Blackjack is a very popular game at casinos around the world, including India; and the transition to online blackjack in India has been excellent. Today it is possible to find multiple variants of blackjack, each with their own rules, odds and nuances. We hope our guides help you make the best, informed decision you can about online casinos.
All casino games are games of chance, meaning the outcome is mostly determined by how it is designed. In nearly all cases, the house holds an advantage. However, there are some casino games- such as blackjack – where skill can increase your chances of winning, or at the very least, decrease the house advantage to nearly zero.
Blackjack is a card game that is played against the house, with the ultimate objective being to create a hand whose total sum adds up to 21, or nearest thereto, as well as to beat the dealer’s hand. If the total exceeds 21, the hand goes bust.
Blackjack can be played in a multi-hand format, as a Live Blackjack option and is also a popular tournament game.
Casino players take pride in their skill at blackjack, regularly practicing the game, for free or real money, to improve their odds by learning basic strategies and applying them to their gaming sessions.
How to BetMultiple Indian-friendly online casinos roll out promotions and tournaments on a regular basis, which are aimed at blackjack players. This allows online blackjack fans to get more for their money and increase their chances of winning at this great casino game.
Blackjack is one of those games at the casino where using skill and basic strategy could bring the house edge down to a very impressive 1%. But over and beyond learning the basic strategy to improve their odds, some players use blackjack betting systems that may or not work in their favor.
We take a look at some of the most popular roulette betting systems out there:
This 200-year-old betting system is popular across many casino games, especially roulette, but has been adapted by blackjack players for their own gaming methods as well.
The idea is to double your bet each time you lose, with the objective (or hope!) that you will eventually win and show a profit. Say you start off wagering Rs 50 – you will double your bet after each loss (by Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 400, Rs 800 and so forth). After a win, you will drop your wager back to Rs 50.
The downside to using this system is twofold: Firstly, you are dependent on the fact that you will be on a winning streak, but as we have known in the world of online gambling, this is not always the case. In addition, blackjack tables have wagering limits, which will eventually limit your ability to double your wagers indefinitely.
The basic premise of this blackjack betting system is to pick your minimum and maximum bet and then wager the minimum amount after each loss and the maximum amount after each blackjack win.
If you set your minimum wager on Rs 50- for example – and make Rs 150 your maximum bet, you will begin your gaming session with a Rs 50 bet. If you happen to win that hand, your next bet will be Rs 150 and you will continue to wager Rs 150 until you lose again.
After any loss, you will drop back down to your minimum wager of Rs 50.
This method, also used among blackjack players, is a 1, 2, 3, 5 and back to 5 progression system, where players increase their wagers to the next level when they win a hand, and drop back to the first level when they lose.
If we go back to our Rs 50 minimum bet example, your next levels would be Rs 100, Rs 150 and Rs 250. You begin with your Rs 50 wager and increase to Rs 100 (and so forth) if you win; however, if you lose a hand, you drop back to Rs 50.
Another important ‘trick’ to this system is that if you win four hands in succession, you drop back to the original wager.
The number of players from India who take up online blackjack each year continues to grow, and many first-timers regularly do a search for the best online blackjack tips around.
We’ve compiled some of the best advice available out there so that you can improve your blackjack skills and enjoy more rewarding gaming sessions overall.
By now, we’ve determined that you can improve your chances of being more profitable in blackjack gaming sessions by learning a basic strategy that involves knowing when to hit, stand, split and double.
Use these tips as a rule of thumb and watch your profits grow:
In blackjack strategy, there is a similar opinion that is followed all across the globe; never hit on 17. Players are told to always stand on a hand of 17 (and higher), as hands of this value are considered strong enough, while the chances of improving your total are slim, and busting is likely.
So you should never hit on a Soft 17.
The concept of hole cards applies to any cards that players from the rest of the table must hold in secret. Hole cards are used in almost all poker types. The most popular example is in the Hold’em game.
Hole cards are private cards that the player can only display and use. These hole cards are usually used for building a 5-card hand in conjunction with group cards (cards available and accessible by all).
Down-cards (cards accessible only to the player) are sometimes referred to as hole cards in seven-card studs.
As the popularity of blackjack grew, so did the number of variants of the games. Today, you will find a good range of blackjack games at top online casinos, and the selection keeps growing as software companies develop more choices for players. As such, don’t assume that the rules of all blackjack games are the same. The tips we offer may apply to most variants of blackjack, but not all of them. It is important that you learn the rules of all blackjack games you are considering, and familiarize yourself with their payout tables.
