Playing Blackjack
- Playing Blackjack Tips
- Playing Blackjack Professionally
- Playing Blackjack In Vegas
- Playing Blackjack
- Playing Blackjack At A Casino
Free Blackjack Game Overview. Welcome to this online blackjack page where you can play the best free blackjack games. The benefits of playing online are that you can learn blackjack rules in no rush.
This is our first blackjack game and trainer and I'm proud to finally add our version 2 with enhanced graphics and the ability to learn how to count cards to my website. The game is mostly self-explanatory. If you make an inferior play, the game will warn you first. I recommend that before you play for real money both online in person that you practice on the game until you very rarely are warned you a making an inferior play. If doubling or splitting is mathematically the correct play, but you don't have enough chips, the game will give the best advice for what you can afford to do. Do not change rules mid-hand. If you do, the change will not take effect until the next hand. The advice is based on my own analysis and basic strategy tables for one, two, and four+ decks. The deck(s) is(are) shuffled after every hand.
It's because blackjack is ridiculously easy to play. The goal is simple - to get as close as possible to 21 without going over, and to have a higher hand than the dealer. If the dealer goes over. Click chips from your bank to move them onto the table and make your bet. Click chips on the table to take them back. Click Deal, and the dealer will toss you two cards. Options to Hit, Stand.
If you find any bugs, please contact me. A screenshot would be appreciated if you claim the game is misplaying a hand. I get a lot of incorrect reports that the advice given is incorrect. This usually can be explained by the user not using the correct basic strategy for the rules selected. I have also had many comments about the advice on a player 16, composed of 3 or more cards, against a 10. As a rule of thumb, the player should stand in that situation. However, that is a basic strategy exception. The game only knows basic strategy. Also, please note that it is a standard blackjack rule that split aces get one card each. If one of them is a ten, it is not a blackjack, it is just 21 points. That is how blackjack is usually played.
I would like to thank JB for his outstanding work on this game, and Dingo Systems for the cards.
Online Blackjack Bonuses
We constantly maintain a database of all the casino bonuses from the hundreds of online casinos we have reviewed, and we note which bonuses allow blackjack to count towards the wagering requirements. The below table shows a ranked list of the best money online blackjack bonuses, the ranking also takes into consideration wagering requirements, bonus amount offered, the quality of the site and more.
| Rank | Casino Name | Bonus | % | Wager | Cash | Code | Casino Name | Bonus info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King Billy Casino | 🧙 | $100+100 spins | 200% | 1000xB | ||||
| King Billy Casino | Bonus | 🧙$100+100 spins | |||||||
| % | 200% | ||||||||
| Wager | 1000xB | ||||||||
| Code | |||||||||
| 2 | Sloto'Cash Casino | 🧙 | $33 | - | LCB33 | ||||
| Sloto'Cash Casino | Bonus | 🧙$33 | |||||||
| % | |||||||||
| Wager | - | ||||||||
| Code | LCB33 | ||||||||
| 3 | Win A Day Casino | 🧙 | $68 | - | FREE68LCBN | ||||
| Win A Day Casino | Bonus | 🧙$68 | |||||||
| % | |||||||||
| Wager | - | ||||||||
| Code | FREE68LCBN | ||||||||
| 4 | Las Vegas USA Casino | 🧙 | $11000 | 100% | 90xB&D | WIZARDBONUS | |||
| Las Vegas USA Casino | Bonus | 🧙$11000 | |||||||
| % | 100% | ||||||||
| Wager | 90xB&D | ||||||||
| Code | WIZARDBONUS | ||||||||
| 5 | Old Havana Casino | 🧙 | $11000 | 100% | 90xB&D | WIZARDBONUS | |||
| Old Havana Casino | Bonus | 🧙$11000 | |||||||
| % | 100% | ||||||||
| Wager | 90xB&D | ||||||||
| Code | WIZARDBONUS | ||||||||
Blackjack Online FAQ
Q1: What are the rules in online blackjack games?
A: As in land casinos, they vary. Online help files are notoriously badly written and incomplete. The Wizard of Odds, we try hard to keep an accurate listing of rules for every brand of software and live dealers. You may find such rules, for every game, in our Software Review section.
Q2: Generally speaking, are the rules better in land or online casinos?
A: All things considered, I would say they are better online. For one thing, you almost never see a blackjack (ace and 10) pay 6 to 5 only online, while this is becoming the norm in land casinos in the United States.
Q3: What are the typical rules at live dealer casinos online?
A: Live dealer rules are very similar to what you would see in a land casino. The typical rules are:
- Eight decks
- Dealer stands on soft 17
- Dealer does NOT peek for blackjack
- No surrender
- Player may double on any two cards
- Player may double after a split
- No re-splitting
Be careful double or splitting if the dealer has a ten or ace showing. At most live dealer brands, you will lose everything if the dealer gets a blackjack. Under this 'no peek' rule, the only time you should put more money out on the table against a potential dealer blackjack is to split two aces against a dealer 10.
