Key Takeaways
- Stick to simple blackjack, ignore variants, ditch the side bets
- Understand the probability and the odds
- Double down on ace or 10, split the faces
- Remember, you’re playing the dealer, pay attention to their cards
- Don’t be swayed by the bonus offers for your blackjack play
How To Play Smart & Where To Play
There’s no point finding the best online casino for blackjack in UK if you don’t understand what you’re doing and haven't fully embraced a blackjack strategy for beginners, so before we talk about the best places for online casino blackjack and live blackjack online, we wanted to talk about how to play and how to play well!
The object of online casino blackjack
When playing at the best online casino for live blackjack, all you have to do is beat the dealer, and you beat the dealer in one of three ways; dealer busts (hand over 21), you draw blackjack (Ace and 10/face card) when dealer doesn’t, or by getting a higher value hand.
How to play Blackjack
Once you place a bet, you get two face-up cards while the dealer gets one face-up and one face-down. Aces are high or low depending what helps the hand best, face cards are worth 10.
If you're dealt Blackjack (21, ace and a 10/J/Q/K), you win, and blackjack pays 3-to-2! But if the dealer also gets blackjack, it's a 'push', and you just get your bet back.
With no blackjack, you get to choose to stand or hit, and possibly double down or split. Stand means staying with the cards dealt, hit gets more cards until you stand or bust. Double down doubles the bet and allows you to draw just one more card. Finally, with a pair you can split, adding a second bet and second hand, with another card dealt to each, which you can stand or hit on.
Once you've stood or busted on all your hands, the dealer turns their second card and either hits or stands. But the dealer has to stand on 17+ and must hit on a hand of 16 or less.
When you win, you’re paid one times wager, (ie, a GBP 5.00 bet pays GBP 10.00) and blackjack pays 3-to-2 (GBP 5.00 pays GBP 12.50). If you and the dealer match hands, the ‘Push’ gives you back your bet.
Top Tips for maximising potential winnings with Blackjack!
When you are playing casino games online, it's all too easy to get sidetracked and end up blowing your bankroll on the wrong bets, or to miss out on a winning one. That's why having a blackjack strategy online is always the best option. Below you'll find a few handy tips to build into your online blackjack strategy right away!
1. Say no to insurance!
If the dealer’s first card is an Ace, you’re offered insurance. It costs half your bet and returns the bet and insurance if the dealer draws blackjack. But we’d always recommend you decline, it’s just not worth bothering with.
2. Skip side bets!
You can find all sorts of extra side bets in blackjack - far too many to detail here, but they include pairs and 21+3 poker style side bets. Again, these just aren’t worth it, so skip them.
3. Double down and split smart!
It always makes sense to double down on 10/11 with the best chance of getting 21 and we’d say split on pairs of 10s or faces.
4. Understand the odds and make the math work for you
Blackjack is simple, but to get the best chance to maximise your winnings, you have to understand the probabilities involved. We’re not going to go deep on that here, but look up the probability tables for blackjack and use them to play smarter!
Where to play and what to look for in an online blackjack site
So many casino sites offer blackjack as well as live blackjack online, with live dealers bringing a truly authentic atmosphere.
Look for low minimum bet limits on any blackjack or live casino blackjack, there are plenty of sites offering bets as low as GBP 0.10.
Always make sure any casino site or live casino blackjack online is properly regulated - look for a proper United Kingdom Gambling Commission licence.
Best sites
When it comes to the best online casino for blackjack in UK, comparing them for licences, bonuses, playability, mobile apps, limits, and so much more, we have three outright favourites.
And those favourites, the best online casino for blackjack in UK, are Ladbrokes - great for low limits and ease of use, Betway - great app, and 888 - best for live blackjack online.
What other betting/casino guides & strategies are available?
Of course, there’s more to great casino experiences than Blackjack! With so much choice of sites and games, you’ll probably want to give the roulette wheels a spin, hit the baccarat tables, or just explore what else is on offer. For you we’ve created a simple set of guides, including the
table games guide,
roulette guide, live casino guide,
baccarat guide, and
slots guide.
Conclusion
Blackjack is a classic casino game, simple and exciting, and we’ve given you a run-down of how to play and some essential strategy tips, what to look for in a blackjack site and told you our top three sites for blackjack. If you like card games, then it's worth looking at online casinos for Baccarat as well, it's a very similar game to blackjack, but with a lower house edge.
Otherwise, keep your blackjack as simple as possible, ignore side bets and play the game pure. Likewise, keep strategy in mind for every hand. Watch the dealer’s cards, remember the dealer has to hit on 16 or less and stand on 17+, make sure to double down on 10s and Aces, and always split when it's a pair of 10s or face cards, and definitely take our advice and get your head around the probabilities involved – all of those will make you a better player and maximise those winnings. If you're looking to branch out then make sure to check out our
guide to online casino games
for a look at the broader aspects.
