Real Money Online Blackjack

Additional Rules

We've already covered the basic Blackjack rules you need to know about. To recap:

• Regular wins pay 1:1
• Blackjack wins pay 3:2
• Dealer must hit on any hand valued at 16 and below
• Players always have the choice whether to hit, stand, or double down

But there are a few more rules to know about if you're thinking about playing blackjack online or live:

• Double down - While it's not necessarily your best move to double down on anything other than a 10 or and 11, some casinos will let you double down regardless of what you're holding. However, some online casinos limit the option.
• Insurance - If the dealer shows an Ace as his face-up card, he'll invite players to take insurance. This protects you in case the dealer has a card valued at 10.
• Surrendering - In some online casinos, you can surrender half your bet if you don't like your hand. Again, the option varies from casino to casino
• Soft 17 - A soft hand is a hand that has an Ace in it. It's called soft because the hand has two values - either one plus the other cards or 11 plus the other cards. Some online blackjack casinos require the dealer to hit on a soft 17 while others require that they stand. Make sure you check the rules before you play.
• Taking even money - If you hit a blackjack but the dealer is showing an Ace, you'll push (tie) if he also happens to have a Blackjack. If you don't want to risk not winning, you can choose to take even money. Instead of getting paid 3:2, you'll get paid 1:1.

Types of Blackjack

Apart from the original version of Blackjack, many casinos offer variations on the game, with the following being among the most popular:

Blackjack Surrender

This version of the game is played out in the same way as the original version, except with Blackjack Surrender the player has the option to surrender after the first two cards are dealt. If this option is taken the player will recover half of his/her stake.

Blackjack Switch

Blackjack Switch is an interesting option with some quite novel twists on the basic game. In this game the player plays two hands at the same time, and after the first four cards are dealt has the option to switch the top card from each hands to try and improve the chances of winning. There is also a Super Match side bet which pays out if the first four cards dealt to the player contain a pair, two pairs, or three of a kind.

Perfect Blackjack

This variation on the game of real money blackjack allows players to make a side bet on whether either they or the dealer (or both) will be dealt two of the same cards. If the first two cards are a ‘perfect’ pair – meaning that they are a pair in the exact same suit – then the payout can be as much as 25 to 1.

Security

When you come to play blackjack online, it is very important that you are playing at a trustworthy casino. There is not much point in winning big at the blackjack tables to find that the casino is reluctant to pay out, for example. Any reputable online casino will be licensed and regulated to ensure that the games are fair and that the casino must act in a fair and honorable manner to its clients. Check the bottom of the page to see where a casino is regulated, and also check to see whether it is eCOGRA approved, as this means that the games on the site have been independently tested to ensure fairness. All the sites recommended on these pages are credible and trustworthy casinos, so you can rest assured that we only ever direct our readers to the most reliable of online betting sites.

Game Variety

The bigger online casinos will usually have a selection of different blackjack games on offer, so real fans of the game will be on the lookout for casinos offering options such as Surrender, Perfect Blackjack, Pontoon, Switch, and Multi-hand games. The original form of blackjack offers plenty of excitement on its own, but variations on the game allow players to profit from different side bet options, as well as offering alternative gameplay features such as the ones mentioned on this page.

Payout Percentage

Blackjack is a game with one of the lowest house edges of all online casino games, which is why it remains a favorite with canny gamblers. By using the correct strategy players can reduce the casino edge to almost zero. It is important to be wary of some of the side bets on offer though, as these may not provide the same value as the original game. It is quite possible to find blackjack games with a house edge of just 0.05% if you use the correct basic strategy, and by taking advantage of our advanced tips below you can swing the odds even further in your favor.

Basic Strategy

We told you that you'll have to make a decision with every hand you're dealt. Do you hit? Stand? Double down? Or split?

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Figuring it all out can be a bit tough, but there's good news. We actually have a Blackjack strategy cheat sheet that tells you exactly what to do if you're unsure.

Before you print this out, you should know that most land-based casinos won't welcome this cheat sheet to the table. It's not against the rules to know this information, but casinos don't like players bringing this kind of helpful information to the table. However, that is not a problem when you are playing at online Blackjack casinos. No one will know that you're using a Blackjack strategy guide, so go right ahead.

Advanced Tips

You've probably heard that counting cards in Blackjack is illegal. Well, you've heard wrong. It's actually not against the law to count cards in Blackjack, as long as the only thing you use to count is your brain. If you use a computer or any type of electronic device, that's called cheating - and that could get you tossed out of a casino, thankfully, you don't have to worry about that when you play online blackjack for real money.

Never heard of counting cards? In a nutshell, you're using fast math to figure out whether you should bet more on a hand or keep your bets low. There are tons of different card counting methods and we have them all detailed on our Card Counting page. But if you’re looking specifically for Hi-Lo, here's a basic strategy works.

Every card in the Blackjack card has a value. We're not talking about the face value, like the 6 on a 6 of diamonds. We're talking about three numbers that you'll use to count cards. The numbers are -1, 0, and +1, and here's how the cards in the deck are valued:

• With a brand new deck, start your count at 0. As a card hits the felt, change your count based on the value of the cards. So if a 3 hits, you'd add one to your count. If a 6 hits, you'd add one again. If it 10 hits, you'd subtract one.
• While you're counting cards, pay attention to how many cards hit the table. This is important if you're playing in a casino at a table with a multi-deck shoe (it's not really relevant online, but the information is good to know).
• There are 52 cards in a deck, so after 52 cards hit the felt, reset your count. To do this, you take your current count (the number you arrived at by adding and subtracting ones and zeros) and divide it by the number of decks left in the shoe. Do this every 52 cards.

That's pretty much all there is to this basic card counting Blackjack strategy. A higher count means you're more likely to hit a Blackjack or be dealt a face card. A lower count means you're likely to get unfavorable cards. Use this information to win big at the tables.

In order to help you out along the way, we have developed a great game to help you count cards like a pro. Below, you can practice keeping count and learn as you go along.