Double Exposure Blackjack
Blackjack is a name synonymous with gambling, both in land based casinos and in online casinos. Over the years, casinos have made certain changes to the rules, to make the game more interesting and to draw in more players through variants. One of these variants is called Double Exposure Blackjack, also known as Dealer Disclosure or Face-Up 21.
As is the case with most variations, there are certain changes which are advantageous for the players and certain which give the advantage back to the house. This version of Blackjack was invented by Richard A. Epstein, and first appeared at Vegas World. It is growing in popularity but still is a bit hard to found on casinos both land-based and online. Some of these casinos which provide this new version of Blackjack are:
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!
Rules
Since it is derived from the traditional version of Blackjack, most of the rules are similar. 6 to 8 decks of cards are used. The players and the dealer are dealt with two cards. Based upon his and the dealer’s cards, a player must decide whether he wants to hit, stand, double, or split.
The most prominent change in this version is the fact that the dealer will have both his cards face up instead of only one being face-up as was the case in the original version. This is also the reason for the game being called ‘double exposure.’ A lot of people think that this particular change takes away the element of unpredictability and guesswork from the game as the player is aware of the dealer’s cards.
The fact that the player knows what the dealer’s cards are is very advantageous for him. So certain changes have also been introduced to give back some edge to the house. One of the most important changes is that if a dealer does not go bust, then he wins all hands except for those in which the player has a Blackjack. This means that you will end up losing every tie you have with the dealer (except if you have a Blackjack). If you have a tie for Blackjack with the dealer, than you win instead of pushing, which was the case in the original version of the game.
Also, getting a Blackjack does not give you a payout of 3:2 or 2:1, as is often the case. Rather, you get a payout of 1:1 for a Blackjack. A hand of a split ace and 10 counts as a 21 and not a Blackjack, which means you won’t be paid for a split Blackjack. If the dealer draws a hand of soft 17, then in most of the casinos, the dealer hits. The player is put at a bit more disadvantage, as he is allowed to double down on hands of only 9, 10 and 11. If you have a pair, then no re-splitting is allowed.
Most of the variants of Blackjack have a side-bet. The original one has a side-bet called insurance and a version of Blackjack called Blackjack Switch has a side-bet called super-match. But in this particular version, both the cards of dealer are already face up, so no wager can be made.
When it comes to splitting, the player has a bit more leeway as he is allowed to split any two cards and he is also allowed to double down after splitting. Though one should always check the casino rules as certain casinos do have a different set of rules regarding splitting and doubling down.
Strategy
Like most other card games, luck plays a heavy role in this one as well. But by taking calculated steps and learning certain strategies, you can do very well at this game. Even though it is more in favor of the house than the original version of Blackjack, it still has a very low house edge compared to most other casino games and you can make it even lower by making some optimal moves.
The most important change in strategy is related to the higher valued hands. While playing the unabridged version, you will always stand on a hand of hard 17, but not here. Suppose you have a hard 20 and the dealer has a 20. If you do not hit, you lose because in double exposure, the dealer cannot lose a tie. If you hit and get busted, you lose. So, clearly, the odds of you hitting and winning are very low, but if you don’t hit you lose for sure.
Splitting plays a very important role as well and the strategy involved with it is again slightly different than the standard one. If the dealer has a hand between 13 and 16 and you have a hand of 20 with two tens, then you must split. Such a step would not be advised in the normal version of Blackjack.