Blackjack, or Twenty-One, has always been one of the most popular games of chance in casinos world wide. The game seems devilishly simple. Closest to 21 without going over wins. There are strategies that one must employ to maximize their winning opportunities, but the basic rules are uncomplicated: You and the dealer both get two cards; one of his is face up. Aces are worth one or eleven, face cards are worth ten, everything else is their face value. You can hit (add a card) or stand (stick with what youve got). You can hit as many times as you want, but if you go over 21 you lose. If you dont, and you are closer to 21 than the dealer, you win. If not, you lose. If you tie, nobody wins. If you get dealt an Ace with a face card on your first two cards, you have Blackjack and win automatically, assuming the dealer does not also have Blackjack.

Your wager is determined before the cards come out. After they come out, you can Double (match your wager and get exactly one additional card) or Split (if both of your cards have the same value, you can separate them and treat them as two different Blackjack hands, with the amount of your initial wager riding on each). Although it is rare now due to the edge it gives the player, in some casinos you have had the option to play Surrender, in which you give up half your wager and abandon the hand.

In an effort to spice up the game, a number of variations have been added to Blackjack over the years, both in live casinos and on the Internet. Heres what you may encounter when looking for Blackjack action on the Internet

Blackjack Switch is one variation of Blackjack that you will find online. You play two hands of Blackjack at once, and you have the option to switch your second card from one hand with your second card from the other. So for example if you have 10, 6 in one hand, and 5, 9 in the other, you can switch the 6 and 9 to turn a very weak 16 and 14 into a very powerful 11 and 19. You cannot switch either of the first cards, so if the first hand were 6 10 instead of 10 6, youd be stuck. You might think this is a great advantage to the player, and it is, so the house has some other rules to balance it out. For one, the dealer will hit on soft 17 (a 17 with an Ace). For another, a Blackjack only pays even money, not 3:2 as in most casinos. Finally, if the dealer draws to 22, he pushes (ties) all bets except Blackjacks. Despite these rules, Blackjack Switch provides an interesting way to play with a low house edge.

Another interesting variation you might find online is Pontoon. In Pontoon, you get 2 to 1 on Blackjack (in this case, naturally, called a Pontoon) as long as the dealer does not also have one. Unlike in Blackjack, if you make a two card 21 after Splitting, it also counts as a Pontoon. You can also get a Five Card Charlie five cards in your hand without busting. This also pays 2:1 no matter what your point total or the dealer point total is. You can only lose if the dealer also gets a Five Card Charlie. You can double once at any time during a Pontoon hand, no matter how many cards you have, and may continue to hit after you have doubled. Thats the good side. Heres the bad: The dealer wins all ties. That means if you both get 18, if you both get Pontoons, if you both get Five Card Charlies you lose. In addition, the dealer will hit on a soft 17, and, more unusually, the player is required to hit on 14 or below. Since you will very often want to hit 14 or below, this is not too much of a disadvantage.

These games can be a fun diversion from traditional Blackjack. You probably want to familiarize yourself with standard Blackjack first, as this may enhance your enjoyment of the newer variations. Have fun and good luck.