PokerNews Blackjack Guide: How to Play & Strategy Tips to Help You Win at Blackjack
Welcome to your one-stop shop for all things Blackjack! Seasoned player, beginner or someone looking to take your blackjack game to the next level - it's all here in the PokerNews Blackjack Guide.
Read on to find out the basics of learning blackjack, the top blackjack strategies to try out, and where to play real money blackjack online at the best casinos. We'll also tell you where to play blackjack for free.
Start your Blackjack journey...
- Learn how to play blackjack - the rules, card values, and the bets you can make.
- The blackjack strategies you need to know to take your game to the next level.
- Where to play real money blackjack, no deposit bonuses, and where to play for free.
Latest Online Blackjack Bonuses
The best bonuses and offers for playing blackjack can be found at these online casinos:
See even more online casino bonuses for blackjack!
What is Blackjack (AKA 21)?
Blackjack is a casino card game, found in most (if not all) bricks & mortar casinos worldwide. it's an extremely popular game, due to it's simplicity and the fact that it's easy to pick up and start playing a few hands.
Also known as '21', blackjack belongs to a family of card games that utilize the full 52-card deck. Other familiar titles in this family include Pontoon, and Vingt-et-Un. The game originated in France during the 19th century, as a development of earlier Spanish versions, but the rules of what we know as blackjack today were first used in the UK in the 1800s, and these were then transplanted to the US and refined further.
How to Play Blackjack - Rules of the Blackjack Table
Blackjack is a game played against the dealer, rather than other players, and has the objective to get the total of your cards as close to 21 as possible without exceeding this number.
To start a round, each player makes a bet, and the dealer deals each player two cards face up so they are visible to all players and to the dealer. The dealer also deals themself two cards but only one is face up. Players then choose an option about what to do next including taking another card, ending their turn without taking a card, or doubling their bet.
Winning or losing is determined by the total of your cards, which cannot exceed 21, so in blackjack it's important to know the value of the cards and to be able to work out what you have in your hand, and what cards you need!
To learn the basics, you can read our How to Play Blackjack guide, which details the rules, how to bet, and the significance of the card values in relation to a hand. It's also a good idea to watch our how to play blackjack video guide below to get started:
Learn to Play With Our FREE Blackjack Calculator
You can also learn more about playing blackjack by using our free online blackjack calculator, which allows you to test actions for specific blackjack hands.
Use our FREE Blackjack Calculator
Play Online Blackjack
The online version of blackjack does a great replication of the 'real' game found in casinos, and there are multiple sites that offer real money blackjack or free games.
Typically in the online game, you'll get a top-down view of the blackjack table facing the dealer. Cards will be dealt out as your blackjack hand. There will be a button to use to decide what to do in terms of 'hit', 'stand', 'split' etc, which you tap or click with a mouse, and usually, you'll find buttons to allow you to make different bets. If you're looking to try a hand, here's a few blackjack games to get you started:
See our Online Blackjack Bonus Guide to find the best online bonuses available for blackjack players at our recommended online casinos in your location.
Play NowBlackjack Strategy: Tips on How to Win at Blackjack more often
Blackjack is game of chance, just like all the other table games at the casino, and there is no guarantee of winning, even if you are using a card counter, for example. But there tips, tricks, hacks, cheats and tools that can help you to perfect your blackjack strategy and make better choices with the cards that you are dealt, such our free printable PDF Blackjack Cheat Sheet and Blackjack Calculator.
FREE Printable PDF Blackjack Chart Cheat Sheet
If you're new to playing blackjack, or you just want an extra edge to bring to your next blackjack game, look no further than our blackjack chart cheat sheet (which is free to download and print)!
This Blackjack Cheat Sheet provides a number of actions for different scenarios based on the combination of cards you may be dealt in a game of blackjack. Learning what strategy to play with can help when learning the game of blackjack, and working out your favored way to bet and improve your chance of winning
Best Sites to Play Online Blackjack for Real Money
So you've learned the rules of blackjack, and looked over a number of strategies to find the right one for you - what's next? It might be time to play at a real money online casino.
