Online blackjack is a popular casino game that effectively blends skill, strategy, and random outcomes. It traces its roots to the French casinos around the 1700s, where the cards are called 'Vingt-et-Un', or roughly means 'Twenty-one'. Your aim in blackjack online is to beat the dealer’s hand and not the other players.

Today, it's a standard offering in top online casinos, including LeoVegas New Zealand and playable in different variants. For example, you can play its RNG version (free blackjack games are also available) or participate in live blackjack games where you enjoy it against a human dealer in real-time.

While the game's objectives and rules remain the same, there are a few variations in rules and bets applied in modern online blackjack games. Read this guide on blackjack online games, its popular variants, and the different decisions you can make on each round.

As a popular casino game, online blackjack is available in different variants, each with slightly different betting rules. So before you play blackjack online, check out the other blackjack variants, their rules, and bets to play.

1. European Blackjack. The European Blackjack is the most widely used variant in most online casinos, including LeoVegas. Here, the dealer uses two decks of playing cards, thus offering a lower house edge than American Blackjack. In addition, there's no hole card, and the dealer is dealt one card face up and only receives the second after the player gets all cards.

2. American Blackjack. The American Blackjack uses six to eight decks of cards and offers more flexible and user-friendly rules than its European counterpart. The dealer collects two cards on each round, with one card face-down, which we call 'hole card'. If the face-up card is an Ace, the dealer can check the hole card for a possible blackjack.

3. Live Blackjack. At LeoVegas NZ, you can find live blackjack games from some top providers, including Evolution. Here, you can play the traditional game of blackjack online, with the functionality to interact with other players and the live dealer via the online chat.Live blackjack games can also come in variations, with some games offering bonus modifiers and different side bets.

4. Speed Blackjack. Evolution's fastest blackjack game yet, where the player makes his decision when ready, and whoever is the fastest collects the next hit card.

5. Spanish 21. Spanish 21 is a relatively new variant of the game that combines the rules of classic blackjack and the excitement of online slots. This blackjack variant uses a ‘Spanish deck’ with only 48 cards and doesn’t feature 10-value cards.

6. Atlantic City Blackjack. In Atlantic City,  you can divide your hand up to three times, for example. If you keep catching cards of identical value three times, you may end up playing four-handed. The Ace is the only exception; it can only be split once and is then a one-hit wonder.  Any hand, including splits, can be doubled down on.

The blackjack action starts with the players placing their bets using casino chips bought from the dealer. In RNG-based online blackjack, the player can click on a virtual chip to represent his bet and click 'Deal' to start playing around.

The dealer then assigns two cards facing up to the player and two cards to himself, one face-down. Under the blackjack rules, the dealer can check for a blackjack if the upcard is a ten or Ace.

If yes, the round ends, and the player loses his wager, except if he also holds a blackjack. But if the dealer goes over 21, then the player who didn't bust wins. If not, hands are compared to check which hands win, or if it's a tie or push, and the player retains his bet.

Check our "How to play blackjack" guide to learn more about the rules of blackjack.

In each round, the player starts with two cards face up and will decide on his next move from four possible actions.

1. Hit. To hit means that the player collects another card to increase the hand's value.

2. Stand. The player is satisfied with the hand’s value and will no longer get another card.

3. Surrender. The player can fold a hand before drawing another card in a blackjack variant with a 'surrender' option. Half of your bet is returned to the stack if you choose to surrender. The other is forfeited in favor of the house.

4. Split. To split in blackjack is to make two separate hands from two cards of the same value, like 8-8.

5. Double Down. It’s an option to double your wager in exchange for another card.

6. Insurance. It's a popular side bet in blackjack online that's offered if the dealer's upcard is Ace.

As the objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer and achieve a hand worth 21, the main betting option is whether you can achieve this in your upcoming round. If successful, winning a game of blackjack will payout at 1:1. However, the odds are not certain and they can change from game to game.

You can also come across a range of side bets in online blackjack, allowing you to bet on the likelihood of receiving a specific hand. This can include; 21+3, Three of a Kind, Flush, Straight Flush and many more. The odds for each vary as the likelihood of landing some hands is much smaller than others. A Suited Three of a Kind sits at the top of this list, with odds of 100/1.

For the best blackjack gambling experience, check out these best online blackjack games at LeoVegas New Zealand:

Exclusive Infinite Blackjack

Exclusive Infinite Blackjack is a recently released live Blackjack table by Evo & has become a crowd favourite. The game presents an infinite amount of exciting features & possibilities! This table is largely accessible with a low entry bet limit. What's more, Exclusive Infinite Blackjack is brought to you LIVE from our LeoVegas Exclusive Lounge and showcases our luxurious branded interior and professional in-house game presenters.

LeoVegas Speed Blackjack

Another exclusive LeoVegas and Evolution collaboration, LeoVegas Speed Blackjack is a fast-paced blackjack game that is sure to get your heart pumping! This table has all the features of the classic game with an added speedy twist. Players race against the clock and each other to make the quickest choice to either Hit, Double, or Split cards. This will result in having their next hand dealt first, giving the player an extra edge.

ONE Blackjack Live

Pull up a seat of this iconic table game with a twist! Enjoy all the thrills of the classic BUT with huge winning potential of up to 2,000x your bet! Take full advantage of the game changing side bets offered on ONE Blackjack Live and chase your wins!

LeoVegas Casino is the ‘King of Mobile Gambling,' which shows in the quality of its dedicated app and wide range of mobile-ready casino games. You can directly access the website from the browser of your mobile device or install its native app for Android and iOS devices. Playing online blackjack on mobile is so easy!

With your mobile app, you can easily play your favourite blackjack game, top up your account with just a few clicks and get notifications and advertising alerts in real-time!

LeoVegas New Zealand is home to a growing portfolio of top blackjack games from leading suppliers like Playtech and Evolution Gaming. You can play free blackjack games using a free demo (RNG-based), but you'll need to register first and log in to your account to play the real money blackjack games in a live casino.

The basic blackjack strategy is the most optimal for playing blackjack online.

In blackjack, there are two types of hands: soft and hard.

An Ace is included in a soft hand since it counts as 1 or 11 in your score.

A hard hand is exactly what it says on the tin; it's lacking Aces, and the values are fixed.

When playing blackjack, the aim is to achieve a higher total than the dealer without exceeding 21, which would lead to the player going "bust". In the initial round, the dealer will provide players with two cards to give them their first hand. If players wish to increase the value of their hand, they can choose to "hit". This will cause the dealer to hand out another card from the deck. In the scenario where a player is happy with their hand, they can choose to "stand", meaning the player does not wish to receive any more cards.Once all players have selected to stand, the dealer will reveal their hidden cards to show the total value of their hand.

The standard payout odds that players can expect to find in blackjack games is 3/2, which is the best odds, paying out at 1.5x the bet.

Although there is no specific answer when it comes to blackjack tips, a basic blackjack strategy might advise players to hit when holding a hand of 10 or 12-16.

A hand consisting of anything over 17 and blackjack players are recommended to stand as they would risk going bust.

Many online blackjack games provide players with a range of betting options, including various side bets, such as:21+3 - Place a bet on whether the dealer's upward card and your first two cards add up to complete a certain value.Perfect Pair - Bet on your first two cards matching the following pairs; Colour Pair, Mixed Pair and Perfect Pair (Both cards being identical).Insurance bet - This is a bet to protect your bankroll in the scenario that the dealer is able to complete a blackjack.