How to Play Online Blackjack
Blackjack is played with one or more standard 52-card decks of playing cards. Each card has a numerical value: the numbered cards 2 through 10 have their regular numerical value; the face cards Jack, Queen, King are all worth 10; and an Ace can count as 1 or 11, whichever is best under the circumstances. Suits are irrelevant. Your goal in any blackjack game is to assemble a hand of cards whose total value comes closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand, but without going over.
You start your online blackjack game by placing a bet and then clicking Deal. You will receive two cards face up, and the dealer receives one. If your two cards add up to 21, that’s called a Blackjack and it gives you a 3-to-2 payout! That’s a $15 payout on a $10 bet! Congratulations!
In most cases, of course, you will not have a Blackjack. In those cases, you must evaluate your two cards and the dealer’s one and then decide how to play your hand:
- Stand: You take no more cards, and it is now the dealer’s turn to play.
- Hit: You take another card. You may continue to hit until you bust — meaning you go over 21 — or you decide to stand.
- Double Down: You double the amount of your bet and take one — and only one — more card.
- Split: If, for example, you bet $10 and received two 7s, you can split them into two hands, each of which receives a second card and each of which has its own $10 bet, and then you play each resulting hand by standing, splitting, etc.
If you bust by going over 21, you lose the game and you lose your bet. If you stand without busting, it then becomes the dealer’s turn to play his hand.
The dealer, who started with only one card, now receives a second card and then must stand or hit. But unlike you, the dealer does not have free will. Instead, his play is bound by strict blackjack rules: up to 16, he hits; 17 or over, he stands. Period.
If the dealer busts, he loses and you win the blackjack game. If he stands without busting, then the higher hand — in other words, the hand closer to 21 — wins the game. As noted above, if you win with a Blackjack — a two-card 21 — you win a 3-to-2 payout; for all other wins, your payout is 1-to-1.
Blackjack Strategy
The deal of the cards is a matter of luck, but what you do with your cards — stand, hit, double down, or split — is a matter of blackjack strategy. And there are a few important points to keep in mind to develop a winning blackjack strategy.
One is that you are playing against the dealer only. There might be other players at the blackjack table, but you are not playing against them and they are not playing against you. Each of you is playing solely to beat the dealer.
Which brings us to a second important point: your goal in a game of blackjack is to beat the dealer. Some people will tell you that the goal is to get as close to 21 as possible. This is not correct. It is wrong. There is a difference, and it is an important one.
Finally, an important word of advice. Use the Blackjack Basic Strategy. The Blackjack Basic Strategy is an easy-to-use chart that tells you the best blackjack play in every possible situation. It is based on trillions of computer simulations run by some truly brilliant mathematicians and it is rightfully called the blackjack player’s best friend. You can easily find and print out a free Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart at many online blackjack sites. Don’t play blackjack without it.
Find the Best Online Blackjack with EasyBet
There are many ways to play blackjack online. There are games like European Blackjack that hew quite closely to the blackjack basics described on this page; there are others like Spanish Blackjack that venture further afield. There are also games like Perfect Pairs that combine a basic blackjack game with a side bet, and even progressive jackpot blackjack games like Triple 7s. All told, there are dozens of online blackjack variations available.
Along with the dozens of online blackjack games there are literally hundreds of online blackjack sites. You can play real money online blackjack or just-for-fun online blackjack on your PC, or you can play mobile blackjack on your smartphone or tablet.
The online blackjack possibilities are practically endless and, best of all, you don’t have to do the research because we did it for you. Just come to the EasyBet blackjack pages on this site to read about all the online blackjack games and all the online blackjack casinos, and you’ll be ready to pick the game and the casino that suits you best and to have a great time playing blackjack online with EasyBet.