Atlantic City Blackjack

The game of blackjack that is generally accepted around the world is the style that is played at casinos in Las Vegas. This however, is not the only variant in the game, with people having developed many new rules and strategies. One such variant is the Atlantic City Blackjack, which is very similar to the original game; however it still has a number of rules that are exclusive to the game.

The Game

The object of the game of Atlantic City Blackjack is the same as that of any other game of Blackjack in that the player’s total must beat the dealer’s total. The cards held by either the player or the dealer however, must be valued under 21, any total above this number is called a bust.

The game of Atlantic City Blackjack uses a set of eight individual standard card decks, with 52 cards each. The fact that the number of decks is high means that this game has a greater casino edge than any game that is played with a single deck.

The game begins once the player has placed his/her bet in the betting area. The dealer then deals out two face up cards to the player and one face up card and one hole card to the dealer. these cards are then compared and analyzed in order for the player to make his/her decision. The player can then hit, stand, split, double or insurance depending on the cards held and the best decision according to his/her strategy. The player always plays first and after the player makes a decision, the dealer plays. The dealer can decide to either hit or stand, depending on his/her hand.

Rules of Atlantic City Blackjack

There are two important variations in the general rules when playing Atlantic City Blackjack. The first rule is that when the player holds a Blackjack (A card of value 10 along with an Ace), then the player automatically wins the hand. Similarly, if the dealer goes bust, unlike in the regular version of the game, the player automatically wins. These extra rules were added to help reduce the house advantage.
Other important rules that must be remembered are that when the dealer’s hand is worth 16 or less, then he/she must take a hit. Also, if the dealer’s hand is worth between 17 and 21, then the player must stand. The players on the other hand are allowed to double down on the first hand and are allowed to split any initial hand that is a pair. It is also possible for the player to double after completing a split; however it is not possible to re-split. In case the player splits a pair of aces, he/she is only allowed one card each on the hands.
Like with the regular game, a Blackjack has a payout of 3:2. When the dealer’s initial open card is an Ace, the player is allowed to take insurance. In case the insurance bet wins, the player’s payout is worth 2:1.