World Cup isn't the only international competition: Try these global casino games

These options at PlayBlackjack.com are perfect for getting action down

The World Cup is sweeping the sports world up in the biggest international competition on the planet. The top soccer countries are colliding in Russia, bringing everyone together for a global celebration of the “beautiful game”.

We at PlayBlackjack.com also have a flair for international competition. Plenty of our Jacks or better Casino have deep roots around the globe, originating from multiple countries or putting their own twist on popular casino contests.

If you're suffering from the World Cup fever and love international competition, these options at PlayBlackjack.com are perfect for getting action down in between betting on the biggest soccer games:

Spanish Blackjack
It goes by many names: Spanish Blackjack, Spanish 21 or Pontoon. This variation on blackjack is extremely popular with online casino players, offering a twist on the traditional chase for 21. In Spanish blackjack, the table uses what is called a “Spanish deck” which doesn’t have the four 10-value cards, making the deck 48 cards instead of 52.

Another key change is that the player is allowed to double down on any number of cards – not just the first two cards dealt from the shoe like standard blackjack. Some other variations for Spanish blackjack are that a hand of 21 automatically wins – no matter what the dealer has – and there are special payouts for some of the tougher hands, such as a hand of 21 consisting of seven or more cards paying 3/1 odds.

Some other special hands are a six-card 21 (pays 2/1 odds), a five-card 21 (pays 3/2 odds), 6-7-8 of all spades (pays 3/1 odds), 6-7-8 of all other suits (pays 2/1 odds), and unsuited 6-7-8 or a 7-7-7 (pays 3/2 odds).

Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow has grown in popularity in recent decades and is now a staple of the casino floor. Pai Gow Poker is actually an American invention but is based on the Chinese dominoes game of the same name.

The players and dealer are both dealt seven cards and must make their two strongest poker hands using those cards: one hand consisting of two cards (front hand) and one hand consisting of five cards (back hand). The back hand must always be the higher ranked of the two hands.

In order to win, your two hands must beat the dealer’s two hands. And in order to lose, the dealer’s two hands must beat the player’s two hands. If the dealer and player split the hands, the game is ruled a push and all bets are returned. Needless to say, there are a fair share of pushes in Pai Gow Poker.

One fun twist with Pai Gow Poker is that the 52-card deck is bumped up to 53 with the addition of a Joker. The Joker is a wild card and can be used as a bug in a five-card hand to complete a straight or flush. Otherwise, the Joker is designated as an Ace.

Single-Zero Roulette
The name Roulette is French for “little wheel” and that pretty much sums it up for this casino classic. There's an America version of Roulette, which features both a single and double zero on the wheel, however, the single-zero Roulette wheel is often referred to as European Roulette or French Roulette.

The rules for Roulette are pretty straight forward: players can place their wagers on inside and outside bets. Inside bets include single numbers, split between two numbers, street three numbers, corner four numbers, double street six numbers, as well as other options like trios, baskets, and top lines. Those inside bets come with payouts between 35/1 to 5/1 odds, depending on the probability of the spin result.

Outside bets have smaller payouts but offer more options. They include betting on 1-to-18, 19-to-36, red or black, even or odd, dozen bets (1-12, 13-24, 25-36), column bets, and snake bets. Payouts on outside bets can range between 2/1 and EVEN money returns.