Blackjack, while being a fun game of chance, has several strategies to increase winning odds. By employing certain strategies, you can become a better blackjack player.
In this article, you will learn many different strategies to maximize your odds at winning online blackjack.
How to Play Blackjack Online?
There are many variations of blackjack, but the core rule is the same. The goal is to total the values of the cards in your hand as close to 21 as possible without going over. Number cards correlate to their face value, face cards are worth 10, and aces can either be 11 or 1.
- Every player antes a buy-in price
- The dealer distributes two cards to every player. One card is face up and one is face down.
- Each player may only look at their own face-down card.
- If the player has a total of 21 at the beginning, they are to call blackjack and win their bet
- 1st round more additional bets
- Dealer asks every player if they want a “hit.” A hit is a an additional card added to the player’s hand
- Players may choose to stand whenever they no longer want cards.
- After the round of hits, the dealer flips their own card and takes their own hits. The dealer announces when they will stand or when they go bust.
- All players who have not busted are paid if the dealer busts. Players are closer to 21 than the dealer are paid if the dealer chooses to stand.
As you will see in this article, more complex strategies such as doubles splits, and surrenders will be introduced into play. Some online outlets even implement side bets as a layer of variety. After you understand these basic rules, you will be able to play many different fun variations of the game.
How to do research on Online Casino?
It is very important to pick a reputable online casino you can pick some from the best Blackjack Sites. Some darker online casinos may not follow proper rules and regulations. With lesser-known casinos, there is a risk of losing your money to bad-acting businesspeople.
Single deck games are the easiest games of blackjack to win. When picking a casino, find a table with a single deck.
Online casinos will display rules and agreements by which the player must abide. Casinos will also show their house edges for each game.
Familiarize Yourself with the Rules of Online Blackjack
Different online casinos offer different variations of blackjack. The basic rules will always be the same, but specific complex rules will vary. Examples of these changes include deck count, permissions to split, and dealer hit rules.
How to choose the Best Variant of Online Blackjack?
Different forms of online blackjack have different levels of “house edge.” The house edge basically summarizes how much advantage the house has over players. Online casinos must make a profit, so they make sure the edge makes them money. However, extremely high edges may scare away players.
You want to find the lowest house edge possible. Some examples of versions with very low house edges include:
- BlackJack Switch – 0.17%
- Pontoon by Playtech – 0.38%
- Blackjack surrender – 0.38%
If you hope to win, you should focus on these games with a low house edge. The low house edge means the odds of victory are less leaning in the house’s favor. When the edge is low, you are much more likely to win.
Each game also has slight differences in rulesets. Common questions you should think about when choosing a game include:
- What is the payout?
- How many decks?
- Can I double on any two cards?
- How many times may I split?
- Can I double after splitting?
- May I hit split aces?
- Can I surrender?
- What does a dealer do with a soft seventeen?
Before buying into a table of online blackjack, make sure you understand these rules and how they will affect your game. Each table should have the specific rules listed. Play a game with which you feel confident and comfortable.
Can you really win at Online Blackjack? Strategy Basics
The core rules of all online blackjack variations are the same. The goal is always to get as close to twenty-one as possible without going over.
The very first step to every hand should be to check the dealer’s shown card. You must identify if it is strong or weak before even looking at your own card.
What are Strong and Weak Cards in Online Blackjack?
A dealer’s showing card can be categorized as weak or strong. The lower the card, the weaker it is for the dealer. The higher it is, the stronger. Weak cards are usually considered to be two, three, four, five, and six. Strong cards are usually considered to be seven, eight, nine, ten, jack, queen, king, and an ace.
When the dealer shows a weak card, the player’s goal should be to avoid a situation where they will bust. Players should be more conservative with taking hits.
When the dealer shows a strong card, the player should focus on getting a total of seventeen or higher. Players should be more liberal in taking hits.
It is crucial to understand the strength or weakness of cards in order to win. When you understand the relative strengths of the dealer’s cards, you will use the dealer’s card to dictate your own moves.
What is Double, Split, and Surrender in Online Blackjack?
Once you understand the differences between weak and strong dealer cards, you can employ different betting strategies to capitalize on your odds. Next, we will look at how to use three different ways to control your bet.
When to Split in Online Blackjack?
Splitting is halving your hand into two hands at the start of the game. The goal of splitting is to increase the total bet size, either when you are in a good situation or when you are trying to escape a bad situation.
Always split when you have eights because having a total of 16 is the worst possible starting hand. You should also always split with aces. Splitting aces gives you the chance to hit two blackjacks.
Strong starting totals where you should not split include fives, tens, jacks, queens, or kings. These combinations all give very strong starting hands.
When to Surrender on Online Blackjack?
Choosing to surrender is an option in some variations of blackjack. When choosing to surrender, a player is able to fold and receive half of their bet back.
