Atlantic City Blackjack tends to have the best rules for players out of all the versions found online. Played with 8 decks, the dealer stands on all 17’s and above, even if all hands stand to win if they stand.
Atlantic City Blackjack Rules
Players can double on any starting hand and can split every pair once. You are able to double after splitting once but cannot split a hand twice. When splitting Aces, only one further card is allowed.
Insurance is available and pays 2 to 1 whilst Blackjack pays 1.5 to 1.
If the Dealer shows an Ace, players are offered Insurance and then the Dealer will check for Blackjack before any further action, the hand ends if they have Blackjack and Insurance wins if they don’t then any Insurance bets are collected as losers and the hand continues as normal.
There is an option to Surrender in Atlantic City Blackjack, which means you can give up your hand before you make any further actions such as Hitting or Standing, you get half of your stake back, this can be useful in some circumstances where the Dealer has a high upturned card and you have a hand that is unlikely to win.
Above is an example of the layout for an Atlantic City Blackjack game, you will see that you can choose to play up to 5 hands at a time if you wish, each of them just needs to beat the Dealer in order to win.
Atlantic City Blackjack RulesRTP:99.65%Blackjack Pays:3 to 2Number of Decks:8Dealer Rule:Stand on all 17’s and aboveDealer Peek:YesInsurance:YesSurrender:Yes after first 2 cardsSplit:YesRe-Split:YesDouble:YesDouble after Split:YesHit Split Aces:YesSide Game:NoMultiple Hands:Yes
Atlantic City Strategy
Atlantic City Blackjack is a fairly standard version and therefore there aren’t any rules that differentiate the standard strategy.
Remember the chart below is just a suggestion and the casino will always have the edge over the player as in any casino game.
However, by following the chart below, you will have the best possible chance of finishing ahead in any session that you play.
Hard Hands – No Ace
Dealers Upturned CardYour hand2345678910A5 to 8HHHHHHHHHH9HDDDDHHHHH10DDDDDDDDHH11DDDDDDDDDH12HHSSSHHHHH13SSSSSHHHHH14SSSSSHHHHH15SSSSSHHHSRH16SSSSSHHSRSRSR17+SSSSSSSSSS
H = Hit D = Double
S = Stand SR = Surrender
Soft Hands – With an Ace
Dealers Upturned CardYour hand2345678910AA2HHHDDHHHHHA3HHHDDHHHHHA4HHDDDHHHHHA5HHDDDHHHHHA6HDDDDHHHHHA7SDDDDSSHHHA8SSSSSSSSSSA9SSSSSSSSSS
H = Hit D = Double
S = Stand
Pairs
Dealers CardYour hand2345678910A2,2SPSPSPSPSPSPHHHH3,3SPSPSPSPSPSPHHHH4,4HHHSPSPHHHHH5,5DDDDDDDDHH6,6SPSPSPSPSPHHHHH7,7SPSPSPSPSPSPHHHH8,8SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP9,9SPSPSPSPSPSSPSPSS10,10SSSSSSSSSSA,ASPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP
H = Hit D = Double
S = Stand SP = Split
Atlantic City Tips
Never take Insurance- this is always tempting if the Dealer shows an Ace, but it is one of the worst Casino bets around. At the standard payout of 2 to 1, Insurance is a bet that is 8% against the player and therefore should be avoided at all costs – you may get a win some of the time, but long term you will always be a losing player with this type of bet.
Don’t be afraid to Surrender – It is understandable that some players don’t like giving up their hand and accepting a loss without taking it all the way, but it is an advantage to the player to have this option as not all versions of Blackjack offer it, so make the most of it when you can.
Always play within your means – this counts for all casino games, not just Atlantic City Blackjack, but the aim of the game is to enjoy yourself and you won’t do this if you are gambling money you can’t afford to lose or getting worried and/or upset every time you lose a hand.
Blackjack References:
Blackjack Rules, Strategy & Tips
Basics of Card Counting
Real Money Blackjack Sites
