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Player’s Choice 21

Blackjack Variations > Player’s Choice 21

Player’s Choice 21 is a new blackjack game offered at Palazzo in Las Vegas.  It combines blackjack and Three Card Poker.  A player must make three equal bets.  Two bets apply to separate blackjack hands.  The other bet is a Three Card Poker hand comparable to Pair Plus, which is the standard bonus bet in Three Card Poker.

A player is dealt three cards from a six-deck shoe.  Three Card Poker side bet is paid based on the following payouts:

  • 75-1 AKQ Suited
  • 60-1 Suited 3 of a Kind
  • 20-1 Straight Flush
  • 10-1 Trips
  • 2-1 Straight
  • 3-2 Flush
  • Pair 1-1

The player may then set their two blackjack hands.  One card is placed in blackjack hand #1, a second card is placed in blackjack hand #2 and the third card is placed between the two hands.  This middle card is used in both hands.  The cards may not be moved once the first player at the table has acted.

The rest of the hand is dealt using standard blackjack rules:

  • Blackjack pays 3-2
  • Dealer stays on all 17’s
  • Player may double any two cards
  • Double after split allowed
  • Split up to four hands
  • Aces may only be split once
  • Cannot draw on split aces
  • Surrender is not allowed

Insurance is offered if a dealer is showing an ace.  A player may refuse insurance.  A player that accepts insurance may choose to insure just one hand.

The blackjack rules are very player friendly.  This is especially true considering a player may choose which card to place in the middle that is used in both hands.  The problem is that the forced Three Card Poker bet offsets all of these advantages.