How to play Blackjack

Playing this exciting card game can provide you with lots of excitement, fun, and hopefully, some cash wins. Once you understand the basics, there are many different types of the game for you to enjoy at online casinos in India.

This guide will teach you everything there is to know about the game—the various bets, rules, how to beat the dealer, and the different payouts.

There are many major advantages to playing the game at an online casino. The main factor as a beginner is that you can keep this guide to hand at the same time as you are playing. Referring back to it should you need, without any other players at the table getting impatient.

Once you have finished reading this helpful guide, you will be fully equipped and ready to play your first round. Getting the chance to win some real money and having some real fun along the way.

Content Overview

When you are learning how to play Blackjack games, it’s important to remember that your main aim is to beat the dealer.

Yes, you still need to get your hand of cards as close to a value of 21 or 21. But you will also win if you focus your aim on playing against the dealer and beating them.

Blackjack rules aren’t about a team sport, and this game isn’t like Poker where you are putting your skills to the test against other players. There’s no need for a poker face here: you play against the dealer only.

It is worth familiarizing yourself with these following rules because they will form the basis of your game.

When is the dealer losing?

• The dealer gets a hand of cards with a value that exceeds 21.
• You get a hand value which is greater than the dealer’s hand.
• If on your first 2 cards you get a value of 21, and the dealer doesn’t.

There are just 2 ways in which you will lose to the dealer.

• The dealer’s hand of cards values more than yours when you get to the end of the round.
• Your hand of cards is worth more than 21.

In this section, we will introduce you to the game’s basic rules, simply and straightforwardly. Once you understand these, you will be well on your way to playing your first round.

A standard game is played using a conventional deck of 52 cards, the values of these cards form the very basis of the game’s rules:

• Number cards retain their corresponding values, e.g. card 2 is worth 2, card 5 is worth 5 and so on.
• Aces can either be valued at 1 or 11, depending on which works best for your hand.
• Face/picture/royal cards are worth 10.

Example: A picture card and an Ace would be a winning hand (10+11) as in this case, you should use the Ace as an 11 instead of a 1.

At the beginning of the round, the dealer will ask all players to place their bets. You will do this by clicking on the chip representing the amount of money you would like to bet with. Drag the chip into the betting circle on the table.

• You will be able to see the minimum and maximum bets permitted on the side of the screen. They will also be displayed on the game’s thumbnail in the casino’s lobby before you enter the game.
• Once all players have placed their bets, the dealer will indicate ‘no more bets’.
• In most online games, you will be able to see the potential return for your bet at this stage as well as when you go through the steps of making your decisions.
• Placing a bet forms the basis of your real money payout, should you win.

The action now begins, and the dealer will deal the shuffled cards. These are then dealt as one card to each player, to start with. The card is placed in a face-up position on the table.

• The dealer also gives themself a face-up card.
• The second cards are then dealt the same way as the first. You will now have 2 face-up cards in front of you at this stage.
• The dealer will also have 2 cards, one face up and one face down. It is now up to the players to decide what to do with their dealt hand of cards.

Now you have your cards, what do you do next? At this stage in the game, the dealer will ask you for your decision. This is your next move, and here is where we will explain your options and how each one will affect your hand.

Now would be an excellent time to reach for our strategy guide to help you make the best decision. This strategy has a 99% Return To Player (RTP) proven efficiency rate and is straightforward and easy to use. This is the one which our experts reach for at AllGambling, and it’s proven to work.

If you’d like to get more cards to improve your current hand’s total, you can choose this option. Where you’ll be dealt more cards, one at a time to give you another chance to reach 21, if the cards go over 21, then you’ll be ‘Bust’ and out of the game.

There isn’t a limit on how many cards you can take during a ‘Hit’. You will either go Bust or decide to keep the cards in your hand and ‘Stand’.

You can make this decision following a ‘hit’ or if your first 2 dealt cards are good. The dealer then moves on to take the next player’s decision.

If your cards are good but you’d like to be dealt one extra card, opt for this decision. It will also automatically double your bet.

If you get a pair of cards (2 cards of the same value), then you can choose to place a second wager and therefore double your bet. The dealer will then split the pair, meaning that each card will become the first card of 2 new separate hands.

You can make this decision with picture cards as well as numbers. For example, a King and a Jack as they each have the same values.

If your cards aren’t likely to produce a win and you don’t want to choose one of the other options, you can opt for this. The decision will get you out of the game, but you’ll get half of your bet back.

After all players have made their decisions, the dealer then plays last. It’s at this stage that you will either win or lose the round in one of the scenarios below:

• If your cards value more than the dealers: you’ll win
• If your cards value 21: you’ll win
• If the dealers’ cards value more than 21: you’ll win

You’ll lose if:

• The dealers’ cards value more than yours
• Your cards value more than 21

But what if your cards value the same as the dealers?

