Joe Fortune’s Guide to Playing Online Blackjack for Real Money

Blackjack. The game that puts all the odds on your side. Like a house edge of 0.5%. Or a payout of 150% your bet. There’s no game like it.

But if you want to know how to make it big when you play online Blackjack, for real money, you’ll want to play it right. Right? Good thing I’ve fixed you an online Blackjack guide that has the skills to show you the skills. The tricks to triumph. Sing it with me, brothers and sisters: This time I’m playing to win…

I’ll start real basic, so stick with me if you’re already onto it. It’s worth… well, however much you end up pocketing!

How Online Blackjack Works

Blackjack is a classic table game where you aim to have a better hand than the Dealer’s in order to win. A better hand means having cards that add up as close as possible to 21 (twenty-one is the other name for it), without going over.

Before I serve up the goods on how to play online Blackjack, let’s whet the appetite a little and talk about how you get paid according to the odds:

Now let’s talk about how you play online Blackjack to get your hands on the real money. In order to keep that house edge down at it’s minimal 0.5%, you need to play a pro strategy. A pro strategy comes down to knowing exactly when to Hit, Stand, Double Down, or Split (when the dealin’s done). Not to mention having tight bankroll management to keep the game alive.

But don’t deposit and play now: not just yet, anyway. Keep studying this online Blackjack guide first, for better wins. I wrote it just for you, because I’ve got your back.

Standard Online Blackjack Rules

Before we get into the rules and strategies in online Blackjack for real money, let’s review the value of the cards:

1. 1 to 9: Nominal Value
2. 10 to K: 10 Points Value
3. A: 1 or 11 Points

Next step is understanding the different hands. There are Hard totals and Soft totals. Hard totals are when you have two cards, and neither of them contain an A. Soft totals are when you have two cards and one of them contains an A.

The totals are an important concept in knowing how to play online Blackjack because they determine your actions when using the optimal strategy.

There are 4 actions to take:

Hit: Get 1 more card.
Stand: Keep your hand and finish your turn.
Double: It’s like a Hit but you Double Down your bet and get only 1 more card.
Split: This allows you to create 2 new hands when you have a Pair (ex: 8-8). Each new hand will be worth the initial bet.

This is how to play online Blackjack:

• You have to place a bet to start the round.
• You and the Dealer start with 2 cards each. One of the Dealer’s cards will be face-down.
• If you’re dealt an A + 10/J/Q/K, you get a Blackjack. Go you!
• The Dealer can keep hitting for cards until reaching 17 or more.
• If the Dealer is dealt an A at the beginning of the turn, then you can play Insurance. Insurance gives you 50% of your initial bet and pays at 2:1. There’s insurance for bloody everything these days.
• If you get 5-7 cards without breaking past 21, then you win automatically. This is called a ‘Charlie’. The number of cards that make a Charlie valid depend on the casino and the individual game.

Now you know the rules. Here’s what a typical round will look like when you play online Blackjack for real money at Joe’s. Let’s say our player’s name is… Joe. Here’s what happens:

1. Joe joins the game.
2. Joe places a $100 bet.
3. The Dealer deals the cards.
4. Joe gets a 10-6, and the Dealer gets an A.
5. Joe gets the chance to play Insurance but he chooses not to.
6. The Dealer verifies the hidden card and determines there’s no Blackjack.
7. Joe hits to get one more card and gets a 10-6-5 (21).
8. The Dealer reveals his hidden hand, which is A-4.
9. The Dealer keeps hitting and obtains A-4-J-2 (17).
10. Joe wins $200 because 10-6-5 is a better hand than A-4-J-2.

In this case, “Joe” won because of his optimal strategy. He played Hit when he had a 10-6 (always Hit when 16 vs. A). And that’s what this online Blackjack guide is all about. Winning like Joe. Some other guy named Joe.

Optimal Online Blackjack Strategy

This is where the online Blackjack guide gets sciency. Joe used some science. Or maths. He was clever, at any rate. As will you be when you play online Blackjack for real money.

First thing’s first. You need to answer the question: Should I Hit or should I Stand?

This is when to Hit for Hard totals:

If your hand shows any other scenario then what’s laid out above, then you should Stand. For example, if you have a 13 and the Dealer has a 3, then you should Stand. Or if you have a 17 and the Dealer has any other card. Stand.

But let’s not forget about what to do with Soft totals. Here’s what you’ll need to know:

• Stand on A-9 and A-8
• Stand on A-7 when the Dealer has a 7 or 8
• Hit any other Soft total (e.g. A-2, A-3 and A-5)

Next step in knowing how to play online Blackjack is identifying the best opportunities for Doubling Down. This will reduce the Dealer’s edge and double your profit. I call them the double Ds.

Follow these guidelines:

1. ALWAYS Double Down when you have 11 – you have a 0% chance to go Bust and more chances to win.
2. Double Down on 10 when the Dealer has a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9
3. Double Down on 9 when the Dealer shows a 3, 4, 5 or 6
4. Double Down on A-6 when the Dealer shows 3 to 6
5. Double Down on A-5 or A-4 when the Dealer shows 4 to 6
6. Double Down on A-3 or A-2 when the Dealer shows 5 to 6

By far, your best chance to win is by Doubling Down on 11. When you get it, thank the Gods of online Blackjack for real money. They’re looking out for you.

Now let’s go over when to Split. These are the most important rules:

• Split 8-8
• Split 2-2, 3-3 and 7-7 when the Dealer shows 8 to 10 or A
• Split 6-6 only when the Dealer shows 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6

For the rest of the Pairs, don’t Split. Instead, follow the regular Blackjack rules for when it’s wise to Hit, Double Down or Stand. This will ensure better odds when playing online Blackjack for real money.

Based on what we outlined above, you have a solid foundation for how to play online Blackjack and win. Maths does count after all.

But before we forget, there’s still that tiny issue of your bankroll. Every pro knows how to manage their cash. If you don’t have cash to play, you don’t have cash to multiply.

Follow these tips for optimal Bankroll management:

• Decide a monthly budget for your bankroll
• Only risk money you’re comfortable losing
• Keep your stakes at 0.5-1% of your bankroll
• Don’t chase loses – if luck is against you, then quit and come back later
• Set a profit goal – and quit when you hit it

This is the bottom line in knowing how to play online Blackjack. Be a smart bettor. Be a smart player. The biggest winners out there in online Blackjack for real money know how to keep it real with their skills, their bankroll, and their strategies. Follow our online Blackjack guide to keep the odds on your side.