Learning How To Play Blackjack: The Basics

By Author: Simon Skinner
Total Articles: 156
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If you play blackjack at a free online casino, that doesn't necessarily mean you give up the idea of winning actual money. Many free online casino websites let you play for free without ever having to put up any money to start. For example, you can play in free roll tournaments and play those games that use "play" money. Once you've mastered blackjack basics, you can move onto real money games of blackjack at the best online casino sites.

Blackjack's basic idea is that you need to hit 21 points. "Blackjack" is what you have when you are holding a card valued at 10, and an Ace, which is worth 11 points. This will automatically win you the game.

At a free online casino, it's pretty much the same as it is if you're playing live in Vegas. The dealer stands at 17 or takes a hit on 16, always. If your hand beats the dealer's, you win the bet, which is normally paid at 2:1. However, if your hand goes over 21, it's your loss and is the same as if you came in under the dealer with your hand. The best online casino sites should host blackjack games that start under a dollar and move on up from there.

When the game ...
... starts, all players are dealt two cards, face down. The dealer has one card dealt down, and one card dealt face up. You begin the bet based upon your chances of hitting 21 or "blackjack," and based upon your odds of besting the dealer. You need to know what those odds are when you place your bets.

If you don't exactly know how basic blackjack rules first, learn those things before you begin to play for money. One of the things that can help you is to look at the dealer's "up" card. This can tell you what the dealer might have been his or her hand. If they have an Ace up, for example, they might already have blackjack. If that happens, you can buy insurance that'll pay two to one, but you lose on the initial bet. If the dealer doesn't have blackjack, it's the opposite; you could win on your original bet and lose the insurance bet.

Besides that, if the dealer's "up" card is a numbered card under seven, you have the advantage, too. If that's true, it may very well be true as well that they have 17 and will have to stand with what they have. You always have to assume that they have an Ace, which the dealer must count as 11. For you, it can be counted as one or 11 points, depending on what you choose. The best online casino sites use the same rules as Vegas play blackjack, but it's a good idea to play the free games to determine just how your particular free online casino plays blackjack.

Other online blackjack strategies include taking a hit on anything lower than 16 if the dealer has a face or Ace card up. Stand on anything that's 17 or better. Most of the time, these strategies should help you win.

Another strategy you can use this doubling down, where you double your bet to play two chances, but only get one card that can be used with either of your other two hands. You can also split a pair, using the same strategy. In that case, you double your bet and play them as two separate hands. The most complicated strategies will work depending on where you're playing, though; if the free online casino you play at uses these common "Vegas" strategies, it's going to be true for you, too. It's important to learn the blackjack basics, so that you can win money at the best online casino sites.
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