Blackjack

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. In live blackjack, the player remotely plays the game against a human dealer. Top live blackjack game suppliers like Playtech and Evolution Gaming stream the game in real-time from a dedicated blackjack table in a studio.

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.

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.

The player's primary aim online blackjack is to score a blackjack that pays 1:1. If it's blackjack on the first deal of cards, most variants pay x1.5, and after doubling your bet, a blackjack pays x2 of your accumulated wager. Also, many blackjack games online feature side bets (such as perfect pair, 21+3, coloured pair and others) that offer varying payouts.

In terms of the odds of winning, the house edge differs depending on the number of decks in place. For example, European Blackjack that uses a single deck has a house edge of 0.17%, but American Blackjack that uses up to eight decks of playing cards boasts a house advantage of 0.65%.

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.