Guide to Playing Blackjack Online: Game Rules, How to Play

Blackjack is among the most famous casino games because the odds of the casino winning are less. But besides that, it's a fun game, and often many individuals are playing together, making the game that much more exciting.

The roots of the game's popularity stem back to 1760s France, where it was called "Vingt-et-Un," meaning "21" in French. Over centuries, it's spread to every country and become a popular home card game.

If you haven‚t played before, don‚t worry - the game‚s easy to learn, and you will get the hang of it quickly. You can play Blackjack for free at .

Here‚s a guide to everything you need to know to play Blackjack online.

Rules of the Game

Whether you‚re looking to learn the game, brush up your memory, or pass the time, playing Blackjack online is an excellent idea. The game will sharpen your strategic thinking skills and help you get a better feel for how you should be acting under pressure.

But without knowing the rules of Blackjack, making the wrong moves is easy - and you don‚t want to be losing money when you don‚t have to.

So, here‚s a list of fourteen rules that will help you understand the setup and objective of the game:

  1. Ace cards are worth one or eleven - it‚s up to you to choose which of the two values it‚s worth, depending on what would benefit you.
  2. The face cards: jack, queen, and king are all worth a value of ten.
  3. Cards from two to nine are equal to their face values.
  4. To win, your hand must have a score of 21 or lower but higher than the dealer.
  5. You must bet before the dealer can give you your cards.
  6. You will get two cards from the dealer, both facing upwards.
  7. The dealer also has two cards, but one is facing up, while the other is hidden facing downwards.
  8. If your hand totals more than 21, you're "bust," meaning you lose the game.
  9. If you have the same score as the dealer, you don't win or lose. You will get your bet money back from the dealer.
  10. If you want more cards, you must use the "hit" option.
  11. If you don‚t want more cards and are happy with what you‚re hliding, choose to "stand."
  12. You can double your bet if you have a good hand.
  13. You can also split your hand and make it two different bets.
  14. The dealer will stop dealing themselves more cards if their hand is worth 17 or more.

How to Play Blackjack Online

Blackjack Image: Blackjack

Here‚s a simple seven-step guide to playing the game:

  1. Your first move is to place a bet, and you can bet as little as $1 or go all-in on the game.
  2. You will then get two cards to hold, and the dealer will show you one of the cards he has.
  3. With the foundation of the game established, it‚s your turn to make a decision: do you want to double your bet? Whether you decide to do it or not, remember that you can double your bet before you hit or stand. You are also allowed to split your bet if you‚re holding two cards that have the same value.
  4. There‚s another decision to make: you can choose the "hit" option if you want to add more blackjack cards to your game. But bear in mind that you will lose the game automatically at this stage if the total value of the cards you‚re holding exceeds 21.
  5. When you think you‚re ready to play your hand, click the "stand" option.
  6. Step six is to try and learn the cards the dealer has. As the game progresses, the computerized dealer will reveal the hidden blackjack cards. You must keep an eye on the dealer since the dealer always hits if the value of the cards is lower than 16. Once the value is 17 or higher, the dealer stops hitting.
  7. This is the deciding stage of the game, where you find out if you won or lost. If the value of the cards you‚re holding is higher than the value of the dealer‚s cards, but under 21, you win. However, if the value of your cards is higher than 21 or lower than the dealer‚s hand, you lose.

How to Win Blackjack

There‚s no ultimate strategy that will guarantee a win in a game of Blackjack. While there is skill involved in playing, you also need luck to win. That‚s because there‚s always a chance you get dealt a bad run of cards.

So, there's never a certainty that you'll win a game of Blackjack. That said, there are some tips that you can utilize to raise your odds of winning.

#1 Learn Basic Strategy

There are two ways you could go about learning Blackjack‚s mathematical strategy: you could a) play it for hours and work it out yourself - which is a great way to go about it if you‚re interested in learning the game from the ground up.

But most players can benefit from b) looking up a Blackjack strategy chart. It will advise you what the best moves to make are for every card that you get dealt. A typical Blackjack strategy chart tells you when is the best time to hit, stand, and surrender.

#2 "Hit" When…

You see that you‚ve been dealt less than an eight total.

#3 Never Split These Pairs

Splitting pairs can be a good move since it then opens you up to winning two games. Or, at the very least, increases the chances of you having a winning hand.

That said, splitting pairs isn‚t always a good idea. Splitting 4s, 5s, and 10s will almost always lead you to lose the game.

#4 Don‚t Stand If…

If you notice that the dealer‚s cards are over 7 when summed up, and your cards have a combined value between 12 and 16, standing isn‚t a good idea.

#5 Don‚t Make Insurance Bets

Placing an insurance bet won‚t shift the odds in your favor, making it a waste of money.

Following these tips will help you play better, and you certainly can get your practice in playing it online.

Counting Cards in Blackjack

There are several movies and TV shows about counting cards and how people count to win games. The method has been used for a long time, and many have tried the strategy.

While getting caught counting in a casino can get you in trouble (with the casino‚s committee, since it‚s not illegal), learning to do it can be helpful in some games.

It certainly offers a deeper understanding of the game.

Here‚s how you count cards:

#1 Assign Values to the Cards

Simplifying the process of counting cards is your first step to using it in a game. You must mentally split the cards into three groups, with each group having a certain value:

  • 2 - 6: +1
  • 7 - 9: 0
  • 10 - A: -1

#2 Keep Count

When the dealer gives you your cards, you must keep a running count of the values based on the cards you got.

As the game progresses, you will get more cards, and the idea here is to observe whether the count is going up or down.

If the count is up, you have the upper hand. By the same token, if the count is down, the dealer is at an advantage.

#3 Work Out the True Count

The "true" count is the count of the game when there are multiple decks in play. It is equal to the running count divided by the number of decks that are left to deal.

#4 Bet According to the True Count

When you‚ve established the true count from your running count, play the game and bet based on the true count. If the count is going up, bet more. When the count is coming down, bet less.