Double Attack Blackjack is a variation of the classic game of 21 that is popular at Atlantic City casinos. It follows conventional blackjack rules for the most part and is similar to Spanish 21. Still, a few rule differences set it apart from the other two and make it a very distinctive version of the popular online casino classic.

In general, the game we'll be talking about in this article utilizes 48-card decks, pays equal money on Blackjack (as opposed to the regular game, which pays 3 to 2 on Blackjack in most situations), and allows players to double their original stake after seeing the dealer's upcard (thus the name).

Joseph 'Joe' Centrone is the creator of this game. He's also created several other blackjack variations, but this is his most famous. It can be played both at brick-and-mortar casinos and online, but we'll get into that later in this post. First and foremost, here's how this version of one of the world's most popular table games is played, along with some additional information and advice on how players should adjust their primary strategy.

What Makes Double Attack Blackjack Different From Regular Blackjack?

This game is played with many decks, usually six or eight. Tens are removed from all participating decks; similar to Spanish 21, Jacks, Queens, and Kings (the other ten-valued cards) are still utilized. All cards from Aces to Nines are included in the decks.

The goal of this game, like conventional Blackjack, is for the player to have a card total of 21 or as near to 21 as possible that is higher than the dealers. It's crucial to remember that, as with any game of this type, the player's total should not exceed 21.

On a blackjack, this version pays even money, but the Insurance Bet pays 5-2. Additionally, when the dealer deals themself a card face up, and the player can view it, the player is permitted to put a new wager equal to or less than their previous stake. This additional Wager is placed in the Double Attack circle on the table, just behind the BET circle.

Another feature unique to this game version is that the player can put aside a wager known as Bust It (depending on the casino). On a three-card dealer break, this bet pays out. The dealer's break/bust card determines the payouts. If the dealer's first three cards are all eights, the player receives a premium win. The Bust It bet loses if the dealer does not bust with three cards.

If the dealer's initial card is an Ace, King, Queen, or Jack, the game's rules oblige them to peek for a blackjack. On their first two cards and following a split, players can double down. You can double a single hand only once. Except for the Aces, all card pairs can be re-split into three or four hands. Only one card is dealt to split aces. At any time throughout the game, players have the option to surrender. Last but not least, in this game, the dealer stands on all 17s.

Double Attack Blackjack: A Step-by-Step Guide:

Except for the rule as mentioned above changes, this game is played pretty much like regular 21. Players are asked to make their wagers in the BET circles in front of them at their table before the fun begins.

If participants choose to make the optional Bust It Wager, they must do so at this precise moment. After all, bets have been put; the dealer is dealt one card face up. Following an examination of that card, players are given the option of placing an extra Double Attack wager in the spot right beneath their initial stake. The additional Wager cannot be more than the first Wager.

The dealer is handed a hole card, and each player is dealt two cards face up. If the dealer's upcard is an Ace after all cards have been sold, the dealer will offer players the chance to put an Insurance Bet. Players can wager on whether the dealer has a blackjack with this extra stake.

It pays a 5 to 2 ratio:

At this stage in the game, players can split, re-split, or double down, just as in a regular blackjack game. Suppose a player chooses to break or re-split pairings. In that case, they must put an extra bit in the BET circle equal to their initial bet plus an additional Double Attack bet in the allocated area similar to the original Double Attack bet.

If a player decides to double down, they can do so for an amount equal to the total of their initial and Double Attack bets. As previously stated, players have the option to resign regardless of how many cards they hold, including after splitting.

If the dealer's face-up card is an Ace, King, Queen, or Jack after the second card is dealt with each player; they must check their hole card to determine if they have a blackjack. No other cards will be handled if the dealer has a blackjack, and the players' wagers, including the original bet, Double Attack, Bust It, and Insurance, will be paid as follows:

  • Blackjack players receive a push; all pushes are refunded to the players.
  • All other hands lose, and the dealer collects all bets except Insurance.

The round continues if the dealer does not have a 21. If you are handed a blackjack, you will be paid even money (1 to 1). The rest of the players have the option to hit, stand, double down, or surrender. They can also choose to divide if they are dealt a pair.

The dealer's face-down card is revealed after all players have taken their turns. They must stand if the total of their two cards is 17 or greater. They hit till they receive a 17 if the amount is 16 or less. In this blackjack version, the dealer always stands on both hard and soft 17s.

If the dealer wins, all bets are collected. If the player wins, all of their Bets are paid off at even money. All Bets are a push and are refunded to the player if the player and the dealer tie.

