There are players who like the standard Vegas Strip or European Blackjack with no frills attached. These are offered at all land and online casinos. But blackjack is one game that is amenable to innovative variants that cater to players who like to do things differently. No Bust 21 is a perfect example of this. It is a casino game that purists would shudder to think about. It is played with two jokers added to the standard 52-card deck. And it does away with automatically losing even if the player busts.

No Bust 21 generally follows the standard rules with the standard moves of hit, stand, double and split. The differences are highlighted in this article. The jokers play an important role in No Bust 21. The highest ranking hand is not a blackjack, but a hand consisting of two jokers. It is called a “natural” and at 2 to 1 the payout is greater than that for a blackjack in the normal variant. Actually No Bust 21 does not attach importance to the normal blackjack hand consisting of an ace and a ten value card. Such a hand is on par with any other hand that has a value of 21. If the player and the dealer are both dealt naturals then the bet pushes. Any hand having one joker is immediately valued at 21 points and no further cards are dealt to that hand.

The standard rules of play in No Bust 21 are as follows. The European pattern is followed with the dealer not peeking at his hole card upfront. The dealer hits on a soft 17. The player may double on any initial two-card hand and also double after a split. The player may surrender any two-card hand, except if the dealer’s face up card is a joker. The player may not re-split or draw to split aces. If the dealer’s face up card is a joker the player has to stand and cannot make any other move. The essence of No Bust 21 is in the following rule. Even when the player busts the dealer has to play out his full hand according to the set rules. If both the player and the dealer bust and the player’s hand value is closer to 21 the player does not lose and the bet pushes. If the hand values are equal or if the dealer’s hand value is closer to 21 then the player loses.

Players who venture into No Bust 21 should do so with the knowledge that it offers a higher house edge than the standard blackjack variants. There are pluses and minuses to this game. On the plus side are the 2 to 1 payout for a natural and the player getting a second chance even if he busts. On the minus side are the absence of a 3 to 2 payout for a blackjack and the player being forced to stand if the dealer’s face up card is a joker. The net result is a house edge of around 1.8%. The standard Vegas Strip Blackjack has a house edge of about 0.5%. This difference is significant. But players who wager on No Bust 21 compare the house edge with that of other casino games. European Roulette has a house edge of 2.7% and online slots have a house edge of about 5%. When compared with those games No Bust 21 makes sense.