Blackjack is the most popular casino table game for beginners and novice players. The objective of the game is to build the best hand to beat the dealer’s total without going over 21. Hence blackjack’s alias of “21.”
Our how to play blackjack guide will walk you through the sign-up process to playing your first hand, break down card values, define blackjack terminology, and provide some basic strategy.
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Blackjack is easily one of the most popular casino table games world-wide. But any blackjack how to play guide should start with the flow of gameplay.
So, you’re at a blackjack table at an online casino for the first time, and the computer (or live!) dealer starts distributing cards.
Options will include: Split, Hit, Double, and Stand. You likely do not want to surrender or take insurance, if your table offers those options. They are typically bad bets.
To win, you must either: have cards totaling more than cards in the dealers hand OR not bust (going over 21) while the dealer’s hand goes over 21. However, the strategy to reach that point changes based on numerous factors.
There IS a winning strategy for playing blackjack. Playing disciplined and consistent is how to win in blackjack. The first, most critical item is find a table with the best, most player-friendly rules. Understanding the blackjack payout chart is a good start to knowing why you should avoid 6 to 5 blackjack tables.
Once you have a seat at a player-friendly table, you need to stick to basic blackjack strategy. Avoid ‘living dangerously’ and making common errors, such as staying when you should hit or not doubling-down when dealt an advantageous hand. Every single combination of blackjack hands has been Consistently perfect gameplay will continually push down the house-edge, over time making your blackjack sessions more likely to be profitable.
Finally, once you have minimized the house-edge at the table, its vital that you maximize your rewards and perks. By taking advantage of the best online casino bonus offers, you can turn razor-thin margins in favor of the house into larger margins of you making real money.
For those who are visual learners, check out this video of our expert, Tommy Green, teach you how to play blackjack!
Test out our free blackjack game below to get the hand of when to hit or stand. You’ll also find basic options for doubling and splitting, key to maximizing your winnings in profitable scenarios. Play for free and learn before heading to an online casino!
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In most cases, blackjack dealers must hit on 16 and stay on 17. These two situations provides the player a slight edge and is where blackjack strategy come into focus.
For example, if a blackjack dealer is showing a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and you don’t like your hand, it’s okay to remain aggressive. You have to make some assumptions that the dealer’s hidden card is a face card, which increases their chances of busting, i.e. – KING+5 = 15 and being forced to hit isn’t optimal, but dealers must do it.
However, if the dealer hits blackjack on their first two cards, the hand is over. This is not a fun situation for players, but remember, you have the same odds of hitting blackjack as the dealer does.
Insurance is one of the more complicated – and over-discussed – topics regarding how to play blackjack at a casino. While insurance is an option during gameplay, it is technically a side bet that the casino can offer. The only time Insurance is offered is when the dealer is showing an Ace as their up-card.
By having an Ace showing, the dealer is indicating an extremely strong hand. If their hole card is any of the cards with a value of ten, the dealer has blackjack and the hand will end. This is the most-likely scenario, since any Ten, Jack, Queen, or King will make 21 for the dealer.
The side bet for insurance is you wagering that the dealer has blackjack. The bet will pay 2 to 1, and you can wager your original bet amount or less. But in almost every scenario, insurance is a bad bet. Players taking insurance significantly increases the house edge, and it should not be done by any beginning blackjack player. Only skilled, typically card-counting players can mathematically make taking insurance a good bet.
For new and experienced gamblers alike, blackjack is one of the most popular games. But there are numerous other options for winning real money at an online casino. Here are some other favorites:
The classic spinning wheel game of legend. Guess your favorite number or bet on red or black
A fast-paced dice game with numerous betting options.
Virtually pull the lever and enjoy high-tech graphics and gameplay.
Feel like James Bond and play one of the favorite games of high-rollers.
Straights, flushes, and four-of-a-kind lead to huge payoffs.
Want to play with a real human? Try out your favorite online casino game's live dealer version.
You can absolutely try, but it’s much more difficult to count cards in online blackjack games. Online casinos use a random number generator to deal cards. This system means every hand is being played with a new deck. A user could count cards, but there would be no value in doing so. Nope. Insurance can be viewed as a sucker bet that, in the long-run, benefits the casino by boosting the house edge. The pit boss will be happy every time you take insurance and perfect strategy requires avoiding it at all costs. No, plenty of casinos make their games available to play for free. Indeed, you’ll find a free blackjack game you can play on this very page! Playing for free is a great way for new players to get used to the mechanics of online blackjack gambling. For experienced blackjack players, playing for free allows them to experiment with betting strategies and techniques without risking any real money. No, card counting is different than basic strategy. Each will lower the house edge and benefit the player, but basic strategy is making the right choices based on the odds of each hand, without accounting for the cards remaining in the shoe. However, basic strategy is allowed in all casinos while card counting is not. Yes! Basic strategy is applicable to both online blackjack and playing at a table in a casino. You may even be more comfortable practicing basic strategy online while using a physical strategy chart. Using the chart for online play can help you memorize it for both online and in-person betting. Practice makes perfect, so the more you employ basic strategy, the easier it will get to remember the rules. To start, consider focusing on major rules like always splitting 8’s or doubling down on 11.
