There was a time when Single Deck Blackjack was one of the busiest tables at the casino. After the computer geniuses figured out the basic strategy in 1956, and Edward O. Thorp published Beat the Dealer in 1963, people from all walks of life came to the casino, lured by the promise of an incredibly low 0.17% house edge. Eventually, the casinos fought back, adding more decks to the shoe and bringing in continuous shuffling machines. You can still play Single Deck Blackjack live, but there are far fewer tables than before, and the ones that remain often have unfriendly rules for players, like paying out Blackjacks at 6-to-5 instead of 3-to-2.
You won’t find any of that nonsense when you play Single Deck Blackjack at Bodog Casino. The Blackjack rules for this game are so player-friendly, it’s one of the best deals you’ll find at any online casino, and it allows you to play Blackjack in its purest and simplest form. Here’s a look at how to play Single Deck Blackjack at Bodog.
Single Deck Blackjack Rules
Like most Blackjack variants, the object of Single Deck Blackjack is to beat the Dealer. The hand that gets closer to 21 points without going over wins. At Bodog, the single deck is shuffled after every hand, the Dealer hits on soft 17, and Blackjacks (not including a split) are paid out at 3-to-2. You may double down after a split, and you may re-split up to three hands unless you have Aces, in which case you may only split once and receive a single card – no re-splitting allowed if that card is another Ace. Also, there is no surrender option in Single Deck Blackjack.
With these rules, if you play an optimal Single Deck Blackjack strategy, the house edge is a tiny 0.01%. That’s if you’re playing the Classic version; the newer streamlined layout for Single Deck Blackjack lets you split up to two hands instead of three, for a house edge of 0.037% – still incredibly reasonable. Try both versions of Single Deck Blackjack using the Practice Play mode and see which one is right for you.