Single Deck Blackjack – A Review of the Game’s Greatest Variant
Single Deck Blackjack is a unique variant of blackjack in that you not only play with a single deck of cards which is reshuffled at the end of each game, but you are also playing one of the variants of the game which has the lowest house edge of most casino games and you have the opportunity, with some luck and skill, to make a real profit. This is one of the reasons the game isn’t offered at too many casinos.
- Low House Edge
- Great Graphics
- Mobile Compatibility
- Licensed by:
- UK Gambling Commission
- #39221
- Accepted Payment Methods:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Bank Transfer
- Neteller
- Skrill
- Paysafecard
In this review, we’ll cover the main rules of the game, its special features, the winning strategy, as well as our overall perspective on the game. So, stick with us and let us show you what Single Deck Blackjack has to offer.
A Closer Look at the Rules of Single Deck Blackjack
The primary objective of Single Deck Blackjack is to get a hand value of 21 or as close to 21 before the dealer without busting or going over. An alternative is to stand and have the dealer bust. Before the game starts, you place a bet. Then you and the dealer are dealt cards. The dealer is dealt one face up card and one face down. You are dealt two face up cards. Based on the cards in front of you and the face up card of the dealer, you decide whether to stand (stop drawing cards), hit (draw more cards), double down or place another bet or split cards.
Here are the rules for playing Single Deck Blackjack. Firstly, and importantly, only one deck of cards is used and this is shuffled before the beginning of each gaming session. The dealer hits on soft 17. The player can split a hand up to three times. Aces can be split and the player gets only one card to each Ace – they cannot be re-split. A hand comprised of a split Ace and a card with a value of 10 is not blackjack. Blackjack pays three to two. Winning insurance bets pay 2:1 while other winning hands pay 1:1.
The biggest advantage of Single Deck Blackjack is that it has the lowest house edge. However, to take advantage of this, players must understand that game and its rules plus use good blackjack strategy, otherwise the house edge will increase despite the number of decks in the game. This blackjack game is also a great variant for card counters as you can get a more favourable count faster. To be noted, however, is that card counting works when playing the game in brick and mortar casinos, because on the internet, cards are shuffled after each hand.
As for disadvantages, it’s important to take note of the house edge. Even though it is low, some casinos modify its rules so that the house edge may end up being higher than that of eight deck blackjack. For instance, some casinos pay 6:5 for blackjack instead of 3:2, increasing the house edge from 0.15% to 1.45%. Keeping in mind that you can maintain a house edge of around 0.5%, it might not be worth the effort to play Single Deck Blackjack games. Another disadvantage is that casinos often avoid giving out comp points for playing the game due to the low house edge over the long term, meaning they won’t make much money from it.
The House Edge and the Side Bets
Just for background’s sake, the ‘house edge’ refers to a term that describes the mathematical advantage that the gambling game, and the commercial gambling venue, has over you as you play over time. This advantage results in an assured percentage return to the venue over time, and for you, an assured percentage loss of what you bet. The house edge assists the gambling provider to cover its costs of providing the game and covering other expenses. As mentioned earlier, the house edge in Single Deck Blackjack is relatively low at around 0.5%.
An interesting side bet that you can place at a Single Deck Blackjack game is called the Royal Match. In this side bet, the payoffs are 3:1 for an Easy Match (the first two dealt cards are suited) and 10:1 for a Royal Match (a suited King and Queen) – the house edge here is 3.8%.
The Winning Strategy
Apart from the single deck, the rules of Single Deck Blackjack are identical to classic blackjack. This means that all common strategies work just as well. For some useful tips, along with a cheat sheet for the best possible moves in any given situation, visit our strategy page.
Card-counting systems are extremely beneficial for the players if only one deck is included. Even if a particular method is designed for a single deck, it can always be applied for multiple ones as the number of the high and low value cards will always be the same. Therefore, there are no obstacles to using a particular card-counting system. Keep in mind, however, that the chosen system may need some adjustments as in most cases, the player’s first two cards are dealt face down. A very good card counting system for single deck is the Hi-Op I system – it has proven to be efficient and reliable. However, as a word of caution, players should always take into account the rules of the variation and decide whether they are favourable or not.
Our Final Recommendation: Play Now!
Single Deck Blackjack is one of our favourite variants of the classic blackjack game. It has an extremely low house edge which means you can play for hours and still remain afloat. It is certainly a firm fan favourite as it is powered by industry giant, NetEnt. We therefore strongly recommend this game, particularly at Mr. Green casino, where you’ll not only find it but certainly enjoy it, too, with a good welcome bonus.