Old Bar Blackjack

Said to have originated among the student fraternity in Leeds, England, Old bar blackjack is a version of “no house” blackjack that sprung to popularity thanks to the exciting wagering system that allows for aggressive betting, as well as the potential for big wins and losses by any player daring enough to become the dealer.

It also has no fixed dealer and “no house” to eat up a share of the spoils. Rule variations are:

• The dealer wins all pushes.
  
• All bets pay even.
  
• Insurance is not available.
  
• Surrender is not available.
  
• Players’ hands are dealt face down and players are permitted to handle their cards with both hands.
  
• Doubling is not permitted. Instead, players may opt to purchase a “hit”, (“buy a card”) which is dealt to them face down. There is no limit to the number of cards that can be bought, subject to the player remaining below 21.
  
• Splitting is allowed and the original stake must initially be equalled. The player can then buy cards or take hits on the two hands as normal. The player can switch between the two hands while playing by indicating with his hand. Split cards can be re-split so long as there are no cards of another value blocking the split.
  
• Players can “burn” on two-card hands that total 13 or 14. These can either be requested for free, where the cards are shown open on the table, or paid for, where they are dealt face down.
  
• Players can continue to burn, split, hit and buy cards on their hand or hands until such a time that they wish to stand or they go bust.
  
• Face card blackjack beats blackjack with 10.
  
• Any hand below or equal to 21 that consists of five cards or more is and automatic winner, unless the dealer has a face card blackjack.
  
• If a player receives a Blackjack, they can opt to become the dealer, or alternatively put the dealership up for auction.
  
• If a dealer gets a Blackjack, they keep the deal but can choose to shuffle the cards. They are not, however, obliged to deal the cards.
  
• If both dealer and player get Blackjacks the dealer keeps the deal and wins the hand.
  
• If two or more players receive Blackjack, the holder of the best blackjack wins the dealership. Matching suits always take preference, over all other blackjacks, with the value of the picture card being the secondary decider. Should those cards also match, the suit of the ace decides the matter, with spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts being the ranking order.
  
• If any player does not wish to be the dealer, they may sell the dealership to the highest bidder.