The thrill of casino games is incomparable. You can enter an exciting world of gaming opportunities and leave with significantly more money or nothing. It all depends on your luck, decisions, and even skills.
Most people will tell you that you can’t influence your results in an online casino, but that depends on the game you try out and your experience and knowledge. For example, you can’t do much when playing Slots, but the situation is different with blackjack. Today, we will explore this card game to make you understand how to make the correct decisions and leave the table with a win!
Quick Jump ⇣
Basic Rules and Objective
Although you don’t need to be an expert at blackjack to win, the least you can do is understand the concept of the game and its mechanics. At its core, blackjack is pretty simple: you must make a better hand than the dealer. You may be wondering if that’s the case, which hands you should strive for.
Credit: 22bet Casino
In blackjack, your goal is to get as close to 21 points as possible. The catch is that if the points of your hand go above that number, you will immediately lose. So, you want to try and get a hand as close to that number as possible, but simultaneously assess the risk and be careful not to bust and lose your bet. That’s the beauty of blackjack.
The game begins as you get two upside cards, while the dealer will get one hidden and one upside card. In other words, you can see half the hand of your opponent and decide based on the information available. As the initiative will always be in you, it better be used correctly.
Blackjack Betting Options
When you understand your goal at the blackjack table and that you hold the initiative, it’s time to go through the betting options that will take you there. At first, the potential opportunities might feel like too much, but they are easy to remember, especially after playing a few hands and seeing the betting in action.
In the following lines, we will cover all the potential betting options you will come across when playing blackjack. Be sure to review them closely, so you know what each is for, and you can act when the time when you should use them on the blackjack table comes.
Hit
When the hand begins and the cards are dealt, you will immediately see your hand’s total points and the dealer’s. That’s when you should decide whether to add another card to your hand.
Credit: Jackpot City Casino
Here, it’s crucial to remember that improving your hand is always great when possible, but boosting your points over 21 will mean you lose the round. So, you better choose carefully.
Stand
After the cards are dealt, Stand is another standard option you have besides Hit. With the Stand betting option, you refuse to draw other cards and remain with your initial hand. The Stand bet only makes sense when you believe the dealer will eventually bust by going over 21.
Credit: Jackpot City Casino
Usually, it’s best to stand with hands over 17, but you can consider scenarios where you have fragile hands in the 12-13 range and one of the dealer’s cards is 2, 3, or 4. When you stand with a weak hand like this, you avoid busting yourself and give the dealer that chance.
Double Down
Double-down is an exciting betting option that some blackjack games don’t have. This feature is usually available only on the blackjack table with the highest RTP. As its name suggests, you can double your bet, but you will be forced to draw another card.
Credit: Jackpot City Casino
If you have a weak hand and believe that drawing is your best option, sometimes it might make sense to double the bet. For example, if your hand points are 10, drawing a high card will mean blackjack, and you will immediately win. So, you can double down on this hand and exploit the significant winning chance.
Split
Split is a betting option that only appears when you draw two cards with the same value (3,3 / 4,4 / Q, Q, etc.)
Credit: Jackpot City Casino
As a beginner, a situation like this might be troublesome, so remember that the only cards you have to split are 8s and Aces. You can make an exception for all the other players and continue playing.
Surrender
No one wants to surrender in casino games, but whether you like it or not, this is a powerful betting option to consider in some unique situations. Unfortunately, not all blackjack games have this option available, but you have to take advantage of it when it is.
When you surrender your blackjack hand, you will give up half of your bet, instead of continuing to lose it all. As a rule of thumb, if you think your hand has less than 50% of winning, it’s always best to surrender and take half of your stake back.
Insurance
When the particular blackjack table has it, the Insurance is one of the best betting options you can take, when the time is right. This type of bet can protect you when the dealer’s up card is a 10, and he has a significant chance to make a “blackjack” and win the hand.
Credit: Jackpot City Casino
If you believe this will be the case, you can act on the Insurance side bet and place up to half the stake of your bet. If, in this situation, the dealer hits blackjack, the Insurance bet paying 2 to 1 will cover the expense of your main bet, and you will break even.
Understanding The Dealer’s Fixed Types of Hands
With blackjack’s straightforward rules, you should understand how the dealing process begins. You always receive up cards, while the dealer gets one up card and one upside down. But the question is what happens after you make your decision and once it’s time for the dealer to play.
The interesting thing about blackjack here is that the dealer’s options are fixed. So, to understand the game better and make the correct decisions over time, you should also know the dealer’s capabilities. So, in the following lines, we will list and explain some of the rules that get into that in more detail.
- If the dealer’s hand value is 16 or less, he must draw again
- If the dealer’s hand value is 18 or over, he must stand
- If the dealer’s hand value is soft 17, he must hit
- If the dealer’s hand value is hard 17, he must stand
Keep in mind that those actions are automatic, and neither you nor the dealer can do anything to change them. You probably wonder what “soft” and “hard” values mean. Well, soft are all the hands that have an Ace in them. That’s because an Ace’s value in blackjack can be 1 or 10, which gives more fluidity. On the contrary, a hard hand is every combination without an Ace. So, it’s pretty easy to differentiate the two.
Is There a Strategy in Winning at Blackjack?
With all the different decisions you can take on the blackjack table, it probably isn’t surprising that you can use different strategies to increase your win rate. There are various tips, rules, and even advanced strategies to improve your chances.
But to master them, you will need to spend a lot of time and effort to learn to use them effectively eventually. But for that purpose, you would also need to be wary of the specific blackjack strategies suitable for beginners or players without too much experience at the tables.
