How to Play Blackjack for Beginners: A Beginner Guide to Blackjack Rule and Strategy Formulation

Updated: 26.06.2024

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Blackjack offers the lowest house edge that gives you an almost equal chance of winning or losing, making it one of the top choices of any serious player. So, if you’re playing to have fun and win, having a solid Blackjack strategy under your sleeve is a good idea.

Whether you need a quick recap or are looking to learn to play from scratch, you’re in the right place. We have created a complete Blackjack strategy guide on how to play in the best sites to play Blackjack online. If you want to play your hand and test your skills, this will cover everything that you need to know.

How Does Blackjack Work: Basic Blackjack Rules to Know Before Playing

How to play this game? The goal of Blackjack is to beat the dealer. According to the rules, this is done by meeting two conditions:

Don’t go over total of 21, but meet a hand value that’s as close to 21 as possible.
Get a hand better than the dealer if either doesn’t have a Blackjack.

Here, cards with numbers 2 to 9 are assigned values on them. 10, Jack, Queen, and King have a value of 10. Meanwhile, Ace can be either 1 or 11, whichever will give you the highest hand value that’s 21 or under.

There can be multiple people on the Blackjack table, but the value of their hands doesn’t matter and has no impact on your win at Blackjack.

A Look into One Hand in Blackjack: What Can You Expect When You Play Blackjack Online?

Now that you know how to play Blackjack, let us walk you through this Blackjack guide that walks you through step-by-step of what happens after you place your wager.

Dealer Distributes from the Deck of Cards

Each Blackjack player on the table will have two cards. Every card is dealt clockwise to the players at the table with one face-up card. Meanwhile, one more card will be given face down so that the two cards face the opposite directions. This goes on for another round so that you all have two face-up cards except for the dealer who will have only one face-up card.

Everyone on the Table Plays Their Hand

The first thing you’ll do here is assess the value of your hand. From there, you’ll decide what to do next:

Stand. This means that you’re satisfied with the value of your hand and will not be taking more cards.
Hit. You want to further increase your hand value by getting another card.
Split. If your two cards have the same value, you can split them so each becomes the first card of a new hand. You’ll be given two additional cards, then you can proceed to play as normal.
Double Down. You double your bet, get one card, and automatically stand. Doubling down means you believe you’ll only need one additional card to beat the dealer.
Surrender. If you don’t like your initial hand, you can take half of your bet by opting out of the round.

Dealer Plays Their Hand

In Blackjack, when to hit is the same for dealers. If the value of their hand is 16 or below, they must take additional cards until it’s at least 17. Meanwhile, if it’s initially at 17, they have to stand.

However, keep in mind that every online casino may have slight variations in their rules. For example, the dealer may not have to stand on a Soft 17 (an Ace card and a 6). Instead, the value of the hand is regarded as 7 so they can hit.

Dealer Resolves the Payout

There are three potential outcomes for a round of the game of Blackjack:

You win if your hand is higher than the dealer’s or they went bust. With 3 to 2 Blackjack, the dealer of Blackjack pays 1.5 times your bet.
You lose if the dealer’s hand is higher than yours or you go bust.
It’s a tie if the value of your hand and the dealer’s are the same. This is called Push, and you keep your money.

How to Play Blackjack for Beginners? These Basic Strategies Should Help You Manage Risks

Before sitting on a Blackjack table, have every strategy for beginners memorized by heart. This eliminates some of the decision-making for you, thus preventing you from making bad decisions:

Never Split Cards with Values of 10 Each

A pair of face cards or Aces already guarantees a hand of 20. Splitting opens the potential of getting two bad hands, which can double your losses.
Stand on 17+

In the previous section, we discussed how the dealer always stands when the value of the hand is already 17. This is because you're likely to bust after since only 4 card values will get you to 21 or lower. Do the same!
Always Hit on 16

The dealer won’t settle on a hand that’s less than 17, so the only time that you’ll win on 16 is if the dealer busts.
Don’t Do Side Bets

In the previous section, we didn’t discuss side bets like even money and insurance bets. These wagers are too expensive for the returns promised and the likelihood that the attached events will happen.
Employ Betting Strategies

Unless your hand value is 21, the house just pays your bet amount. This makes it perfect for employing betting strategies like D’Alembert where you increase your betting unit by 1 for a win and decrease in the opposite direction if it’s a loss.

