Double Attack Blackjack
If you have ever ventured into the world of gambling, then you must be aware of a hugely popular game called Blackjack. It has been around for a long time and one of the reasons for its popularity is the fact that by tweaking some of its rules, a lot of new versions of the game have come up. These versions keep people interested and also attract new fans for the game. One of these versions is called Double Attack Blackjack. This version is closely related to Spanish 21, another version of Blackjack. This game is relatively new and is played mostly in Atlantic City casinos and in many online casinos. Here is a list of some of the casinos where this game is played:
PAYOUT PERCENTAGE 97.8%
Casino Titan
Casino Titan is.. well, a titan in the world of blackjack and casinos. Players who visit this establishment will be pleased with the stand up support staff and the sheer excellence and variety of their blackjack games!
PAYOUT PERCENTAGE 98.3%
High Noon
Players passing through the High Noon saloon swinging doors will be faced with an incredibly fun and enjoyable themed blackjack casino, and support staff who are as friendly and accommodating as they come!
PAYOUT PERCENTAGE 99.3%
Online Vegas Casino
Bring Vegas into your home by playing blackjack at Online Vegas Casino! These guys are running blackjack tournaments nearly every single day, prospective players should prepare to be impressed!
Number of Cards
Since the game is derived from Spanish 21, the cards are used in pretty much the same manner. 6 to 8 decks of 48 cards are used. There are 48 cards as the four 10 cards are not present in the deck – this is called a Spanish deck. Not having the 10 cards is in favor of the house, so to compensate for this certain other changes are made to the rules to bring the balance back to the game.
Rules
The value which a card holds is the same as those in Spanish 21. If a dealer has a face-up card as an ace or a card having value 10 then he has to peek for the Blackjack. Unlike most other versions, the dealer stands on both hard and soft 17s. The most significant change is regarding the distribution of the cards and makes the game highly in favor of the player.
In the standard version of blackjack, the player places the bet and then the cards are dealt. But in this particular version, the player places the bet and then only the dealer is dealt one of his cards face-up. After that the player is allowed raise his bet. But he cannot add more to his bet than the original amount. So if, your initial wager was for $30, after seeing the dealer’s card you can decide to add anywhere up to $30 to your bet. This also means that if you decide to double down, then you would be doubling down not on your initial wager, but the wager which you made after looking at the dealer’s card.
There are certain other additions to the rules as well. Doubling is allowed on all the cards and you can even double on split hands. But you are allowed only one card after doubling. Most of the casinos allow re-splitting of the cards, but always make sure to check for rules regarding splitting on individual casinos. Aces are an exception, as you can split only once for aces. A 21 made after splitting of aces is not counted as a Blackjack.
Given these advantages for a player, there is one major change which puts the house edge back to standard. This change is regarding the payout for a Blackjack which is 3:2 in most cases, but while playing Double Attack, you get even money, that is, a 1:1 payout.
The option of surrendering is also available to the player at all times. A player can surrender after any number of cards. He can also surrender after a double down. The only time he cannot surrender is before the dealer checks for a Blackjack. On surrendering, half the value of the wager is returned to the player.
Strategy
As is the case with most of the variants of Blackjack, you can always improve your skill and win more by following certain strategies. Some of these are very complex and hard to master. But some of them are relatively simple and easy to understand. We shall look at what one of these simpler strategies says.
If the dealer has shown an up-card between 2 and 9, always go for doubling your initial wager, otherwise don’t. Insurance pays 3:1, which makes insurance favorable, unlike original Blackjack. It’s advised to take insurance if you have a hand of 18 having two nines, but not if you have a hand of 18, with an eight and a 10 card. One other significant strategy change from the original version is that if you have a 17 and the dealer has an ace, then it is best to surrender.
Side-Bet: Bust-It
Like the original Blackjack, Double Attack also has a very interesting side-bet called Bust-it. You have to wager for this side-bet before the dealer shows his up-card. You are wagering on the chance that the dealer will bust in exactly three cards. The pay offs vary depending upon what the third card is. The payouts are 40:1 if all the three cards have a value of 8, and are 50:1 if the three 8′s are of the same suit.
Other variants of Blackjack include Spanish 21, Double Exposure Blackjack, Pontoon, and Blackjack Switch.