Atlantic City Blackjack Casinos

Aria Brown

4 min read

Atlantic City Blackjack is named after the city of the same name in New Jersey, and the game refers to a style of Blackjack that's typical of casinos at Atlantic City.

Sometimes known as America's original playground, Atlantic City used to be one of the most popular seaside gambling resorts in the US. So it's no surprise that Atlantic City Blackjack is one of the most popular Blackjack variants in the US today, and also enjoys its own following at online casinos.

The game's standout features include the option to split your hand up to three times. In this Atlantic City Blackjack guide, we will cover the game rules, differentiating characteristics. Practice makes perfect and so we've also included an Atlantic City Blackjack demo game that you can play for free.

Table of Contents

Best Online Casino to play Atlantic City Blackjack 2024

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⏱The brands and bonuses above were last updated on 23. May, 2024. We test and check casinos regularly to provide up-to-date information. However, there may still be instances where there may be differences between a casino's newest offering and the listing on this site.

Atlantic City Blackjack Basics

This type of American Blackjack is pretty similar to classic Blackjack. There are of course some differences, which we will dive into here.

The basics to Atlantic City Blackjack start like this:

• Eight decks of 52 cards
• Players and dealer receive two cards each
• Dealer's second card is face down.

Rules and special features:

• 8 decks of 52 cards
• Dealer peeks for Blackjack if up card is 10
• Late Surrender allowed
• Non-matching face cards can be split
• Up to 3 splits; except Ace, which allows 1 split
• Double down including after splitting allowed
• Dealer stands on all 17s

Play Atlantic City Blackjack for Free

You now know the rules for Atlantic City Blackjack. But playing like a pro is another thing because there's nothing like experience when it comes to a skilled based game like this.

Thankfully you can play Atlantic City Blackjack for free online. These are demo games where no money can be won, but neither do they require any money down. This makes them the perfect tool for you to sharpen your Blackjack skills. If you don't feel like shopping around, then we've put an Atlantic City Blackjack demo game below so you can start right away.

Atlantic City Blackjack Demo Game

By pressing on "Play", I understand that I will be shown content from RedRake Gaming. RedRake Gaming

Play Atlantic City Blackjack at Playzilla

Atlantic City Blackjack vs Other Variants

Atlantic City Blackjack is based on the rules played at popular casinos in Atlantic City. In this sense, it's based on tradition and it's possible to find minor variations between games. Still, there are some features that differentiate Atlantic City from other Blackjack variants:

1. The option for Late Surrender: Surrendering can help you curb your losses. Late surrender gives you the opportunity to get half your bet back. If your hand is not strong against the dealer's up card, then getting half the bet back can be a better move than risking a complete loss.
2. Splitting face cards: Splitting increases your odds since it essentially gives you another hand in the same round. And not every American Blackjack game will let you split face cards of different values. This is huge since 10 is always a good value card in a hand, and you can potentially have up to 4 of these in total.

These differences might seem small but they can really improve odds in the player's favor.

Atlantic City Blackjack Strategy Chart

Atlantic City Blackjack has lots of features in the player's favor. Like with Blackjack in general, the outcome of this game of luck can be significantly altered with your skills. Or in short: add basic strategy to your play and you'll be on top of your game. We've posted the strategy chart for Atlantic City Blackjack below for your convenience.

	Dealer's Up Card
Player's Hand		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Ace
	5	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	6	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	7	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
	12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	13	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	Su	H
	16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	Su	Su	Su
	17 (or more)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Key: H (Hit), S (Stand), D (Double down), Su (Surrender)

Whether you have a soft hand or a hard hand can make a huge difference in Blackjack. If you have an Ace in your hand, here is the strategy chart you should use instead.

	Dealer's Up Card
Player's Hand		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Ace
	A, 2	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A, 3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A, 4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A, 5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A, 6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A, 7	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
	A, 8	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A, 9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A, 10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	2, 2	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	H	H	H	H
	3, 3	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	H	H	H	H
	4, 4	H	H	H	Sp	Sp	H	H	H	H	H
	5, 5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	6, 6	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	H	H	H	H	H
	7, 7	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	H	H	H	H
	8, 8	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
	9, 9	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	S	Sp	Sp	S	S
	10, 10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A, A	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp

Key: H (Hit), S (Stand), Sp (Split), D (Double down)

More Info on Blackjack Strategy

Atlantic City Blackjack Tips and Tricks

With features like s17, split options and late surrender, Atlantic City Blackjack is one of the most player friendly variants. And when you apply basic strategy, the RTP can go up to 99.54%.

