Online Blackjack Rules

Online blackjack can hold you hostage, with the rules. Rules vary widely from casino to casino. Can you imagine what blackjack is like to play online? How many decks are in play? Can you double down on any two cards? Can you double after splits? Does the dealer hit soft 17? How many times can you re-split pairs? Is blackjack insurance available? How about surrender? Every edge an online casino takes on the rules can be an edge taken away from the players.

Online Blackjack Gives you a Real Buzz
There are some aspects of online blackjack play that you won't encounter in most offline casinos. For example, if you're playing on felt, most casinos will allow you to take only one card on each of your split aces. There are some online casinos that will allow you to take more than one card on split aces. That's a definite advantage for the player. Or how about casinos that do not require their dealers to check for a blackjack with a 10-value up card? If you've got a split or a double down on the layout and the dealer has an ace in the hole for a blackjack, most casinos won't take both of your bets but some online casinos do. It's just a matter of checking the rules. There are some pitfalls to avoid. In a live casino, if you are dealt a blackjack and the dealer has an ace showing, you have the option of taking even money. If the dealer winds up with a blackjack your hand will be a push. There have been examples of the house winning if both the dealer and the player have blackjack. Incredible! This moves up the house edge quite significantly and is a game option to be avoided at all costs. You will not find any casinos like this at Jackpot all the casinos on this web site have what you can consider to be proper online blackjack.

Never, ever accept online blackjack play for rules that you would not accept in a real casino. After all, if you are a blackjack aficionado and enjoy taking every edge you can bear in mind that most online casinos shuffle after every hand, making counting techniques useless.

There are exceptions. Some of the bigger online casinos offer as many as six variations of blackjack, including a single-deck game, a six-deck game and a Spanish 21 game. On occasion you'll come across a multi-deck game in which the cards are not shuffled after every hand.

But one of the most exciting things to happen to online blackjack in a long time is the introduction of Betfair's Zero House Edge Blackjack. True to their philosophy, Betfair offer some of the best odds around and their Zero House Edge Blackjack is certainly no exception. They payout 2-1 for a suited natural Blackjack and a five-card 21. You won't find those odds at many other online.

Blackjack strategy is all about mathematics, and fortunately for you we have done the sums. Below is a blackjack strategy card that will help you narrow the house edge whilst playing online blackjack. Simply look down the blackjack strategy table to what card you are holding, then across to what the dealer is showing and where those points meet we tell you what to do. Of course we won’t guarantee you will win every blackjack game you play but over time the odds of the house will be greatly reduced.

The Basic Blackjack Strategy chart, the key is as follows:
Hit: H Stand: S Double: D Split: P
Online Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world because it offers some of the the best odds when played by a skilled player. However, don't expect to become a blackjack expert overnight. Knowing the rules to online blackjack will put you in good stead to take on the house and clean up. In this section we cover the basic blackjack rules in an effort to put you on the right track. Over the coming months we will develop pages on Basic Blackjack strategy and Advanced Blackjack strategy.

Value of cards when playing Blackjack:
2 - 10 face value
Face cards 10
Ace 1 or 11
The object of the game is to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 as possible without going over the value 21 itself. If a player or dealer goes over 21 he/she is 'bust' and automatically loses that hand. A winning hand wins the value of its original wager.

The game starts with each player placing a wager. The dealer then deals 2 face-up cards to everyone and one-up one-down to himself. Players may then draw cards (hit) or stay on their current totals (stand). Once all players have finished taking cards, the dealer then plays out his hand according to the following house rules:

Dealer MUST 'hit' until he reaches a score of 17 or more*If the dealer 'busts' all players who have not bust themselves will automatically win. Important aspects of Online Blackjack...

Push:
When the dealer and player have the same card value and the hand is a tie. Nothing is won or lost.

Blackjack:
This is the best hand in the House. Blackjack consists of an ace and any 10-point card. It typically pays out at 3:2.

Double:
A player may double if he/she feels that one more card will be enough to win the hand. The player signifies intention to double by placing another bet alongside the original after the first two cards have been dealt. The dealer will then deal one and only one more card to that player when his/her turn comes around. Some casinos allow doubling on any two cards while others limit doubling hands to values of 9, 10 and 11.

Split:.
If a player's first two cards are the same, they may be split into two separate hands. Another wager for the new hand is compulsory, effectively doubling the initial bet. The player then plays each hand individually. Re-splits are normally permitted and doubling after splitting is allowed in most casinos.

Surrender:
A few casinos offer the option to surrender. This means that if a player is not happy with his/her hand before receiving a third card the player may surrender the hand and consequently forfeit half the original bet.

Insurance:
This is offered when the dealer has an Ace showing. Players are given the option to take out insurance on the dealer drawing Blackjack. Insurance, which is paid out at 2:1, is realised in the event of the dealer getting Blackjack. Insurance is normally offered at a minimum of half the player's original bet.
In some casinos dealers must 'hit' on soft 17. This means that they have a total of 17, comprising an Ace and any number of cards totaling 6.