How to play Atlantic City Blackjack

Blackjack is a casino card game played against the dealer, in which you try to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over, here with virtual chips.

Eight decks with late surrender.

About Atlantic City Blackjack

Atlantic City Blackjack differs from Classic in three rules: it deals from eight decks instead of six, any two ten-value cards can be split, and late surrender is offered. Its 416-card shoe, the largest here, is reshuffled between rounds once 312 cards are out. Because the dealer checks for blackjack before you act, a hand you surrender never meets a dealer blackjack, and the half bet you get back is certain.

The dealer stands on soft 17 and peeks for blackjack. Surrender gives up your first two cards for half your bet back once the dealer has checked for blackjack; it is not available after a split. Any two ten-value cards can be split, up to four hands, and you may double after splitting.

Surrender is what sets Atlantic City apart from the other tables with standard decks. Use it on a hard 16 against a dealer 9, 10 or ace, and on a hard 15 against a 10: in those spots playing on loses more than half your bet on average. A pair of eights is the exception; split it.

Decide before you take a card, because surrender is offered only on your first two cards and disappears once you hit. The eight-deck shoe is the largest on the site, and doubling after a split lets you split small pairs against a dealer 2 to 7 as at Classic.

The goal of Blackjack

Beat the dealer by finishing closer to 21 without going over. Number cards count their face value, jacks, queens and kings 10, and an ace 11, or 1 if 11 would take the hand past 21. An ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards is a blackjack.

How to set up Blackjack

You start with 1000 chips. Bet 5 to 500 chips, then deal: you get two cards face up, the dealer one. Except in European, the dealer also takes a face-down card and checks it for blackjack at once, ending the round before you act if it has one.

When the dealer shows an ace, you are offered insurance for half your bet. It pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack and is lost otherwise.

Blackjack rules

Hit to take another card, or Stand to keep your total. Double doubles your bet and gives you exactly one more card. Split turns a pair into two hands, each with its own bet and a new second card. Going over 21 is a bust and loses that bet.

When your hands are finished, the dealer completes its hand, drawing until it reaches 17 or more. Whether it also draws on a soft 17, a 17 with an ace counted as 11, depends on the variant.

The full Blackjack guide, with strategy tips and common questions