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Play Online Blackjack in India 2021

Posted by Sean Love on
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Easy to learn and simple to play, more and more Indian gamblers are choosing to enjoy blackjack online. Our experts put together this guide so that you can learn how play blackjack online, where to play, different game variations, winning strategy & more.

Where to Play Blackjack Online

These are our favourite sites for Indian players to play blackjack on the internet:

How to Play

Blackjack Strategy

Types of Blackjack

Blackjack Glossary

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Play Blackjack

While online blackjack can intimidating, the game is actually much simpler than it seems. Here’s how it works.

  • When you sit down at a blackjack table, the first thing you’ll have to do is make a bet. While playing blackjack online, you simply click on the denomination you want to wager and put it in the middle of the table.
  • Once the bet has been made, the dealer will deal you each two cards. You will be able to see both of your cards, but only one of the dealer’s will be visible to you.
  • Based on the total of the cards in your hand, and an incomplete idea of what the dealer’s hand could look like, you have to decide whether to stand, split or hit. We’ll go into more depth on what these options mean and why you would make these decisions later.
  • When the value of your cards is close to or at 21, you will choose to stand and the dealer will reveal their hand. Whichever hand is closest to 21 will win the round. If your hand has exceeded 21, you immediately lose the game.

The Basics of Blackjack

five green playing cards

Blackjack is a Card Game

Blackjack is played with a standard 52 card deck. The suit of the cards you are given has no impact on the game in the standard versions blackjack.

3 green playing cards

Every Card has a Numeric Value

Aces can be worth either 11 or 1, face cards (Kings, Queens and Jacks) are worth 10, and all other cards are worth their numeric value.

two cards

The Target Total is 21

The key aim in blackjack is to attain a card hand that totals closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over. Exceeding 21 (known as going ‘bust’) means that you lose the game.

An Example Game of Blackjack

  1. The player makes an initial bet.
  2. The player receives cards from the dealer – a Jack and a 4. The dealer also has two cards, but only one – a 7 – is visible to the player.
  3. The player adds up their cards and realizes that their total is only 14. They decide to hit and take another card – a 5.
  4. Satisfied with their total of 19, the player stands.
  5. The dealer reveals their other card – an Ace – bringing the total of their hand to 17.
  6. Since the player’s total is closer to, but not exceeding 21, they win the round.

How to Win at Blackjack

two white cash money bills stacked on top of each other

Manage Your Bankroll

This bears repeating for all types of online gambling – have a bankroll strategy and stick to it. In blackjack, we recommend ensuring that each individual bet represents – at most – 5% of your total bankroll. For example, if you have ₹500 to play with, we recommend playing 10 hands at most.

a hand choosing to stand in blackjack

Never Chase Losses

Blackjack in particular is a game of math. If you play wisely and follow sound strategy, you will gain the edge over the long term. Do not play recklessly and emotionally, and never abandon your blackjack strategy to win back anything you’ve lost.

two cards being split in a game of blackjack

Capitalize on Good Hands

Use splitting and doubling down to maximize your wager amount on good hands. In online blackjack, being aggressive is required at times. If one more ten would give you a winning hand, take a calculated risk and double down.

What is “Blackjack”?

Blackjack is both the name of the game, and the name of a winning hand.

If any player – you or the dealer – receives an Ace and a ten-value card (i.e. a ten or a face card) as your initial two cards, this is called blackjack. In this instance, the player dealt the blackjack automatically wins this hand.

What is a Bust?

You’ll note that we keep mentioning not to go over 21. If your cards add up to more than 21, this is called a ‘bust’, and means you lose that hand and your bet.

If, once you and the dealer are done taking cards, you have a higher hand than the dealer and you didn’t go over 21, you win! Typically, you earn back your original wager, plus that same amount again. For example, if you wager $10 and win, you’ll be paid $20.

If, once you and the dealer are done taking cards, you end up with the same total, this is called a “push”. This is essentially a tie, and your original wager will be returned to you.

When To Hit, Stand, Double Down or Split

After the bets are placed and each player has received their two initial cards, you’ll have to choose whether you want to hit, stand, double down, or split. You’ll want to make this decision based on what’s in your hand, and what’s showing in the dealer’s hand.

When to Hit in Blackjack

A “hit” is simply asking for another card from the dealer.

Depending on what the dealer is showing and the online casino’s rules, a general strategy would be to ‘hit’ when your cards total fourteen or less.

When to Stand in Blackjack

“Standing” is choosing to receive no more cards from the dealer.

