Online Blackjack

Updated: 19.05.2025

When it comes to games with cards played in casinos around the globe, blackjack is by far the most popular in the fairly large group. Blackjack owns a lot of its popularity to the fact it is one of rare games where players can learn and improve to better their skills and significantly lower the casino edge.

On the other hand, blackjack is also an easy game to learn and play as far as the rules are concerned, so it attracts casual players with no experience as well. The game owes a lot of its claim to the fame to many books and movies about famous card counters and card counting teams who took casinos to the cleaners back in the day.

These days most online casinos have a live casino where you can play live dealer Blackjack. We’ve listed the top online casinos that offer live dealer Blackjack below.

Blackjack Rules

Many online platforms catering to Ireland provide different variations of blackjack, each of them with their own unique changes to the rules. However, all blackjack versions follow similar fundamental guidelines, and if you understand these, you’re prepared to enjoy nearly any blackjack game worldwide. There are numerous strategies involved.

To win at blackjack is quite straightforward. The player aims to make a hand totaling 21 or less and surpass the dealer’s total. Picture cards are calculated as 10, Aces count as 11 or 1, and each other card retains their face values.

Typically, between six and eight participants can be found at a live table of blackjack, although digital online tables often have no restrictions since individuals play solo. At the beginning of the round, the dealer hands each participant one card facing upwards and keeps one card for themselves, tilted downward. Next, every player receives another card and the dealer also gets one, yet this time facing upwards, for observation by everyone. The excitement builds at this stage.

As soon as the opening cards are distributed, the dealer grants every player the choice to either „hit,“ i.e., draw another card, or stand, maintaining their total and refraining from drawing more cards. The special case arises when a player receives an Ace and any card valued at 10, resulting in a blackjack and is promptly rewarded at 3 to 2. Gamblers can draw additional cards as long as their total remains under 21, but once exceeding 21, their hand becomes bust and their stakes are instantly lost.

As all the cards have been dealt to the players, the dealer flips over their face-down card and continues to draw if their total falls below 17. Upon reaching 17, they cease drawing any more cards. If the dealer goes bust during the card drawing (exceeds 21), every player with an active hand wins by default. Alternatively, the totals are assessed and those with a superior total than the dealer triumph at 1 to 1 relative to their stakes. Suspense often peaks during this moment.

In cases where a gambler and the dealer possess identical totals, the hand is categorized as a push and the gambler retrieves their wager.

Special Blackjack Rules

Apart from these fundamentals, there are a couple of special rules players need to be aware of. The first such rule has to do with splitting cards. Once the player receives a pair as their first two cards, they are allowed to split the pair and effectively play two blackjack hands by putting in an additional bet.

Players are also allowed to double down on certain totals, depending on the particular variation. What this means is that, in most instances, players can double their bet if their total is 8, 9, 10, or 11 and ask for another card. However, they only get one card after doubling and can’t draw any more.

Basic Blackjack Strategy

We’ve already mentioned that blackjack is one of rare games where players’ decisions truly matter. Knowing how to play the game properly can seriously diminish the house edge and the set of rules on how to play correctly is known as basic blackjack strategy.

The entire strategy is quite extensive (although not that difficult to learn), so we’ll only cover some of the main principles in this article. According to basic strategy, you should:

• Always split Aces
• Never split 10s (or face cards)
• Always split 8s
• Never split 5s
• Always double on the 11 total
• Always double on the 10 total unless the dealer is showing an Ace or a Ten
• Always stand on 17 or better
• Always stand on 13 to 16 if the dealer is showing 2 – 6; otherwise hit
• Always hit on 8
• If the dealer is showing 3 – 6, double on a 9; otherwise just hit

There is more to know about basic blackjack strategy, but these items represent a nice summary of the whole thing and even if you just learn these by heart, you’ll be making very few mistakes at the tables.

Card Counting – Does it work for online Blackjack?

Card counting is the only surefire way to actually turn the tables on the house and actually make the game of blackjack profitable for the player. There are several card counting techniques, but all of them rely on the same basic principle of keeping track of big, middling, and small cards. As there are more big cards left in the blackjack shoe, the game becomes more favorable for the player.

How do you count cards?

Can you count cards in online Blackjack?

Sadly, card counting doesn’t work for online blackjack. At electronic tables, the virtual shoe is shuffled at the start of each hand, which means there is no point in keeping track of what cards were dealt. With live blackjack games online, a player could count cards, but shoes are usually cut very often, which means they never get deep enough for card counting to become effective.