Real Money Online Blackjack

If you’re used to playing live blackjack and want to play online, there are plenty of game choices. In fact, online players have a better variety of real money blackjack games than live players. Also, the minimum limits are lower online. At most live casinos, the minimum wager amount is £5, but at the top online casinos we can bet as little as £1 per hand. This is especially good for new players, or players that want to learn a new blackjack game.

How to Make a Real Money Deposit

Online blackjack sites make it easy to fund a real money account. Most accept all major credit cards, plus a variety of ewallets and direct banking options. The most common credit cards are Visa & Mastercard, but others are available as well. Popular ewallets include Neteller, UKash, Moneybookers, Click2Pay, ClickandBuy and more. Players can also use direct banking options for instant transfer of funds.

At most online casinos, the deposit process takes about 2-5 minutes depending on the specific deposit option you choose. Most sites have a minimum deposit amount in the range of £20 – £25, but some are as low as £10. Keep in mind that most online casinos offer some sort of bonus to players on their first deposit, but a lot of bonuses don’t apply to blackjack games. If you play other games as well, then you might want to make a larger deposit to take advantage of the bonus offer.

Online Blackjack Games

As mentioned above, online players can choose between a larger variety of blackjack games than live players. Below is a brief description of the more common blackjack games that can be found at online casinos. Complete rules for each game can be found on the free & real money blackjack tables at any of our recommended online casinos.

Standard Blackjack

This is the standard game of blackjack where the players goal is to get as close to 21 as possible, without going over. Players are dealt two cards, and have the option to take more. The dealer is also given two cards. One of the dealer’s cards are dealt face-up, which is how the players determine their strategy. This article does not cover all of the rules & strategy for blackjack, but it is for the purpose of giving players a starting point on how the game works. Please do not play until you’ve read and understand all of the rules.

Aces are worth 1 or 11, at the players option. For example, if you were dealt two aces, you could call it 2 or 12. All face cards (K, Q, J, 10) are worth 10. All other cards are valued at the rank of the card, meaning that a 5 is worth 5, and an 8 is worth 8.

If the player has 22 or higher, the hand is a ‘bust’ which is an automatic loss no matter what the dealer makes. To win the hand, the player must have a higher total than the dealer. For example, if the dealer has 18, the player must have 19, 20, or 21 to win. If the player has 18, the hand is called a ‘push’ and the player gets his/her original wager back. If the dealer busts, the player wins with any hand as long as they haven’t also busted. A winning hand is paid at 1/1. So, a £10 bet pays £10 in profit, plus your £10 wager (£20 total return).

When a player is dealt 21 with just two cards, this is called ‘blackjack’, and the player always wins this hand no matter what the dealer has. Also, the payout is generally 3/2, so a £10 bet pays £15 in profit, plus your original £10 wager (£25 total return). Blackjack hands have to consist of an ace, plus K, Q, J, or 10. If the dealer is dealt blackjack, every hand instantly loses unless a player is also dealt blackjack. In this case, the players hand is a push.

Players can also split cards or double down, offering chances for bigger wins. This is when the game gets really exciting, and knowledge of proper strategy is highly encouraged.

European Blackjack

Very similar to regular Blackjack, and also very popular. European blackjack can be found at live casinos around the world, and at almost every online casino as well. European Blackjack employs a no-peek rule where the dealer doesn’t look at the bottom card when showing an A, K, Q, or J. This dramatically changes a players strategy for doubling & splitting. Players can only double on 9, 10 or 11, and there is no surrender rule.

Pontoon

Pontoon is also very similar to regular blackjack, and is popular in Europe and the United States. Players must hit on 14 or lower, the dealer wins a tie, and both of the dealers cards are dealt face down. A player that makes a ‘5 card trick’ (5 cards that total 21 or less) always beats a 21.

Face Up 21

Face up 21 can be found at almost every online blackjack site. In this game, both of the dealer’s cards are dealt face up, but a blackjack only pays 1:1 instead of 3:2 like regular blackjack. The dealer also wins in a tie (except when the player has blackjack). Players can only double on 9, 10 or 11. Clearly, this is a game that gives players an advantage by seeing both of the dealers cards, but lower payouts are the cost of this advantage.

Match Play 21

Match Play 21 uses 8 decks, but all of the tens are removed. Also, all of the cards are shuffled after each hand, instead of waiting for the shoe to empty. This is the same at live and online casinos. Player blackjacks beat dealer blackjacks, and player 21’s beat dealer 21’s. Match Play 21 is a more complicated game than the others, with more ways to win. For example, players can get 3:1 when their first three cards are 7-7-7 or 6-7-8 of spades. Any other 7-7-7 or 6-7-8 suited pays 2:1. A ‘Match Play’ is when the player has 7-7-7 suited, while the dealer shows a face-up 7 as well. The payout for this is 40:1. Players also get 3:1 when they hold 7 or more cards that total 21 or less, and 2:1 when they hold 5 cards that total 21 or less.

Perfect Pairs Blackjack

Perfect Pairs is another fun version of blackjack that offers players other ways to win. A ‘Perfect Pair’ is a side bet where the player is hoping their first two cards are an exact match, like 5-5 suited or K-K suited. A perfect Pair pays 30:1 odds. A ‘Colored Pair’ is exactly as it sounds, any two cards of the same rank and color. For example, a 5 of hearts and 5 of diamonds, or 7 of spades and 7 of clubs. Colored Pairs pay 12:1. A ‘Mixed Pair’ is when the player is dealt two cards of the same rank, regardless of their suit. So, a 7 of hearts and 7 of spades, or 10 of diamonds and 10 of clubs. Mixed Pairs pay 5:1. The problem with these side bets is that the odds tell us not to bet them. Since the odds of making any pair with your first two cards is roughly 20:1, so it has a bigger house edge than the blackjack game itself.