Originating from home blackjack games, this is not a blackjack rule you’ll find in just any casino. In fact, most people don’t truly believe the rule applies in casinos, online or otherwise. There’s some truth to that – most casino blackjack games don’t allow for 5-Card Charlie. When they do, though, the table rules will usually state so clearly. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though.
A five-card Charlie in blackjack is when you have a total of 5 cards and you do not exceed a point total of 21. How many such hands are there? Of course, the natural next question concerns six-card Charlies, etc. Thus, the number of 5-card Charlie hands is 139972, and the number of 6-card Charlie hands is 173892. This table also helps explain why the Blackjack house rules often include special rules and payouts for 5-card and 6-card charlies but not for more cards. When using the Wong Halves counting method, the 3, 4, and 6 cards are valued at +1, the 2 and 7 cards are valued as +0.5, and the 5 is worth +1.5. All 8s are 0, 9 is valued at -0.5, and all Ace and face cards are valued as -1. If you're having a hard time counting with fractions, double each value for a simplified strategy. Employ the Wong Halves card counting strategy. When using the Wong Halves counting method, the 3, 4, and 6 cards are valued at +1, the 2 and 7 cards are valued as +0.5, and the 5 is worth +1.5. All 8s are 0, 9 is valued at -0.5, and all Ace and face cards are valued as -1.
5-Card Charlie is a special blackjack rule according to which a player automatically wins if they draw 5 cards without reaching 21. There are some variations, mind you, but that’s the gist.
What is 5-Card Charlie?
According to this rule, drawing 5 cards results in a win regardless of what the rest of the hand shows. There are many ways in which people refer to this rule – the 5-card rule being another big one.
When it comes to blackjack in casinos, most serious players believe the rule is a myth. There’s some truth to that – especially if we only look at land-based casinos. After all, this is generally a homebrewed rule used when people play blackjack at home. If you asked us what 5-Card Charlie is 5 years ago, we probably would have said the same.
As we all know, though, the development of online blackjack brought a lot of innovation to the table. One of these is that 5-Card Charlie started appearing in some online blackjack games. It’s an overall player-friendly rule, so this is largely a good thing. Online Blackjack with 5-card Charlie has a slightly smaller house edge, which translates to better RTP.
6-card Charlie in Blackjack
That said, most instances we’ve seen so far actually use 6-Card Charlie. What is 6-Card Charlie, you ask? It’s exactly what it sounds like – drawing 6 cards without reaching 21 results in a player win. Conversely, a 7-Card Charlie ruleset would do the same at 7 cards.
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However, the difference between the three is substantial. The chances of drawing 5, 6, or 7 cards without reaching 21 are 50:1, 400:1, and 4,600:1 respectively. However, most times the payout is even money, sometimes reaching 2:1.
Even money at odds of 50:1 sounds horrible on paper, obviously. However, you need to remember that this rule doesn’t affect the rest of the game in any way. That’s why the rule is so player-friendly. There are no downsides at all to 5 or 6-Card Charlie, which is also why most casinos don’t use them.
If you’re looking for online blackjack with 6-card Charlie, Infinite Blackjack by Evolution is a great example. It’s a variant of common draw blackjack which uses the 6-Card Charlie at odds of 1:1.
Importantly, all blackjack games with 5-Card Charlie or similar rules explicitly state that the rule applies. In other words, if you don’t see the rule mentioned on the table or the info panel, it probably isn’t used.
Does 5-Card Charlie apply to the dealer?
5 Card Poker Free
Strangely enough, it does, though this again depends on the table rules. First of all, this is only possible for vegas-style blackjack. Secondly, it’s even more unlikely to happen because most dealers stand on 17. We’ve never seen it happen, in fact, but it’s entirely possible.
5 Card Blackjack
Does 5-Card charlie beat dealer 21?
It depends. By and large, no – a 5-Card Charlie win does not outrank a dealer 21. The one exception is when the player’s hand also totals 21, in which case the hand pushes.
This also means 5-Card Charlie does not beat a dealer blackjack either. Of course, the dealer checks for blackjack at the start, so this can’t happen in most games anyway. Exceptions, however, include Vegas-style rules or something like the Common Draw Blackjack mentioned above.
I’ve been asked on occasion by players who would have five cards in front of them at a blackjack table about something called a “five card charlie”, which, in blackjack terms is a five card hand that does not exceed 21. Well I’m here to tell you…
It’s a myth.
Five card charlies are traditionally counted in home games or back alley games. What would traditionally happen on a five card charlie would be a player would either get paid even money, or 2:1, depending on what’s agreed upon before game play. From what I’ve heard no casino in Europe, Asia, or the States recognize five card charlies, or their brother/sister hands six card charlies, or seven card charlies, even though the odds of getting these are 50:1, 400:1, and 4,600:1 respectively.
Some online casinos may pay five card charlies to encourage new players, however it may not be with all blackjack games. Check out the rules before you play.
And no, a player’s five card charlie at a home game does not beat a dealer’s blackjack, then again, it should never get to that point, since a dealer needs to check for blackjack before the players get cards, unless we’re going by Vegas dealing practices (this is when the dealer only deals themselves one face up card and their face down card isn’t dealt at all. The dealer will deal their second card, and all remaining cards for the house once all players have taken their cards. Not all Vegas casinos do this, however it is still called “Vegas Style Blackjack”). If, at a home game, someone gets a five card charlie, if the dealer did not first get a blackjack, and the five card charlie rule applies, then yes, the player would win automatically, they would get paid then, their cards would be taken away, and then the next player would be allowed to take cards. However, if played Vegas style, and the dealer deals themselves a blackjack or a 21, then the value of the cards outrank a five card charlie, unless it too is valued totaling 21, then it’s a push against the house’s 21, but loses to the house’s blackjack. Then again, this is how I think it should be done and since it’s a home game rule, you can make up whatever house rules you choose.
If you have any questions about any of the games, let us know and we’ll see about debunking the myth for you.