The two versions of surrender are late surrenders and early surrenders. Early surrenders take place before the dealer checks for blackjack. Late surrenders take place after the dealer has checked for blackjack. Whether or not any form of surrender is allowed is dependent on the table rules.
Many blackjack players choose to surrender far more often than they should. Surrendering allows a player with low confidence in their hand to retrieve some of their initial bet.
However, the odds dictate a recommendation that you do not surrender unless you have a hard fifteen or sixteen while the dealer shows a card worth 10.
Games with late surrender permitted are the best ones to increase your odds of winning, even if you should likely not use your right to surrender very often.
When to Double on Online Blackjack?
If your total is ten or eleven, you should double your bet if the dealer’s card is worth less than your total. If your total is nine, you should double when your dealer has a weak card. Against a strong card, you should not.
If you have a soft hand total of 16 through 18, you should double if the dealer has a weak card.
How to Strategize Bets and Manage Your Bankroll on Online Blackjack?
Even if you understand the rules of the game very well, poor money management can lead to a disastrous game of blackjack. Using the betting strategies above, be precise with your bets. Do not get overly confident in your luck.
Most importantly, make sure you have enough money to be playing at the table. Good blackjack strategies rely on using large sums of money as leverage in the strategy. If you are working with small sums of money, you may find that when you need to bet big in order to win, you are falling short.
There will always be losing hands occasionally. If you can’t afford to take that loss, then you should wait before coming to the online blackjack table.
Why don’t Try to Become Rich Overnight in Online Blackjack?
Many people come to the blackjack table thinking they can get rich that very day. While using the best strategies makes it possible to make money in the long run, you should not assume that you can get rich from one game.
The best approach is to hunt reasonable wins and mitigate losses so that you slowly work your way to profits. Let your smaller wins accumulate. Take your time and don’t fall to greed.
The best strategy is to be patient and work your way up. It is best to start with lower ante games and understand your own risk tolerance. Additionally, these tables are lower-risk ways to practice strategies without having intense pit boss eyes on your betting patterns.
How to know when to Walk Away from Online Blackjack?
It is best to walk away while you are ahead. Once you have a winning pattern, be sure to actually take home your profits by walking away. Many people lose all of their profits by staying at the table for too long.
You may also choose to walk away when you are losing bets repeatedly and the game becomes unfun. Remember, the point of games of chance is to have fun!
Furthermore, know when you are unable to make the best decisions. It is common for people to enjoy drinking while playing online poker. Decision-making ability significantly decreases with high alcohol consumption, so be careful with how much you drink while playing any kind of gambling game.
How to implement a Blackjack Strategy Card?
Popular game variants have strategy cards. These cards consist of a grid of recommendations for how to play each outcome. Many popular game rulesets have strategy cards online. Strategy cards are specific to the game rules.
However, these strategy cards are not omnipotent. Some specific situations are not covered by strategy cards. For example, complex elements such as side bets are not included in strategy cards.
Most strategy cards are not perfect. Each casino’s slight variations will result in changes to optimal strategy. Additionally, the strategy cards are tailored for the creator’s play style. It is wise to learn from these cards, but may still have to try some trial and error.
For new players, I recommend finding a strategy card and stick with it. Take the time to act exactly as the card instructs. Eventually, it will become a natural second-nature. New players do not need to try to reinvent the wheel.
What are side Bet Strategies for Blackjack?
Side bets are bonus bets that casinos have implemented in order to increase the profitability of blackjack. Blackjack is inherently a game with a low house edge.
Side bets are fun excursions from traditional blackjack, but they are designed to not be profitable for the player. The best strategy is to entirely avoid side bets.
You are better off holding true to the strategy card than taking a risk with side bets.
How to counting Cards in Online Poker?
Card counting has been a part of gambling folklore and literature. Famous counters are talked of in the way of legends. Despite this reverence, counting cards is not magic. Any player can learn to count cards with just a little bit of practice and research.
Counting cards is usually not possible in online casinos because a computer system consistently keeps cards shuffled after each hand. However, many online sites offer online blackjack with live dealers.
Counting cards is not illegal, but many casinos frown upon it and may ban players suspected of counting cards. Be sure to not make your strategies too obvious.
There are dozens of card counting methods, but some of the most successful ones will be explained below.
How to do Hi-Lo Count?
Hi-Lo is the most common method for new players. For this method, you do simple math. Every card 2 through 6 is plus one point, every card 10 through ace is minus one. Seven, eight, and nine are not worth any points.
Once you have the card total, you divide the number by the number of undealt cards in the deck. If the result is a positive number, you should increase your bet. If it is negative, you should bet small. The bigger the positive number, the bigger the bet.
This method is the least precise but is the easiest.
How to do Hi-Opt 1 and 2?
