Online blackjack or “21”, as it is commonly known, is by far the most popular card game offered in virtual casino establishments. This page will tell you what you need to know to get started.

The idea of online blackjack is simply that you want to have a hand value that is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21. Other players at the table are not playing against each other; every player plays against the dealer, so your hand is strictly played out against the hand of the dealer.

In casino blackjack the dealer's parameters of play are strictly set out, meaning that the dealer does not need to make any decisions regarding his strategy. Basically an example of a strategy a blackjack dealer would have is to keep drawing a card until he has a hand of 17 or more – this is often described as ‘Dealer stands on 17'.

The value of the cards:

In blackjack an ace counts a either 1 or 11, cards from 2 to 9 are valued as shown and 10, Jack, Queen and King are all valued at 10.

So as an example, if a player is dealt an Ace and a 5, the value of the hand would be 16 (ace = 11 and 5 =5), if the next card dealt to the player is 9 the value of the hand would be 15, the ace now equalling 1 not 11.

If the hand is equal to 21 exactly, this is referred to as blackjack.

The game begins by each player at the table being dealt 2 cards and the dealer drawing two cards. The dealer will then display the value on one of his cards.

Each player has an option of drawing another card (hitting), keeping their hand as is (standing) and, depending on the cards, they could choose from some more advanced betting options such as doubling up or splitting.

Read more: Online Blackjack Basics

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