Blackjack Casinos and Guide for Canadians
Blackjack Online
Author:
Liam B.
With an origin shrouded in mystery and connection to several Italian and French games, blackjack is perhaps the most popular casino game because of its odds. Blackjack probably has the best odds of winning compared to other games for online casinos like poker, baccarat, roulette, and craps. So, it deserves an article which teaches you how to play blackjack, where to play it, the different variants available, and more. Read on to find out more now!
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Understanding Blackjack
You’re well on your way to becoming a successful Blackjack player. But what’s the history of blackjack? How did this game come to be?
Blackjack has a long and storied history. It is thought to have originated in the French casinos during the 1700s. The game was called “vingt-et-un,” which translates to “twenty-one.” It quickly became popular in the United States, where it was known as “pontoon.” The game is thought to have originated in France, although there is some evidence that it may have originated in Italy. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, with the Ace counting as 1, the 2 through 9 counting as their face value, and the 10, Jack, Queen, and King each counting as 10.
How to Play Blackjack
Blackjack’s allure lies in the fact that it’s a simple game to grasp as all a player needs to do to beat the dealer is getting as close to 21 as possible. Players can play blackjack for as little as C$1 or as high as C$2,000 and generally, players are awarded some power for that commitment. For one, players can decide amongst themselves whether or not the value of the Ace card is 1 or 11 though face cards are 10 while the pip value of other cards are used.
Blackjack is a game of chance, but there are some basic strategies that can be followed in order to improve your chances of winning. One of the most important things to remember is to always try to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. If you have a hand that is close to 21, you want to try and get as close to 21 as possible without going over. This is called ‘busting’ and means you automatically lose the hand.
Is card counting illegal in Canada?
Card counting, a blackjack strategy to predict the next advantageous hand, is deemed legal by the Ontario Court of Justice. This ruling clarifies that using such strategies in Canadian casinos, particularly in Ontario, is not considered cheating and therefore is not illegal.
In Canada, specifically according to a ruling by the Ontario Court of Justice, card counting in casino games is legal. This strategy, often employed in games like blackjack to assess if the upcoming hand favors the player or the dealer, is not classified as cheating under Canadian law.
How to Play Blackjack in Online Casinos in Canada?
Playing blackjack online is a great way to enjoy the world-famous card game in the comfort of your own home. With fast access and relatively low limits, online blackjack can be quite exciting. It's quick to learn and good for honing basic strategies related to counting cards. With luck and skill, some of that sweet winnings might just end up in your pocket.
Choose an online blackjack table.
When you log in to an online casino, you will be able to choose from a variety of blackjack tables. Make sure to choose a table with betting limits that fit your budget.
Place your bet.
Once you have chosen a table, it is time to place your bet. You will be able to see the minimum and maximum bet amounts for each table. Make sure to choose an amount that you are comfortable with.
Wait for the dealer to deal the cards.
The dealer will then deal two cards to each player and two cards to themselves. One of the dealer's cards will be face up and the other will be face down.
Look at your cards and decide what to do.
You will then need to look at your cards and decide whether to hit, stand, double down, or split. If you are not sure what to do, you can always ask the dealer for help.
The dealer will then play their hand.
Once all players have made their decisions, the dealer will then play their hand according to blackjack rules. If the dealer busts, all players who are still in the game will win their bets.
If you are dealt an Ace and a 10-value card (known as a “blackjack”), you automatically win unless the dealer also has a blackjack, in which case it’s a push (a tie). If you’re dealt a blackjack, you have the option to surrender, in which case you give up half your bet and the hand is over. If you choose to stay in the hand, you will need to match the dealer’s bet in order to continue. If you don’t have enough money to match the dealer’s bet, you will need to fold and give up your hand. If you choose to stay in the hand, you are essentially saying that you believe you have a good chance of winning.
The Terminologies of Blackjack
These are the terminologies used in blackjack so make sure to read them all because they’re the ones that’ll give you an insight into how blackjack works. Sounds good? Learn more further down.
