21BURN
Will you make the right burn?
Rules
21 Burn is a blackjack-style card game in which both the player and dealer begin with three cards. The player chooses one card to burn before play begins, while the dealer's burn is determined by a fixed rule.
1. The Deal
The game is played from a six-deck shoe. The player receives three cards. The dealer also receives three cards, with the dealer's center card dealt face up and the two outside cards concealed.
2. The Player Burn
After seeing all three player cards and the dealer's exposed center card, the player must select one of the three player cards to burn. The two remaining cards become the player's starting hand.
The player must make the burn decision before the dealer's two concealed cards are revealed.
3. Mandatory Split of a Retained Pair
If the player's two retained cards are equal in blackjack value, the pair must be split into two separate hands. This includes mixed ten-value cards such as 10, Jack, Queen, and King.
A matching wager is placed on the additional split hand.
4. Player Play
Each player hand is played using standard blackjack actions. The player may Hit or Stand, and may Double on any two-card hand. Doubling after a split is allowed.
After the initial mandatory split, a hand that again forms an equal-value pair may be split once more, subject to a maximum of four total player hands.
Split Aces receive one additional card only.
5. Dealer Reveal and Burn
After all player hands are complete, the dealer reveals both concealed cards. The dealer then burns the single highest-value card among all three dealer cards.
For the dealer burn decision, an Ace has a value of 11. Ten, Jack, Queen, and King each have a value of 10. If two or more dealer cards are tied for the highest value, any one of the tied highest cards may be burned.
The exposed dealer card is not protected and may itself be the card that is burned.
6. Dealer Play
The dealer plays the two retained cards under standard blackjack drawing rules and hits soft 17. Aces are valued in the normal blackjack manner during dealer play.
7. Winning and Losing
Each completed player hand is compared with the dealer's final hand. A player hand wins if it is 21 or less and higher than the dealer, or if the dealer busts. A player hand loses if it busts or finishes below a non-busted dealer hand.
Equal totals push.
8. Two-Card 21
A two-card total of 21 is treated as 21, not as a traditional blackjack natural, and pays at the standard even-money rate when it wins.
9. Dealer Peek
There is no dealer peek. Play proceeds through the player's burn decision and player hand completion before the dealer reveals the two concealed cards.