There was a time blackjack was the undisputed king of casino card games. Nowadays, the thrown belongs to baccarat—if you visit Macau casinos—or poker in American and European casinos.
Is blackjack still a popular casino game? The quick answer is yes. Nearly every respected casino offers blackjack. In fact, most operators provide a variety of blackjack types:
- Classic Blackjack
- Blackjack Switch
- Perfect Pairs
- Single Deck Blackjack
- Spanish 21
Should you play Blackjack in 2022?
Blackjack might be one of many casino games. But its biggest fans play blackjack for money online consistently. Here’s why:
1. Simple to play
The rules of blackjack are simple. You place a bet, from $5 to $100,000 depending on the casino. Next, you take a seat opposite to a casino dealer—your opponent for the game.
The dealer shuffles cards and deals you two cards facing up. He or she also receives two cards, one of which faces up. The aim of the game is to produce a hand close to or equal to 21.
Now, let’s say you have an ace card (11) and a queen (10). The total value of these two cards is 21, a win for you. If your two cards don’t add up to 21, though, you can hit for another card or stand—say you have a hand of 20.
2. A game of strategy
We’ll admit—blackjack isn’t as popular as slot machines. Slots dominate up to 80% of games at some casinos. But guess what? With blackjack, you can use skills and strategies to win.
You see, there are a few moves you can make in blackjack that could increase or reduce your chances of winning. Let’s start with hitting/standing. If your first two cards don’t add up to 21, you can hit for another card or stand.
Thanks to blackjack strategies, you can learn when to stand and when to hit. Basic blackjack strategy is an excellent example. It says you should split 8’s and aces always, never split 10’s and stand on hard 17.
Basic blackjack strategy has many more rules. In fact, you can download a cheat sheet to use at any casino. Besides this strategy, you can also use card counting, Martingale and reverse Martingale to improve your odds of winning in the game.
3. Low house edge
Ask any experienced gambler what he or she looks for before choosing a casino game to play. Most experts look at the house advantage or the Return to Player (RTP) for slot machines.
A house edge is the inherent advantage a casino has in each game. Naturally, you want to play a game with a low house advantage. And that’s where blackjack comes to play.
Standard blackjack has a house edge of less than 1%. Some variants of the game—single deck blackjack—have a house edge of 0.5% or lower. Interestingly, you can also lower this advantage by using basic blackjack strategy or a good bonus.
In case you’re wondering, a low house edge gives you good chances of winning. And no casino game, including poker, roulette or baccarat, beats blackjack in providing a low house advantage.
4. Multiple variants
Blackjack might be simple to play. But this doesn’t mean it’s boring. Quite the opposite—this game lets you choose one of many variants:
- Classic 21
- Perfect Pairs
- Blackjack Switch
- Single Deck
- Spanish 21
Classic 21 is the original version of blackjack. It’s the game you need to play if you’re a beginner or want to enjoy blackjack in its purest form. If you like to experiment, though, learn about the other variants.
In many cases, the bottom line is the same. Defeat the dealer at a hand of 21. The differences come in rules. Blackjack switch, for example, gives you four cards at the start of a game. And it lets you switch them up to increase your odds of winning.
Although you can switch cards, a dealer’s 21 is a push compared to your hand of 21. The only exception is if you have a natural blackjack.
5. Play against the house
There’s a pride that comes with knowing a casino is your opponent. If you win, you’re taking money away from the house. Poker lacks this privilege. In poker, you take away money from fellow gamblers.
Blackjack is one of a few game that pits you against a casino employee. You play against one opponent consistently, allowing you to challenge yourself against the house.
Due to its nature, blackjack is popular with celebrities, athletes and high rollers. In fact, it used to be known as the game for the wealthy. In other words, it’s a prestigious game to play.
6. It’s a social game
Unlike slots and video poker, blackjack is a social game. You can interact with the dealer as you play. This is also true for Internet players. Thanks to live software, you can connect to a human dealer through a video link.
Some casinos also feature multiplayer blackjack. Here, several players sit at one table. And they each take turn playing against one deal. You can talk to your fellow players or the dealer, lightening up the mood in the room.
7. Decent payouts
The fact that some people make millions of dollars from blackjack says this is a good game to play. However, the amount of money you win depends on your stake size, blackjack type and the rules involved.
If you play perfect pairs blackjack and produce a perfect hand, you get paid 30:1. By comparison, doubling down in many blackjack variants pay you 1:1. On average, though, you earn 3:2 for you winning a blackjack hand.
Some casinos might attempt to short change you with a 6:5 payout. But always look for 3:2 casinos. You can make a lot more money in the long haul.
Summary
The days when blackjack dominated casinos might be gone. But the game is still incredibly popular at modern casinos. It’s fun, simple to play and pays out good sums of money.
Please play responsibly. For more information and advice visit www.begambleaware.org
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