The Card Deck
The standard 52-card pack is used to play blackjack but usually, multiple card decks are shuffled and used together to play blackjack. The most popular is the six-deck game because it’s played with 312 cards.
The Shoe
This is a box where four or more decks of cards are kept and dealt from a shoe. The shoe allows the dealer to remove one card at a time and definitely, the cards are face-down.
The Shuffle and the Cut
The dealer starts shuffling the decks of cards and after they’ve been properly mixed, a player starts the game by cutting. Cutting basically refers to using the plastic card to signify when you’ll need to re-shuffle the cards.
The Deal
The deal refers to the dealer giving each player and themselves one face-up card after players have made their wagers. This process is repeated once more though this time around, the dealer gives themselves a face-down card instead.
The Naturals
The natural is the Ace and ten cards which combined, is equal to 21 or blackjack. Funny thing about a natural is that it can come in three ways. The first scenario is getting a natural and the dealer getting none, in which case the dealer pays the player one and a half times their bet. For the second scenario, the dealer has a natural so they collect the bets of all players who don’t have a natural. Finally, if both the dealer and a player have a natural, this is called a stand-off so your chips will be returned.
The Play
The player to the left goes first and must decide whether to stand or hit. To stand means to hold your ground by not requesting for another card while a hit means being dealt another card by the dealer. So, depending on how close you’re to 21, you can stand or hit though, if it goes bust (cards‘ are more than 21), you would have forfeited your wins.
The Soft Hand
A soft hand refers to a two-card combo of an ace and a card other than ten. Because players can count the ace as an 11 or one, they can decide to draw or hold. A soft 18 is an ace and a seven and the total can be an 18 or 8 though players can still draw more cards for a better hand. This is because players can still count the ace as a one so an additional card may lead to a better hand.
The Dealer’s Role
Once every player has been served, the dealer’s face-down card is turned up and if their total is 17 or more, they stand while they take a card if the total is under 16. Also, dealers must count aces as 11’s. These rules are rigid and the dealer can’t, let’s say, take another card if their hand totals 18. On the other hand, players aren’t restricted by such rules.
Splitting Pairs
If your first two cards have the same denomination such as two Queens or two sixes, you can consider each as a separate hand. So, the rules state that you must bet an equal amount of cash on both hands. You always start by playing the left hand whereby you’ll stand or hit once or twice and following that, you play the cards by your right. With a pair of aces, you’ll be given a card for each ace and won’t be able to draw again.
Doubling Down
When your first two cards total 9, 10, or 11, the blackjack player is allowed to double their bets. When it’s your turn, you have to place a bet equal to your original wager amount after which you’re handed a face-down card which is only turned up at the end of the hand. Remember that dealers aren’t allowed to double down.
Insurance
If the dealer’s face-up card is an ace, players can make a side bet called the insurance that the dealer’s face-down card is a ten-card making the dealer’s cards a blackjack. This side bet is only up to half of your original bet. If the face-down card turns out to be a ten-card, players who made the side bet will be given double their side bet amount. If there are not multiple ten-cards mixed in with the deck of cards, then the insurance side bet isn't a good bet.
Settlement
A bet can’t be collected back so if a player goes bust, their entire bets are lost and this fact doesn’t change even if the dealer goes bust as well. So, the dealer pays the players that stood the player’s bet if the dealer’s hands pass the 21 mark. If the dealer’s hands are 21 or less, the dealer pays the bets of the player with the highest hand and collects the bets of any player with a lower hand total.
Best Online Casinos for Blackjack
There are different online casinos out there for blackjack but choosing the best one for yourself is tricky because a lot of online casino sites fall short of their promises. To help the process of picking a spot to play blackjack easier, we’ve listed the best online casinos for blackjack and broke down how we chose them. Check them out below.
