This page is dedicated to explaining basic blackjack strategy and providing general tips and tricks on how to improve your results with online blackjack.
We also recommend that you check out our Glossary page if you need more basic information about the game or the terms we’ll be using in this guide.
Established as early as the 17th century, blackjack is widely considered one of the most popular card games in the world.
One of the reasons behind its popularity is the fact that this is not a clear game of chance. Unlike most other casino games, blackjack lets players influence the outcome by making choices. In other words, there’s an element of skill.
This fact led to the emergence of all sorts of blackjack strategies.
Basic Blackjack Strategy Explained
The first thing you need to know about this game is that it features a fundamental, elementary strategy that should be used by all blackjack players. Regardless of if you play Blackjack at a land-based casino table, on a laptop computer at home, or on the move from a mobile device – the best moves you can make have been figured out a long time ago.
In short, there is an optimal way to play twenty-one.
No matter what your hand is like or what the situation on the board looks like, there is always a statistically optimal choice you can make. In other words, every situation has a choice that is statistically most likely to result in you winning the round.
A long time ago, experts got together and figured out the exact moves you should make in any given situation to maximise your chances of winning.
The sum of all of these optimal moves is called a Basic Blackjack Strategy.
Basic blackjack strategy consists of several “rules” or guidelines. For example, you should never hit a hand stronger than 16, and you should only stand if your soft hand is stronger than 17.
There are quite a lot of these guidelines, but don’t worry.
You won’t have to memorize them all right now. The best way to express this strategy is through a chart, which makes it a lot easier to understand and implement.
Just reference the chart below based on your current hand total and the dealer’s up-card. It will tell you exactly what to do – hit, stand, double, or split.
- H = Hit
- S = Stand
- SP = Split
- Dh = Double if possible, otherwise Hit
- Ds = Double if possible, otherwise Stand
- Uh = Surrender if possible, otherwise Hit
- Us = Surrender if possible, otherwise Stand
- Usp = Surrender if possible, otherwise Split
Thanks to blackjack strategy charts, you’ll never not know what to do in any given situation. The charts also account for several possible rulesets, so make sure to match it to the type of blackjack you’re playing.
Once you have these basics down, you can start worrying about more complex matters.
Top Tips for Playing Blackjack
The basic strategy is far from all you need to know if you want to play blackjack and win. In fact, it’s the bare minimum.
If you want to improve your game even further, here are some useful tips and tricks.
1. Pick the Right Table
Every online casino room offers a choice between several versions of this popular game. In order to neutralize the house edge as much as possible, you’ll want to pick the tables with the best rules.
For example, you want to find a table where the dealer stands at 17, even if it is soft 17 (with an ace in the hand).
In addition to that, the table needs to have a double-down feature, since this can see you double your winnings when you feel you have the edge over the dealer. Ideally, the rules should allow you to double down on any hand total.
The Surrender option is another helpful rule that you won’t find on most tables. It significantly widens your strategic options, but most online blackjack tables don’t allow it.
Other things you should look out for include:
- 3:2 blackjack payouts
- As few decks as possible
- The highest deck penetration possible
- Splitting Aces allowed
2. Use the Double Down Option
The double-down move is an important part of blackjack, but It’s also commonly misused by rookies and inexperienced players.
For instance, not every strong hand is worth doubling. Sometimes it’s too risky because the dealer is showing a strong card, for example.
Like any other move, there’s a good time to double down and a bad time to do so. Consult the strategy chart to know when to use it.
This is usually done when you have an ace or a ten-value card as another ten would give you a big chance of winning the bet. When doubling down, the player is basically placing another bet to the same value as the first one. However, bear in mind that by doing this you have committed to stand after the second card is drawn.
3. Never Buy Insurance
When the dealer’s first card is an ace, the player will be offered insurance. This is basically a side bet that wins if the dealer has blackjack and it pays 2:1.
As tempting as it may be, you should never take insurance since this is never profitable in the long run.
In short, the bet has a house advantage of over 7%. Considering the house edge for the main blackjack game hovers between 0.5% and 1%, you can see why this is a terrible move.
No self-respecting blackjack strategy will ever tell you to play insurance. No card pro will ever play it, and neither should you.
The only scenario in which you should play insurance in blackjack is if you’re positive the dealer has an Ace as their face-down card. That can only be known with some extremely skilled card counting, which is next to impossible in live online blackjack.
4. Pick a Table With the Right Limits
It’s all too easy to “sit down” at one of the mobile blackjack tables with a high minimum bet.
However, this might be a quick way to lose more money than you are prepared to. Even worse, people who lose quickly might decide to go on the “tilt” to get everything back and lose even more.
Chasing losses or trying to play beyond your means is a vicious cycle. Don’t fall for it – bet conservatively and never overextend your money.
A common practice by skilled blackjack players is to play tables where the minimum bet amount is 5% or lower of your bankroll amount. This helps your money last and ensures you have room to double down or increase your stake if the situation demands it.
