In OddsOfBlackjack, the game is defined in “Select your game”: the number of decks and nine table rules. This page explains what each setting means at a real table, how to recognise it, and which games the selector cannot describe.
Cards 2 to 10 count at face value; jacks, queens and kings count as 10. An ace counts as 11 unless that would take the hand over 21, in which case it counts as 1.
These are the only game settings OddsOfBlackjack accepts. The options in the second column are the exact choices offered in the application.
| Setting | Options in OOB | What it means at the table |
|---|---|---|
| Number of decks | 4, 5, 6 or 8 | How many 52-card decks are shuffled together into the shoe. Games dealt from one, two or three decks are not offered. |
| Hole card | US peek or ENHC | Whether the dealer checks for blackjack before the players act (peek), or takes the second card only after the players have acted (European no-hole-card, ENHC). See the section below. |
| Dealer soft 17 | Stands or Hits | Whether the dealer must stop on a soft 17 or must take another card. On hard 17 or more, the dealer always stands. |
| Doubling | Any first two cards, 9–11 only, 10–11 only | On which two-card totals you may double: you add a wager equal to your original bet and receive exactly one more card. Doubling is offered only on a hand’s first two cards. |
| Double after split | Yes or No | Whether a hand formed by splitting may be doubled on its first two cards, under the same doubling rule. |
| Resplit to | 2, 3 or 4 hands | The most hands you can play from one original hand. “2 hands” means one split and no resplit. |
| Resplit aces | No or Yes | Whether another ace dealt to a split ace may be split again, within the “Resplit to” limit. |
| Hit split aces | No or Yes | With “No”, each split ace receives one card and the hand ends there. With “Yes”, split aces are played on like any other hand. |
| Surrender | None or Late | Late surrender lets you give up the hand on your first two cards and lose only half of your original bet. If the dealer has blackjack, the whole bet is lost. |
| Blackjack pays | 3 to 2 or 6 to 5 | The payout for a player blackjack: 3 for every 2 wagered, or 6 for every 5. On the same bet, 6 to 5 pays less. Other winning hands pay even money. |
Doubling is offered on the first two cards of a hand, including a split hand when double after split is allowed. A pair can be split only as the first two cards of a hand. Surrender is offered only on the original two cards, never after a split.
With US peek, when the dealer’s upcard is an ace or a ten-value card, the dealer checks the hole card before anyone acts. If it is a blackjack, the round ends at once: you lose your original bet, unless you also have blackjack, which is a push. You never double, split or surrender into a dealer blackjack.
With ENHC, the dealer’s second card is dealt only after the players have finished. A dealer blackjack is discovered at the end of the round, after any doubles or splits.
Applying a new set of rules resets the recorded shoe, the count and the current hand, so choose the rules before you record the first card. The same dialog also holds the bankroll management choice, explained in Graduated vs Selective.
The selectable settings form 4,608 combinations. Availability in the selector is not a claim that every combination has been mathematically validated. Published checks cover the rules, states and builds identified in the Validation Register.
A rule can change which actions exist at all, such as surrender or doubling after a split, and what each action is worth. OOB evaluates the available actions with the rules you select and the remaining shoe you record. Rules that do not match the table give answers for a different game.
This page explains rules. It does not rank games, estimate a house edge or promise any result. Expected Value describes mathematical expectation, not a guaranteed outcome.