The house edge under the rules above is 0.61%.
Q4: When are the cards shuffled in online blackjack?
A: In a fully electronic game, they are probably shuffled after every hand. In a live dealer game, they are usually shuffled about half way through the shoe.
Q5: Oh really?! Even with only 50% penetration, what is to prevent me from counting cards against a live dealer?
A: I've asked this question of some people in the business. Nobody would tell me exactly how they protect their game against counters, but they assured me that they do. If I ran a live dealer casino, I would run a test of every player to see how their bet size is correlated to the true count. Then I would carefully examine the play of such players with a strong correlation.
Q6: How do 'probably fair' casinos accomplish so-called in blackjack?
A: It is rather involved, but here is typically how it is done:
- The casino will generate a random long string of characters, called a Server Seed, hash it, and give the hashed result to the player BEFORE he makes a bet.
- The player chooses a string of characters himself, called the Client Seed, or accepts a random default provided by the casino.
- The client and server seed are combined and hashed.
- The hashed result from step 3 will be parsed somehow, with the hexadecimal characters converted to base 10 and then mapped to specific cards if in a desired range.
- The game will deal cards according to their order in the hash from step 3. This hash should be long enough that running out of cards would be almost impossible.
- After the hand, the casino should reveal the Client Seed, which the player may verify hashes to the result provided before the bet. It is then a tedious process above to do all the math to convert the hash to actual cards, but the player may do that if he wishes.
I go into this in greater depth for a particular brand in my page on Blackjack (Encrypted Version).
Q7: I don't want to bother jumping through all those hoops to verify fairness in an encrypted game. Do you think that just the ability to verify fairness is enough to keep the casinos honest?
A: No. Encrypted or not, a casino could cheat the player in any game, except sports betting, any time they wished. In the case of an encrypted casino, the operator could choose a Server Seed that causes the player to lose after the bet is made. If the player catches them in a hash mismatch, which I think very few players bother to check, the casino can simply ignore the accusation or deny it without comment. This is exactly what happened to me at Wixiplay.
Q8: Your story aside, how common is cheating at blackjack, or any game, online?
A: In my opinion, it is quite rare.
Q9: How can I improve my odds of not being cheated?
A: There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Internet casinos out there. In the absence of any serious government regulation, the industry has done a pretty good job of regulating itself. Between legitimate watchdog affiliate sites and some common sense, here are some ways to choose a reputable brand to trust with your hard-earned dollar:
- Read the fine print. Most casinos have a good looking main page, but dig around the more obscure pages like terms & conditions. If you see a lot of spelling and grammatical mistakes, that should set off a red flag.
- Ping customer support. If you can't think of your own question, ask anything, for example, 'Do you accept players from Kyrgyzstan?' See how long it takes for them to reply and measure their professionalism and courtesy of their reply.
- Check reputable affiliate sites. Many affiliate sites promote whoever pays the most, but the good ones are picky about who they promote and will intervene in the unlikely event of a player dispute. We would like to think of ourselves as one of the good ones. A good way to avoid the worst of casinos is to check the blacklists of reputable affiliates.
- Smart small. Players should always bet in moderation anywhere, but especially when opening a new account online with an unfamiliar brand. Dink around with a small deposit and small bets until you have built up some trust.
Q10: Any other words of advice before playing blackjack online?
A: Whether playing online or in a land casino, use the appropriate basic strategy for the rules offered. The Wizard of Odds blackjack strategy calculator will give the correct basic strategy for almost any set of rules.
A much greater problem than outright cheating is online casinos faulting players on a technicality in the rules and seizing whatever funds they deem appropriate. This is a particularly a problem with bonuses. The terms and conditions for bonuses can be pages long and very restrictive in terms of allowed games, bet sizes, and types of bets. If the player loses, nobody ever checks, but after a win and withdrawal request, suddenly the play may be subject to careful review for compliance. Never assume that because you were invited to play a bonus via Email that you're eligible for it. Casinos typically blast everybody in their list. An easy rule to overlook is when a bonus is eligible for 'new money' only. Don't expect the casino to enforce this rule when entering a couple code, but do expect it when you actually make a withdrawal and they look for any reason to deny it.
While bonuses can make your money last much longer and increase your chances of winning, they are a minefield in terms of compliance. Read the rules carefully. If in doubt the way you play is compliant, then don't ask for the bonus in the first place.
Table Of Contents
This is everything you ever wanted to know about how to play Blackjack like a pro but were too ashamed to ask.
Bryce Carlson, Edward O. Thorp, Arnold Snyder, Russ Hamilton, Don Johnson.
If these names don't ring any bells, then you're probably here to pick a trick or two before your next beer-and-Blackjack session with the guys.