If you're already familiar with blackjack and want to start playing online then you're in luck. There are a number of real money casinos that offer multiple blackjack options, and we recommend most of these as decent casinos to spend your money with, and these are all listed on our Real Money Blackjack guide for your ease.
Where to Play Online Blackjack for Free
If you don't currently reside in a location with real money gambling, or you just want to play free blackjack for fun before spending any money, you can look to practice with a casino by playing a demo game or play free blackjack at one of these free online games casinos.
Play Live Dealer Blackjack Games
For anyone who's a fan of playing blackjack in a 'real' casino, you might look to play live dealer blackjack. Many of the elements of online blackjack are still present with the live dealer game, but you get the additional feature of a real blackjack dealer to play with.
Most recommended real money casinos offer live dealer roulette as part of their live casino games catalog, and sometimes you'll get a few variations to choose from. These include titles like:
Read our full guide to Live Dealer Blackjack >
Play Blackjack Games on Mobile
It's never been easier to find a game of blackjack on your mobile, with many online casinos providing a compact game for their mobile website and app. This means you can play 24/7 and wherever you are, at your convenience.
We've listed some of the best blackjack mobile games we've found at PokerNews below. We've reviewed each of these casinos, so they can be trusted to provide an excellent blackjack mobile experience for playing on the go. You can also read our full guide on Playing Blackjack on Mobile.
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with FanDuel Casino
(available in legal US States only - PA, MI, NJ & WV)
FanDuel Casino are one of the standout casino operators in the US right now, and their mobile experience includes several blackjack titles. You can download the mobile app on both iOS and Android, and find convenient, accessible mobile blackjack to play whenever you like.
Download the FanDuel Casino Mobile App for Free
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with PokerStars Casino
It can't be a huge surprise to see PokerStars Casino on this list, but it is good to know that they dedicate a section of their casino app to blackjack games. The PokerStars Casino is available in a number of locations globally, offering blackjack to thousands of casino fans.
Download the PokerStars Casino Mobile App for Free
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with 888casino
A well-established global casino brand, 888casino provides a mobile app on both iOS and Android which comes with blackjack games as standard, including a live dealer option. Take advantage of the latest casino bonuses when signing up and you'll be able to practice your latest blackjack strategy.
Download the 888casino Mobile App for Free
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with bet365 Casino
This huge UK-based sportsbook brand are now looking to expand their horizons to many other global locations and this includes providing top-rated casino and table games. The bet365 Casino app is available in many different countries and comes with a standout blackjack offering, including many of the most popular blackjack variants.
Download the bet365 Casino Mobile App for Free
Play Blackjack on Your Mobile with JackpotCity Casino
This Canadian-based online casino is well-known for its Ontario site, which also includes a mobile app for playing casino games on the go. The JackpotCity Casino app is available on iOS and Android, and counts a few blackjack games in the casino games catalog.
Download the JackpotCity Casino Ontario Mobile App for Free
Use this link if you live in Canada outside ON province, or in another location.
Check out our other Blackjack Guides:
Blackjack FAQs
What are the rules of blackjack?
Blackjack is a card game which utilizes the whole 52-card deck. Players are dealt cards and must build a hand to get as close to 21 with the total of their cards, without exceeding this number. You can wager on the likelihood of achieving this goal with the cards dealt versus the chance of the dealer being able to do the same with the cards.
How can you win at blackjack?
Winning at blackjack depends on luck to a large degree. You can however, improve your chance of winning your next blackjack hand by knowing the rules and improving your knowledge of the game.
Which online casino has the best blackjack?
This is a tricky question to answer as a lot depends on your skill level, and the kind of blackjack you like to play, but for our money the best online casinos for real money blackjack are FanDuel Casino, BetMGM Casino, PokerStars Casino, and Sky Casino.
How can you play live dealer blackjack?
The live dealer version of blackjack works in the same way as the online game but you play with a live dealer on screen instead of an automated version. The controls for playing blackjack are the same.
Can you play blackjack on mobile?
Yes most online casinos (and certainly all casinos we recommend) provide a version or multiple versions of blackjack to play on mobile. Casinos offering blackjack on mobile include: bet365 Casino, 888casino, PokerStars Casino & PartyCasino.