Face Up 21 is a version of blackjack with similar rules to the original game except for one major change: the dealer plays with both cards exposed. In this new version of blackjack, you know exactly what point total you need to achieve to beat the dealer.
The information advantage is huge but it comes at a high price. In Face Up 21, blackjacks are paid even money and all ties (except for blackjack ties) go to the dealer. This means that you can reach a point total of 21 and still lose if the dealer gets lucky. In addition to that, players can only double down on 2 card totals of 9, 10 and 11.
Just like in blackjack, the goal of Face Up 21 is to get a higher point total than the dealer without going over 21. If the player goes over 21 points or if the dealer gets closer to 21 than the player, then the player loses the hand. If the player and dealer tie in points, the player loses the hand.
Face Up 21 is usually played with 8 decks of cards and when played online, they are shuffled after every hand. Before the cards are dealt, the player places a wager on the outcome of the hand. The player and dealer are then dealt two cards each.
The player may then decide to “stand” and not receive any more cards or “hit” and receive an additional card. The player may hit as many times as he wishes but the risk of going over 21 grows with each additional card. After the player has finished drawing cards, the dealer then draws until he reaches a hard 17 / soft 18 or higher.
After the dealer finishes, the dealer’s final hand is compared to the player’s final hand. If the player gets closer to 21 than the dealer without going over, the player wins even money on his bet. If the dealer gets closer to 21 or ties with the player, the player loses his bet. If the dealer goes over 21, the player wins and if the player goes over 21, the dealer wins.
Example: A player has a hand that contains an Ace and a 7. The hand can be worth either 8 or 18. Hands that can be worth 2 different point values are called “soft” hands. Hands that are fixed in value, such as King – 7, are “hard” hands.