Double Exposure Blackjack

Double Exposure Blackjack is one of the most creative online blackjack variants I've ever seen, and as usual, Play’n GO’s version of the game quickly caught my fancy.

Released on November 4, 2015, Double Exposure Blackjack by Play’n GO is just regular blackjack but with some rule changes that significantly alter the gameplay. In this review, you'll learn what is Double Exposure Blackjack, its rules, and how to play blackjack for beginners.

Double Exposure Blackjack launches with a message explaining the basic blackjack strategy and the game’s objective. The game loaded quickly, revealing a classic blackjack table with a soothing voiceover announcing: “Place your bets, please.”

You’ll find chips for placing your bets on the bottom right side of the screen, while the bottom left part shows your available balance and sound controls. The “Deal” and “Clear All” buttons are located at the bottom of the interface, with the former for starting your game and the latter for withdrawing your chips.

Double Exposure Blackjack online has a pretty detailed help section for beginners to learn the game’s rules and how to place bets. You can simply click the question mark icon on the bottom left side of the gameplay interface to access the help section easily.

Players familiar with Play’n GO’s other blackjack games should find Double Exposure Blackjack’s game design and mechanics familiar. It’s largely the same, except that the dealer’s first two cards are exposed instead of one for regular Play’n GO blackjack games, like European Blackjack.

Since I've played Play’n GO’s famous European Blackjack several times, I had no problems understanding how Double Exposure Blackjack online works despite my relative lack of experience with the variant.

Once you load up Double Exposure Blackjack by Play’n GO, you get an interface that lets you simultaneously place bets on up to three hands.

You place bets with chips located in your screen’s bottom right corner. The chips represent $1 to $100, and the maximum bet on any hand is $100. You can place your bets by selecting the chips and clicking on the circle representing the hand. The chips are stackable, allowing you to bet between $1 and $100 on each hand.

After placing your bets, press “Deal” to start the game, and the croupier will deal out the cards to all the hands around the table. Like in regular blackjack, the dealer also deals two cards to themselves, but instead of having one card face-down, both dealer cards are dealt face-up.

From this point, you can use your finest strategies to get ahead of the dealer, making your in-game decisions using the Hit, Stand, Split, and Double buttons appropriately.

Within a few minutes of gameplay, I quickly noticed Double Exposure Blackjack has no “Push.”  If your hand matches the dealer’s, the bet is settled in favor of the dealer, so that’s something to keep in mind if you’re used to conventional Single Deck Blackjack.

Double Exposure Blackjack follows the normal game rules, some of which may look strange to someone new to Play’n GO's blackjack or blackjack in general. Here's some information you need to know as a new player.

Betting Limits

The minimum amount you can bet on a blackjack hand on Double Exposure Blackjack is $1. However, you can bet up to $100 on each hand, making the minimum and maximum bets for a round $1 and $300, respectively.

Rules

The game uses all regular blackjack rules except for the number of face-up cards the dealer deals to themselves. While the croupier gets a face-down card for Blackjack MH and Single Deck Blackjack, both of their initial cards are dealt face-up in Double Exposure, hence the name.

Also, when the total on one of your hands matches the dealer’s, the bet is settled in favor of the dealer, so it’s counted as a loss. Besides that, Double Exposure Blackjack online is very similar to regular blackjack, so there’s almost no learning curve.

Payouts

All winning bets are settled 1:1 on Double Exposure Blackjack, just like with all other Play’n GO blackjack games. Remember, you only win when you’re closer to 21 than the dealer, and any tie is settled as a loss for you, the player.

The Double Exposure Blackjack game is just your plain old blackjack but with both of the dealer’s cards exposed. So, pretty much all of the bonus features from regular blackjack carry over to this variant.

After playing Play’n GO’s Double Exposure Blackjack online for a while, here are some special features I think are worth mentioning for beginners.

Double

The Double feature is only available on certain hands and can potentially increase your payout twofold. It works by doubling your initial bet in exchange for one extra card before forcing you into a stand.

If your hand sums up to more than the dealer’s, you get twice your initial potential payout. On the other hand, your potential loss is also twofold if the dealer beats you (or in the event of a tie).

Split

Splitting is only possible when you’re dealt two of the same cards for your first two cards, and it works by separating the two cards, letting you play them as different hands with the same bet size.

While splitting also risks more money for a larger payout, it's less risky than doubling down. At least you choose when to hit and stand.

I prefer playing table games on a desktop in full screen mode, as the wide, gigantic display and cursor-based control make buttons easier to hit. However, Play’n GO is known for optimizing all of its casino games online for mobile play, so I decided to test Double Exposure Blackjack on a mobile phone to see how it compares to the full desktop experience.

One thing I instantly noticed from the mobile version is how it maximized the full vertical space of my phone’s screen. The game pushed the controls toward the bottom and made them larger while showing more of the table and slightly compressing your hands’ size to fit them on the screen.

Somehow, Play’n GO managed to make playing on a mobile phone feel less cramped than playing on a desktop, thanks to how quickly I could make decisions by simply tapping on my smartphone’s display without having to separately move a cursor.

Despite not being a fan of playing casino games on mobile, I have to admit Double Exposure Blackjack by Play’n GO has made it onto my list of go-to games for when I’m away from my computer for extended periods. That’s how good it is on mobile.

Since Double Exposure Blackjack online has slightly different rules than regular blackjack, I had to try it for free before playing with real money. Thankfully, many online casinos offer the demo version, and I've recommended some top iGaming sites where you can play Double Exposure Blackjack for free.

The Double Exposure Blackjack demo version is the same as the real money variant, minus the part where you have to stake your money to enter. From the mechanics to the music and the gameplay, everything feels like the real deal.

While playing the demo, I accidentally discovered tying the dealer doesn’t result in a push but in a lost bet. That would have cost me at least a buck in the real money mode.

If all your previous Blackjack experience is with the classic single-exposure variant, I’ll recommend playing a few rounds of the Double Exposure Blackjack demo version before staking real money.

The Double Exposure Blackjack game is just your plain old blackjack but with both of the dealer’s cards exposed. So, if you’re wondering how it compares to Classic Blackjack, you have your answer.

However, besides this feature, are there other differences between the two Blackjack variants? The table below contains a breakdown of all you need to know about Double Exposure Blackjack and Classic Blackjack.

Like other Play’n GO blackjack games, Double Exposure Blackjack is available at a fair number of online blackjack casinos for real money play. If you have no idea where to play Double Exposure Blackjack, consider choosing from my top casino recommendations on this page.

Not only do all my recommended online casinos feature the game, but they’re also reputable platforms that offer fair odds for reasonably competitive play.

Double Exposure Blackjack introduces a slight change to the standard Blackjack game, and it was pretty well received. Who wouldn’t love to steal a peek at the dealer’s other card before making a hit or stand decision?

However, that advantage doesn’t come without its cons. For one, ties in the game aren't ‘pushed’; they’re settled against you!

Still, Double Exposure Blackjack online offers many features that make it a fan favorite. The game’s excellent gameplay interface on mobile and support for betting on multiple hands are two crucial aspects I can’t fault.

If you're looking for an enjoyable and competitive alternative to classic blackjack, Double Exposure Blackjack is a solid option.