A Beginner’s Guide to Strip Blackjack

Blackjack is a popular casino game that hundreds of thousands of casino players enjoy worldwide. Since its introduction, the casino gaming world has seen the rise of numerous exciting Blackjack games that come with enthralling twists and offer lucrative payouts.

Strip Blackjack is an interesting variation whose origins can be traced back to the Las Vegas Strip. Here’s a comprehensive Strip Blackjack guide covering everything you need to know about this variation, from gameplay rules to wagering options and payouts. Keep reading!

Getting started with Strip Blackjack

As a Strip Blackjack player, you first need to know how to play the game. Thankfully, the gameplay rules of Strip Blackjack are quite similar to that of the standard version of Blackjack. But there are also some small differences you need to know. First, 

Blackjack Strip is usually played with four standard decks of 52 cards. Also, there are some caveats regarding splitting in this Blackjack variation.

For players new to Blackjack, here’s a quick overview of how the game is played. Every Strip Blackjack gameplay round starts with the players placing the required minimum wager. Then the dealing of the cards takes place in a clockwise fashion. At this point, the virtual dealer deals two cards each to all players at the table and draws two cards for themselves.

The way the cards are dealt to the player and the dealer differs. When playing Strip Blackjack, the players receive both their cards face down. In contrast, the dealer draws one card face down, and the other is face up. After this, the players can go with any available wagering options to get the best point total of 21 or as close to it as possible.

When playing Strip Blackjack at our UK online casino, the player receives a payout if they get the highest point value of 21 or can beat the dealer. Similarly, the dealer will win the Blackjack round if their hand value is 21 or higher than the player.

Wagering options in Strip Blackjack

The available wagering options in Strip Blackjack are the same as the classic version of Blackjack. For the unversed, we’ve listed the various Blackjack wagering options below:

Hit

You can go with this wagering option if you want to draw an additional card from the dealer. Here, the value of the drawn card is added to your point total. You can continue hitting until you are content with your hand total or go bust.

Stand

To stand means you are content with your point value and don’t want to take a new card. Players usually opt for this wagering option when their hand total is approaching 21.

Surrender

This optional Blackjack rule allows players to give up half of their initial wager after seeing their first two cards. Note that this Blackjack rule may not be available in every Blackjack game.

Double down

With the Blackjack double-down option, you draw an extra card by placing a wager equal to your original stake size. In most instances, you’ll likely be allowed to double down after you’ve received your initial two cards.

Split

You can use this wagering option if your initial two cards are from the same suit and have the same value. After placing a wager equal to their initial stake size, players can play their initial two cards as two different hands.

Specific Strip Blackjack rules explained

Here’s a look at gameplay rules that are specific to the game of Strip Blackjack:

Number of decks

A total of four card decks are used in Strip Blackjack games. And these card decks are reshuffled after every Blackjack round.

Payout odds

The payout for winning a Strip Blackjack round is fixed at 3:2. But some games may offer a payout of 6:5. It’s natural for players to prefer the 3 to 2 version over the 6 to 5 game.

Insurance bets

Like several other online and live casino games, Strip Blackjack lets players go with the insurance wager if the dealer’s hole card is an Ace. The Blackjack insurance wager is one of the most popular side bets that insures the player against the dealer having a natural Blackjack. The potential payout for getting an insurance wager right is 2 to 1.

The dealer stands and peeks.

In Strip Blackjack, the dealer must stand when their hand value reaches 17. And this includes both a soft 17 and a hard 17. The dealer will look for Blackjack when their hole card is a 10 or an Ace.

The house edge

As you know, the house edge in Blackjack is comparatively lower than many other casino games. Using a basic strategy, you can keep the casino advantage in Strip Blackjack below 0.5%.

Strip Blackjack playing strategy

The basic strategy is one of the major reasons why Blackjack is so popular among casino players. The basic Blackjack strategy chart details the optimal way to play each hand. Players can make more informed decisions at the Blackjack table by using a basic playing strategy.

A piece of advice given by many experienced Blackjack players is to have a proper money management strategy in place. Sure, this won’t directly improve your overall chances of winning. But it can save you from incurring huge losses in one go.

Some Blackjack players may use advantage playing systems like card counting and shuffle tracking. While these betting strategies may help you at land-based Blackjack tables, they won’t be useful when playing Blackjack online. If you’re a beginner, we suggest you use free Blackjack first and then switch to the real money version. Happy gaming there!