If you’re playing live, picking a table with Common Draw rules can help.
These tables allow an unlimited number of players to bet at the same time by sharing a single hand. One of the benefits of this approach is a lower minimum bet – often as low as $1.
5. Stand on Any Hand Over 11 if the Dealer Is Showing 4, 5 or 6
If you take a closer look at the blackjack strategy chart, you’ll notice some patterns. Some moves are always correct, no matter the circumstances.
One of these is standing relatively weak hands if the dealer’s hand appears to be even weaker.
A lot of players decide to hit when their total is 12 or 13 because they’re not particularly strong scores. However, if the dealer is holding 4,5 or 6, they would have to draw another card even if he gets a ten because he has got to hit when holding 16 or lower. This translates into a high chance of busting.
This is why you should just stand and wait for the dealer to go bust, rather than doing so yourself.
It’s a specific piece of advice that can always come in handy. However, this bit of blackjack advice also illustrates an important point: the dealer’s up-card is as important as your own cards. Don’t neglect to factor it into your decisions.
6. Don’t Try to Count Cards in Online Blackjack
Card counting is notorious as one of the few casino strategies that actually “works”.
It’s a proven, mathematically plausible way to beat the casinos. It’s no wonder so many players are interested and fascinated by the idea.
Let’s get one thing clear, though – effective card counting is impossible in online blackjack.
You can try to keep the count, and it might even help you improve your chances by a fraction of a percentage. However, card counting in online blackjack cannot be used to gain a definitive, profitable edge over the house.
If you’re asking why, the answer has a lot to do with how online blackjack games work when compared to their real-world counterpart. RNG-based online blackjack obviously wouldn’t work – you can’t count cards if there are no cards to count. Most RNG titles reset the shoe back to square one in every round, which means counting won’t get you anywhere.
In theory, counting is more plausible with live dealer blackjack.
However, most live dealer versions of the game are played with 8 decks and shallow deck penetration. This means that a new shoe starts before you ever really get a chance to leverage any advantage.
Paying attention to which cards remain in the shoe is a smart thing to do, and you should do it. Just don’t expect the information to help you guarantee that you’ll win.
7. Use Casino Bonuses to Make Your Bankroll Last
Various bonuses offered by casinos can boost your bankroll and make it last a lot longer.
A typical bonus offer lets you double a deposit, giving you more money to play with. With some luck and skill, this extra money can even be withdrawn as a profit later down the line.
Of course, it’s not always so simple.
Most bonuses come with terms and conditions such as wagering requirements that make them less advantageous than they seem at first glance. However, the high RTP of blackjack lets you play through these requirements with relative ease.
A much bigger issue is the fact that most casino bonuses don’t allow you to use them for card games or live dealer games. Many limit the wagering contribution in these games, which means that you can’t use them to complete the requirement and clear your funds for withdrawal.
This means that it’s much harder to find blackjack bonuses than, say, slot bonuses.
It can be done, however, and certain offers out there are perfect for blackjack fans. If you need some suggestions, you can check out this page for our hand-picked collection of blackjack bonuses.
Finding the Best Casinos to Play Blackjack
Before we wrap up our blackjack strategy tutorial, here’s a last bit of advice. If you want to play blackjack online for real money, make sure you pick the right casino.
Most live online casinos might look similar to the untrained eye. However, if you want a profitable, fun, and smooth experience of playing blackjack, you’ll need to know where to look.
The best casinos for blackjack stand out through certain features. If we want to identify a good site, here’s what we look for here on CasinosOnline:
- A large selection of blackjack games and live tables
- Tables and games from multiple software providers for improved variety
- Tables with varying limits, features, and rules
- Bonuses that can be used for blackjack
- Fast, reliable payouts with no fees or hidden terms
You should also keep your platform of choice in mind. If you want to play mobile blackjack on your iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Android phone, you should focus on casinos that prioritise their mobile features. Each casino and game will have a list of the mobile phones with which they are compatible. Mobile blackjack is available everywhere, but some sites do it better than others because they actively work on improving the mobile experience.
Of course, this combines with everything else that we look for in our reviews to give us a good measure of a site. If you’re looking for suggestions for casino sites to play blackjack, check out this page.
Conclusion
That wraps up our blackjack strategy guide. We tried to keep all of our tips simple and actionable, helping even complete beginners get the best start possible.
If you want to know more about blackjack strategy, you can find additional information here. We also recommend this article for a collection of online blackjack games you can play for free if you want to practice what you learned here.
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For more info about good and reputable casinos for Blackjack other popular games, start by visiting our main page here on CasinosOnline.com. For almost an authentic Blackjack gameplay experience online, why not give Live Blackjack a go? Live dealer casinos / games are the go-to way to play blackjack online these days, offering unparalleled authenticity and immersion.
