hand.

Also, it's not clear which hands doubled, split, busted etc lose when dealer has a BJ. Also, no mention of whether it is S17 or H Last edited by: gordonm on Nov 30, SUPER BONUS Player holds suited NO side bet required.

With 4 other players at the table, the Envy Bonus adds 0. Those tiny values are reduced further as bet size increases. Dieter Administrator. Joined: Jul 23, I'm going to assume that an 8 deck bonus paytable will fare poorly against a 6 deck simulation.

Did anyone get a look at the Bonus Spin prize wheel? May the cards fall in your favor. RSS Feed. Trending Forum Threads Todays Gaming-News. Wordle Bruno Mars Ratholing for better A well-thought-out strategy may make the huge difference between a win and a bust, from knowing when to hit, stand, or double, to figuring out the most likely odds and rewards.

We hope that our short dive into the quirks and twists of Spanish 21, Pontoon, and European Blackjack have opened your eyes to some awesome experiences you might have missed and some lucrative opportunities you might want to take advantage of.

Each of these versions offers a unique take on the traditional blackjack experience, and we urge you to confidently take your first steps towards mastering them.

One final tip from us is to make things easy on yourself by making sure to stop by online platforms like Casino Alpha, which make these card games more easily accessible through professional tips and tricks.

Explore the possibilities today and become a pro at your new favorite form of blackjack! PHOTO CREDIT: istockphoto. BLOG MENU. Your email address will not be published. By David Aprig. The Allure of Spanish A Unique Variant Spanish 21 is a unique variation of blackjack that has become increasingly popular in the gambling industry.