Single deck blackjack

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Here at Wildz, our online casino is well stocked with a vast range of blackjack variants, including the “Holy Grail” of the game, single-deck blackjack. During the early days of blackjack, the game was played with just a single deck of cards. Over time, casinos added more and more decks into the game, resulting in variants requiring up to eight decks to play. Now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can play this original variant again at Wildz.

We’re pretty sure that single-deck blackjack will become your number one variant to play. It offers the lowest house edge of all blackjack games, with payouts of 3:2 instead of the 6:5 that you’ll find in multi-deck games. Keep reading to find out more about single-deck blackjack rules and strategies.

The rules of single-deck blackjack

All blackjack variants have the same objective: to beat the dealer by making a hand as close to 21 as possible without going ‘bust’. Therefore, most blackjack rules are the same whether you play single or multi-deck games. However, there are some unique features of single-deck blackjack:

• Only a single, 52-card deck is used and is shuffled at the beginning of the game
• Players can split their hands up to three times, except for a starting hand of two aces, which can only be split once
• Dealer hits on soft 17

The strategy involved

Single-deck blackjack, like multi-deck blackjack, is a game that you can change the course of by playing strategically. Because only one deck is used, every card in the deck can have an impact on your hand, so you should pay attention to the cards you can see that are already in play. Basic blackjack strategy also needs to be employed, and we’ll always recommend learning and utilizing the blackjack basic strategy charts based on Edward O. Thorp’s pioneering probability approach.

If you’ve browsed our Casino Guide you’ve probably seen our guide to blackjack hands. When you’re playing single card blackjack, you too may hold a soft or hard hand, and you’ll have the option to split your hand up to three times in the event of being dealt pairs.

What are the main differences in playing single-deck blackjack strategy?

As we’ve already covered above, your aim when playing any form of blackjack is to get a hand total of 21. However, your strategic approach to getting there will vary in a single-deck blackjack game. All of the blackjack hands you’ll recognize from multi-deck games are present in single-deck blackjack, but there are some differences in terms of how you can build them.

For instance, splitting a starting hand of two-pair cards is a common thread throughout all blackjack variants. In the single-deck variant, you can split your pairs up to three times, which could give you four hands to play with. This rule applies to all cards except for aces, which can only be split once.

There are also more opportunities to double down in a single-deck game, which can also work in your favor strategically if you’re playing the right hands (see the tables above for when to double down).

FAQs

What are the basic rules in Single Deck Blackjack?

There are no differences between the standard rules of Blackjack and the single deck variant; once all cards are drawn, whoever has a total closer to 21 than the dealer wins.

Is the Ace in Blackjack 1 or 11?

An Ace will have a value of 11 unless that would give a player or the dealer a score that exceeds 21, in which case, the value is 1.

Is the strategy different in Single Deck Blackjack?

The differences are minor, but in a game with multiple decks, you’ll always hit for a hard eight, regardless of what the dealer has. But in the single deck version, you’ll double down on the same hand when the dealer’s upcard is either five or six.

How many cards are in Single Deck Blackjack?

There are 52 cards in Single Deck Blackjack, but in most casinos, several decks are shuffled together. Six-deck Blackjack (312 cards) is the most popular.