Online Blackjack

How to Get Started Playing Online Blackjack for Real Money

You’ve visited a few sites like Casinoking.ca getting as much information on online blackjack as you can. You’ve read some guides on how to win at online blackjack or maybe you’ve even invested money and bought some full proof strategy guide which is guaranteed to make you rich. You may have even logged lots of hours playing the free version of online blackjack with virtual money and now you’re ready to start playing for real money to try and claim your fortune. So how do you get started? What should you do next?

Canadian casino players looking to spend some hard-earned money on blackjack wouldn’t just enter any shady basement casino just like you shouldn’t sign up and play at any online casino. While it may be much easier to spot a shady looking establishment when playing at a land-based casino it might be a little more difficult to spot them online. Casinoking.ca always recommends you start by doing some research online. There are plenty of online casino review sites like Casinoking.ca which can help you get better informed about potential online casinos you may want to deposit at. Users will also leave feedback and let you know about their own experience with these sites which can give you some valuable information before you deposit. In the end you don’t want to fall for a scam.

Next, it’s important to understand there are many different software providers who make the games you play at all your favourite casinos. Different online casinos will have the same games but from different software providers. Some of the more popular and most trustworthy game providers in the industry include, PlayTech, NetEnt, IGT, Evolution Gaming, Microgaming, Amaya, BetSoft and Realtime Gaming. Before signing up and making a deposit it’s important to browse through the games page to learn about which games provider they use for online blackjack. You don’t want to get stuck playing a rigged or poorly designed game.

Canadian online casino players who enjoy playing on the go should make sure the site they play on has a proper mobile option. Many online casinos claim to be mobile complaint or will show logos for Google Android and Apple’s IOS devices but it’s important to note the difference between playing on an app and playing on your mobile phone’s mobile browser. Some online casino will have a website with a responsive design meaning you can play on your mobile browser with the website looking more suited to a smaller screen. This is a perfectly fine option for playing on your phone and will allow you to play all the games and access all the features.

Other online casinos have apps you can download from the Appstore or from Google’s Play store. Using an app will improve the experience as you will have better graphics, enhanced music and sound effects while the overall gameplay experience will be smoother.

Once you’ve done your research and found the right online casino for you it’s time to signup and make your first deposit. Some sites may even offer online blackjack deposit bonuses so be sure to keep an eye out. Now you can start playing and putting all that skill and knowledge you picked up to good use.

What are the Different Blackjack Variations?

Most Canadians are familiar with classic blackjack which is offered at all online and land-based casinos, but did you know there are multiple variations of the game you can try at your favourite online casino?

Classic Blackjack

Played all over the world the goal of classic blackjack is to create a winning hand which come closest to 21 without going over.

European blackjack

This version of blackjack is played with two decks of cards. Another difference is that the dealer will stay on 17. Players are only allowed to double down when they have a total of 9, 10 or 11 in total. You can also double after you split your cards no splitting of the cards is allowed.

Pontoon

This is another popular version of blackjack which you can find at many online casinos. The difference in this version of blackjack include the dealer having both his cards face down so the player can try and guess what hand the dealer has. The payout in pontoon is higher than classic blackjack. If you hit 21 with only 2 cards this called a pontoon. Another difference is that the player can only stay on 15 or more anything less and you need to take another card while the dealer will take another card if he has a total of 17 to try and beat the players hand.

Match Play 21

In this version all the number 10 cards are removed from the deck. This does not include face cards like kings, queens and jacks. The dealer will hit on 17 and the player is allowed to split and double.

Face up 21

Face up blackjack starts the game with both of the dealer’s cards showing face up. With most other versions of blackjack the dealer will only show you 1 card. One other interesting difference in this version is that if the dealer and the player both get 21 the dealer wins.

Multi-hand Blackjack

In this version you can play multiple hands at same time. There are a few other differences such as, players can only double on 9, 10 or 11, the dealer stands on 17 and you can only split once.

