Chinese Blackjack

Scoring Metrics

Ban-Ban (AA)

3:1

Ban-Luck (A+10)

2:1

Five Dragon

2:1

Edge

3.8%

Game Rules

• Objective: get a hand closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over. Chinese Blackjack (二十一點) is also played as Ban Luck, Ban Nag and Xì Dách, and the rules vary from place to place. This is the version used at this table.
• Card values: Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 and the other cards are worth their number. The Ace changes with the size of the hand: in a two-card hand it's 1, 10 or 11, in a three-card hand it's 1 or 10, and with four or more cards it's 1. The game uses the best total that doesn't go over 21.
• Placing a bet: type the amount you want to bet in the bet box. Min 1, max 500, and never more than a third of your chips, because a loss can cost up to 3× your bet. Your chips only move when the round ends, and your bet stays in the box for the next round.
• Playing a round: press Deal. You and the dealer each get two cards. Yours are face up and the dealer's are face down.
• Special hands: a Ban-Ban (two Aces) pays 3 to 1 and a Ban-Luck (an Ace with a 10, Jack, Queen or King) pays 2 to 1. If you have one, you're paid at once. If the dealer has one, you lose that amount. Ban-Ban beats Ban-Luck, and if both sides have the same special hand it's a push.
• Your turn: you must keep drawing until your hand is worth at least 16. From 16 you can Stand or Hit, up to a maximum of five cards. If you go over 21 you lose straight away, even if the dealer would have gone over as well.
• Five Dragon: five cards that total 21 or less win 2 to 1 whatever the dealer has (a dealer Five Dragon makes it a push). If you go over 21 on your fifth card you lose 2 to 1.
• The dealer's turn: the dealer turns over their cards, draws on 15 or less and stands on 16 or more, also up to five cards. A dealer Five Dragon beats you 2 to 1, and a dealer who goes over 21 pays you 1 to 1 (2 to 1 if it was on their fifth card).
• Winning and losing: the higher total wins 1 to 1 with no commission. Equal totals are a push and your bet comes back.
• House edge: standing on 16 or more, you win about 43.3% of rounds, push about 9.6% and lose about 47.1%, which costs about 3.8% of your bet on average. Most of that comes from you playing first, so you bust before the dealer does.
• Each round uses a freshly shuffled 52-card deck, and the cards are decided before they are dealt.
• This is a demo with play chips only. It is not linked to an account and resets when you refresh the page. You can switch between Gold coins and Diamonds between rounds; each has its own balance.