Blackjack Game Mechanics Deep Dive
As mentioned a few times, the game mechanics of blackjack are pretty straightforward, and you probably won’t have any issues playing after a few hands. But to ensure this will be the case, we have to pay more attention to the standard rules and mechanics of the game. If you aren’t sure that you can go and play blackjack effortlessly, you better pay attention to the following lines, as they can prove the difference between winning and losing.
Card Values
First, you must understand the value calculation system of blackjack. You already know that you should aim to get a hand as closely as possible to 21. But what is the point value for each card? The general system is the following:
Credit: Jackpot City Casino
- All numbered cards carry their respective point value
The cards from 2 to 10 will always carry their respective point value. For example, if you hold 3 and 5, the total points of your hand will be 8 (3+5). Following the same principle, if your hand has 10 and 4, the total points will be 14 (10+4).
- All cards over Jack bring you 10 points
The easiest cards to measure in blackjack are the ones above the “Jack.” All of them will bring you 10 points, so you don’t have to worry too much. However, there is an interesting exception here. This is the Ace card, which can act as 1 or 10 points, which is up for you to decide, considering your specific game situation.
Dealing Process
The dealing process hardly needs explaining as you will probably grasp it after a few hands. First, you get two up cards you can review. Then, the dealer also gets two cards, but only one of them is visible. The other one is upside-down and will be revealed only after you finish your turn.
Table Layout
The table layout of blackjack is an extensive topic we can dive into. It’s interesting because the different types of blackjack will have slightly differing formats, depending on their available betting options, payouts, and the number of players allowed. Still, as this is something you must be aware of, we will cover the essential components of a standard blackjack table that allows seven players to participate.
- Betting Circle
This is the closest part of the table to yourself. A betting circle is reserved for each player, where it can place all its wagers before every hand.
- Insurance Line
The blackjack tables where the Insurance betting option is available will have a separate line above all the betting circles.
- Table Center
This is part of the table where the dealer shuffles the cards. Of course, this will only be possible when you play live casino blackjack online.
- Discard Rack
At the dealer’s right, he will always have a plastic rack where all the already-played cards will go.
- The Shoe
When you play live casino blackjack, you can see that the dealer has a large plastic device from where it gets all the cards. There are a few different types of plastic devices like these, but the most popular is the lucent one, mainly because of its transparency.
How to Find the Best Blackjack Games in an Online Casino?
Aside from exploring various strategies and gaining more experience on the tables to understand the game better, there is only one way to ensure you will have fun while playing. And that’s by choosing the correct blackjack tables based on your skills, knowledge, risk tolerance, and winning goals.
Credit: 22bet Casino
Although the game of blackjack is pretty straightforward, there are hundreds of different versions in an online casino. Therefore, there are a few various factors you must consider before choosing a blackjack game to play. We will go through the most crucial ones in the following lines.
Variations
If you dive into one of the best online casinos, you will come across dozens, if not hundreds, of different blackjack games you can play. They all come with different names, features, and betting specifics that are too challenging to understand if you don’t have experience.
While once you gain more knowledge and skills about the game, exploiting the blackjack variations makes sense, we now recommend trying out only the classic types of this exciting game. This means playing only the blackjack variations with a simple title like Classic or European blackjack. We will list out a few of the more complicated blackjack variations online.
- Face Up 21
- Perfect Pair blackjack
- Atlantic City blackjack
- Multi-Hand blackjack
- blackjack Switch
Table Rules
Aside from their variations, each blackjack table has a unique set of rules that must be followed for a smooth gaming experience. Depending on the type of table you are in, there might be some differences in the game mechanics themselves. However, you don’t have to worry about that too much, as it is non-existent in the classic variations of the game.
Still, the betting limit is the one vital rule to pay attention to as a new player. You have to understand what betting options are available to you and what betting limits exist for those types of bets. This will save you a lot of stress, especially after you begin trying to implement various strategies and unique approaches.
House Edge
Aside from all the factors we mentioned, the house edge is one of the most crucial. Each blackjack table has a different set of rules and betting opportunities and has a distinct house edge. Of course, the blackjack games with the most exciting features and betting options you can exploit usually have the highest house edge among all the blackjack tables.
Theoretically, you will lose more from these games than playing traditional blackjack. Generally speaking, we recommend playing only standard blackjack variations, especially as a beginner, as they come with the lowest possible house edge.
Final Words
Even though the blackjack game is very straightforward at its core, you can see how many things beyond the surface can turn it into a complicated and money-sucking machine, especially for beginner players like yourself. That’s why learning the core principles and rules of traditional blackjack is always the way to go when you begin your journey.
But once you feel like you have mastered the game’s essentials and the comfort begins to kick in, it’s time for you to dive deeper into exploring this entertaining card game and uncover the opportunities that will allow you to win and make money over time. Playing in a top-notch online casino like 22bet gives you access to hundreds of thrilling blackjack tables that provide you with virtually limitless winning opportunities and a guaranteed exciting gaming experience.
FAQ
What Is the Best Blackjack I Can Play as a Beginner?
As mentioned, the best blackjack games to play as a beginner are the ones with the lowest house edge and simple rules. Undoubtedly, one of those is the so-called European blackjack.
What Are the Betting Limits on a Standard Blackjack Table?
The betting limits on a blackjack table vary significantly on its variation. But regarding a standard blackjack table, you can expect to be able to wager between $1 and $1,000 per hand.
Can I Play Blackjack For Free so That I Can Gain Experience?
Yes, but that depends on the online casino. Playing blackjack for free is a powerful tool to learn the game without risking your funds. Some of the leading online casinos we recommend provide free blackjack you can try out.
Can I Win at Blackjack All of the Time?
Unfortunately, no. You can’t win 100% of the time, even using a perfect strategy. For more extended periods, you can be profitable, but even this is not a guarantee.
️