Blackjack in Sydney: Crown, The Star and pontoon

Key facts

Crown Sydney's blackjack guide (printed July 2026) uses six or eight decks, deals all cards face up, gives the dealer one card until players finish, allows doubling only on 9, 10 or 11 and splitting to three hands.
Crown offers two dealer rules: 'Traditional Blackjack' stands on all 17s, 'Crown Blackjack' hits soft 17.
Crown Sydney's gaming floor opened in August 2022 after the Bergin inquiry found Crown unsuitable in February 2021; a conditional licence followed in June 2022 and an unconditional one on 23 April 2024.
The Star Sydney's licence has been suspended since 21 October 2022 with the casino run by a NICC-appointed manager; on 25 September 2026 the manager's term was extended to 30 June 2027.
It is illegal for anyone under 18 to enter a NSW casino; in August 2026 the NICC fined Crown Sydney A$1.75 million and The Star A$500,000 over a 16-year-old who entered with a fake licence.

In Blackjack World Tour

Sydney is one of the game’s eight destinations.

The artwork on this page comes from the game’s Sydney table: its dealer, crest and chip set. The guide below is about real casinos in Sydney, which play for real money under local law.

Sydney has two casinos, both scarred by inquiries and both dealing an Australian game that differs from Las Vegas in three ways: the dealer gets no hole card, doubling is limited to 9, 10 and 11, and a dealer blackjack normally takes only your original bet from a doubled or split hand. Crown Sydney at Barangaroo publishes its blackjack rules; The Star at Pyrmont operates under a government-appointed manager with its licence suspended. Both admit adults aged 18 and over only, and the regulator fines them when that fails.

Two casinos, two regulatory stories

Crown Sydney. The tower at 1 Barangaroo Avenue opened on 28 December 2020 but could not open its casino: Judge Patricia Bergin reported to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority on 1 February 2021 that Crown was unsuitable to hold the licence after it admitted money laundering through accounts at its other venues. After a board and management overhaul a conditional licence was granted in June 2022 and the gaming floor opened in August 2022. The NSW Independent Casino Commission reinstated an unconditional licence on 23 April 2024. Crown’s casino page lists hours of 10am to 4am Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 6am Friday and Saturday, free membership with ID and regulatory approval, smart casual dress, and play-period limits of 12 hours a day and 48 hours a week.

The Star Sydney. Opened as a temporary casino on 13 September 1995 and in its permanent Pyrmont home on 27 November 1997. Adam Bell SC’s review reported on 31 August 2022; on 17 October 2022 the NICC suspended the licence indefinitely, fined The Star A$100 million and appointed Nicholas Weeks as manager from 21 October 2022. A second Bell inquiry in 2024 heard the chairman concede the company was still unsuitable. On 25 September 2026 the NSW Minister amended the Casino Control Regulation 2019 at the NICC’s request to extend Weeks’ term to 30 June 2027; the licence remains suspended and the casino keeps operating under him. The Star does not publish its blackjack rules on pages we could load, so for rules there, check with the operator.

The NICC now regulates both casinos; the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) previously approved casino game rules, and Liquor and Gaming NSW still runs compliance operations.

Crown Sydney’s published blackjack rules

Crown’s game guide, printed July 2026, is a summary of rules approved by the NICC; the approved rules prevail if they differ.

Rule	Crown Sydney guide
Decks	Six or eight, no jokers
Deal	All cards face up; one card to the dealer, two to each box
Dealer blackjack check	None: a player natural is paid at once only if the dealer’s first card is not a 10, picture or ace; otherwise the hand waits
Dealer total	“Traditional Blackjack”: hit 16 or less, stand on 17 or more (S17). “Crown Blackjack”: also hit a soft 17 (H17)
Doubling	Only on a two-card total of 9, 10 or 11, including the first two cards of a split hand; partial doubles allowed; one card
Splitting	Equal-value pairs; may split again to a maximum of three hands; aces may not be resplit and get one card each; ace-ten after a split is 21, not blackjack
Standing	Allowed on any total of 12 or more; a hand under 12 must draw (so no standing on hard 11 or less)
Natural	Player blackjack beats a dealer 21; stand-off against a dealer blackjack
Insurance	Offered when the dealer’s first card is an ace
Side bets	Crown Pairs, Buster Blackjack

The guide does not say what happens to a doubled or split wager when the dealer completes a blackjack, nor does it list surrender or the natural’s payout odds. Tasmania’s approved rules, which document the Australian convention, state that the dealer “will collect only the amount of the original wager” after a double and “only one wager” after a split, and pay a natural at 3:2; Crown’s regulator-approved rules order would settle it, but it was not retrievable from the regulator’s site at the time of writing. Ask the dealer before your first double.

