21 Duel Blackjack is a game that brings a fresh new twist to the traditional game of Blackjack. The game uses the same hand ranking system with card values being similar to Blackjack as well. Additionally, much like traditional Blackjack, players are required to create a hand with a point total higher than the dealer's, without exceeding 21 points. The dealer is in charge of handling the cards.
Both the player and the dealer receive two cards into their pockets. While the two of the dealer's cards are both dealt face down, the player receives one up-card and one down-card. The game’s most noticeable twist is that 21 Duel Blackjack uses two community cards. This means that the dealer and the player are required to share these cards when making their best possible hand. The two community cards are dealt to the middle of the table face up. The player must decide which of the two community cards he wishes to use.
After making the decision regarding the preferred community card, the player is presented with two options of further play. The player may either 'Hit,' which means that he chooses to open his face-down card and add it to his hand, or he may 'Stand,' which means that he prefers to forfeit his unexposed card and make his hand out of the chosen community card and the face-up card he is holding in his hand. The dealer then uncovers one of his pocket cards and chooses which of the two community cards he wants to play with in order to make his hand.
The dealer's community card must be selected according to a very specific set of rules. His goal is to form the best possible hand based on the hand ranking system described below (the better hands are placed on top):
| 2-Card Score | Hand Composition |
| 21 | A,9 & any 10 |
| 20 | A,9 & 10,10 |
| 19 | A,8 10,9 |
| 11 | 9,2, 8,3, 7,4, 6,5 |
| 10 | 8,2, 7,3, 6,4, 5,5 |
| 9 | 7,2, 6,3, 5,4 |
| 18 | 9,9, 1,8, A,7 |
| 17 | 9,8, 10,7, A,6 |
| Soft 16 | A,5 |
| Soft 15 | A,4 |
| Soft 14 | A,3 |
| Soft 13 | A,2 |
| Soft 12 | A,A |
| 8 | 2,6, 3,5, 4,4 |
| 7 | 2,5, 3,4 |
| 6 | 2,4, 3,3 |
| 5 | 2,3 |
| 12 | 9,3, 8,4, 7,5, 6,6, 10,2 |
| 13 | 9,4, 8,5, 7,6, 10,3 |
| 14 | 9,5, 8,6, 7,7, 104 |
| 15 | 9,6, 8,7, 10,5 |
| 16 | 9,7, 8,8, 10,6 |
| 4 | 2, 2 |
Other rules applying to the dealer's decision-making process is that he must always hit on 16 or lower, and stand on 17. If the dealer decides to hit, his second face-down card is uncovered and its point value is added to the hand total.
If the dealer's hand is worth less than 13 points, the dealer doesn't qualify and the player wins the game, even if his point total happens to be lower than the dealer's.
Good luck playing 21 Duel Blackjack!