It’s a tie, which in the game is referred to as a ‘push’. Neither you nor the dealer win or loses in this case.

At this point, it’s time to collect your cash if you are a lucky winner. There are now 3 scenarios:

• If the dealer has bust, then they will pay on even money, which is 1x your initial bet still in play at the table.
• If you have a hand of cards with a higher value than the dealer, then you have beaten them and will be paid at a rate of 2:1.
• If you have a ‘push’, then you will get to keep your money but won’t be paid anything extra on the bet.

There are many different variations on the traditional game, and most will follow the basic rules which we have explained in this guide. But some games do come with additional rules which can work out in your favour, though they are quite tricky to find as it means that you’ll have a definite advantage over the casino.

The ‘Six Card Charlie’ rule means that if you have 6 cards on the table for a single hand and you haven’t gone ‘bust’, then you would win.

These are additional extra bets which are optional. They can add extra interest, more fun, and more winning potential to your game. The range which you can choose from depends on the game you have chosen to play.

The bets are made in addition to your standard bet. You will be able to see these on your screen to the side of the main table layout. If you would like to use one, you would click on your chosen type to add this to your main bet.

There are many types of bets available, and you’ll find that most are offered at the Evolution Gaming tables. You will find those in any of our recommended blackjack casinos.

Below we have covered the most popular.

With this type of bet, you have the chance to increase your potential win if your initial 2 cards are a pair, either coloured or mixed.

This gives you the chance to win cash with a large range of card combinations, similar to Poker. These are made up of your initial 2 cards with an extra face-up card held by the dealer.

This bet is based on your first two cards and the dealers one face-up card. You will score a win if these 3 cards value 19, 20, or 21.

You will win with this bet if the first card dealt to the dealer results in them going bust.

Getting to grips with your first game online doesn’t need to be a scary thing. Here is where we will teach you how to play the perfect game in 7 easy steps. We will explain the order of things, the options available to you, and the decisions you may make in certain situations.

Live Blackjack can only be played using real money. With some online casinos, you may be able to view a short video of the game to get a taste for it, but you will need to sign up and deposit to get the chance to win the cash.

Time is precious, and your safety is paramount to us here at AllGambling, which is why we have taken the hassle out of this process by presenting you with all the best casinos in India where you can play this exciting game at.

You can find a list of these online casinos here, they all feature a great variety of deposit methods, and it will take you just a few minutes to sign up with any of them.

You’ll take a seat at your chosen table, just like you would in a land-based casino, but this will be a virtual seat. You’ll be guided into the game and then need to click on an available spot to mark your seat for the next round.

The live dealer will indicate when the current round is over, and then you’ll ‘sit down’ at your allocated place to make your bets.

The action of the round will begin with you placing your bets by clicking on your chosen cash chip and placing it in the correct area of the table.

Placing your bets serves two purposes, one to receive a card and one to be the foundation of your potential cash win.

The live dealer will now deal the cards in a clockwise direction with one card face up to every player around the table. They will also deal themselves one face down card. You will also receive one more card dealt face up after this, and another card for the dealer – also face up.

At this point, it’s now time to make your decision and let the action begin. The live dealer will start with the player on their left, often known as ‘first base’.

Add your card values together to give a total from 4 to 21 and then choose to either:

• Stand
• Hit
• Double Down
• Split
• Surrender

Another great thing about playing the game at an online casino is that some tables permit you to make an ‘initial decision’. This speeds the game up and allows players in seats 2-7 to make their decision simultaneously as the player in seat 1 is being asked to make theirs.

When all players have made their decisions, and everyone has either busted or chosen to stand, it’s now time for the dealer to flip over their card and determine the winning players.

The winners will now be paid, whilst the losers of the round will get their initial bet collected by the dealer.

Well done, you have now played your first round and hopefully you’ve won!

Now that you know how to play blackjack, your next step is to find a reputable and licensed online casino to test your new skills. We understand that this may seem daunting, there are lots of casinos out there each with tempting deals and a range of games. But are they safe to spend your money with?

You can trust in us here at AllGambling to only recommend legal and trusted online casinos. And here you will find a list of all the best sites in India, which are safe and trustworthy. You’ll also get access to great welcome bonuses, a wide variety of tables, and many more treats.

Learning a basic strategy is a natural transition now that you are equipped to play the game. We have tried and tested out many of these over our 50 years of experience. And we always come back to this basic one.

You can find it here, it’s very easy to learn and simple to understand. There is no difficult mathematics to master, and it will tell you the best move to make in any situation in the game.

We all know there are no definite ways to win with any form of gambling, but having a strategy by your side will help improve your chances. It will also decrease the per cent advantage which any casino has over you, increasing your profitability.