Priced with the Wizard of Odds figures, the Crown game gives up about 0.14% for doubling only on 10 and 11 (slightly less with 9 allowed), about 0.10% for no resplit beyond three hands in some cases, and 0.22% if you sit at a Crown Blackjack H17 table rather than a Traditional S17 one, while keeping 3:2 and double after split. Choose the Traditional table when both are open. The site’s strategy chart assumes double on any two cards; where Crown forbids a double, hit soft hands and hard 8 instead, and see double and split variations.

Original bets only versus all bets

This is the rule that decides whether an Australian no-hole-card table is better or worse than Las Vegas. Wikipedia’s pontoon entry notes that most Australian casinos offer “OBBO” (original bets only) or “BB+1” (original bet plus one) to compensate for the no-hole-card deal, with Adelaide the exception. Tasmania’s blackjack rules apply the original-wager rule explicitly. If your table does the same, the European chart’s refusal to double 11 against a ten is unnecessary; if the table takes all bets, follow the no-hole-card chart. The difference is about 0.10% of your action.

Pontoon, the Australian cousin

Australian casino “pontoon” is not the British family card game; Wikipedia describes it as an unlicensed version of Spanish 21 introduced around 1995 and played in Australian and Malaysian casinos under house names such as Treasury 21 in Brisbane, Jupiters 21 on the Gold Coast, Paradise Pontoon in Cairns and Federal Pontoon in Tasmania. Six or eight 48-card decks with the tens removed are used; there is no dealer hole card; the dealer always hits soft 17; a player 21 or pontoon always beats the dealer’s; doubling and splitting are allowed but exposed to a dealer natural unless OBBO applies. With correct strategy the house edge runs from about 0.31% to 0.62%, usually under 0.5%. Its strategy is closer to Spanish 21 than to blackjack, so learn it separately; see pontoon and Australian blackjack.

Age, ID and conduct

Liquor and Gaming NSW’s December 2024 release states plainly that it is illegal for under-18s to enter a casino, with fines of up to A$4,400, forfeited winnings and a ban until at least age 19. Enforcement is real: in August 2026 the NICC fined Crown Sydney A$1.75 million and The Star A$500,000 after a 16-year-old used a counterfeit driver’s licence to enter Crown 19 times and The Star three times between April and August 2025. Bring a passport or Australian driver’s licence, expect a smart casual dress check, and note that Crown’s free membership requires regulatory approval. Wikipedia’s Croupier entry records that Australian casinos prohibit dealers from accepting gratuities, so do not tip. Real-money blackjack in Sydney is for adults, and the house edge survives every rule set on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the dealer take a hole card in Australia?

No. Crown Sydney's guide describes one card to the dealer, with the dealer's hand completed after players act. Tasmania's approved rules show the Australian convention that a dealer blackjack collects only the original wager from doubled or split hands; confirm at your table.

Can I double on any two cards in Sydney?

Not at Crown Sydney, where doubling is allowed only on a two-card total of 9, 10 or 11, including after a split. Partial doubles for less than the original bet are permitted.

Is The Star Sydney still open?

Yes. The casino continues to operate under a NICC-appointed manager, Nick Weeks, while its licence remains suspended; on 25 September 2026 the regulator extended his term to 30 June 2027.

What is pontoon in an Australian casino?

A Spanish 21 variant dealt from six or eight 48-card decks with the tens removed, no dealer hole card, dealer hits soft 17 and a player 21 always wins. Wikipedia puts the basic-strategy house edge between about 0.31% and 0.62%.

Sources & editorial notes

By Blackjack World Tour · Updated 2026-10-12 · Owner review pending. Sources were checked on the update date.

Where this guide states a strategy decision without naming rules, it assumes the site profile: six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split, no surrender. Basic strategy cannot guarantee a winning hand.

From theory to the table

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Ten hands under the stated profile, with the reasoning after every answer.

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