Energy casino is backed by NetEnt and Microgaming, offering e-wallets, bank wire transfer, and credit/debit card options. This one of the best online casinos for blackjack because it’s backed by MGA with information protected courtesy of 128-bit SSL encryption software. There are standard and live blackjack versions available including games like Vegas Blackjack Strip, Vegas Downtown Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, Speed Blackjack, Infinite Blackjack, and Lightning Blackjack.
Casumo is full of different blackjack titles including the European, Classic, and Switch versions making this one of the best casinos for blackjack online. The tables vary by bet limits (minimum bet as little as C$1), languages, and more so players will have the chance to vary the experience. You should know that Casumo Casino features more live casino games than table games.
Casombie feature different blackjack titles such as 21 Burn Blackjack, 3D Blackjack, American Blackjack, Back Blackjack, European Blackjack, and Blackjack Neo. Bet limits start from as little as C$0.5 while the maximum bet can be as high as $1,500 on certain VIP blackjack tables. Combined, these features make Casombie casino of the best for playing blackjack online.
Woo Casino is home to blackjack tables including many versions classic blackjack, speed blackjack, blackjack VIP, and American blackjack. Bets start from as little as C$1 though they can get as high as C$1,500 if you play at the VIP tables. We think this is one of the best online casinos for blackjack because other types of games are also offered including video slots, jackpots, and bingo.
Nomini is a great spot for blackjack players because they can cash participate in Drops & Wins of Live Casino and win up to €500,000. There are different blackjack games available including Blackjack 48, 49, and 50, Blackjack Gold, Blackjack Classic, and Blackjack VIP. Each game has its own betting limits though bets generally start from €1. Also, Nomini offers more live blackjack games than regular blackjack so you won’t be able to vary your demo experience much as live blackjack games are only available for real money plays.
How We Pick the Best Blackjack Casinos?
Picking out an online casino that’s best for playing blackjack should be based on its services and credibility. This isn’t hard if you know what to look for. In our case, the factors we considered were game variety, bonus playthrough, licensing, great customer support, and familiar payment methods. Take a look at them in detail below.
🎲 Game Variety
Look out for a well-rounded game library that contains video slots, jackpots, table/card and live games, scratch cards, bingo, and the likes. In short, if the site niches itself to a single game genre, you’ll be missing out.
💰 Bonus Playthrough
Naturally, you’ll discover bonuses but the playthrough requirements is more important because it determines whether or not you can win the bonus. A playthrough requirement higher than 40 times is generally frowned upon but obviously, the lower the better.
🔐 Licensing and Security
Good licenses that you can keep an eye out for are ones from the UK, Malta, Sweden, Curacao, and Kahnawake just to name a few. There should also be encryption software installed and preferably, the 128-bit variant at the least.
🤝 Customer Support
The customer support shouldn’t only have a live chat feature but also another fast and readily-available alternative in case the chat support agents are busy. Alternatives can be email or phone support.
💳 Familiar Payment Methods
Look out for options like MasterCard, Maestro, Visa, Interac, and even if the casino accepts crypto. A casino that fits your needs won’t require you to create a new payment account before being able to fund your casino account.
Types of Blackjack
Wondering about the types of blackjack you can look forward to playing at a casino? Take a look at some popular versions of the game further down.
Classic Blackjack
Follows the original principles of the game whereby the player and the dealer will be given two cards, one face up and the other face down.
European Blackjack
European blackjack is the most popular blackjack version out there because of how the cards are dealt. Players are dealt two face-up cards while the dealer will have a face up and face down card each.
Progressive Blackjack
Follows the principles of European blackjack whereby the player's cards both face up. The twist is that you can bet on a progressive jackpot slot to get a bigger win.
Blackjack Switch
Blackjack Switch deals each player four cards to switch between when forming winning hands. This version of blackjack also follows the same rules of classic blackjack and it has a 50:50 payout.
Spanish 21 Blackjack
Plays like classic blackjack but pick out pairs of card three times. Doubling is also supported even after splitting pairs.
Blackjack Facts
- The first blackjack casinos were established in the 1700s in France.