The Bust It Bet:

The casino will reward the player if the dealer busts with exactly three cards if they choose the Bust It side wager. This bet is a loser in any other circumstance. The dealer's third bust card determines the majority of the payouts. However, if the dealer busts with three suited 8s, they will reward the player handsomely.

The following are the rewards for a successful Bust It Wager:

  • Three suited 8s - 200 to 1 
  • 50 to 1 with three colored 8s
  • The odds of the dealer busting are 6 - 15 to 1.
  • The odds of the dealer busting are 7–10 to 1.
  • The dealer's bust card has an odd of 8 to 1.
  • The odds of the dealer busting are 9 – 6 to 1.
  • The odds of the dealer busting are 10 – 3 to 1.

The Basic Strategy:

The dealer must stand on all 17s, whether hard or soft, and players may double down on any number of cards, including after splitting, and surrender at any time during the round, according to Double Attack Blackjack rules.

These features are appealing, but they are tempered by the fact that the game employs 48-card Spanish decks with no 10-spot cards, and player blackjacks pay 1 to 1 rather than 3 to 2 as in traditional 21. To get the most out of this variant, players must make some critical changes to their primary strategy, which Michael 'Wizard of Odds' Shackleford has laid out in this chart on his website.

Here are the fundamental strategy rule deviations you'll need to use in your Double Attack Blackjack game if you recall things better by reading them.

Hard Hands:

  • Always strike any hand with a value of 8 or less.
  • Except for 6 when you should double down, hit nine against all dealer cards.
  • Hit versus. Dealer 9 through A; double down ten vs. dealer 2 through 8.
  • Against all dealer cards, double down 11
  • Hit 14 against the dealer's 2 and 3 as well as 7 through Ace; stand against the dealer's 4, 5, and 6
  • Against dealer 2 through 6, stand on 15 and 16; hit against dealer 7 through Ace.
  • Stand on 17 against the dealer's 2–10; surrender against the dealer's Ace.
  • Always stand on the numbers 18 through 21.
  • Always aim for the numbers 12 and 13.

Soft Hands:

  • Always aim for 13–15.
  • Except for 6 when you should double down, hit 16 against all dealer cards.
  • Hit 17 against the dealer's 2 and 3 as well as 7 through Ace; double against the dealer's 4, 5, and 6
  • Stand on 18 versus. dealers 2–4 and 7–8; double vs. dealers 5–6; hit vs. dealers 9–Ace
  • Place your hands on numbers 19 through 21.

Pairs:

  • 2,2 — hit vs. dealer 2 and 8–Ace; split vs. dealer 3–7.
  • 3,3 — hit vs. dealer 2, 9, and Ace; split vs. dealer 3 through 8.
  • 4,4 – always a winner
  • 5,5 – impact versus. dealer 2 through 8; double down vs. dealer 9 through A
  • 6,6 — strike against dealer 2 and 3 and dealer 7 through Ace; split against dealer 4 through 6.
  • 7,7 – split against dealer 2–7; hit against dealer 8–Ace

House Edge:

The house edge for this blackjack variation is about 0.62 percent when using the above approach, which is not terrible at all. When the dealer's upcard is anywhere from 2 to 8, it's a brilliant idea to raise your stake constantly. Players will grow 58.3 percent of the time, according to the Wizard of Odds. In addition, more money will be invested in doubling down and dividing.

As a result, the Element of Risk, or the ratio of predicted player loss to total money wagered, is 0.35 percent. The house edge for the Bust It side bet is around 8.01 percent, which is relatively high, and many experienced players will likely avoid it. The Insurance Bet's house edge is considerably greater, at 12.27 percent.

Choosing the Most Beneficial Blackjack Conditions

Unless you count cards, you should be aware that the house always has the edge over the players in Blackjack. As we've previously discussed in the initial sections of our guide, the Edge a casino has changed based on the game rules they use, but it's not the only one.

All you can do as a primary strategy player is keep your deficit to a minimum, and by adhering to basic strategy, you may even gain an edge through the comps you receive. However, because you will permanently lose more hands than you win (the law of big numbers is against you), you will need to play the fewest needles possible to achieve this.

You will lose less money by lowering the number of hands played each hour, but you will frequently earn the same amount of casino freebies as if you were playing in a quicker game. Apart from selecting a table with ideal rules (the dealer standing on soft 17), it would be best if you also considered the game's pace. And speed is determined by objective as well as subjective elements.

It's important to remember that game speed is more significant than the game's off-the-top expectation for a primary strategy player, and it should be one of the essential variables to consider when selecting a table.

