Online Blackjack – Your Complete Guide

Online Blackjack is one of the most widely played forms of online gambling. The biggest draw for online Blackjack real money play is the highly competitive house edge – this gives you greater odds of winning than most other games.

Here at CasinoGuide we can help you learn how to play Blackjack online while using optimal strategy to maximize your chances of winning. Then you can choose from our list of the best online Blackjack casinos operating legally in your area and enjoy some online Blackjack real money play today!

Online Blackjack Quick-Start Guide

The aim of the game is to get a hand totaling closer to 21 than the dealer, without exceeding that number. If either the player or dealer's hand goes over 21, they are bust and automatically lose. The game is played through as follows. There are further details, but this will get you through your first few hands:

1. Pick a casino from our list above, sign up, make a deposit, and choose a Blackjack game to play - any will do, but it's best to stick to one using the standard rules for your first time.
2. Before any cards are dealt, you must place a bet.
3. You and the dealer will each be dealt two cards. Yours will both be face-up, the dealer will have one face-up and one face-down.
4. The aim of the game is to get a hand totaling closer to 21 than the dealer, without exceeding that number. Choose either to take another card (hit), or to take no further cards (stand).
5. If you go over 21, you're bust and the dealer wins. If you stand before going over 21, the dealer plays his hand. He must hit anything under 17, and if he busts, or finishes with a hand that is further from 21 than yours, you win your bet.

Why Play Blackjack Online?

Blackjack has been a staple of the land-based casino scene for centuries, and was one of the first games to make it big in the online scene. As a result, there are many different variations of real money online Blackjack, and as the games have been perfected over several years you can be sure of a smooth experience.

As probably the easiest casino card game to learn and play, the popularity of playing Blackjack online is not really surprising. Online Blackjack enables you to strike a good balance between the ease of play and importance of player input, giving you the best of both worlds. If you’re able to count to 21 and master a few simple rules, you can begin playing almost immediately.

For those in the know, the biggest reason to play online Blackjack for real money is the incredibly low house edge. When using basic strategy (more on this later) in every hand, the online Blackjack house edge is reduced to less than 0.5%. This is far lower than any other casino game and means that you have the greatest chance of winning while playing online Blackjack.

Here at CasinoGuide, we pride ourselves on providing highly in-depth guides to the casino games you know and love. Our online Blackjack guide comprises the information on this page, and the other pages linked below. Each takes an aspect of online Blackjack play and explains it clearly and in detail, with the intention of helping you beat the bank when you play online Blackjack for real money!

Give yourself the best possible chance by understanding online Blackjack odds and terms. Maximize your chances of winning with mathematically proven Blackjack strategies. And ensure you don’t make any common mistakes by following our Blackjack tips.

Get started with our comprehensive guide on how to play Blackjack, and you’ll be an online Blackjack pro before you know it!

Online Blackjack Strategy

Once you're comfortable with the rules of online Blackjack and have played a few dozen hands, you may decide to dabble in some basic strategy play. This a time-tested strategy, mathematically proven to maximize your chances of winning and minimize your losses.

Contrary to popular belief, failing to use basic strategy doesn’t necessarily mean you will lose at online Blackjack more often. Nor does using it guarantee you success – there is still a good amount left to chance. But if you are in it for the long haul and plan to play over 50 hands, you will most likely see the benefits of using basic strategy by the end.

Head to our dedicated Blackjack strategy page for the full explanation, and for strategies going beyond the basic. If you will be playing online Blackjack for real money using the standard rules, then you should be able to get by with the basic Blackjack strategy card:

Blackjack Card Counting

One of the most common questions asked by new online Blackjack players, especially those who have seen it played in the movies, is: does card counting work? While card counting in online Blackjack is almost always impossible due to the random element of the games, land-based casinos are still somewhat susceptible to this tactic.

It is true that card counting in Blackjack can increase your odds of winning, to the point where the house edge is into negative numbers. Meaning that if you continue playing for long enough, you should mathematically be able to come out ahead of the casino. By knowing when to sit out, when to play it cool, and when to raise the stakes, you can set yourself up for big wins this way.

It is by no means simple – otherwise everybody would do it! Not to mention, if any casino suspects you, you may find yourself out on the street before you can win too much. However, if you think you’re up for the challenge, head over to our dedicated page for a crash course in card counting in Blackjack.

We realize that our online Blackjack guide can be a little dense to read and absorb all in one go. So here’s five simple online Blackjack tips which can help you improve your game with minimal effort.

