Caribbean 21 by RealTime Gaming

RealTime Gaming offers a blackjack variation called Caribbean 21, and it's an extremely interesting game that you will probably love if you enjoy blackjack or Caribbean-style table games. There are a few major differences in the rules that lead to a more exciting game than traditional blackjack, and with perfect strategy it's possible to get the house edge down to under 0.2 percent. In what follows, we're going to give you a complete introduction to this game and show you what you need to know to get started.

The major differences in Caribbean 21 are that the player can split any two cards and double any hand at any time, but the dealer wins all of the ties. Additionally, an Ace is always considered to have a value of one and never of 11. If a hand is made up of two ten-point cards and an Ace, then it's referred to as a Caribbean 21 in this game, and it beats all other 21-point hands. Additionally, a player's Caribbean 21 is paid out at a rate of 3:2 instead of the typical even money payout for a winning hand. It's also worth noting that players can choose to surrender at any time.

Learning the basic strategy for Caribbean 21 is made a bit difficult because of the fact that there are so many different things to learn. However, since you'll be playing online, you could always reference a chart. If you don't make any mistakes when using basic strategy, then the game only has a house advantage of about 0.19 percent.

If you don't want to use a chart, then here are some general principles to keep in mind as you are playing. You should always double with a total of 11, and you should often double with totals of ten or nine if your opponent has a weak upcard. In this game, an Ace or Two are neutral upcards, and so you'll want to target the cards Three through Seven when you're doubling. Note that this change comes from Aces always having a value of one.

With three or more cards in a hand, you're always going to stand with a total of 18 or higher. If you have a total of 16 or 17 instead, then always stand unless you are facing a dealer card that is a Nine or ten card. In these cases, you should opt to surrender instead.