Blackjack tables at Atlantic City actually use basic rules. You will see tables with standard 3:2 payout for Blackjack and the “dealer must stand on all 17” rule. You are allowed to double down on any first two cards, and you can double after splitting as well. These two options alone can be powerful tools to make the gaming experience a lot more profitable.

When you get a pair, you can split and re-split them up until you have three hands. Since there are 8 decks used in a table, the chances of getting another pair after splitting are still quite high. Dealers peek for Blackjack, and late surrender is allowed. This rule combination brings the house advantage down to 0.365%, and you can eliminate them altogether with a solid playing strategy.

The one thing I love the most about Atlantic City Blackjack is the fact that they cannot throw counting Blackjack players out or refuse their business — as I mentioned earlier, they are waiting for the regulation to be changed. The 8-deck table might be quite hard to conquer, but you can generally master the basic strategy as well as some counting skills to make playing Atlantic City Blackjack very profitable.

To start our discussion, I would like to remind you not — and I seriously mean NOT — to split 10s. I still see a lot of new Blackjack players splitting 10s only to lose more money against the dealer’s 19; this is simply ridiculous, right? Always keep 10s as a hand and hope for the best. Only a 21 can beat you, so you have a strong chance of winning the round.

Never take insurance. Most of the time, insurance is actually useless. Surrender is a better option, so learn how you can use surrender properly and incorporate the move into your play strategy to stay profitable.

Another tip about splitting is to always split Aces and 8s. A pair of Aces might be the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em poker, but the pair is simply rubbish in the game of Blackjack. When split, however, you have two strong starting cards; check if you can double-down after splitting and re-split if the hit showed another Ace. 8s create a combined total of 16, which is pretty tricky to deal with in Blackjack. Simply split 8s and hope for 18 or 19.

Blackjack tables at Playtech casinos use six decks, with cards reshuffled after each round. Dealer stands on soft 17, so you have more flexible options when it comes to determining the right move. You can double on any starting cards, plus you can also double-down after splitting. The only catch is that you can’t re-split cards; be cautious after splitting Aces and other tricky cards.

Playtech Blackjack tables use unique rules to determine how wagers are handled if the dealer gets Blackjack. If the dealer’s open card is an Ace, you will lose all your wager if you split or double-down. If the dealer’s open card is a 10, King, Queen, or Jack, you lose your entire wager if you split, lose your original wager when you double-down; if you double-down after splitting, you will lose the additional wager you place when splitting as well as the original wager only.

Playtech Blackjack tables also don’t allow players to surrender. Other than these mentioned rules, the tables are pretty basic. 0.52% house advantage may not seem profitable at first for avid Blackjack players, but you can easily reduce it even further by using the right basic strategy.

The Vegas Downtown rules are pretty simple. Blackjack is played with two decks, so the house advantage is relatively low. However, dealer must hit on soft 17, so be sure to adjust your playing strategy accordingly. You are allowed to double-down on any starting hand — in opposite to only 9, 10, and/or 11 also quite common in other Blackjack tables. In terms of splitting, you can re-split or double-down on split cards. This rule combination brings the house advantage to 0.40%.

The Vegas Strip rules are a bit more thorough. Although there are four decks used, dealer must stand on soft 17; simply use the basic strategy for four-deck tables and you’ll do just fine. You can also double-down on any starting cards. Re-split is allowed once, and you can double-down on split cards. The house advantage is slightly lower, a cool 0.36%.

Both tables can be highly profitable depending on how you play the game. Remember that cards are shuffled after each round, so you need to properly approach each round separately. By understanding these rules, you can be a lot more profitable playing online Blackjack at Microgaming casinos.