Welcome to your one-stop shop for all things Blackjack! Seasoned player, beginner or someone looking to take your blackjack game to the next level – it’s all here in the PokerNews Blackjack Guide.
Read on to find out the basics of learning blackjack, the top blackjack strategies to try out, and where to play real money blackjack online at the best casinos. We’ll also tell you where to play blackjack for free.
Start your Blackjack journey…
- Learn how to play blackjack – the rules, card values, and the bets you can make.
- The blackjack strategies you need to know to take your game to the next level.
- Where to play real money blackjack, no deposit bonuses, and where to play for free.
What is Blackjack (AKA 21)?
Blackjack is a casino card game, found in most (if not all) bricks & mortar casinos worldwide. it’s an extremely popular game, due to it’s simplicity and the fact that it’s easy to pick up and start playing a few hands.
Also known as ’21’, blackjack belongs to a family of card games that utilize the full 52-card deck. Other familiar titles in this family include Pontoon, and Vingt-et-Un. The game originated in France during the 19th century, as a development of earlier Spanish versions, but the rules of what we know as blackjack today were first used in the UK in the 1800s, and these were then transplanted to the US and refined further.
How to Play Blackjack – Rules of the Blackjack Table
Blackjack is a game played against the dealer, rather than other players, and has the objective to get the total of your cards as close to 21 as possible without exceeding this number.
To start a round, each player makes a bet, and the dealer deals each player two cards face up so they are visible to all players and to the dealer. The dealer also deals themself two cards but only one is face up. Players then choose an option about what to do next including taking another card, ending their turn without taking a card, or doubling their bet.
Winning or losing is determined by the total of your cards, which cannot exceed 21, so in blackjack it’s important to know the value of the cards and to be able to work out what you have in your hand, and what cards you need!
To learn the basics, you can read our How to Play Blackjack guide, which details the rules, how to bet, and the significance of the card values in relation to a hand. It’s also a good idea to watch our how to play blackjack video guide below to get started:
Learn to Play With Our FREE Blackjack Calculator
Play Online Blackjack
The online version of blackjack does a great replication of the ‘real’ game found in casinos, and there are multiple sites that offer real money blackjack or free games.
Typically in the online game, you’ll get a top-down view of the blackjack table facing the dealer. Cards will be dealt out as your blackjack hand. There will be a button to use to decide what to do in terms of ‘hit’, ‘stand’, ‘split’ etc, which you tap or click with a mouse, and usually, you’ll find buttons to allow you to make different bets. If you’re looking to try a hand.
Blackjack Strategy: Tips on How to Win at Blackjack more often
Blackjack is game of chance, just like all the other table games at the casino, and there is no guarantee of winning, even if you are using a card counter, for example. But there tips, tricks, hacks, cheats and tools that can help you to perfect your blackjack strategy and make better choices with the cards that you are dealt, such our free printable PDF Blackjack Cheat Sheet and Blackjack Calculator.
Play Live Dealer Blackjack Games
For anyone who’s a fan of playing blackjack in a ‘real’ casino, you might look to play live dealer blackjack. Many of the elements of online blackjack are still present with the live dealer game, but you get the additional feature of a real blackjack dealer to play with.
Most recommended real money casinos offer live dealer roulette as part of their live casino games catalog, and sometimes you’ll get a few variations to choose from. These include titles like:
- Multihand Blackjack
- Blackjack Surrender
- Auto Blackjack
- Platinum Blackjack
- Classic Blackjack
Play Blackjack Games on Mobile
It’s never been easier to find a game of blackjack on your mobile, with many online casinos providing a compact game for their mobile website and app. This means you can play 24/7 and wherever you are, at your convenience.
We’ve listed some of the best blackjack mobile games we’ve found at PokerNews below. We’ve reviewed each of these casinos, so they can be trusted to provide an excellent blackjack mobile experience for playing on the go. You can also read our full guide on Playing Blackjack on Mobile.
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with FanDuel Casino
(available in legal US States only – PA, MI, NJ & WV)
FanDuel Casino are one of the standout casino operators in the US right now, and their mobile experience includes several blackjack titles. You can download the mobile app on both iOS and Android, and find convenient, accessible mobile blackjack to play whenever you like.
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with PokerStars Casino
It can’t be a huge surprise to see PokerStars Casino on this list, but it is good to know that they dedicate a section of their casino app to blackjack games. The PokerStars Casino is available in a number of locations globally, offering blackjack to thousands of casino fans.
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with bet365 Casino
This huge UK-based sportsbook brand are now looking to expand their horizons to many other global locations and this includes providing top-rated casino and table games. The bet365 Casino app is available in many different countries and comes with a standout blackjack offering, including many of the most popular blackjack variants.