Single Deck Blackjack
Single Deck Blackjack is a variation of blackjack played with one deck of 52 cards. This blackjack variant features a very low house edge, and as such, many online casinos do not offer it. Even if you find it available at an online casino, you have to make sure that the casino is safe before playing. Single Deck Blackjack is a variation of blackjack played with one deck of 52 cards. This blackjack variant features a very low house edge, and as such, many online casinos do not offer it. Even if you find it available at an online casino, you have to make sure that the casino is safe before playing.
- Online single-deck blackjack. Note: This page is intended for our international readers only.Following the introduction of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill in September 2017, it is no longer legal to market online casinos to Australian players, so the content on this page is informational in nature only.
- Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. 875 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS 39530. (228) 386-7111.
Known for its favourable odds, Single Deck blackjack is slowly becoming a rarity, as most developers are usually releasing multi deck blackjack variants. RTG's Single Deck comes with the standardised rules and payout table as well as with all the strategic advantages that a one-deck card game can bring.
Game Rules and Features
The game is played with a single-hand and has only one available betting area. Both the dealer and the player are dealt with two cards each – the player can then opt for one of the following options: Hit, Stand, Double and Split. Doubling your bet is available after any two cards (some blackjack variants limit the option) and Splitting is restricted to two hands.
Separating Aces will limit the Hit option to only one extra card per hand, which is a standard rule in blackjack. Insurance option appears on the screen if the upcard is an Ace and the dealer has to hit on soft 17. Speeding things up and making the sail smoother is the Rebet button that repeats your previous stake arrangement, submitting the same bet amount. If you decide to change the stake, just click on the main betting area and start over.
Payouts & RTP
RTG Single Deck Blackjack pays 1:1 for a regular winning hand, 2:1 if the player wins the insurance bet and 3:2 for a blackjack win. The minimum bet is slightly on the higher side - $25, while the maximum bet is capped at $300, which is lower than in most online blackjack games. Return to Player percentage is close to other RTG blackjack editions: 99.52%.
Recommended Tips
Blackjack is not a game of chance, and memorising a few basic rules is highly recommendable before going in the real money mode. The good news is that the basic strategy is far from complicated and can be easily mastered. With one deck variants and the soft 17 rule, the player should hit on 4 to 7 totals if the upcard is an ace or 2-10 value card. Players should always stand on hard 17 and higher totals, but hit if they have 12-14 against the dealer's Ace, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Some pairs such as Aces, eights and nines should be split, however, a pair of 2s, 3s and 4s should be hit if the upcard is an Ace, 8, 9 or 10.
RTG Single Deck Blackjack Summary
Designed with simplicity in mind, RTG's Single Deck Blackjack is a great way to revisit your favourite game and go back to basics with this single hand, clean cut blackjack version. An added value is a particularly clear table layout, providing all the necessary information without crowding the view.
Those of you who are new to the game of blackjack may have noticed that some blackjack games are played with one deck of cards while others are played with 2, 4, 6 or even 8 decks of cards. What’s the difference between single and multiple deck games and what are the advantages or disadvantages?
Single deck blackjack has often been looked at as the holy grail of the game because it offers players the best chance to win profits. In fact, the house edge is just 0.15% when players stick to blackjack games with a single deck.
Long ago, single-deck blackjack was the standard and the only game in town. In recent years, however, casinos have moved towards multiple deck games to make it harder for players to count cards, a strategy which has gained popularity over the past few decades. Not only is it more difficult for players to count cards with multiple decks in use, but using multiple decks also increases the house edge slightly.
Many casinos have reintroduced the single-deck blackjack game, but don’t be fooled into thinking that playing a single-deck game will give you better odds. In fact, you will notice that when playing a single-deck game of blackjack many casinos only offer a 6:5 payout for blackjack, while multi-deck games offer 3:2.
If you placed a $10 bet and got blackjack on a multi-card game with 3:2 payout you’d walk away with $15, whereas you’d only get $12 for a single-deck game with a 6:5 payout. The slight increase in the house edge isn’t worth the decrease in the blackjack payout that the house gives for a single-deck game. Therefore, unless you can find a casino that offers a 3:2 payout for single-deck blackjack it is a wise decision to stick to multiple deck games.
Casinos also often enforce disadvantageous rule variations on single-deck and double-deck games in order to give the house more of an edge. These variations can include requiring the dealer to hit on soft 17, not allowing players to double down after a split, not allowing the resplitting of aces and a number of other variations.
Card counter have tried to employ their strategy even when using multiple decks, even though it involves more calculations and a greater risk of losing the correct count. Casinos have developed an arsenal of tactics to disrupt counters who try to count multiple decks. Many have decided to use continuous shuffle machines which shuffle the cards back into the shoe with every hand.
With this being the case, you’d think that finding a single deck blackjack is the greatest thing ever. However, there are actually some disadvantages to the subject as well, which is covered below along with single deck blackjack advantages.
Advantages
The obvious advantage to playing single deck blackjack is just as we stated before in that you’re getting the absolute lowest house edge. Facing a 0.15% house edge puts you on nearly a level playing field with the casino, and makes your chance of profiting seem like a coin flip. Of course, to take advantage of the low casino edge, make sure that you understand good basic blackjack strategy first – otherwise, it doesn’t really matter how many decks you’re dealing with.
There is another big advantage for card counters. Usually, card counters these days are dealing with six and eight deck shoes, which means they have to wait longer for favorable counts. But with single deck blackjack, card counters don’t have to wait nearly as long to get a favorable count, thus letting them bet big much sooner.
Disadvantages
Based on the aforementioned advantages, you wouldn’t think there’d be much downside to single deck blackjack. But the problem is that casinos often advertise single deck games, yet offer unfavorable rules to increase the house edge. And what’s bad about this is that the house edge can actually end up being higher than with six or eight deck blackjack.
In the worst case scenario, casinos will only make 6:5 blackjack payouts instead of 3:2 payouts. This one rule alone will bring the house edge from 0.15% all the way up to 1.45%. Considering the fact that you can still keep the house edge at around 0.5% with both six and eight deck blackjack, it’s sometimes not even worth the effort to search for single deck games. Casinos might put other unfavorable rules in the single deck games too, so watch out for this.
Single Player Blackjack
Single and double deck games are generally dealt with the cards face down. This is another tactic that casinos use to thwart counters. Players who stand before your turn will place their cards face down on the table. Since no one has no idea what they are holding, counters not value those cards in the count.
Another disadvantage to single deck blackjack is that you’re very unlikely to earn many comps with this version of the game. After all, if it’s true single deck blackjack you’re playing, the casino won’t make much money off you in the long-term. That said, they aren’t going to be generous with comps either.
Single Deck Blackjack Free
Casinos usually offer a few lower limit single deck games to entice players to visit their casino. It is the old bait and switch technique that often works. They know that if the table is full or the betting limits are severely restricted, players will move to higher earning tables.
Single Deck Blackjack Game
Learn about the other tricks by reading “How Casinos Cheat.”