1. Stick To Your Bankroll
   Know how much you are willing to spend, and how much you are going to wager on each hand. If you have $100 to spend on Blackjack online and want to play lots of hands, go to a table with a minimum bet of $1-5. If you want to try to increase your money quickly, then play at a table with a higher limit, like $10-20 per hand.
2. Never Chase Losses
   This is good advice for any game, but especially Blackjack. Chasing losses is when you lose a hand and a chunk of money, then play overly aggressive on the next hands to 'make up for it'. This can only lead to bad decision making, and therefore more losses. If you lose a big hand and continue to play, play like nothing happened at all, and you will not fall into the trap of chasing losses.
3. Play Variants If Possible
   Some Blackjack online casinos offer ‘Surrender’ rules. This means that you can fold your hand and only lose half your wager instead of playing the hand to the end. This enables you to tip the odds slightly more in your favor by Surrendering when your chances of winning are at their lowest. You can also look for the rare Blackjack tables where the dealer has to stand on 16 instead of 17, which also decreases the house edge.
4. Use Basic Strategy
   There are few better ways to increase the longevity of your bankroll than by using the basic Blackjack strategy. It’s mathematically proven to give you the best possible chance of winning and minimizing your losses. Plus, it’s really easy to implement – just follow what your basic strategy card tells you to do in each situation.
5. Don’t Take The Insurance
   Tempting though it may be to take the side bet that the dealer is holding a natural Blackjack hand, remember that the odds of this are lower than him not having it. Therefore you are only increasing the House edge by taking Insurance when the dealer shows an Ace.

Now you’ve got the hang of online Blackjack and its intricacies, why not test your skills right here at CasinoGuide? We offer a free Blackjack game that looks and feels exactly like the games you will find in online Blackjack casinos. You can practice with unlimited play money and see how you do against the virtual dealer before committing real money at one of the best online Blackjack casinos listed above.

Playing free casino games is the perfect way to learn the ropes without taking any risks. You can play our free Blackjack game immediately in your Internet browser – no signup and no download required. You can even play it on your mobile phone! Head to our free Blackjack game page now to try it out, or simply play it below.

In addition to our standard free online Blackjack game, we also offer a unique ‘Blackjack Trainer’ tool, which helps you by coaching you while playing. Every time you make a mathematically incorrect decision, your coach tells you what you should have done and why. It’s perfect for players who are just getting started using the aforementioned basic strategy.

Here at CasinoGuide.com we recommend you first try the standard free Blackjack game to learn the basics - how to bet, what hand beats what, and so on. Then, if you are really interested in learning perfect strategy, our Blackjack trainer is ideal. When you have finished training, and can go through the games without any complaints from your virtual trainer, it might be time to play online Blackjack for real money. Try our Blackjack Trainer for free today!

There are more ways to play Blackjack online than ever before. As with any hugely popular game, Blackjack has been split into numerous variations over the years as people sought to add their own unique twist on the casino classic.

For example, Spanish 21 games remove the tens, but add in other favorable rules to make up for it. Games with side bets allow you to win big just by getting the right combination of cards and games like Pontoon have a variety of different rules. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg – check out our Blackjack variations page for more!

Live Blackjack Online – Play With A Real Person!

One of the biggest changes in online Blackjack over the past decade has been the advent of live dealer games. The concept is as simple as it is brilliant. Instead of watching animated virtual cards moving around your screen, you watch the cards being dealt in real time, by a real person. There are numerous studios around the world operated by casino games providers who offer this service.

Live dealer Blackjack is probably the game which has gained the most popularity, although live Roulette is also commonplace. The main draw is being able to see and interact with the dealer – enabling you to enjoy the social side of playing Blackjack without even needing to leave your home. If you’re at all concerned about cheating, it’s also reassuring to watch real cards being shuffled and dealt, rather than just randomly appearing on your screen.

To find out whether your chosen casino offers live Blackjack, just hit the Play Now button and navigate to their games library or take your pick from our live casinos list - all of which will certainly offer live dealer Blackjack.

When scouring the web for the best online Blackjack casino experiences, there are a number of criteria we consider. If a casino is regulated and legally operating with a license, and meets our high standards in these six areas, they are considered for inclusion in our list above.

• Design / Mobile – being able to easily navigate the website and access it from your mobile phone are important considerations.
• Games – arguably the most important consideration; does the casino offer a strong games library?
• Bonuses – what bonuses are available to you when signing up?
• Payments – being able to pay in and withdraw money from your account using your preferred method is crucial for some players.
• Support – is the customer service team readily available, and how can you contact them?
• Security – does the casino hold accreditations from trusted third parties, is it a well-known brand, etc?

Now you’ve got all the information you need when it comes to playing Blackjack online for real money, there’s nothing stopping you! Take your pick from our list of the best online Blackjack casinos operating legally in your region and claim your generous welcome bonus today.