Handheld Games:

Games in which cards are dealt face down and kept by players are slower than those in which they are dealt face up. They are, however, becoming less prevalent. The slowest games are hand-held, hand-shuffled, single-deck games, followed by hand-held, hand-shuffled, double-deck games.

The number of participants:

The number of individuals who will be seated at the table is the next factor to consider. The greater the player count, the slower the game will be since each round will require more hands to be dealt. An empty single-deck game becomes a more significant money sink than a full six-deck table because the difference in the number of played hands significantly influences projected losses.

Dealers:

The dealers mainly determine the speed of the table. Some dealers are primarily silent and deal quickly, while others are talkative and deal slowly. In the end, you're looking for a break-in dealer or someone who is still learning the ropes. They'll probably sell more slowly, and, more significantly, they'll make a lot more blunders. If those errors are to the casino's advantage, correcting them will cause the game to be delayed. You can, however, keep silent if they're on your side.

Where Should This Variant Be Played?

You may find this blackjack game in Atlantic City's land-based casinos, notably those controlled by Caesars Entertainment. We've also heard that the version is available at several Las Vegas Strip and Downtown casinos.

Playtech, a gambling software company, snatched the game off the casino floor and brought it to the online gambling world with a proprietary digital version a few years ago. Playtech's game is just as exciting as the one found in brick-and-mortar locations. It also has a 99.5 percent return to player (RTP), which adds to its allure. It's available in almost every Playtech-powered online casino that has table games.

Blackjack Odds and Probabilities

When you go into a casino, you already know the chances are stacked against you to some extent. This means that unless you tilt the options to even or in your favor, you will permanently lose money in the long run.

Casinos think it is just a matter of time before all of your money is theirs once you enter their grounds. And, to keep you around as long as possible, they will entice you with so-called comps, which are free products and services provided by the casino to encourage players to bet.

Casinos will go to great lengths to make you feel welcome, valued, and enticed to remain longer at the tables. They pay out these "freebies" based on the game a player plays, how long he plays for, and, of course, the size of his wagers. Casinos have employees whose duty is to handle bonuses and contact players to entice them to come in and play.

As a casino game, Blackjack follows this concept and is meant to transfer money from your pocket to the house's vault unless you utilize some form of advantage play. This is where the information in this guide comes in.

Probabilities and odds:

Now, one would ask why, despite the odds being constantly stacked against the non-advantage players, who make up the majority of the player population, so many people visit casinos. After all, if everyone kept losing, they'd eventually grow disheartened, and the bulk of them would quit playing.

Gamblers hope that on any given night, luck will be on their side, and the odds will be in their favor. Although throwing a coin has a 50% probability of turning heads or tails, if you only toss it 20 times, it may land 14 times on charges and six times on seats.

And because many individuals are lucky at any given time, they will win money, which will feed their enthusiasm and tempt them back to the casino the next night. Even though the casino loses money due to this, the casino depends on the fact that players put millions of bets, which evens out the results over time and keeps the house profitable. This is known as the law of huge numbers in mathematics.

This concept states that the more bets a player makes, the closer the casino's odds to the artificially constructed built-in house advantage. As a result, the more hands (bets) a non-advantage gambler plays (places), the worse his chances of winning grow.

Common Blackjack Mistakes:

Some of the most frequent blackjack errors are made by new and inexperienced players. Some are linked to straying from a set money management strategy, while others are simply the result of a lack of discipline.

Increasing the Bets:

Because the odds are stacked against you, progression betting can't help you with fundamental blackjack strategy, as we've already said in our tutorial. As a result, you should stick to it after you've established a money management strategy, which we go over in detail in the relevant article.

This rule does not apply to progression betting or any other method of boosting your stakes in a hurry. After a string of good hands, many players forsake their game plan and raise their stakes. It's crucial to note, though, that while variety might be advantageous at times, the longer you play, the smoother the game will become.

While on a winning run, the casino personnel and other players may urge you to increase your bets. Players will do so out of curiosity and for the sake of entertainment; after all, it is not their money at stake, but the casino only wants to recoup its losses and move on to yours.

Dealers will try to get you to increase your bets by telling you that it's the house's money you're risking, but it's simply a ruse to get you to play - it's your money, and you've taken the risk to earn it.

Attempting to make up for losses:

The inverse case is also valid. After losing a string of hands, many players succumb to their bad feelings and try to make up for their losses by raising their bets. This is comparable to the Martingale betting strategy, in which a bettor doubles his bets after each loss, such that a victory eventually cancels out the whole string of losses.

