Lila Thorn | August 13, 2020 | Updated on: December 23rd, 2020
As one of the most popular blackjack variants at online casinos, Vegas Strip blackjack is worth trying for players who can’t visit Vegas casinos. This casino blackjack game features the usual rules but has a few twists in store for you that might up the ante. So, what can you expect from this game in terms of gameplay, rules, and strategy? In this guide, we’ll give you a quick breakdown of how it works and we’ll list some of the best sites offering the version to blackjack players.
Like American blackjack, the objective is still to get close to 21 without busting and beating the dealer. However, these are four to eight-deck games using 52 cards, which slightly raises the house edge. Depending on the minimum bet (usually $5) and the blackjack tables’ limits, your payouts will also differ.
With that said, the card values remain the same, with some variations on how you make up your hand. While playing Vegas Strip blackjack, the highest value card is the Ace, which brings some new rules that we’ll explain later on.
So, before we go any further, let’s breakdown the first few steps of the card game:
Like most blackjack variations, you’ll have to buy-in with your first bet ($5 or more) before you can play.
Then, the dealer will deal two cards to each player face-up from their left. One of the cards dealt with the dealer will be face down, but there are some rules:
If the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace, they will offer an insurance bet, which pays out two to one if they hit 21.
After that, the dealer “peeks for blackjack” and reveals a natural 21 if that’s their hand, and players with 21 get their bet returned.
But, if a player has a two-card 21, they get paid out 3:2.
However, if the dealer doesn’t have 21, you can decide to hit, stand on your total, split your hand, or double down and get another card.
When all of the players have chosen, the dealer will reveal their card and take more cards according to the table rules. In most cases, they will stand on soft 17 or hit on other tables. But, if they bust, all player hands pay one to one.
Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules
Some rule variations in Vegas Strip blackjack, including the hole card and split aces game policies. These are shared by most blackjack online games, so we recommend keeping those in mind.
If you’re playing the version of Vegas Strip blackjack with the below rules, the house edge is generally 0.35%-0.36%. Since the average house edge of blackjack is 0.05%, this is relatively low.
That said, here are the basic rules and moves for players that are standard at all casinos offering it.
Vegas Strip Blackjack: Fixed Rules
Games are always played with four to eight decks to keep things fair.
The dealer has a face-down card in every game and can peek on an Ace face-up card or any ten-value.
When the dealer stands on a soft 17, they have to hit on 16 and stand when the hand reaches 17 with an 11-valued ace.
And, dealers need to offer insurance side bets to players if their up-card is an Ace. However, this raises the house edge to 7%, so be careful.
Variations In Rules
If you get two cards of the same value in Vegas Strip blackjack, you can split the hand and get another card for each. You can also keep splitting until you have four separate hands, but you will need to bet more.
However, you can only split Aces once and get one more hand, but neither hand will count as a blackjack.
Expert Las Vegas Strip Blackjack Strategy
Now, if you’re the type of player who likes to try out strategies to win more, then we’ve got some expert tips. By using strategy charts like the one below, we’ve found that your losses can be lowered.
However, no tactic can stop you from losing once in a while or guarantee a win, so follow the recommendations carefully. These are the recommended steps for each move, which are split (SP), stand (S), hit (H), or double down (D).
As one of the most popular blackjack variants at online casinos, Vegas Strip blackjack is worth trying for players who can’t visit Vegas casinos. This casino blackjack game features the usual rules but has a few twists in store for you that might up the ante.