Spanish 21

Similar to pontoon Spanish 21 removes all the number 10 cards from the deck which gives the house slightly better odds however this is balanced out by giving better payouts to the player on winning hands.

What is Live Blackjack?

Blackjack is usually considered to be one of the most popular casino games raking large sums of money for land-based casinos however, online blackjack is not always as popular. Many gamblers find the excitement of a live dealer and having other real people joining you at t the table missing from the typical game of online blackjack. Despite flashy graphics and fun music and sound effects the game is still missing a certain social element.

That’s why over the last few years live blackjack has steadily been increasing in popularity among Canadian casino players. So, what is live blackjack and what makes it so special? Live blackjack places you at the table with a real live dealer and other real players as opposed to playing against a bot in a traditional online casino. Improvements over the years in internet connection speeds as well better video streaming technology has allowed players to enjoy blackjack in a whole new way. Live blackjack better simulates the experience blackjack lovers enjoy when playing the game with friends or at a land-based casino.

More and more online casinos now offer live dealer games including live blackjack which is one of the more popular live casino games being played by Canadian casino players today. You can usually find multiple versions of live blackjack which will most likely be found in the live games section of your favourite online casinos. There are also different tables with different dealers so you can play with your favourite live dealer. Depending on what time of the day or day in the week you play you will have a different selection of live dealers just like you find at a land-based casino.

Today you can find a huge selection of live blackjack games at most online casinos catering to Canadian gamblers. Be sure to visit the games page or you can browse through Casinoking.ca’s website for a list of our tops live blackjack games.

Playing Options

Although the game of blackjack might seem simple there are quite a few playing options available to you depending on which version of online blackjack you prefer playing. Some playing options are only available in certain versions of the game.

Single and Multi-Deck Online Blackjack

Traditional blackjack was usually played using 1 deck of cards. One of the big issues with using 1 deck was that some players were able to count cards and therefore could predict what cards where being dealt next giving them an unfair advantage against the house. In order to deal with this issue casinos began using multi decks making it harder to count cards while giving the house a slight edge over the player. Multi-deck games are played with 2 decks or more.

Single and Multi-Hand Blackjack

One of the newer variations to black is the option to play multiple hands at the same time which are all separate of each other. You can usually play up to 5 different hands at the same time. The rules of the game and the objective are exactly the same as in classic blackjack however you are now playing multiple hands at same time as opposed to only 1 hand.

Player Decisions

Hit or Stay

The most common playing option which any blackjack newbie knows about is the option to hit or stay. Based on the cards you are dealt you may choose to hit or ask for an additional card in order to try and get as close to 21 without going over. If you feel you have a solid hand and do not wish to receive anymore cards you will tell the dealer you want to stay or stand.

Split

If you happen to receive the same card twice you will usually be able to click on the split button which splits your hand in 2 hands. You can now play both hands\ at the same time. Keep in mind your original bet will now be doubled as you’re playing two hands.

Double Down

After placing your initial bet the game will begin and you will be dealt 2 cards. At this point a button will appear giving you the option to double your bet. This is a great option if you feel you have a winning hand. If you choose to take another card the option to double down will no longer be available.

Insurance

This playing option gives you the chance to protect your initial bet against the dealer having blackjack. When the dealer has an ace showing face up you can choose to activate insurance which will place a second bet of the same amount as your original bet. If the dealer has 21 you will lose your initial bet however the insurance will give you a payout of 2 to 1 which ends up cancelling your lose and lets you break even.

Surrender

This option is exactly what it sounds like. Based on the cards showing on the table if you think you’re going to lose the round you can choose to fold your hand and claim back half of your original bet while the casino keeps the other half. This is usually only done when you get dealt a really bad hand.

Side Bets

Side bets give players more chances to win while adding another layer of strategy and more playing options. Over the years many different side betting options have been introduced such as 21+3 and perfect pair. Options like these create more playing options and add another level of excitement to blackjack and have helped attract many new players to game of blackjack. You can find many of the same side bets options being offered at online casinos and land-based casinos. It’s important to understand side betting options before you use them, so you know how to best take advantage of them.