When players are on a losing streak, they may grow disheartened and quit the table, or, even worse, they may increase their bets to recoup their losses. This is arguably the worst thing you can do because it will undoubtedly hasten your losses and lead to disaster. Within the standard deviation, losing sessions, even entire trips, is pretty standard.

Keep Yourself Well-Rested:

Playing for far longer than you anticipated and being fatigued might have a significant impact on your performance. After all, rather than flipping a coin, Blackjack is a game of skill and quick thinking. Fatigue might lead you to lose concentration, causing you to misplay sure obvious hands that you would otherwise easily beat.

Excessive Wagering for Freebies:

Another typical blunder is to use too much of your money to get freebies. Remember that casinos utilize free things to entice players and keep them at the table for longer. As a result, freebies have a cost, usually proportionate to a player's projected loss.

Whether or not to tip, and how much to tip:

Tipping is not required, even if it is traditional. If a player wants to tip the dealer, he should do so based on his bankroll and projected performance.

When it comes to the table's mood and game pace, dealers make a difference. As a result, if a dealer performs an excellent job and enhances your casino experience, you may express your thanks by tipping.

Avoid these Blackjack Casino Tricks:

Casinos, at least the respectable ones, don't cheat because they don't have to. Each casino game is structured to make the house more money than it loses over time, so cheating isn't necessary. Of course, casinos strive to maximize their profits, but given the tight regulations they face, why risk ruining a good thing for a little extra cash? It's irrational.

However, this does not rule out the possibility that some casinos may use legal means to gain an edge.

Single-deck and double-deck games that create the sense of depth:

A well-known deception is offering a game that appears to play one or two decks at first look but is something completely different. In a hand-held game, the dealer usually deals the cards with a balcony or two in his hands. If you look closely, you'll see a shuffle machine with a pack of cards, and the dealer is pulling one or two decks of cards and dealing them. When they're gone, the dealer puts them back in the machine and starts the process over.

This isn't a single-deck or double-deck game; it's a disguised 4-deck or bigger game. And, as we all know, the more decks there are, the larger the house advantage becomes.

The two-for-one deal:

Some blackjack games provide 2-for-1 payouts. What a fantastic idea! Reread the passage. It states 2 for one rather than 2 to 1. Even money is another way of saying two-for-one. This implies that if you win the hand, you will get two times your initial Wager (for example, if you bet $100, you will receive $200 – your original bet plus the won $100, or even money). This rule is most often seen in blackjack machines, although you can also use it at live blackjack tables.

Bets on the side:

As previously stated, "insurance" is not Insurance at all, but rather a simple side bet that provides no benefit to the primary strategy player on the contrary. The "even money" option, which is essentially the same as Insurance, has the same effect when the player has a blackjack. Unless you are a competent card counter and have spotted a favorable advantage, never opt for Insurance or even money.

Casino thievery:

For a casino to deceive and risk damaging its image for little additional earnings is irrational. After all, due to how their games are constructed, casinos will always be ahead in the long term; all they need is a steady supply of players to produce those gains.

Whether it is a policy created by management or acts by single dealers attempting to reach objectives, the risk of casino malpractice exists.

The illustrious 18

The impact of strategy changes is determined by the card counting technique used, the depth of penetration, and the number of decks in play. In a single-deck game, the potential benefit from modifying basic strategy plays depending on the count with flawless play may be 66 percent more than the predicted profit from essential strategy play. If you anticipate making $150 per hour in a single-deck game using basic strategy, you may make as much as $249 per hour if you play all strategy variants depending on the count perfectly.

When it comes to multi-deck games, the profit potential of an adequately sized stake is more significant than the profit potential of faultless performance. If you play all strategy options correctly, you may expect to gain around 41% more in this instance. If you anticipate making $150 per hour in a multi-deck game using basic strategy, you might make as much as $211.50 per hour utilizing count-based, flawlessly performed versions of the approach.

If you want to achieve this degree of perfection, you'll need to master several different playing variants, but more importantly, you'll need to use them with extreme accuracy.

Final Words:

Double Attack Blackjack is a fun version of the conventional game that is worth trying if you're looking for fresh blackjack experiences. It has the Double Attack and Busts It bets, as well as a plethora of rules that benefit the player and a low house edge.

Many participants, however, did not choose this game as their favorite variation. The fact that it pays even money on Blackjack is a significant, if not huge, disadvantage. In addition, the house edge for its Bust It bet is pretty huge. Last but not least, the elimination of 10-spot cards makes card counters' lives a living hell.