Online Blackjack - Popular Aussie Online Casino Game

In online blackjack you play against the dealer. You have to aim for a hand of a higher value than the dealer hand but without busting by crossing 21. The value of a hand is the total of the values of the cards in the hand. Cards from 2 to 9 are valued at their pip count. 10, J, Q and K are valued at 10 points and A can be valued at 1 or 11 as the situation demands.

If you end up with a lower value hand you lose the bet. If both hands are of the same value, then your bet pushes. If you have the higher value hand then you are paid even money on your bet. There is a special two-card hand called blackjack. It consists of any ace and any ten value card. If you are dealt a blackjack then you get 3 to 2 on your bet, provided the dealer does not have a blackjack.

You first place your bet. You are dealt two cards face up and the dealer is dealt one card face up and one card face down. If the dealer face up card is a 10 value card or an A, then he will peek for blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack, and you do not, then the dealer wins.

Now it is your turn to make the moves. Two special moves are available to you up front. If both your cards are of the same rank then you can Split them into two hands. You place another identical bet and will be dealt the second card in each hand. If you think you are in a strong position then you can Double Down by placing another identical bet. The condition is that you will be dealt one and only one more card.

The two regular moves are Hit and Stand. If you want to add another card to your hand you Hit, otherwise you Stand. You keep hitting till you bust or decide to Stand. If you bust you lose. If you Stand the dealer takes additional cards as prescribed by the rules. If the dealer busts then you win. Otherwise both hands are compared to decide the winner.

The basic blackjack strategy described here is simple to learn, but is not the optimum strategy. The average return will be lower by about 0.5% as compared to the optimum strategy. In a soft hand the A can take a value of 11 without busting. A hard hand either has no ace or the ace has to take the value of 1 to prevent the hand from busting.

With hard totals of 4 to 8 you always Hit. With hard totals of 9 or of 12 to 16 you Hit if the dealer’s face up card is from 7 to A. With a hard total of 9 you Double Down if the dealer’s face up card is from 2 to 6. With a hard 10 or 11 you always Double Down. In all other cases you Stand.

With soft totals of 13 to 15 you always Hit. With soft totals of 19 to 21 you always Stand. With soft totals of 16 to 18 you Double Down for a dealer face up card from 2 to 6, otherwise you Hit.

You always Split 8s and As. You Split 2s, 3s, 6s, 7s and 9s if the dealer face up card is from 2 to 6. You do not Split in any other situation.

Microgaming offers two types of online blackjack variants in its portfolio. They are single hand and multi hand games. In single hand games you play one hand against the dealer and in multi hand games you play up to five hands against the same dealer hand. The variants are the same in both versions. The standard land casino versions of Atlantic City Blackjack, Vegas Strip Blackjack and European Blackjack are included along with special online variants. Triple Sevens is a progressive blackjack game.

Microgaming blackjack games are functionally the best. All of them include a strategy card that is simple to read. It is based on the player’s hand value and the dealer’s face up card but has far more detail than the basic strategy. Following the strategy card will ensure that you play with optimum strategy. You can also put the game on Auto Play, which automatically picks the move from the strategy card and plays for you.

Playtech offers a smaller collection of blackjack games listed under Table and Card Games. There are two online blackjack variants that are extremely challenging and enjoyed by expert Australian blackjack players. You can try these out for free before wagering with real money.

In Double Attack Blackjack the dealer's face up card is dealt first. You can immediately double your wager if you want to. The optimum strategy is to double on all dealer cards except 9, 10 and A. After that your face up cards are dealt and the game proceeds as normal. Double Attack Blackjack is played with Spanish decks, which have the 10s removed from the standard decks.

In Blackjack Switch you play two hands against the dealer’s hands. The initial cards are dealt normally. Before you make any of the regular moves you can exchange the second card of each of your hands. The objective is to convert two weak hands into two strong ones.

Net Entertainment has a meagre collection of blackjack variants. Blackjack offers a multi hand version of American Blackjack. Blackjack Professional Series is the same game with a 3D look, state of the art card animations and Double Jack side bet. But for newbie blackjack players Single Deck Blackjack and Double Exposure Blackjack should be the games to go for.

In online blackjack variants, the fewer the number of decks used the greater is the advantage to the player. Single Deck Blackjack offers almost 100% average return to the player. As far as game play is concerned this blackjack variant is a single hand American blackjack variant.

Double Exposure makes it easier for new players because both the dealer’s cards are dealt face up. This additional information gives the player significant advantage. This is compensated by paying only even money for a blackjack instead of the regular 3 to 2. Double Exposure Blackjack can be played in three bet ranges – low roller, standard and high roller.