Online Blackjack

Blackjack. Black Jack. Twenty one. Vingt-un. No matter how you want to call it, it’s the same game. One of the most popular online casino games, super simple to learn and fast-paced. It also offers great odds, fewer betting options and a one-on-one challenge with the dealer to claim a score of 21 or any figure that is higher than that of the opponent. People play this game for fun at home. However, a real money online blackjack game can elevate the excitement with the potential for winning big. For those who prefer modern payment methods, playing casino games with cryptocurrency adds an extra layer of convenience and security. It’s the ability to think and make quick decisions that will convert that potential into actual success.

Online Blackjack through time

The first records of it go back to the 1700s and France. The moniker Black Jack is attributed to French card historian Thierry Depaulis, referencing a mineral linked to gold and silver deposits called zinc blende. It is officially a casino banking game where participants do not play against each other. They compare totals one by one against the dealer.

However, there’s a reference to at least a variation of the game played with the Spanish baraja deck (40 – 48 cards). Miguel Cervantes, in his work «Rinconete y Cortadillo» (1601-2), counts aces as 1 or 11. This implies that the game has existed even earlier than originally thought in Castile. This is also the first recorded reference to card cheats as the protagonists of this book exercise the practice in Seville. And that indicates an even earlier existence, considering that it takes quite a while to learn the rules and develop ways to bypass them.

Little has changed in the main notion of the game during the 4 centuries that it’s been played. Mostly on the rules that are in effect from casino to casino and mainly concern the betting process. The basic rule of achieving a total equal or close to 21, remains the same. The only variation that you may find only in Vegas casinos is the 21st Century edition where even a player that has exceeded 21 may remain in the game and win if the dealer also busts.

The basic strategies

While the rules are simple, as aforementioned it’s the decision making that makes all the difference. And here is where the game gets most dicey. What to do when your hand consists of a certain combination of cards. At the beginning of each round, each player receives 2 cards. After the first bets are placed the dealer hides one card and turns the other face up. In most casinos they are forced to draw another card if the total of the 2 dealt cards is lower than 16. This regulation actually reduces the number of decisions as the face up card will be 7, 8 ,9, 10 or an ace.

In general, if the total of the player’s hand is between 17 and 20 then it’s best to stand regardless of the card that the dealer shows. Similarly, for any total between 11 and 16, a player should hit (i,e. draw another card). Again, this is regardless of the dealer’s face-up card.

In the glossary of the game, stand means do not draw another card, hit means the opposite. Another term that you need to get acquainted with is «split». It is the thing to do when the first two cards have the same value. If you are dealt 2 aces then you can split the 2 cards and actually play with 2 hands instead of one. In that case, you can either win twice, or mitigate the loss of one hand with the profit from the other. Especially in the case of 2 aces, you actually stand a chance of achieving 2 blackjacks and get paid even more.

Intermediate and advanced strategies of online BlackJack

The first have to do almost exclusively with the composition of the cards dealt. Some refer to it as card counting. How many cards valued 10 remain in the deck, how many of low value. However, sometimes it is more important to see which cards have turned up in a specific hand. For example, if too many twos and threes are on the table, then it is more than likely that the next one to be dealt will be a ten. It’s a technique that may provide solid results when playing with one or two decks. However, in a casino, there may be up to 8 decks involved, which means that tracking the dealt cards is almost impossible.

The legend of the game Ken Uston, introduced the concept of team play. He even wrote a book about it. Typically, people don’t apply this strategy on online ventures. However, it is quite useful when people play on a real table. Basically, it takes into account that in casinos, the dealers are trained to cheat. To overcome this, 2 or 3 players work together by splitting, doubling down or drawing cards when they do not have to, in order to change the sequence that the cards are dealt. The effort is to create the circumstances so that at least one of them wins in every round.