Author: Olivia Brown | Edited By: Joe Clark
Last Updated: December 10, 2024
The Basic Rules of Atlantic City Blackjack
Objective
In Atlantic City Blackjack, your primary objective aligns with traditional blackjack rules: to outscore the dealer without your total exceeding 21.
Following a similar gameplay pattern as European Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack utilizes eight regular decks. The higher the number of decks in play, the more you’ll need to strategize your moves.
Key Features
- This variant allows all hands, including split hands, to double down.
- The dealer checks for blackjack with an ace or 10 shows.
- Atlantic City blackjack permits a late surrender after the dealer checks for blackjack.
- The dealer in Atlantic City Blackjack stands on soft 17.
Game Details
- RTP: 99.65%
- House Edge: 0.35%
- Payout: Insurance bets with a payout of 2:1.
- Developer: NetEnt
- Best Casino to Play: LeoVegas
Appropriate Betting Strategies
- Understand the risk attached and make decisions based on the status of your hand and the dealer’s face-up card.
Deck
The game uses 6 to 8 decks of cards, excluding jokers, which are reshuffled after each round.
Number of Players
Atlantic City Blackjack can accommodate 7 players at a time. Remember, you’re not playing against fellow participants; your sole competition is the dealer.
Card Values
The card values are the same as traditional blackjack,
- Ace is valued as 1 or 11
- Face cards are deemed 10
- All other cards equal their numeric worth.
Betting Options
In terms of wagering, Atlantic City Blackjack welcomes various bet sizes, accommodating both low and high rollers. Some casinos also offer side bets for increased opportunities to win.
Special Features
These include
- Double Down on any two cards
- Split up to three times
- A Late Surrender – allows you to forfeit half of your bet after the dealer checks for blackjack.
House Edge and RTP
The House Edge is 0.36%, which makes the RTP as 99.64%. It indicates that with optimal play, you lose only about one bet per 300 hands.
How to Play Atlantic City Blackjack?
- Starting the Game: Begin by placing a bet within the table’s set limits. The dealer distributes two upturned cards to players and one upturned and one downturned card to themselves.
- Player Options: After receiving the initial two cards and assessing the dealer’s upturned card, you have multiple options.
- You can Hit for an extra card.
- Stand to keep your current total.
- Double down to 2x your initial bet and get an additional card.
- Split your cards if you’ve got a pair to create two separate hands to play simultaneously.
- Dealer’s Turn: Once the player’s decision is made, the dealer reveals their hidden card. Atlantic City Blackjack rules stipulate the dealer must draw until they accumulate a total of 17 or higher.
- Late Surrender: You can use this option to give away half of your bet.
- Insurance: It is available when the dealer shows an Ace. You can bet half of your initial wager that the dealer has a blackjack.
- Scoring & Outcome: In the final stages, compare your hand with the dealer’s.
- Win when your total is closer to 21 or when the dealer goes bust.
- If both you and the dealer land exactly on 21 or have an identical total of less than 21, your initial bet will be returned, resulting in a ‘push.’
Payouts
Here’s the payout structure for Atlantic City Blackjack which is very similar to the traditional blackjack payout structure:
| Hand/Bet Type | Payout |
| Blackjack (Natural) | 3:2 |
| Winning Hand | 1:1 |
| Insurance | 2:1 |
| Push (Tie) | Bet Returned |
Strategy Chart for Atlantic City Blackjack
The chart is a guide based on the most effective actions for each possible hand when considering the dealer’s face-up card. The key elements include whether to hit, stand, split, double down, or surrender, given the situation you face at the table.
Hard Hands (No Ace)
| Your Hand | Dealer’s Upcard | Action |
| 8 or less | Any | Hit |
| 9 | 3-6 | Double Down |
| 10 | 2-9 | Double Down |
| 11 | 2-10 | Double Down |
| 12 | 4-6 | Stand |
| 12 | Any Other | Hit |
| 13-16 | 2-6 | Stand |
| 13-16 | 7-Ace | Hit |
| 17 or higher | Any | Stand |
Soft Hands (With Ace)
| Your Hand | Dealer’s Upcard | Action |
| Soft 13-15 | Any | Hit |
| Soft 16-18 | 4-6 | Double Down |
| Soft 16-18 | 7-8 | Hit |
| Soft 16-18 | 9-Ace | Hit |
| Soft 19 | 6 | Double Down |
| Soft 19 | Any Other | Stand |
| Soft 20 or higher | Any | Stand |
Pair Splitting
| Your Hand | Dealer’s Upcard | Action |
| Aces | Any | Split |
| 8s | Any | Split |
| 2s, 3s | 2-7 | Split |
| 4s | 5-6 | Split |
| 6s | 2-6 | Split |
| 7s | 2-7 | Split |
| 9s | 2-6, 8-9 | Split |
| 10s | Any | Stand |
| 5s | Any | Double Down |
Late Surrender
| Your Hand | Dealer’s Upcard | Action |
| Hard 15 | 10 | Surrender |
| Hard 16 | 9, 10, Ace | Surrender |
Pros and Cons of Atlantic City Blackjack
Pros
- It has a lower house edge and a very high Return to Player (RTP) ratio of around 99.64%, which offers impressive winning probabilities.
- The flexibility in Double Down, splitting opportunities, and the prospect of Late Surrender are an added advantage.
- The gameplay is similar to traditional blackjack, which makes it much easier for beginners to learn.
Cons
- The House always has a slight advantage, contributing to occasional inevitable losses.
- Limited “Push” scenario opportunities exist. A dealer’s Blackjack, unfortunately, results in player loss unless you’ve also hit Blackjack.
- The strategy-driven gameplay may not appeal to every gambler.
- Not all online and land-based casinos offer this variant.
How does Atlantic City Blackjack differ from Traditional Blackjack?
- This game permits the resplitting of aces, a move not usually allowed in the traditional variant.
- Atlantic City’s rules require dealers to stand on soft 17s. This skews the odds slightly more towards players, as it removes the possibility of dealers improving their hands after hitting a soft 17.
- The late surrender ability, though not unique to Atlantic City, is not typically part of traditional Blackjack rules.
- While traditional Blackjack primarily comes in single and double-deck versions, Atlantic City steers clear of these variants, focusing on eight-deck games.
Variations of Atlantic City Blackjack
Spanish 21
- It is played with 6 or 8 Spanish decks, which have 48 cards instead of the usual 52.
- The 4 ten-valued cards (10 of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) are removed from the deck.
- You can double down on any number of cards and re-split aces.
- The game also has several bonus payouts for specific card combinations, such as 777.
Double Exposure Blackjack
- Both dealers’ cards are exposed from the beginning.
- Here, players lose their bets if they tie with the dealer, except when they have a natural blackjack.
Progressive Blackjack
- It offers a massive jackpot prize in addition to the standard blackjack gameplay.
- You must make the mandatory side bet before the hand begins.
- The jackpot increases with each side bet placed and is awarded to players who land an Ace of any suit and a face card of the same suit for a suited blackjack.
- This game has a much higher house edge than the base game, so this variation may not be ideal for players with a tight budget or a more conservative strategy.
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