Casino Black Jack, or 21, is known to provide the highest RTP (return to player) of any casino game. It’s fun to play and much like its counterpart, BJ is one of the easiest games to pick up, but also one of the most sophisticated to master. Most people are aware of the basic rules, but once you start playing more regularly, you’ll begin to notice the strategies and the complex sublevels that make all the difference between a light game of chance and a psychological strategist’s playground.
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Blackjack is traditionally a simple math-based card game, where the suite doesn’t matter so much: it’s the numbers that literally count. The value of each card is equal to its number and all the royals equal ten, but the Ace can either be worth 1 or 11. The aim of the game is to get cards that add up to a number higher than all your opponents without going over 21, which is called ‘bust.’ You start a game by being dealt 2 cards. If those two cards are an Ace and a 10 or a royal, then you’ve got 21 right there:
Ace (11) + royal/ 10 (10) = 21
If not, then you can choose to hit, get dealt another card, or sit, which means you’ll stay with the cards you’ve got. There’s a third option, which is called ‘split’ and you can only choose to ‘split’ if you are dealt two cards that are the same, for instance, two 5s. When you split, it gives you two hands to work with and two chances to win and you can hit or sit on both hands. For example:
| Dealt | 5+ 5 = split | |
| Split | 5 | 5 |
| Hit | 5 + Ace = 6 / 16 | 5+6 = 11 |
| Hit | 5 + Ace + 8 = 14 (24 would be bust) | 5+6+King = 21 (maximum you can get) |
| Hit or sit | 5 + Ace + 8 + King = 24 (bust) | Sit |
When you play online or at a live casino, it’s a little different from playing with your mates. Even though you’ve gone over 21,‘bust,’ on one side of the split, the other side is sitting at 21, which is the highest combination you can get and likely to win the Blackjack game.
- For one thing, the dealer has additional casino dealer rules, such as if their cards add up to less than 17, they have to hit again. When their cards hit 17 or over, they have to sit. They can’t just take one more card even if they have a feeling it’s going to be low.
- Secondly, when you’re playing with your friends, you’ll typically play with one or two decks of cards. This makes it pretty easy to predict approximately what’s coming next: if a whole lot of low cards have already gone out, there are most likely a whole lot of high cards left in the deck. In a casino they typically deal out of 5 or 6 decks of cards and in an online casino, the card decks are virtual, so are endless.
- Thirdly, when you split a hand in casino Blackjack, you have to lay a bet on either side of the split.
- Finally, when you play Blackjack with your mates, you can include as many people at the table as you like. In a real-life casino, there are only up to 7 players and a dealer while in most online casino games, it’s a one on one game of you against the Blackjack dealer.
So you might be asking how you can win online Blackjack if you’re playing with endless decks? Even though it’s a skill game, the algorithms ensure that the random part, the card dealing, gives out good card combinations regularly. The rest is up to you.
How many of these casino Blackjack game variations do you play?
Blackjack is one of the oldest games you can find in a casino dating back at least 400 years, so you can only imagine how many versions have popped up since then. Some of the most popular online blackjack game variations are:
- Classic Blackjack: Sometimes the classics are the best!
- Spanish 21: Where all the “10” cards are removed, so you’re playing with decks of 48.
- Pontoon: Pretty similar to Spanish 21, but instead of hitting, sitting and getting Blackjack, you twist, stick or get Pontoon.
- Blackjack Switch: The player gets two hands of cards and can mix and match them to make better hands.
- and Atlantic City Blackjack: Players can split up to 3 hands and dealers can stand on a soft 17.
All the Blackjack variations are based on the same basic rules, but with some kind of twist that makes for an intensely interesting, exciting gameplay. But really there are so many variations out there, you’ll just have to try them out and see which one brings you the most fun (and luck!).
Top Blackjack Tips To Win
Blackjack is one of the most popular online casino games in the world and it’s a skill-based game, so getting to the top is a big ask! Luckily, you don’t play online Blackjack against opponents: only against the dealer. So here are some tips to keep you ahead of the house:
- Use a cheat sheet: Using a ‘Blackjack Cheat Sheet’ is not actually cheating at all, but just gives beginners a general guide for when to play, fold, split or raise the stakes.
- Take the split: when you split your doubles, you literally double your chances to win. We’ve heard a lot of logical arguments against taking the split, but experience shows it’s a winning move time and time again.
- Practice makes perfect: don’t head into an online Blackjack tournament or take a seat at a high roller’s game straight off. Blackjack’s easy to learn, but difficult to master and it makes some of the biggest casino winners, so there are a lot of avid players out there. If you’re keen, start with a lower bet limit, test out your strategies and work your way up slowly.
- Play with strategy: there are so many Blackjack strategies out there for you to test out, or try your own. Much like poker, you can play aggressive or passive style and like Roulette, you can stagger your bets with more advanced mathematical strategies, such as the Martingale system or D’Lambert, to get a better overall outcome. Try out some different strategies and playing styles till you find the one that works best for you. And this is where online Blackjack games really start taking on a whole new level of skill, and, of course, much higher payouts!
- Play Live Dealer Blackjack games:
Once you’ve got your style and strategy down, don’t hesitate to hit the live Blackjack tables.
One of the big differences between standard online casino blackjack and live blackjack is that the live version has a limited number of card decks in play: usually 6 or 8. And while most of us can’t (and shouldn’t) count that many cards, it can still give you a bit of an edge if you’ve seen a whole lot of Aces go out recently and you’re wondering if the dealer’s hiding a Blackjack.
Once you’ve got your style and strategy down, don’t hesitate to hit the live Blackjack tables.Are you ready to become a Blackjack winner?
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