Nobody expects you to learn the strategies and tips above without help, especially at first. Find a good blackjack strategy chart (online, as a mobile app or a hard copy) and refer to it when in doubt about what decision to make. This could seriously decrease the house edge and put some more blackjack bucks in your pocket.
Horribly utilized blackjack hand signals are a great way to lose large at the tables, so take good note of the various blackjack hand movements used in the game before you go to the casinos to avoid crashing into complications. If you’re still uncertain about it, look at what the opponents do before you attempt it yourself.
The correct hand signals concentrate on whether the game is being played ‘face up’ or ‘face down’.
Hit – Point at your cards or tap the table.
Stand – Wave your hand from left to right over the cards without moving your arm.
Double Down or Split – Add a second bet in a separate pile next to your first wager. Do not touch the cards as touching the cards is only done on games played with the hands-down. Then hold up one finger to double and two to split.
Hit – Scrape the table. This is a light gesture usually with the index finger.
Stand – Gently slide your cards under your chips. Try to do this without moving the chips.
Double Down or Split – Turn your cards over so that they are face up while adding a second bet to the first stack of chips. Hold up one finger to double and two to split.
One of the best ways to get the most out of your blackjack bankroll is to redeem the generous bonuses offered by online casinos on a regular basis.
Whether you are a new player or a returning player, you are sure to find promotion or bonus suited to your needs. Online blackjack bonuses have the added advantage of allowing you to play longer at the casino with free money, thus enabling you to continue practicing and honing your skills.
For the same reason that you would use blackjack bonuses to increase your time at your gaming sessions, you would also choose to play blackjack for free.
This is not only allowed, but also encouraged at leading online casinos. You are simply credited with free blackjack money and you are then able to practice your strategies and apply all that theory to practical play. Many great blackjack players have worked their way up from beginners to seasoned pros by practicing with free online blackjack.
The invention of the game of blackjack wasn’t a single event in history, but rather a progression of inventions and gradual changes to rules and variants until it reached the game we are most familiar with today at live and online casinos.
What we know is that in the mid 1400’s Johann Guttenburg printed the first decks of standardized cards, and games such as ‘quinze’, One and Thirty, Vingt-Un and Seven and a Half evolved from this important historical event.
In the late 1500’s, Spaniards enjoyed a game called One and Thirty, similar in idea to blackjack, played with a dealer, community cards and the need to count totals to reach the ideal score of 31.
Over the centuries similar games emerged, although the game on which blackjack is based is undoubtedly the French Vingt-Un (meaning 21). Naturally, the rules were slightly different to contemporary blackjack, but we can definitely see strong similarities.
Like many casino games of today, the ‘modernization’ of blackjack took place when it reached American shores. For blackjack, it was in the late 1800s. A mention of the game – then still called Twenty One – was made in official records in 1875; it was a well-enjoyed pastime in gambling halls by the turn the century.
However, Twenty One had some serious competition to contend with, since games such as roulette and poker were also offered at these gambling halls. While roulette remains a game of chance, poker is a high favourite among players who prefer skill games.
In order to encourage players to try out Twenty One, owners offered attractive bonuses to players, such as a 10-1 payout if they landed a black Jack and an Ace of Spades. This bonus payout became known as a Blackjack and, before long, the name of the card game was changed forever.
From 1910, the US government started clamping down on gambling halls. Laws were introduced to ban blackjack and other casino activities. The Great Depression, however, made the government realize that the country’s coffers were in desperate need of dollars, and laws were changed again to allow gambling. Once more, blackjack became a popular pastime in the United States, especially in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Blackjack fans realized the big rewards there were to be gleaned by becoming skilled in the game, and a new element was added with the discovery of card counting by Dr. Edward Thorp. In his 1962 book, Beat the Dealer, Thorp outlined methods and techniques that would help players increase their winnings at land casinos, and the number of professional card counters grew to incredible proportions in the 50s and 60s. Casinos, realizing that they were losing vast amounts of profit through card counting, soon started fighting back and banning it on their casino floors. This became even easier with the introduction of video surveillance.
In the mid 1990’s, blackjack became available on the internet for the first time, and became accessible to millions of players around the world. Today, there are literally thousands of sites that offer blackjack in multiple formats, variants, betting limits and skill levels.