Still, the game doesn't play itself.

Practice is where it will really make a difference. It's easy to find demo games to play for free, and we've even put one directly on this page, so there's no excuse. You should know under what circumstances you should hit, split or take advantage of the late surrender. Play as much as you can to memorize the basic strategy for Atlantic City, so that you can make the right decisions quickly during real money gambling.

You have a lot of control in your hands, and are a lot less reliant on dumb luck in AC Blackjack. Yes, luck is still involved but with its standout features, this variant really moves the odds into the player's favor. What this means is that betting systems like the Martingale that are based on heads or tails kind of odds are less relevant. Save those for luck based games like roulette or slots.

We also have a distinct preference for playing the game online. That's largely because you can't expect to find Atlantic City Blackjack when you walk into a casino in Macau, Monaco or even in Vegas. Vegas has its own variants and most casinos outside the US tend to play with European rules. So it's really not easy to find yourself an Atlantic City BJ table at a land based casino if you're in the wrong geographic region.

Online casinos sometimes offer bonuses that will give you extra chips that you can use on software based Blackjack games. Although at last check we didn't find any live dealer games for Atlantic City Blackjack, the software based games are still pretty awesome. These free chips will let you partake in real money blackjack games, so you get a proper feel for how the whole thing runs.

Read More Tips & Tricks

Atlantic City Blackjack FAQ

1. How many splits are allowed in Atlantic City Blackjack?
2. What does Atlantic City Blackjack pay?
3. What are the Atlantic City Blackjack minimum and maximum limits?
4. Where I play Atlantic City Blackjack online for free?
5. Can I use basic strategy in Atlantic City Blackjack?

1. How many splits are allowed in Atlantic City Blackjack?

Atlantic City Blackjack lets you have up to 3 splits, to give you a total of 4 hands. The exception is with an Ace card, which can only be split once. Non-matching face cards can also be split.

In combination with the late surrender, this option to split 3 times is one of the main reasons why Atlantic City is considered to be one of the blackjack variants with the best odds.

2. What does Atlantic City Blackjack pay?

Atlantic City Blackjack pays 3:2. What this means is that you get $3 for every $2 you bet, or put another way, that's a 1.5x payout. This is better than 6:5 Blackjack games which would pay you less if you win. The payout would be reduced to 1.2x, which is clearly less than 1.5x.

As with other Blackjack variants, this payout ratio applies to a win with a natural blackjack – that is your first two cards give you a 21. If you win through a 21 in 3 cards, for example, payout is 1:1.

Because a 3:2 payout is significantly better, some casinos have made 6:5 tables the norm for tables for lower minimum bets, leaving the better paying tables as a reward for gamblers more willing to take higher risks. These tables can leave budget players at a clear disadvantage.

3. What are the Atlantic City Blackjack minimum and maximum limits?

Betting limits vary with each table. Online casinos normally offer AC blackjack tables that cover a wide betting range starting from $0.01 penny games to exclusive high stakes table at over $1,000 per round. They cater well to both budget players and high rollers.

At the casinos in Atlantic City itself, min bet size will vary with each casino. Typically it starts at $15, although sometimes it is possible to find one at $10.

4. Where I play Atlantic City Blackjack online for free?

We've embedded an Atlantic City Blackjack demo game on this page that you can play for free. No downloads necessary. Alternatively, most reputable online casinos will have a software based version of the game that is available for free in fun mode, and the advantage here is that you can easily switch to real money gambling once you feel ready.

These games are completely mobile ready. There is absolutely no need to download an app to play.

5. Can I use basic strategy in Atlantic City Blackjack?

Yes, you can use basic strategy in Atlantic City Blackjack. In fact, we strongly recommend it. We've provided the strategy card on this page for Atlantic City Blackjack that takes into account the number of decks, splits and surrender options that can affect game play.

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Atlantic City Blackjack was tested and reviewed by Aria Brown

I am trained as a tax consultant, mostly because my father insisted that I get a normal job. Luckily, I listened to my heart and followed my passion in writing. Today I work as an online editor while traveling the world, which is why I'm rarely in my hometown, Toronto. By pure chance, I discovered the online casino review industry about ten years ago, and I have been testing and reviewing gambling sites since then. Personally, I prefer Blackjack and Poker games. I think the skills and strategies involved make them much more interesting than slots.