Blackjack rules around the world compared

Casino blackjack is one game with dozens of local dialects. The two big families are the American game, where the dealer takes a hole card and checks for blackjack before you act, and the no-hole-card game of Europe, Asia and Australia, where the dealer’s second card arrives after every player has finished. Around that split sit the details that move the house edge: deck count, soft 17, doubling and splitting limits, surrender and, above all, whether a natural pays 3:2 or 6:5.

The comparison table

Every cell is drawn from a published rule document or dated report in the sources. “Varies” means the jurisdiction lets each operator choose, or we could not verify one typical answer; the sign at your table decides. Edge ranges are illustrative, built from the Wizard of Odds figures in the next section, and assume basic strategy.

For Las Vegas detail see the Las Vegas guide.

How much each rule is worth

Wizard of Odds measures each rule against a baseline of eight decks, S17, double on any two cards, double after split and split to four hands. These are the figures that separate the cities above.

Two conclusions follow. The payout dwarfs everything else: a 6:5 Las Vegas table is a worse game than a restrictive European table that pays 3:2. And the no-hole-card rule only hurts if your doubled and split bets are at risk; where the house takes “original bets only”, as Singapore’s and Tasmania’s rules specify, it costs nothing. See how rule variations change the house edge.

Las Vegas and Atlantic City: the hole-card game

American dealers receive two cards, one face down, and check for blackjack when showing an ace or a ten before anyone doubles or splits; this site’s standard chart assumes that US peek.

On the Strip, the Las Vegas Advisor wrote in May 2026 that 6:5 payouts are “far more prevalent” there than anywhere else, with 3:2 tables carrying higher minimums. Excalibur’s $5 live table, reported in September 2025, pays 6:5 and hits soft 17. Downtown, El Cortez advertises “full pay 3-2 double deck” blackjack and Circa’s first-visit guide promises 3:2; neither covers every table, so confirm at the felt.

Atlantic City runs under New Jersey Administrative Code 13:69F-2, which lets each licensee choose between standing on all 17s and hitting soft 17, makes surrender optional, and forbids surrender on any 6:5 table, where the dealer must hit soft 17. The code sets only minimum deck counts, so “eight decks” is a convention, not a rule; ask. See H17 vs S17 for why the soft-17 choice matters.

Europe: one dealer card and 3:2

French Wikipedia’s description of the French game is the clearest statement of the European model: six decks dealt from a shoe, the dealer receives a single face-up card and draws the rest after all players have acted, draws to 16 and stands on 17, pays 3:2, and since the 2007 ministerial order allows doubling on any first two cards rather than only 9, 10 or 11. Casino de Monte-Carlo’s published rule sheet matches: two cards to each player, one to the bank, bank draws on 16 or less and stands on 17 or more, 3:2 on a natural, insurance pays 2:1, split to a maximum of three hands, split aces receive one card each.

Wizard of Odds’ European strategy page models a six-deck, stand-on-soft-17, no-peek game with doubling only on hard 9 to 11 and double after split, and puts its house edge at 0.62%. In London the Hippodrome’s published rules say the dealer draws until reaching 17 or more, naturals pay 3:2, players may double on any two cards and split any two ten-value cards; the page does not mention surrender. Full strategy adjustments are in European no-hole-card rules.

Asia and Australia: no hole card, different consequences

Singapore’s regulator publishes every approved rule set. Resorts World Sentosa’s Blackjack Plus rules (version 2, effective 6 November 2025) specify four to eight decks, the dealer drawing only after all players have decided, standing on 17, doubling on the first two cards of any hand including split hands except aces, splitting up to four hands, surrender of half the stake unless the dealer’s first card is an ace, and a 3:2 natural. A player who doubled or split loses only the initial bet if the dealer then makes blackjack, and surrender decided before the dealer’s second card exists behaves like early surrender against a ten, worth +0.24%.

Crown Sydney’s game guide, printed July 2026, describes six or eight decks, all cards dealt face up, one initial dealer card, doubling only on totals of 9, 10 or 11 (including after a split), splitting to a maximum of three hands, one card to each split ace, and two dealer rules: “Traditional Blackjack” stands on 17, “Crown Blackjack” hits soft 17. Tasmania’s approved rules, which show the Australian convention, state that if the dealer makes blackjack after a double or split, the dealer collects only the original wager. For Macau we could not verify a current rule sheet; the table card at each pit is the only reliable source, and the Macau guide lists the questions to ask.

A checklist for any country

Find the payout line first; if it says 6:5 the rest barely matters. Then ask about soft 17, what you may double on and after a split, what happens to doubled and split bets if a no-hole-card dealer makes blackjack, and whether surrender exists. Play the chart that matches the answers; this site’s strategy chart assumes six decks, S17, double any two, double after split, no surrender, US peek and 3:2.

Related reading

• European no-hole-card rules
• 6:5 blackjack vs 3:2
• How rule variations change the house edge
• Choosing a table