A player would “stand” when they’re confident they have a high enough hand to beat the dealer, typically on hands that total fifteen or more (depending on what the dealer is showing.)

When to Double Down in Blackjack

“Doubling down” is choosing to double your original bet and committing to receiving only one more card from the dealer.

As an example, a player should generally “double down” if their hand totals 10 or 11, as the odds of the next card being a ten or face card is in the player’s favor in the long run. Again, this will depend on what the dealer is showing as well as the casino’s dealer rules.

Remember – doubling down doubles a player’s bet, and they only get one more card. If the player gets a good card and win, they win double, but if they get a bad card and lose, they’ll lose double.

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When to Split in Blackjack

A “split” is only an option when a player is dealt a pair. “Splitting” a pair turns the original pair into two separate hands, doubling the amount of hands the player has on the table and doubling the player’s current bet.

For example, if a player was dealt two 8s, they could split these. They would then have two hands worth 8 each, and receive an additional card for each hand. They’d then play these hands the same way they’d play one – choosing to hit, stand, double down, or even to split again.

Choosing when to split is a bit complicated, and depends on which pair you receive, and what the dealer’s showing. When you’re choosing to split, remember these three things:

  • Don’t split a winning hand. If you are dealt two 10s, it’s tempting to double down, but don’t. If you’re dealt two 10s, you know you have twenty, which is likely a winning total. Hold tight.
  • Only split good cards. Remember, you are turning these cards into new hands, so only split cards that you actually want. For example, if you are dealt a pair of fours (a low, mathematically unfriendly card) there’s no point in splitting – you’ll just end up with extra hands full of fours.
  • Each time you split, your wager doubles. Just try to remember what you’re getting into – splitting doubles your potential winnings, but also your potential losses.
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Blackjack Strategy

There is no fool-proof way to ensure a win in blackjack, but using a basic strategy can greatly improve your chances.  Basic strategy is a mathematical determination of the best way to play every hand at the table. Every hand combination is linked directly to the dealer’s single face-up card denomination and the best decision is based on player-vs-dealer odds.

Many things affect the house edge, but playing basic strategy is one of the biggest factors that you can control. Combining basic strategy with strong discipline can reduce the house edge to less than 1%. It’s not uncommon for players to cut it down to 0.5%.

Here are some of our favorite blackjack strategy tips:

Never play for less than a 3 to 2 payout.

Never play for less than a 3 to 2 payout.

While some casinos have switched to a 6 to 5 payout, this gives the house around a 1.35% higher edge. We recommend never playing for less than a 3 to 2 payout, which means that for every $2 bet, the player would receive $3 back on a winning hand – 1.5x the initial wager. 

Play at a casino with favorable rules.

Play at a casino with favorable rules.

Here are some rules which benefit the player – take a little time to find a casino that offers as many of them as possible:

  • Players are allowed to double down after split
  • Players are allowed to double down on any number of cards
  • Players are allowed to split aces or re-split aces
  • Surrender offered
  • Dealer stands on a soft 17
  • The lower number of decks being used, the better
Use a basic strategy chart.

Use a basic strategy chart.

Using a strategy chart can more than double the time most players can play before depleting their bankroll. 

They can be found online and in casino gift shops. The charts will indicate what the mathematically correct move is in any given situation.

Never take insurance.

Never take insurance.

There are very few situations in which taking insurance is a profitable play, and these are only if you are card counting. If you are card counting successfully, you probably already know everything on this page, so this tip is for the rest of us!

The casino has an edge of over 5% on the insurance wager in most cases. If you compare this to the 2 to 3% edge they have against most players during the rest of the blackjack game, even the worst players give up too much edge by taking insurance.

Manage your bankroll.

Manage your bankroll.

The most important tip of all – don’t chase losses.  There are a few options for effective bankroll management:

One option is to set a stop win and a stop loss limit. So if you win ₹10,000, you call it a day. Similarly, if you lose ₹10,000, you end your session.

Another is to break your bankroll into parts. For example, if you’d like to play for the next five days and you have ₹10,000 to gamble, you would play with ₹2,000 every day. When the session is over, put any money you have left in your pocket, or if you lose the entire amount, end your session. You are almost assured of ending at least a few sessions with money left over, and will probably have a couple winning sessions. This strategy makes the chance of losing your entire bankroll very small.

The key to any bankroll management is to have a plan and stick to it. Play safely and responsibly.