This variant of card counting is quite similar to the Hi-Lo method but has more neutral cards.
In Hi-Opt 1, Aces, twos, sevens, eights, and nines are all neutral cards and therefore worth zero points. Threes, fours, fives, and sixes are all plus one, whereas tens through kings are minus 1.
In hi-Opt 2, 10s through kings are minus 2 points, with fours and fives are plus 2 points. Twos, threes, sixes, and sevens are plus one. Aces, eights, and nines are worth zero points as neutral cards.
What is Ace-Five System?
The ace-five system relies on doubling bets as your count increases. This count only deals with two card types, aces, and fives. A five is worth plus 1 point, whereas an ace is worth minus 1 point. If your count total reaches plus two, then you double your bet. This pattern continues every time you add two points to your count. When the count total is plus 1 or less, then you return to your starting bet size.
Be cautious, as the betting patterns are rather noticeable and may be caught by pit bosses.
What is Uston Advanced Count?
The Uston advanced count method was created by well-known card counter Ken Uston.
This method has a complicated counting system as seen in the table:
| Value | Card |
| +3 | 5 |
| +2 | 6, 7 |
| +1 | 2, 8 |
| 0 | Aces |
| -1 | 9 |
| -3 | 10, Jack, Queen, King |
With this system, the bigger the count, the higher the bet. This particular method is designed specifically with a separate count of aces in mind. The high complexity of the Uston method means that only experienced players should try it. If you are new to online blackjack, I recommend that you try the simpler methods first.
What is KO Counting System?
The KO counting method is quite similar to the Hi-Lo method. The difference is that the KO counting system employs a level of protection against dealer blackjack bet.
Cards 2 through 7 are plus 1 point when counting. Eight and nine cards are neutral and worth zero points. 10 through ace cards are minus 1 point. If your count is plus 2 or more, increase your bet. If your count reaches 3 or greater, take an insurance side bet.
How to utilize Bonuses?
Many online casinos offer generous bonuses to both new and old players alike. Typically, this money is not technically yours and you may only keep the winnings from that money.
However, there are requirements before you may withdraw. Most casinos require that you deposit a large sum of your own money before withdrawing bonus winnings is possible.
True Count with Multiple Deck Games
Card counting methods work best on games that use a single deck. As stated before, I recommend that new players stick to single-deck games when possible. However, you may still run into tables that use multiple decks.
To translate your strategy into multiple decks, you must calculate the “true count.” The true count is the amount counted from any of the above methods divided by the number of remaining decks.
For example, if you count plus 6 in a three-deck game with two remaining decks, then your calculation should result in a count of 3.
Why is it important to enter the Game with the Right Attitude?
Blackjack is a game of mental strength. It can be difficult to pick strategies and stick to them 100%. Sometimes, you might be thrown surprises. It is important to mentally prepare yourself to play.
A great blackjack player must control their emotions. Sometimes, it is easy to become too optimistic or too pessimistic at the table. When you have an effective and proven strategy, stick to it despite the fluctuation of emotions.
Blackjack is a game against the house, but your biggest opponent is often yourself. Keep a winning attitude and you will surely think of the best strategies to win.
Why should you test your Strategies in Online Blackjack?
Before taking your strategy to the real table, you should practice. Many online casinos offer demo tables. These demos allow you to practice with fake money.
Before committing to using real money, practice with demo games. After you feel comfortable in demos, start playing with real money. However, do not start with a high budget. You should slowly become more confident and be willing to play with higher stakes as your wallet allows.
Remember, the steps to optimize your odds of winning are to find the right game table, have a matching strategy, and stick to your plan. The ideal scenario is to find a single deck game with a house edge of less than one-half percent. However, these high-quality games are likely closely monitored. The pit bosses do not want to have people counting cards in their games.
Additionally, these high-quality games tend to have a high ante. If the absolute best games are out of your price range, focus on just finding a game with a low house edge.
If your strategy works and you make money, keep testing more complex strategies and work your way up the ranks of games.
Why is it important to keep Track of your Game Records?
Keeping game records is not the most fun part of playing online blackjack.
The first reason records are important is for self-analysis and improvement. If your current methods seem to not be working optimally, you can reference your past statistics and study better methods.
The second reason to keep records is for tax purposes. Winnings from online poker are still taxable income. Especially if you are betting large sums of money, the IRS will want you to file winnings on taxes.
With large winnings, you may even file your taxes as a registered professional blackjack player. If you are winning enough to do so, you can even deduct blackjack resources as a professional expense!
Summary
Online blackjack is a fun way to spend leisure time. By employing the right strategies, it is possible to turn the odds to be the best in your favor.
Remember, the keys to success are finding the right game table, picking the right strategy, and sticking to your strategy. Finally, be sure to play responsibly and have fun!
