How to Play Blackjack
The Ultimate Guide to Playing Blackjack Online - Rules, Strategies & Tips
Blackjack is one of the world’s oldest and most-loved casino games. Dating back to around 1700 in France, where it was known as vingt-et-un (21), its popularity comes from how easy and engaging it is to play.
This article explains all you need to know about playing the game and is one of our extensive how-to guides which help you get the most from your gaming entertainment at Stake.us.
What is Blackjack?
Blackjack is a popular casino table game, loved by many blackjack players around the world in both traditional brick-and-mortar and online social casinos.
In its simplest form, the idea of blackjack is to get a total closer to 21 than the dealer or hold any score of 21 or below should the dealer bust.
Stake social casino offers a range of blackjack games, from computerized dealer tables to live dealer blackjack, where you sit down and play against a real dealer with other players. It’s the closest you’ll get to playing in a real casino.
History of Blackjack & Gameplay
Blackjack has long been one of the most loved table games in the world, enjoyed by players at both land-based and online social casinos for centuries! What makes this game particularly interesting is that the history is not well-known and remains up for debate.
Considering what we currently know, the first mention of the game of blackjack appeared in the 17th century. Or at least, a game that appears to be similar. A Spanish story by the name of Rinconete y Cortadillo mentions a game that some believe to be blackjack, but many others say that the game dates back to Ancient Egypt.
In the 18th century, other theories about the game’s origins came to light. One of the most popular theories was formed around a game called Vingt-et-Un, which started in France. It’s described as a popular card game in the book ‘Round Games with Cards’, which was written by Baxter Wray in 1891.
After this popular game left France, it made its way to America, where it was soon found in casinos and became known as Twenty One - a name that many still use today.
How to Play Blackjack?
You’re dealt two cards while the dealer also gets two, but only one of them is face-up. Add your two cards and decide whether you want to stand or hit and take another card.
When you’re done, the dealer reveals their other hand (the downcard, otherwise known as the hole card) and plays it to a conclusion. You win if your total is closer to 21 or the dealer busts. If you bust, you lose the amount you chose to play.
Basic Blackjack Rules & Tips for Beginners
Like in other casino table games, you must choose your playing amount before the cards are dealt. Twos to tens play with their number; kings, queens and jacks are also worth ten, while an ace is worth one or 11.
Each player at the table plays their hand in turn, standing or hitting to take one or more cards. The best hand is called a natural blackjack, where you’re dealt a 10 (a picture card or a 10) and an ace, making an unbeatable 21.
On all other winning hands, you receive a 1:1 win; with a natural blackjack, your win will be 3:2.
Objectives of Blackjack
Unlike other card games, where you try to beat other players, the goal of blackjack is all about beating the dealer.
It’s a game of incomplete information because you only get to see one of the dealer’s cards while you make your playing decisions.
Ultimately, you need to get closer to 21 than the dealer without busting. Or you can stand and hope the dealer busts.
Types of Blackjack Games
We’re always working on bringing new games to Stake.us, so you’ll find all sorts of blackjack variations to keep you entertained. Read our blog on American vs European Blackjack to learn the difference between these versions and discover new Blackjack games.
As well as different variants, there are two key ways to enjoy your blackjack games: playing computerized tables that use real number generators to deploy the cards fairly or trying our live dealer blackjack tables in our live social casino, which also offers baccarat and roulette games.
Some of the games you can play at Stake social casino for free online include:
Blackjack Play Types & Advanced Options
When playing blackjack, there’s a limited number of play types available, as the game is fairly straightforward. Here are the most common types and side plays available:
Hit - With this play, you are simply setting your play and receiving another card after the initial cards have been dealt.
Split Pairs - When splitting pairs, you take 2 cards of the same value and split them into 2 new hands. When you split, you must place a second play equal to your original play.
Split Aces - When splitting aces, you get 1 additional card for each ace, and you can’t hit again. You must also place an additional play.
Insurance - Blackjack insurance play are only available when the dealer’s hand is revealed and he has an ace card. If you place this insurance play, you are playing as if the dealer will land a Blackjack. It’s won as 2:1 if you win.
Doubling Down - This allows you to double your play in the middle of playing a hand to potentially boost your win, but it’s also a risky play that must be made wisely.
Learn more about when to hit, stand, split, or double down with our guide.
How to Play Blackjack Online at Stake Social Casino?
If you can’t wait to dive into the action of playing blackjack, it’s easy when playing at Stake Social Casino! Getting started is as simple as following a few steps.
Step 1: Sign up at Stake.us and follow the prompts.
Step 2: Make your way to the live social casino category and find a blackjack game. You can choose to play a Stake Original blackjack game, live blackjack, and much more.
Step 3: Set your playing amount and use our responsible playing resources to your advantage.
Step 4: Learn all about the smart strategies and playing systems in place to make the most of every play.
Step 5: Test your skills and play your favourite blackjack title!
Whether you’re playing on your desktop or playing on the go via a mobile device, you can rest assured that Stake Social Casino will provide the best experience possible.
Best Blackjack Strategies, Tips & Tricks to Win
The basic strategy to grasp in all blackjack games is that the next card to come out of the deck is most likely to be cards that equal 10.
So look at the dealer’s up-card. If it is a poor card for them, like a four, five or six, you can assume the down card is a ten, and their total is 14, 15 or 16. In this case, they must take another card, and with that comes a high risk of going bust. Here, you can stand on any total over 11 – why risk busting yourself if that’s what you think the dealer will do?
In the above scenario, and when you have a strong starting total like eight, nine, ten or 11, you can double down because you’ll be getting more chips in the hand to win if and when the dealer goes over 21.
Reversing this logic, if the dealer’s up-card is strong, like a nine or a ten, you must assume their other card is a ten, so you need to be more daring and take another card to try and nudge your total closer to 21.
How to Beat the Dealer
Blackjack is a game of chance, so no one can guarantee you can beat the dealer. However, some ways of playing the game greatly reduce the house edge, bringing it down from around 2% to as little as 0.5%.
As a rule of thumb, the key to successful blackjack playing is to remember that the most likely next card will be ten since all tens, jacks, queens and kings in the deck represent 10.
This will help you make better decisions about whether to take another card. And it will guide you in predicting the dealer’s two starting cards.
Hard or Soft Hand?
A hard hand in blackjack contains no ace. So, a ten and an eight is a hard hand of 18. But a soft hand is one containing an ace. If you have an ace and a seven, you have a soft 18 (or you can elect to play it as a total of 8 and take another card).
Why does this matter? Well, if the dealer shows strength, perhaps with an up-card of a nine or a ten, you might think a soft 18 is not strong enough to win, and play it as a total of eight, hoping to improve to a total of 19, 20 or 21.
If you think this all sounds a little complicated, it’s not. All it takes is a little practice to by playing our range of free blackjack games online. Good luck at the tables!
If you're looking for more information, check out our guide to online social casinos, our table game guide, or our online card game guide!
Social Casino Promotions & VIP Club at Stake.us
Here at Stake.us, there are plenty of big bonuses and social casino promotions waiting to be claimed. You can dive into our new online game releases or explore live dealer titles with a bonus boost to make playing even more exciting.
More than just fun promos, weekly giveaways, and hair-raising challenges, we also have a fantastic VIP Club that you can join. As an exclusive VIP, you’ll have access to the hottest rakebacks, big reload bonuses, and the perks of a VIP host at your side.
If you want to know more, take a look at our VIP program FAQs and have all of your important questions answered.
