Online Super 21

First Two Cards

After taking a look at your two card holding, and comparing its value to the dealer’s exposed card, Super 21 plays out much like blackjack. The objective of the game is to reach a total closest to 21 without going over, or busting.

This means you make the same hit or stand decisions that you make in regular blackjack. Just like in blackjack you may elect to double down, or match your original wager, but that’s where the similarities end.

Player Options; Doubling and Splitting

In blackjack, a double down can only be made when holding your first two cards, and the move entitles you to just a single additional card. Part of that game’s strategy is recognizing when doubling represents a profitable play, but Super 21 adds a number of wrinkles to this classic play.

When playing Super 21, it’s important to remember that most of the mechanics and rules have been shifted to the player’s favor. This means you can double down when holding any amount of cards.

You’re also permitted to double down after splitting a paired hand, or dividing two identical cards while placing an additional wager to turn one hand into two. Traditional blackjack usually forbids doubling down after splitting, but Super 21 lets the player call the shots.

Speaking of splitting, Super 21 enables players to split aces, and when doing so, the resulting new hand can be played like any other. For example, should you receive two aces to start the hand; you can choose to split them by pushing an additional wager equal to your ante bet forward.

This creates two individual hands, which the dealer will complete by adding a single card to each. From there, you can hit, stand, double down, or even split again depending on the circumstances.

Optional: Surrender

Another difference from standard blackjack offered by Super 21 comes in the form of late surrender. When your cards just don’t size up in comparison to the dealer’s perceived holding, you can simply decide to surrender by forfeiting half of your original wager at any point. Of course, this means you lose the hand and the rest of your bet, but considering the tricky spots Super 21 can put you in from time to time, the play can definitely be profitable when deployed correctly.

Getting a Blackjack or Winning

The point of any blackjack derivative is always to reach 21, but in Super 21 that objective becomes a little more complicated. When playing traditional blackjack, the sight of an ace combined with a 10-value card elicits joy on the part of players. After all, this made hand entitles them to a generous payout of 3 to 2 or 6 to 5, depending on the game’s location.

But in Super 21 a blackjack only pays out at 1 to 1. For experienced blackjack players, this may be a bridge too far, but a deeper dive into the rules of Super 21 shows that the juice has simply been shifted to other hand combinations.

Getting a 2:1 Payout

To score that 2 to 1 reward, the best hand you can make in Super 21 is a five card hand totaling exactly 21. You can also hunt for a regular blackjack made with two diamonds, and this hand will also pay out at 2 to 1. Finally, if you manage to make a 20 using exactly six cards, this hand actually beats the dealer’s 21 and entitles you to a 1 to 1 payout.