While the game of blackjack has many different variations with respect to rules, some blackjack games are different to the point that they require a different name. These games follow the general premise of the blackjack game, but things such as the format or how the game works is slightly different.

California blackjack is a blackjack variation that the actual house dealer does not participate in the game. Instead of competing against the dealer, a player at the California Blackjack table is designated as the dealer. The remaining players compete against the designated dealer. Additionally, the California variation of blackjack uses a single joker, which is added to each standard deck of cards.

Another of the numerous blackjack variations is Spanish 21. Spanish 21 is a variation of blackjack that uses forty-eight card decks, as opposed to the traditional fifty-two card deck. In Spanish 21, the tens are removed from each deck used. Additionally, in Spanish 21 when a player receives or draws to a hand value of twenty-one, they are guaranteed a win.

Some casinos vary in their blackjack games based on how the dealer must play his hand. In casino blackjack, the dealer is forced to stand or stay when his hand is valued at seventeen or higher. While seventeen is typically the magic number, casinos vary how the dealer plays various combinations of a seventeen hand. Most casinos mandate the dealer cannot draw if their hand is valued at a hard seventeen. Some blackjack variations also call for the dealer to stand when they have a soft seventeen, while other casinos require their dealers to take a hit when they have a soft seventeen.

In addition to varying when and how the dealers hit their hands, casinos vary the rules governing when players may place certain bets. Most frequently, casino rules on doubling down vary from casino to casino. Some casinos allow blackjack players to double down whenever they see it fit to do so. However, other variations of blackjack rules allow players to double down only when their hand count is between nine and eleven. Another blackjack variation allows players to double down even after they have previously split a pair of cards. Most casinos do not permit players to double down on any blackjack hand that has been split.

Blackjack Variations Permitting the Surrender

More popular in online casinos than in live casinos, some variations of blackjack rules allow players to surrender. In blackjack, surrendering involves a player giving up or forfeiting a portion of his bet. This surrender is performed when the expected outcome of the blackjack hand is less than the amount of money it costs a player to surrender.

When surrenders are permitted, there are two variations of surrendering in blackjack. The early surrender requires a player to declare their desire to forfeit their hand prior to the dealer checking for blackjack. Late surrenders allow players to hold off on declaring a surrender until after the dealer has checked for blackjack.