How to Play Down Under Blackjack: Ranges, Hands and Dealer 22

Down Under Blackjack is a blackjack variant in which a scanner reveals the range of the dealer’s hole card before you act, rather than its exact rank. You see the dealer’s upcard and learn whether the face-down card belongs to Small (2–5), Medium (6–9) or Large (10–A). This narrows the dealer’s possible initial total, but settlement rules—especially when the dealer reaches 22—must be checked in your chosen game’s paytable.

What does the range scanner show?

The scanner shows one of three card ranges, not a specific card. Small, Medium and Large are the range labels.

In the Large range, a 10 or face card is worth 10, while an ace counts as 1 or 11 depending on the hand. A Large reading therefore does not necessarily mean the hole card is worth 10.

These ranges are defined in the Pennsylvania rules, Chapter 685a. Those rules use blue, red and yellow for Small, Medium and Large respectively. Do not rely on color alone: another version’s display may differ.

Pennsylvania Code definitions of the Small, Medium and Large dealer hole-card ranges

Pennsylvania Code definitions of the Small, Medium and Large dealer hole-card ranges

Worked example: the dealer shows a 7

With a dealer upcard of 7, the scanner narrows the dealer’s initial total to 9–12, 13–16 or 17–18.

For the Large reading, a ten-value card gives 17, while an ace counted as 11 gives a soft 18. This example assumes the defined ranges and standard blackjack card values; it involves no rounding.

These are initial totals, not predictions of the dealer’s final hand. The dealer may still draw according to the table rules. The range alone also does not establish whether you should hit, stand, double down or split.

How does a hand play out?

Under the verified Pennsylvania rules, the dealer’s hole-card range is determined before players act. The hand follows this sequence:

1. Place your main wager. Any available optional side bet is a separate choice.
2. Receive the initial cards. You have two cards; the dealer has one upcard and one hole card.
3. Read the dealer’s hole-card range. You learn its group, not its exact rank.
4. Resolve the both-Large exception. In Pennsylvania, if both the dealer’s upcard and hole card are Large, the hole card is exposed before player action. If the dealer has blackjack—an ace and a ten-value card—the hand ends with settlement under the rules.
5. Act if the hand continues. The table rules determine when you may hit, stand, double down or split.
6. The dealer completes the hand. In Pennsylvania, the dealer stands on all 17s, including soft 17.
7. Settle the wagers. A dealer total of 22 has its own settlement rule, explained below.

This is a sequence under a specific rule set, not a guarantee that every version uses the same device workflow or settlement procedure.

What happens when the dealer gets 22?

In Pennsylvania, dealer 22 is neither a win for every player nor a push for every hand. Under §685a.7(n), the following hands win:

• A hand consisting of exactly two originally dealt Large-range cards.
• A hand totaling 21, whether hard or soft.

Other eligible hands push, meaning the wager is returned. A player hand that has already busted does not become a push.

For example, two originally dealt ten-value cards qualify for the two-Large-card exception. A three-card total of 20 does not qualify simply because it totals 20.

Pennsylvania dealer-22 rule identifying winning hands and pushes for other eligible hands

Pennsylvania dealer-22 rule identifying winning hands and pushes for other eligible hands

Do not automatically apply this rule to another table. The historical Nevada Rules of Play V2, dated 2019, lists three possible dealer-22 configurations. It demonstrates that variations exist; it does not establish the current rules at a particular casino.

Which rules and strategy chart should you check?

Check the paytable, rules and strategy chart for the exact game you intend to play. The name Down Under Blackjack does not define every part of its configuration.

Before wagering, confirm:

• Blackjack payout: 3:2 or 6:5.
• Dealer soft-17 rule: whether the dealer hits or stands.
• Dealer-22 settlement: which hands win and which push.
• Double-down and split restrictions.
• Insurance and surrender availability.
• Number of decks: and whether the strategy chart matches that rule set.

As a scoped example, Pennsylvania requires blackjack to pay 3:2, the dealer to stand on all 17s, and insurance to pay 2:1; surrender is unavailable. Its rules allow 4, 5, 6 or 8 decks and permit a shoe or a continuous shuffler, subject to the specified requirements. None of these equipment choices should be treated as universal.

Range information changes the information available for a decision. Do not assume an ordinary blackjack chart applies, or use a chart for another Down Under Blackjack configuration without checking its assumptions. If your chosen game provides a chart in its paytable or rules, verify that it matches your table before using it.

What is the house edge, and how can you estimate expected loss?

A house edge can support an expected-loss calculation only within the model for which it was estimated. It describes a modelled long-run casino advantage, not your likely session result.

Wizard of Odds reports these figures for its Down Under Blackjack model:

That model uses six decks, a dealer who hits soft 17, and the source’s specified Push-22 condition. It is not Pennsylvania’s rule package, which requires the dealer to stand on all 17s and blackjack to pay 3:2. These percentages are not universal Down Under Blackjack house edges.

For the examples below, the percentage is applied to initial wagers, not to all money placed after doubles and splits. Those additional wagers can make your actual total betting action greater than the sum of your initial wagers.

Worked calculation and calculator steps

For an initial wager of $25 over 100 hands, the modelled expected loss is $14.25 at a 0.57% house edge or $48 at 1.92%.

The calculation is:

Expected loss = supplied house edge × initial wager × number of hands

To reproduce the example in the house-edge calculator:

1. Enter 0.57% in the custom house-edge percentage field.
2. Enter 25 in the bet-size field.
3. Enter 100 in the round-count field.
4. Compare the expected-loss result with $14.25.
5. Change only the house-edge percentage to 1.92% for the second example; the corresponding expected loss is $48.

This assumes a constant $25 initial wager and the supplied source-model edge. Dollars are the example’s unit: interpret the wager and result in the same currency, because the calculator does not convert currencies. Both results are already exact to cents, so no additional rounding is needed.

Calculation limits: the calculator applies the supplied percentage to bet size multiplied by rounds. It does not derive the correct house edge from your table’s rules, choose strategy moves, or separately calculate doubles, splits, side bets, variance or operator-specific probabilities. Neither $14.25 nor $48 is a loss cap or an amount you are guaranteed to lose.

Is Match the Dealer part of the main wager?

Match the Dealer is an optional, separate side bet, not part of the main Down Under Blackjack wager. It may not be offered at your table, and its rules and payouts must be checked separately.

Pennsylvania specifies the following paytable:

These payouts apply to the specified Pennsylvania configurations, not every version. For the mechanics of the wager, see the Match the Dealer side-bet guide.