American Blackjack
The hole-card game that every standard basic strategy chart is written for.
About American Blackjack
American Blackjack is the game most people picture, and the game virtually every basic strategy chart on the internet — including ours — is calculated for. The dealer takes two cards, one face up and one face down, and when the up-card is a ten or an Ace they check the hole card for blackjack before anyone acts.
That peek is worth real money to you. If the dealer has blackjack the hand ends immediately, and you lose only your original bet. You are never allowed to double or split into a hand that was already decided.
Everything else about the game — the totals, the odds, the drawing rules — is shared with the European version. The peek is the difference that matters, and it is why this rule set is the baseline against which the others are measured.
Rules at a glance
| Decks | 6 or 8 (single and double deck still exist) |
|---|---|
| Dealer on soft 17 | Hits (H17) in most modern games; S17 is better for you |
| Hole card | Yes — dealer peeks on a 10 or Ace up-card |
| Double down | Any two cards |
| Double after split | Usually allowed (DAS) |
| Splitting | Re-split to 4 hands; aces usually once, one card each |
| Surrender | Late surrender commonly offered |
| Blackjack pays | 3:2 — avoid any table paying 6:5 |
| Insurance | Offered when the dealer shows an Ace |
Rules vary between casinos. Always check the blackjack payout and the dealer's soft 17 rule; they move the house edge more than anything else on this page.
What makes it different
The dealer peeks
You never invest a second bet into a hand the dealer has already won with blackjack.
Unrestricted doubling
Doubling on any two cards makes every soft double available — A,7 vs 6, A,4 vs 5 and the rest.
Late surrender
Where offered, giving up half your bet on 16 vs 10 and 15 vs 10 is worth about 0.07%.
Re-splitting
Splitting to four hands lets you press an advantage against a weak dealer up-card.
How basic strategy changes
These are the decisions that differ from the standard chart. Everything not listed here is played the same way.
vs
Hard 11 vs dealer Ace
Standard: Hit under S17 American: Double under H17
A dealer who hits soft 17 busts more often, which tips this borderline double.
vs
Soft 18 (A,7) vs dealer 2
Standard: Stand under S17 American: Double under H17
Same reason — the extra dealer draw raises your equity enough to press.
vs
Soft 19 (A,8) vs dealer 6
Standard: Stand under S17 American: Double under H17
One of the few soft 19 doubles, and only against H17.
vsHard 15 and 17 vs Ace
Standard: Hit / stand American: Surrender under H17
Where late surrender is offered against a dealer who hits soft 17.
What it means for card counting
This is the game most counting systems, index numbers and deviation tables were derived for. The Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 assume a peeking dealer, so you can apply them without adjustment. Insurance is the single most valuable counting decision available: take it at a true count of +3 or higher and never below.
Practise on a matching shoe in the card counting trainer.
Where you will find it
The default across North America and widely offered online. Watch the blackjack payout above all else — 6:5 tables are common on single-deck games and cost more than every other rule difference combined.
Frequently asked questions
Why do basic strategy charts assume American rules?
Because the dealer peek removes the risk of losing doubled and split bets to a blackjack, which is the assumption the charts are computed under. Applying an American chart at a no-hole-card table gets a handful of hands wrong.
Should I ever take insurance?
Not on basic strategy alone — it costs about 7% of the amount wagered. It becomes profitable only when you are counting and the true count reaches +3 or above, because that is when tens are dense enough to make the bet positive.
How much does a 6:5 blackjack payout cost me?
Roughly 1.4%, which is several times the effect of any other rule variation. A single-deck 6:5 game is worse than a six-deck 3:2 game, despite single deck sounding better.
Sources
Other blackjack variants
- European BlackjackThe no-hole-card game — the dealer takes a second card only after you have finished acting.
- Atlantic City BlackjackEight decks, but one of the most player-friendly rule sets you will find.
- Vegas Strip BlackjackFour decks, dealer stands on soft 17, and no surrender to fall back on.
- Single Deck BlackjackThe best odds in blackjack — or the worst, depending entirely on the payout.
- Spanish 21Every ten removed from the deck, and a pile of player bonuses to make up for it.
- Blackjack SwitchTwo hands at once — and the right to swap their second cards before you play them.
- Double Exposure BlackjackBoth of the dealer's cards dealt face up — in exchange for even-money blackjacks and losing every tie.
- Double Attack BlackjackSee the dealer's up-card first, then decide whether to double your bet.
- Super Fun 21Double on any number of cards and win automatically with six cards totalling 20 — at a 6:5 blackjack payout.
- PontoonThe British cousin of blackjack: twist, stick, buy — and a five card trick that beats a 21.
- Chinese Blackjack (Ban-Luck)Southeast Asia's home game of 21 — where an Ace can be worth 10 and a pair of Aces pays 3 to 1.