In a three-card blackjack game, each player is dealt two facedown cards, and then put all remaining cards faceup on the table. The player with the Lowest hand (counting down, starting with 2) starts the betting. The bet is always placed on the first two cards of the player’s hand, and any increase in the bet must be made on the next card.
The dealer then deals two new cards to each player, and play resumes with the original bet. The goal of blackjack is to achieve a total score (in points) that is as close to 21 as possible; any score below 21 is a losing hand.
In three-card blackjack, as in all versions of blackjack, anything below 9 (even if it’s a natural) counts as a loss. Aces count as 1s, 2s through 10s count as their face value, and a Jack or Queen counts as both its face value and 10.
If an ace is counted as either 1 or 10 (and not as both an ace and a 2), then that ace doubles (or triples) as a wild card in that particular hand.
The strategy for three-card blackjack depends on whether you’re playing against the dealer or another player. Against the dealer, your goal is to get close to 21 without going over; against other players, your goal is to avoid getting too low or too high. Against the dealer, it’s generally best to stay close to even; against other players, it’s generally best to go slightly negative (i.e.
, take fewer points from your opponents). There are many different variations of three-card blackjack that can be played, but these basic strategies will remain constant no matter what variation you choose.