Blackjack Card Counting

Card counting is an advanced blackjack strategy in which the players aims to gain more information on the cards left in the shoe. With this information, they can work out the probability of the remaining cards appearing in the next hand and wager accordingly.

There are many strategies to counting cards and some are more advanced than others, but the simple principle is that players pay great attention to the cards dealt from the shoe. If the cards dealt are overall ‘bad’ blackjack cards such as twos, threes and fours, the player would up their bet for future hands in the knowledge that the cards left are likely to be ‘good’ cards such as aces and faces. The reverse would also be true. Some players go as far as to mentally tally all of the cards left in the shoe, and so can work out their odds of, for example, receiving an eight in the next hand.

Card counting lowers the casino’s house edge. It is completely legal, though many live casinos will deny service if they suspect a player of card counting. Many have also introduced continuous shuffling machines to their blackjack tables which make it impossible.

In internet blackjack, Random Number Generators are used to decide the card values which appear in the game. The online shoe is virtually ‘reshuffled’ between every hand of blackjack, and every hand begins with a full 52 card deck in the shoe – in short, the past hands have no impact on the cards in future hands. Thus, when playing blackjack on the web, card counting is often impossible.

five white playing card icons

Side Bets in Blackjack

Sometimes casinos offer side bets in order to add excitement to the standard blackjack game. We’ve already covered the most common side bet – insurance. Generally speaking we advise against placing these bets until you are confident in your strategy. Even then, given the use of Random Number Generators at online casinos and the resulting difficulties of card counting, they are rarely recommended.  That being said, the high risk of losing the bet can lead to higher payouts if, by chance, you win. If you’re looking to test your luck, here are the remaining blackjack side bets.

Perfect Pairs

Perfect Pairs

Perfect Pairs is an additional wager which you can place on the outcome of the first two cards that you are dealt from the dealer.

  • Mixed Pair: if your cards are the same number/rank but a different coloured suit. The payout is usually 5:1.
  • Coloured Pair: if your cards are the same number/rank and the same colour, but different suits. The payout is usually 12:1.
  • Perfect Pair: if your cards are two of the same number/rank and suit. The payout is usually 25:1.
21+3

21+3

This bet also relies on the two cards you are initially dealt, along with the dealer’s single face-up card. The bet is a wager that these three cards together will make a poker-style card combination.

  • Flush: if all three cards are of the same suit. The payout is usually 5:1.
  • Straight: if all three cards are in sequence of number/rank, regardless of suit. The payout is usually 10:1.
  • Three of a Kind: if all three cards are the same number/rank. The payout is usually 30:1.
  • Straight Flush: if all three cards are of the same suit and in sequence of number/rank. The payout is usually 40:1.
  • Suited Three of a Kind/Suited Triple: if all three cards are the same number/rank and suit. The payout is usually 100:1.

More Online Blackjack Guides

a hand choosing to hit in a game of blackjack

How To Play Blackjack

Our guide will teach you all the basics of online blackjack.

How To Play
a hand choosing to stand in blackjack

Blackjack Strategy

Now that you’ve grasped the basics, learn in-depth blackjack strategy.

Strategy
two cards being split in a game of blackjack

Blackjack Card Counting

You’ve probably heard about card counting – learn all about it.

Card Counting

Different Types of Online Blackjack

When you decide to play blackjack online, you have a host of options when it comes to the different variations of the game. Here are a few of the most popular options for Indian players, but rest assured, there are plenty of other games that follow the objective of blackjack.

Spanish 21

This variation of real money online blackjack allows players late surrenders, doubling after a split, re-splitting aces, players 21 always wins, players blackjack beats dealer blackjack, a player may double down on any number of cards. There are also different payouts when a player hits 21. Whether it’s 5,6,7 card 21’s or three suited 7’s.

Live Dealer Blackjack

In this popular Blackjack variation, players can enjoy a traditional casino experience while playing online as there is a live dealer in real-time dealing the cards. Live blackjack is a great option for players that want the live casino experience with the convenience of playing from their laptop or mobile device.

European Blackjack

European blackjack is a popular variation with minor differences from traditional real money blackjack. One central difference is it only played with two decks of cards, where others use six to eight decks. There’s no hole card in the European variation of the game and the dealer doesn’t receive a second card until the player has completed their hand. Doubling down is also limited. In European blackjack, players can only double down if they have a hand of 9 through 11.

Single Deck Blackjack

This version of blackjack is only played with one deck. For years, single deck was the standard, but casinos began to mix in multiple decks to make card counting more difficult.

Blackjack Glossary Terms

Online Blackjack FAQ

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