British Blackjack Card Game Rules & How To Play (7 Cards)

British blackjack may share a name with the popular casino game, but it plays out very differently. The aim is to get rid of all the cards you hold, as opposed to trying to have a hand closer to 21 than the dealer.

In our 666 Casino blog post below, we’ve summarised what 7 card British blackjack is, how to play British blackjack, and a few game rules.

What Is 7 Card British Blackjack?

7 card British blackjack is played using a single deck of cards, but more decks can be used depending on how many players are in the game. 

It’s called ‘7 card blackjack’ because each player receives 7 cards, and the rest of the deck lies face down. The objective is to get rid of your cards by matching card ranks or suits to the last card played.

How To Play British Blackjack With 7 Cards

7 card British blackjack starts from the dealer’s left. Gameplay flows clockwise. Each player receives 7 cards, and the rest of the deck lies face-down.

The card on top of the deck is removed and placed face-up in a separate pile before the game starts. The goal is to match the suit or rank of the last played card on the discard pile. So, if the discard pile shows a 7 spades, you can play any other 7 card or any other spades card. You can also play multiple cards in a turn, so you could play a 7 hearts, 8 hearts, 8 spades, 9 spades, 9 clubs, and so on.

Higher value cards can be a play if they’re of matching suits. In addition, the Ace can be high and low. Any player who can’t play has to pick up a card from the deck. The first one who gets rid of their cards wins the round.

Some of the cards in British blackjack are power cards and have special meanings. For example:

2: If a player drops a 2, it means the next player should pick up two cards or put two more down. However, they could also play a 2, thus prompting the next player to pick up four cards or drop a 2. The cycle continues until the next person doesn’t have a 2. So, the last person picks up the sum of the cards.

J: If you play a black J, the next player picks up five cards unless they can also play a black J. If they have a black J, the next player picks 10 cards. It takes a red J to overrule the black J.

10: Play a 10, and the direction of the game reverses. If the first card is a 7, the player on the right starts the game. However, if only two players are present, the dealer starts. The flow of the game remains the same until another 10 is put down. Some games use 10, and others use 7, be sure to check the rules before playing.

8: If you drop an 8, the next player misses a turn, so the player after them goes next.

Ace: An Ace gives you the power to dictate the next card suit and can be played at any time. However, the Ace cannot be placed on a power card.

If you have one card only, say ‘Last Card’ to inform the other players that you’re almost out of cards. If you forget, you’ll have to pick up another card.

British Blackjack Rules

British blackjack often has the same layout, but players change or add some rules to suit their game structure. Some common optional rules include the following:

Bring Backs: Players eliminated from the game can come back as draw cards.

Jokers: You can choose how many jokers you want to add to the deck.

Jacks can go on Twos: You can stack a J on a 2 to pass on the pick-up as well as increase it.

Suited Jacks can go on Twos: You can stack Js on 2s, but they must be of matching suits.

Queens: Any card of the matching suit can be played after a Q.

Play Blackjack Card Games Online

Although we don’t have British blackjack available to play on our site, we do have some of the best blackjack card games online at 666 Casino. Our offering includes variations that are more like the classic game of 21.

You can find numerous different “tables” with different betting limits and numbers of seats. You can find live casino blackjack, single-deck blackjack, multi-hand blackjack, and more.

Click the ‘Join’ button at the top of the page to create an account and gain access to our incredible selection of online slots and casino games.

*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins, etc.) mentioned in relation to this game are subject to change at any time.