Ultimate Blackjack Tips: What Should You Remember as You Play Blackjack Games Online?

The strategies mentioned above are great for stacking the odds in your favor as much as possible. Here are a few things to remember:

Keep Your Cool and Focus on the Objective of Blackjack

How to win blackjack rounds one after the other? Your best chance is sticking to an informed strategyand play based on that. A series of losing streaks may make it tempting to recalibrate your tactic on the spot. If you truly want to shift gears, stop playing first.
Remember That the Dealer Can’t Strategize for RNG or Live Blackjack

As illustrated earlier in the article, their move is completely predictable because it’s the same for each round. So, you don’t have to worry about them taking a huge risk to beat your hand. They’re just playing the numbers!
Assume That You’ll Lose All Blackjack Hands in a Blackjack Casino

This means that a player must only bet what they can afford to lose. Even though the odds of winning in Blackjack are close to 50-50, having this mindset prevents you from chasing your losses.

How to Win Blackjack Online vs In-Person: Is There a Difference?

Today, you have the option to play Blackjack in a casino in your area, select an RNG game, or even play live Blackjack with real-time dealer. Regardless of where you decide to spend your funds, a Blackjack basic strategy still largely applies.

But there’s one huge difference. Playing online allows you to get better acquainted with Blackjack rules before you bet. Depending on your selected casino, you may even be allowed to play free Blackjack games through the Demo mode.

There’s a lot more guidance with online Blackjack, so we recommend newbies to start here. This will also allow you to take advantage of the best casino bonuses offered, which can help you stretch your player funds.

What Variations Exist in Blackjack Betting Rules?

The list of online casino in the Philippines that offer Blackjack titles is huge! See the many ways that you can learn how to play Blackjack. These come with slight changes in basic rules of Blackjack, such as:

Resplitting Aces. In some versions of this card game, you may be allowed to split a pair of Aces two times so that you have 4 hands in total for the round.
Double down after splitting. Some Blackjack games let you double down on a split, while some don’t.
6 to 5 Blackjacks. There are tables that reduce Blackjack payout to discourage card counting.

This is not an exhaustive list of Blackjack variants. You may encounter more in the gaming platform of your choice, so make it a point to read the Blackjack casino rules first before betting.

FAQ on How to Play Online Blackjack at Casinos

Do I Need to Learn How To Count Cards in Blackjack?

No, learning how to play doesn’t involve knowing how to count cards. Having a solid strategy is the better approach to winning, especially because a lot of casinos may not tolerate card counters.

What Is Insurance in Blackjack?

The insurance bet is a side bet that you can choose to make if the odds that the dealer has a Blackjack is high, like with having an Ace face-up card. Basically, you're betting that they'll have a 10-card for the hole, which gives them a Blackjack. So, even if you don’t get the original 3 to 2 payout, you’ll still be able to offset all of your losses. In case this event happens, you get a 2 to 1 payout for your Blackjack.

What is the Most Effective Approach on How To Win in Blackjack?

Knowing the basic strategies, like not splitting 10s or splitting double Aces or 8s. Such methods have been mathematically proven to be your best move, so sticking to them is your best move.

What Is Split in Blackjack?

Split is an option for a player who gets 2 cards of the same value. Here, you’re splitting two so that they become the first cards of two hands. Then, the dealer will provide the second one.

Author: Houston O’Keefe

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Houston is a manager of sales hailing from Cebu City in the Philippines. He is respectful and calm. He is always eager to help others – including strangers, friends, family, staff, and clients. Houston is a social person who loves to work with people from various backgrounds. His mission is to foster a peaceful, productive work environment and build bridges between him, his team, and clients.