There are a number of different variations of blackjack, and all of them enjoy popularity in different parts of the world. Most of them can be found in land-based and online casinos.

Spanish 21

Spanish 21 is an interesting version, in that it is played without 10′s. The total deck count of 48, and this version is generally played with 6 or 8 decks. In Australia this version of Blackjack is called “Pontoon”, but don’t get it confused with British Pontoon. Australian Pontoon is called Spanish 21.

Blackjack Switch

One of the most challenging and popular online blackjack variants is called Blackjack Switch, and it gets its name from the two separate hands that a player controls and the ability to “switch” the top cards of both hands.
The rules are that each hand must have an equal bet. The only trade off is that if a dealer busts the result is a ‘push’ or tie. 6 and 8 deck games are the most common variations of this blackjack game.

European Blackjack

The rules of European blackjack say that the dealer can take only one card, face up before dealing to the player. There are a few other variants to this version of blackjack, including that players only double on 9 – 11, no surrender is offered and insurance is not resolved until the end of the hand.

Pontoon

British blackjack players are the biggest proponents of pontoon. For this variation, one must use the term “pontoon” instead of “blackjack” with a few other small rule changes. Both of the dealer’s cards are played face down. And in the event of a push or tie, the dealer wins.Any five card hand that doesn’t bust pays 2:1 and is called a five card trick. You can only stand on a 15 or greater or a five card hand. You can re-split once, including aces for a total of three hands.

There is claim that this rule first appeared in 1912, when 21 tables appeared in horse-betting parlors in Evanston, Illinois. However, according to Mickey MacDougall who wrote MacDougall on Dice and Cards he is quoted in stating:

“Many Professionals dress up the game by giving prizes for certain hands. A favorite stunt is to offer ten times the size of the wager to anyone holding a natural twenty-one with a black jack. This adds interest to the game, but it also tempts the player to increase his stakes.”

That curious bonus payout that has given blackjack its name has long since disappeared. Somewhere there might be a casino where they pay a small bonus to a player if they are dealt a natural 21 which includes a jack of spades or clubs, but that is no longer the normal rule of the game. Today, simply any initial 2 cards that consist of an ace and any ten valued card is a blackjack.

The bet is very appealing to the player but the house holds a 6.11% edge. That’s not a crippling edge, but at a blackjack table where you’re only giving up 2-3%, it’s not a bet I would recommend playing all the time.

It’s a closed tournament and players only get in by invite or via a satellite tournament. The way it works is that there are two knockout cards added to each shoe. When a knockout is dealt, the player with the smallest chip total after the end of the following hand is eliminated from the tourney. The minimum bet will rise every time the knockout card appears, and if a player busts out before a knockout card comes, everyone remaining gets to hang around until the next one appears.

Players also get a chip that allows them to discard one card and draw another. The chip can be used on double downs to get a look at the double down card and decide if they want it or not. If they don’t want it, they can take the next card in the deck.

The players that get the invites are the industry’s elite. Known members of the infamous MIT Blackjack Team as well as gambling legends like Stanford Wong and Russ Hamilton have helped attract an audience to the event. The first season was won by Mike Aponte and he pocketed $100,000 (other than what Uncle Sam kept). Ken Einiger won Season 2 for a $250,000 payday, and Dr. Jeff Bernstein won the big $500,000 Season 3 grand prize.

The WSOB isn’t exactly sweeping the nation, but it is getting some air-time and local interest where the events are being held. Who knows, maybe it’s the next poker boom.