21+3

The 21+3 side bet option was originally introduced back in 2000. The game is a combination of blackjack and three card poker. 21+3 is based on the rules of European poker which means the dealer does not check if the player has blackjack. Additional things to know about 21+3 is that the game is usually played with 6 decks. You can split up to 2 hands which includes aces. Getting blackjack will net you a 3 to 2 payout.

3-card combination

If you have 3 of same card and same suit such as 3 queens of heart you will net the highest payout of all at 100 to 1.

3 of a kind

If you wind up with the same card however all different suits such as 5 of hearts, 5 of spades and 5 of diamonds you will receive a payout of 30 to 1.

Straight

Here you simply need to get a sequence of 3 cards such as 3, 4 and 5 however they don’t need to be the same suit. The payout for a straight is 10 to 1.

Flush

A flush consists of 3 cards of the same suit which don’t need to follow a sequence such as 4 of hearts, 9 of hearts and queen of hearts. The payout is 5 to 1.

Straight flush

This means you have a sequence of numbers such as 5 of hearts, 6 of heats and 7 of hearts based on the 3 cards will payout 40 to 1.

Perfect pair

This relatively new betting options has increased in popularity over the last few years. When this option is available you can choose to activate this side betting option on any hand you would like to. Before the cards are dealt you have the option to activate this side bet option while deciding how much you like to bet on the game itself. Usually there is a minimum of $1 bet when using the perfect pair betting option. In order to win a perfect pair, you need to be dealt two of the exact same cards.

For example, if you are dealt two queens you would win. If you get a pair of the same cards in the same color such as two red kings this will increase your payout. In order to get a perfect pair, you need to get two of the same cards with the same suit such as having two jacks of hearts. This is possible as the game uses multiple decks in order to achieve this combination.

Perfect Pair: This option offer the highest payout of the 3 different winning combinations you can get. A winning hand will earn you a payout of 25 to 1.

Coloured Pair: If you land a pair of cards with same colour you will receive a payout of 12 to 1.

Non-coloured Pair: 2 of the same of any card has a payout of 6 to 1.

What is House Edge in Blackjack

The term house edge is a common term often used at online casinos and land-based casinos as well as news and information sites like Casinoking.ca to describe what the odds of the casino winning the next round are. But how does it affect the game of online blackjack?

The house edge is statistical calculation that is used to measure how much of an advantage the casino has over the player in every casino game being played. To put this into more context if the house edge on blackjack is 5% that means on average if you bet $100 you will lose $5. Therefore, based on the math we can see that a player who places 30 bets an hour can potentially lose $150. Now if the house edge was 1% the player could stand lose only $30 which makes a huge difference. The house edge only plays a factor over time when you are playing many hands in a row. The more hands you play the more the house edge will begin to take effect over time.

When comparing the house edge from blackjack to other casino games, blackjack usually has the lowest house edge of them all. The house edge for blackjack is 0.5%. To put that in comparison slot machines have a house edge of 2% to 10%, Caribbean stud poker is around 5% and roulette is at 2.5%. That means if your placing a $100 bet on a hand of Caribbean stud poker over many hands the house would end up with $5 as compared to blackjack where you would loose $0.50 per hand. If you played 100 rounds and were losing $5 per hand you would wind up losing $500. That could make a big difference in your bottom line.

Blackjack Strategies

Often times when players are trying to find the best strategy to win at blackjack, they often overlook one of the more important factors, choosing the right online casino. It’s always a good idea to play at a reputable online casino in order to ensure you smooth and fun experience.

The next step would be choosing the right variant of online blackjack. There are quite a few different versions of the game and not all may be right for you. Become familiar with the rules of the different versions of blackjack so you can better decide which one is right for you. You can also find detailed strategy guides and online simulators which can help you better learn when to hit and when to stay. You should also become familiar with the different side betting options which will enhance you blackjack experience and possibly win you more money.

Blackjack Questions and Answers