Though gambling is not necessarily your passion in life, you certainly deserve to see their baffled faces as you show them how to play Blackjack.
And who knows?
Maybe in time, you'll get to sit at the big shots' table and make some serious dough.
Do you want to play easy Blackjack game online? Visit this page and get an immediate bonus to play low stakes Blackjack games!
+18. Gamble responsibly. T&Cs apply.
Blackjack 101
Since this is a guide on demand – made especially for rookies without any real experience or proper Blackjack skills – I'll start by introducing the game.
Blackjack might not the easiest way to spend your free time, but it is a good choice when you play Casino games.
Personally, I think it's the best game on the Casino floor.
You can play Blackjack in that shiny new casino just around the corner or join millions of thrill-seekers who've replaced classic tables for online simulations.
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+18. Gamble responsibly.
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Of course, you can always host a Blackjack party at your home - if your friends share your passion. Some Casinos chips and a few decks of French playing cards are all you need to get the game going.
Whatever your choice is, you'll need a solid knowledge the basics of Blackjack, of the rules, and of the best strategy to play and to increase your winning odds.
Which One Is the Spade Again?
Playing Blackjack Tips
Like you can not learn a language before you studied its alphabet, you need to start from the basics if you really want to learn how to play Blackjack.
That's why this Blackjack guide starts from the A-B-C of the game.
I'm going to call this 'first lesson' How to Play Blackjack and What the Cards Mean.
This may be the last chance for you to clear any confusion surrounding card symbols and to finally learn to read them right.
Don't miss it.
Let's start from a classic deck of French cards because that's what you need to play Blackjack.
Yes, these are the same cards your grandfather use to play Slapjack, Crazy Eights, and Three-Card Poker.
In total, the deck features 52 cards divided into four different suits:
- Clubs (♧)
- Diamonds (♢)
- Hearts (♥)
- Spades (♤)
Spades and clubs are coloured in black while diamonds and hearts are coloured in red.
But since we are on PokerNews, I'm assuming you knew that already.
A traditional deck has 13 ranks and each suite has one card per each rank.
The first card is the ace (A), but it's not exactly the equivalent of a 1. In fact, this card can be the highest-ranking card of the deck.
The following ten cards form a string from two (2) to ten (10/T), while the last three are the Jack (J), Queen (Q), and King (K).
These last three cards are called the face cards.
Oh Wait, How Much Did I Just Score?
Playing Blackjack Professionally
But 'I just want to learn how to play Blackjack', you say?
'I don't need you to remind me of my grandpa and his dusty old cards!'
I hear you, but be patient.
I'll get to that in less than a minute.
The reason I needed to dust off your grandfather's old deck of cards is that Blackjack has some restrictions when it comes to using suits.
In fact, suits are of value only in some variants of this game.
Since this is a Blackjack for dummies guide, you are free to ignore them now.
What's Really Important Here Is Getting to Know Your Ranks.
Since there are four suits, and each suit has one card of each rank, the math says that there are only four cards of each rank in the deck, right?
Scoring in Blackjack depends on the ranks a player holds in his or her hand, and his or her ability to count them according to the rules:
- Each ace is worth either 1 or 11 points.
- For all cards that belong to the two-to-ten string, the rule is the same – their rank equals their point value. If you hold a 5, for example, you hold exactly 5 points.
- Every face card, be it a Jack, a Queen, or a King, is worth 10 points.
So - let's see now how much did you just score.
Translate the ranks of cards you hold to their point value and add it all up.
That's really as easy as that. Your score in Blackjack is the sum of the value of your cards - not one point less than that.
And Now for the Easy Blackjack Rules (Finally).
When you play a game of Blackjack, you always play against the dealer.
Don't think about the other players at the table. Regardless of how many of you sit to play at the same time, there are always only two hands in play – the player's hand versus the dealer's hand.
And the winning hand in Blackjack is, you guessed it, the higher hand. Which, if you are lucky enough to get it, is also the one that gives its name to the game: a Blackjack.
A Blackjack is a hand 2-card hand that totals 21 points.
This is not an easy one to get, be sure of that. But it is also the one you'll be always hoping to receive. Every. Single. Time. You play.
But What about the Losing Hand?
The losing hand, the dead hand, or the bust, is every hand with a total sum of 22 or higher.
That's because as soon as you geo over the 21-point limit, you are out of the game. Regardless of the dealer's score.
Unfortunately, that's not the only losing hand in Blackjack. Because each hand that is one point short compared to the dealer's score…it's a losing one.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to play Blackjack for dummies.
Blackjack 102
Your typical casino Blackjack table has enough space for seven players plus a dealer and includes the following phrases and/or signs:
- Blackjack plays x to y
- Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17s
- Pays 2 to 1
- The table limits (min / max bet allowed)
What's That Nonsense on the Table?