- Blackjack casinos typically offer a variety of blackjack games, including classic blackjack, Spanish 21, and Pontoon.
- Most blackjack casinos use a standard 52-card deck, but some may use additional decks or special rules to increase the house edge.
- Blackjack casinos usually have a dress code that requires players to dress formally.
- Most blackjack casinos require players to purchase chips from the casino in order to play.
- Blackjack casinos typically have a minimum bet requirement in order to play.
- Most blackjack casinos offer a variety of side bets, such as insurance and progressive jackpots.
- Blackjack casinos typically offer a variety of promotions and bonuses, such as cashback and reload bonuses.
- Most blackjack casinos have a VIP program that offers exclusive benefits to loyal players.
Blackjack in Numbers
- The probability of being dealt a blackjack is 4.83%
- The probability of winning a blackjack hand is 49.32%
- The probability of losing a blackjack hand is 44.85%
- The probability of pushing (neither winning nor losing) a blackjack hand is 5.81%
- The house edge in blackjack is generally around 0.5%
- Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the United States
- In a standard game of blackjack, there are a total of 52 cards
- The average blackjack player plays at about a 200$ bet per hand
- Blackjack is a game with one of the lowest house edges of any casino game
Conclusion
Blackjack is fun, simple to understand, and has an excellent payout so it’s considered by many to be the gateway game into the world of casinos. Luckily, it’s unlike other casino games that relies on a degree of randomness because there are techniques like card counting for beating the dealer. From beginners to pro-level players, blackjack is a game that appeals to a wide audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
In blackjack, the goal is to have a hand value closer to 21 than the dealer without exceeding 21. Players are dealt two cards and can choose to hit (take another card), stand (keep their hand), double down, or split pairs, while the dealer must hit until reaching at least 17. A hand totaling 21 with the first two cards is a "blackjack" and usually pays extra, while exceeding 21 results in a bust and an automatic loss.
Blackjack and 21 are the same game so the same general rules apply to any 21/blackjack titles. The reason why blackjack is also referred to as 21 is because blackjack requires players to get a total of 21 to win.
Blackjack is a game that can be beaten by skill alone so there’s a possibility that players can completely out-match their opponents. But then, you can’t rule out luck because luck can set you up with a high-roller of which you’re the better-skilled at playing blackjack.
Blackjack is a card game that’s played using one to eight 52-card decks (includes Jack, Queen, and King) by 2-7 people. The game is often called a game of 21 because players have to acquire cards until they total 21 and no more.
Stand on at least 17 when playing 21, meaning you should hold your ground if your cards are at least 17. Hitting is the opposite, meaning you should take another card. If you’re wondering when to hit, the best time for that is when your cards total 10-16.
Always split aces and 8s. Never split 5s or 10s. Double down on 11 against a dealer 2-10, and on 10 against a dealer 9-A. Hit on soft 17 or less. Stand on hard 17 or more. If the dealer has a 7 or higher, hit on 12 or less.
The house edge in blackjack is the percentage of each bet that the casino expects to keep over the long run. The exact house edge depends on the rules of the game and the number of decks used. For example, a game with a house edge of 5% would expect the casino to keep $5 of every $100 bet. The house edge in blackjack is usually between 0.5%.
There are many blackjack variations, each with its own set of rules. The most common variation is: Spanish 21: This variation is played with Spanish decks, which have 48 cards instead of the usual 52. The four 10-value cards are removed, leaving only the Ace, 2-9, and the court cards.
Everyone has their own playing style and preferences. However, here are a few general tips that may help you improve your blackjack game: Practice makes perfect! The more you play, the more comfortable you will become with the game and the better your chances of winning. Also, set a budget for yourself and stick to it. This will help you avoid chasing losses and getting into financial trouble.
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Liam started his first years as a sportsbook reviewer. Working in this area led him to write about online casinos, which he’s been doing for the last eight years. Nowadays, he works at Casinoforcanada.com, reviewing the best casinos available in Canada, giving special priority to the security of each casino.
About Liam Bergeron
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