The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Online Blackjack in 2023

The precursors to what we now call blackjack were games such as “Vinget-et-Un” from France and “Sette e Mezzo” from Italy. They were around in the 17^th century, and they involved reaching a specific point value without exceeding it.

The term “blackjack” first appears in 19^th-century records from the United States. It initially referred to a hand consisting of an Ace of Spades and a black Jack (either a Jack of Spades or Clubs). Punters were given higher payouts for said hand, which helped make the game popular.

The early 20^th century saw a steep rise in blackjack's popularity, with the main driving force being promotional features. Casinos offered bonuses for winning specific hands, especially the blackjack hand.

The 1950s and 1960s saw the emergence of a basic blackjack strategy, which was developed by mathematicians such as Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James McDermott. They developed the first-ever basic strategy chart, which outlined optimal plays based on the player's and dealer's upcard. Card counting appeared shortly after, courtesy of professor Edward O. Thorp’s 1962 book titled “Beat the Dealer”.

Casinos attempted to combat these approaches by introducing multiple decks, changing the rules, and deterring card counters with legal bullying. This last restriction is nowadays less prevalent, while also being completely impossible to enforce online.

These eras gave birth to various blackjack genres, such as classic blackjack, Spanish 21, Pontoon, American Blackjack, European Blackjack, Super Fun 21, and more. When online casinos started introducing blackjack, it became more popular than ever. The idea of having live dealers eventually appeared and was quickly taken up by the gaming community.

Modern online blackjack is an unforgettable experience that is due for an upgrade. The emergence of VR and AR online blackjack is signifying the start of a new chapter in the game's history. A chapter that you should definitely partake in. Stay with us to learn precisely how you can go about doing that.

Blackjack has been exposed to various cultures and languages over the years, with the game now experiencing a linguistic renaissance thanks to its global presence. All of these punters over the centuries have helped coin various terms that you should be familiar with when partaking in blackjack. The most popular blackjack terms include:

• Blackjack - A hand consisting of a 10, Jack, Queen, or King. It results in an automatic win unless the dealer also gets a blackjack.
• Bust - Going bust means that you exceed a hand value of 21. Note that you lose your bet regardless of what the dealer has.
• Double Down - A betting option that allows you to double your original bet after receiving cards. It is perfect for squeezing additional winnings.
• Hit - The act of requesting an additional card from the dealer. You can hit as many times as you want until you decide to stand or go bust.
• Hole Card - A face-down card that is dealt to the dealer in variants such as American blackjack. It is revealed at the very end of a round.
• Insurance - A side bet that is on offer when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace. Punters get paid when the dealer has a blackjack.
• Push - It occurs when the player's hand and the dealer's hand have the same total value. The player's bet is returned, and no winnings or losses occur.
• Soft - A soft hand in blackjack contains an Ace, which is worth either 1 or 11. An Ace-6 hand is considered a soft 17 because it can be counted as 7 or 17.
• Split - When a player receives two cards of the same rank, they can split them. Note that splitting tens is an awful idea.
• Stand - The act of not taking more cards and keeping your current hand. Hitting can cause you to go over 21, so it is occasionally the best possible move.
• Surrender - The option of forfeiting your hand and receiving half of your original bet back. It is great for minimizing losses when you have a weak hand.
• Upcard - A face-up card dealt to the dealer. It is the perfect basis for forging strategies.

Being familiar with the most popular terms is handy, but it is utterly useless if you are unfamiliar with the gameplay and rules of online blackjack. This section is dedicated to plugging those exact holes.

• Objective - Your objective is to get as close to 21 without exceeding it. Note that you can also land the exact value of 21.
• Card Values - Numbered cards, from 2 through 10, are worth their face value. Face cards, Jack, Queen, and King, are worth 10 points. Aces are worth either 1 or 11 points, depending on which value benefits the hand more.
• Game Setup - The game is usually played with one to eight decks of standard cards that count 52 in total. Players are dealt two face-up cards, while the dealer receives one face-up (the upcard) and one face-down (the hole card) card.
• Player’s Turn - Players are given the liberty to hit, stand, double down, split, and surrender. We will explore these individually in an upcoming paragraph.
• Dealer’s Turn - After players complete their actions, the dealer reveals their whole card. The dealer has to hit until their hand totals 17 or more, with some variants forcing the dealer to hit on a soft 17.
• Winning and Payouts - If you have managed to get closer to 21 without busting than the dealer, you win. If you have the same hand value as the dealer, you get your bet back. If the dealer busts, every remaining player wins. If you bust, you lose your entire bet.
• Natural Blackjack - If a player is given an Ace and a 10-point card as their initial two cards, they essentially receive a blackjack hand and win immediately. The payouts are typically high, usually around 3:2 or 2:1, depending on the casino rules.

We want to also give you a quick overview of your betting options so that you are entirely aware of all the tools at your disposal, which include:

• Hit - You can request additional cards one at a time by simply hitting. You can hit as many times as you please until you go bust.
• Stand - You can choose to stand, which is essentially just staying with your current hand and not receiving additional cards.
• Double down - By doubling your bet, you commit to taking only one more card, but you also increase your potential payout size.
• Split - Splitting cards means that you separate a hand into two new ones. You can then play each one independently.
• Surrender - You can forfeit your hand and receive half of your bet back. It is great for minimizing losses when you have a weak hand.

You will inevitably come across an article or blog that claims to have the winning combination of blackjack. The latter will present a strategy that it claims to be a guaranteed win machine. We want you to stay safe and not fall for every lunatic's strategy, which is why we are presenting these scientific-based ones.

• Card Counting - While this strategy requires a lot of experience and practice, it can give you a massive edge when gambling. However, most online blackjack variants use multiple decks, which makes counting cards practically impossible.
• Doubling Down - A highly profitable strategy when used correctly. You should double down on a total of 11 when the dealer's upcard is weak, so at 2 through 10, or when you have a soft hand, and the dealer's upcard is weak.
• Splitting Pairs - When you have a pair of cards of the same rank, it might be beneficial to split them into two separate hands and hit those individually. This does not apply to a pair of tens, as splitting those is counterproductive.