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Gone are the days when Blackjack had the same gameplay for decades. With the advent of the internet, rolling out new online variations has become easier and faster. BetSoft has been the leading provider of online casino software, which are used by other online casino companies. It has introduced new Blackjack variations that can be played online throughout the years. 21 Burn Blackjack is among the many Blackjack variations developed by the BetSoft team.
21 Burn Blackjack is a quite new variation released in the late 2010s. It combines an element of Draw Poker into the Blackjack game to have a mixture of both adventures.
What is 21 Burn Blackjack?
It is a Blackjack variation that follows the basic rulesets of a typical table Blackjack, like hitting, standing, splitting, and doubling down. The main feature that shouts its difference is the possibility of replacing one of your first two cards with a random card. It is inspired by Draw Poker, where players can replace many initially dealt cards with other cards. The difference is that the 21 Burn Blackjack offers replacing one card and one card only. The term burning is used when the player decides to replace their card.
Every Blackjack variation differs in terms of payouts and specific rules around the main options, such as hitting and splitting. It is always a battle between the casinos and gamblers to reach a certain point where they both can agree to have a new variation born. Casinos can roll out new games and variations with a 90% house edge, provided players are willing to play such games. 12 Burn Blackjack has a 0.5% house edge if played strategically.
How to play 21 Burn Blackjack?
Players can replace their second card with another card if they deem replacing worthy of doing. The process of dealing cards is the same as the main Blackjack game. The difference is that the dealer deals a third card face-down to each player, but they cannot see and access the card unless they wish to do so.
Players can request to replace their second card with the third card that is already dealt on the table. They are required to place a Burn side bet that has to be half the original bet to be able to draw the third card. It is an optional bet that unlocks the possibility of replacing an unwanted card, hoping for a profitable return on investment.
Players should make up their minds to have a Burn side bet or not before taking any other actions, such as hitting or standing. No card replacement is possible after hitting, standing, doubling down, or splitting. Should the player have a Burn side bet and replace their second card, they can proceed in the game normally afterward. In other words, they can hit, stand, double down, and split after replacing their second card. The opposite is true when the player decides not to go for the Burn side bet and proceeds normally.
Rules of 21 Burn Blackjack:
The basic rules of the main Blackjack remain the same in all variations, including 21 Burn Blackjack. In this variation, players have to pay the price to be able to replace their second card, and that price takes the form of the Burn side bet. It has to be half the original bet, considered a separate bet, and not part of the original bet.
21 Burn Blackjack is played with 6 decks shuffled after each round in online casinos. The dealer hits a soft 17 in this variation, while other variations stand on all 17s (Hard and Soft alike).
Blackjack is paid even money (1:1) which is a punch in the gut of the gamblers (paid 3:2 in the main Blackjack game). If the third card that is to replace the second card of the player happens to be an Ace or a Ten value card, it is considered a blackjack.
Speaking of drawing an Ace, the Burn side bet only pays if the drawn card is an Ace, and the bet loses otherwise. An Ace of Spades is preferable over all other Aces in 21 Burn Blackjack.
The players can double down on any two cards and, after a split, in 21 Burn Blackjack. It is quite an advantage for players since doubling down is only allowed on hard 9, 10, and 11 in the main Blackjack game, and no doubling down is permitted after a split.
The players can only perform one splitting in any given round, and re-splitting of Aces is also off the menu. Some Blackjack variations, such as Pirate 21 Blackjack, offer up to 4 splits per round and a re-splitting of Aces.
Payouts:
When coming up with a new variation, the inventors try to balance the game by adding and removing certain features. For example, if a drawn card of an Ace or a Ten is considered Blackjack, players would get an edge over the casino. That’s why the inventors decreased the payout for the blackjack hand.
The Burn side bet is considered more of a price paid to replace a card, but it also pays when the drawn card is an Ace. An Ace of Spades pays 7 to 1, while all other Aces pay 2 to 1. A gambler can, on average, expect to lose 67% of the bets they place on the Burn side bet.
| Event | Payout |
| Standard winning | 1: 1 |
| Blackjack | 1: 1 |
| Insurance side bet | 3: 2 |
| Ace of Spades | 7: 1 |
| All other Aces | 2: 1 |
Strategies to win at 21 Burn Blackjack:
21 Burn Blackjack is a Blackjack variation and thus has the same basic rules. So, a player should play with the basic strategy in mind to minimize the house edge. The basic strategy presents the best ways to play each hand against the dealer’s up-card. Although some of the suggested solutions seem counterintuitive, they are based on math and yield the best results in the long run.
Now comes the question of when to place the Burn side bet and when to avoid it. It is quite a risky bet with a high ruin percentage and should be played cautiously.
The general rule of thumb is to place the Burn side bet when your first card is 9 through Ace and your second card is 3 through 6 against any of the dealer’s up-cards.
Burning is not a good idea if you have a 7 or lower value card as the first card. In addition, Burning is recommended when you have a high-value card as the first and a low-value card as the second.
In a nutshell:
Human beings easily get bored and crave new variations of things, and Blackjack is no exception. The internet has made it easier to roll out a new variation periodically to test the market’s taste. Playing with the hitting, standing, splitting, doubling down, and surrendering rules of the Blackjack game gives birth to interesting variations. Adding new side bets has always been attractive to gamblers to be able to win a big payout once in a while.
21 Burn Blackjack offers an amalgam of Draw Poker and Blackjack, taking on a tour of both worlds. It is designed to satiate the burning desire for a new exciting variation.
Read More:
How to play Blackjack for beginners
Top Blackjack Players of All Time