Remember how a Blackjack – which is a hand with 2 cards that total 21, and is higher than the dealer's – automatically wins the game?
Well, that's almost true.
If the dealer also holds a 21, then the result is a so-called Push, meaning that your initial bet is returned to you and you neither win nor lose.
Blackjack pays 3 to 2, or in some Casinos, Blackjack pays 6 to 5, refers to payoffs and odds.
If you win against the dealer's hand, your initial bet is paid off 3 to 2, or in some casinos, 6 to 5.
With Insurances pays 2 to 1, you're offered to put an additional bet on whether or not your dealer will get a Blackjack.
Your hand can lose against the dealer's hand, but then you might cover your lost bet with a win on an insurance bet. Word to the wise, you can drop them both.
$5 minimum, $500 maximum is simply a reminder of the smallest and the largest amount of money you can put on the table.
A good guide on how to play Blackjack online should always direct you to play your first games on websites where the minimum bet is small enough to be beginner-friendly.
That's why I want to give you two choices:
- You can use these demo games to practice Blackjack online
- Or you can play cheap Blackjack games here
Should I Hit or Should I Stand?
Blackjack begins after all players have exchanged their money for chips and placed them on the designated spot on the table as their bets.
The dealer then deals the cards – two of them for each player, including himself.
The cards can be dealt either face down or face up, apart from the dealer's own two cards, of which one is always dealt face up and another face down.
Playing Blackjack In Vegas
The dealer then peaks to check if he's been dealt a Blackjack.
If not, the players are invited to hit or stand, though there are three more options to choose from – splitting, doubling down, or surrendering.
How you play your hand depends on the cards both you and the dealer have.
When you go for hitting, you're dealt one additional card.
If you choose to stand instead, you're keeping the cards you have.
To qualify for splitting, you need to have two cards of the same rank.
You'll receive two cards more, one for each of the cards you've originally been dealt, pay a side bet, and then start playing with two independent hands.
Both their bets and their payoffs are independent too.
When you double down, you need to place an additional bet, after which you'll receive one card more to add to your original hand.
The rules for surrendering vary from one casino to another, in a sense that some offer an early surrender option – to drop out of the hand before the dealer checks his cards for a Blackjack – and others a later surrender option, in which you must wait until after he's done that.
Either way, you agree to give up a half of the bet and are free to walk away with the rest.
How Do I Choose to Play a Hand?
The basic Blackjack strategy for beginners relies on knowing how to discern a hard hand from a soft one. The simplest way? Look for the aces!
If there's no an ace in it, or if that ace counts not as 11, but as 1, then you've got yourself a hard one, and you don't have much wiggle room.
Hard hands cannot count on aces to lower the total down and can be dangerously close to surpassing the limit of 22, which automatically makes them bust. Hitting is here quite a risk.
Playing Blackjack
In a soft hand, however, you can count an ace either as a 1 or 11. It means that if another card is, say, a 9, you have either a total of 10, which makes you eligible for hitting or a total of 20, which could make your hand a bust if you choose to hit and receive anything but another ace.
But wait, there's more.
All this would be of little value if you were to leave without these Blackjack tips for beginners:
Always check the dealer's face up card before you take action.
If it's anything between 2 and 6, there's a good chance the dealer's hand will go bust, so don't take unnecessary risks. If it's 7 through ace, take your chances and play the hand aggressively.
Skip placing the side bet for insurance pays 2 to 1.
Experts calculate that this bet gives the house the advantage of almost 6% over the player. It's dumb because even if you score a Blackjack, your hand will pay off only the original bet.
Be smart enough to take your time and don't get burned.
The dealer might be rushing, so avoid the first base chair. Also, start small and give yourself a moment to assess the situation. Blackjack is only fun if you know how and when to move on.
Oh, and take a primer from a Blackjack expert.
When asked how to play Blackjack for beginners, gambling expert John Marchell spilt the following pearls of wisdom:
'When your hand is 12-16 and the dealer shows 2-6, stand. In the same situation, hit only if the dealer has 7-ace. Always split aces and 8s and double 11 versus the dealer's 2-10, and hit or double aces-6.
Also, blow off the guy who claims to be a Blackjack expert.'
That's how Bryce Carlson, Edward O. Thorp, Arnold Snyder, Russ Hamilton, and Don Johnson began counting their cards, after all.
Memorize this, try it on your friends, and stop if you're losing.
And though it won't save you if you're bad at math, we wish you good luck.
Where Can I Practice Blackjack Online?
Now, to the million dollar question:
what's the best online Blackjack site for a beginner?
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From the UI to the promotions and the easy casino games on tap, this is a great casino site to learn how to play Blackjack online and become an expert.
As a new player, you get a superb welcome bonus to play Blackjack and, in case you like other games too, online Slots as well.
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