Learn everything about online blackjack from this article brought by industry experts. The variations of the game, their pros and cons, strategies and more are covered in this comprehensive review.
Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games on the planet, both at online and offline gambling places. It is hard to find a gambling site that would not offer to play blackjack online: at least one variation of the game is almost always available. Today we will discuss the most popular variations of blackjack, compare live dealer blackjack to RNG blackjack, have an overview of strategies, bonuses, software providers and many other aspects of the game, so stay tuned.
Number | Title | Bonus | Rating | Ratings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22Bet | 25000 $ | 5 | 88631 |
2 | 4Rabet | 20000 $ | 5 | 89343 |
3 | Casino Days | 50000 $ | 5 | 88813 |
4 | Pure Win Casino | 30000 $ | 4.9 | 88965 |
5 | Parimatch | 15000 $ | 4.9 | 88148 |
6 | Nomini | 30000 $ | 4.8 | 88488 |
7 | Shangri La Live | 20000 $ | 4.8 | 88651 |
8 | Casino Planet | 10000 $ | 4.7 | 88469 |
9 | Jungle Raja | 10000 $ | 4.7 | 88424 |
10 | LeoVegas | 20000 $ | 4.6 | 88945 |
11 | Twin Casino | 20000 $ | 4.5 | 89115 |
12 | Genesis Casino | 10000 $ | 4.5 | 88542 |
13 | Betway | 15000 $ | 4.4 | 88524 |
14 | Royal Panda | 100000 $ | 4.4 | 88682 |
15 | Melbet | 30000 $ | 4.3 | 88933 |
16 | Oppa888 | 25000 $ | 4.3 | 88794 |
17 | Maria Casino | 50 $ | 4.2 | 88690 |
18 | Comeon | 10000 $ | 4.1 | 89208 |
19 | Wildz | 50000 $ | 4.1 | 88002 |
20 | 10Cric Casino | 20000 $ | 4 | 88919 |
21 | Unibet | 4000 $ | 4 | 88994 |
22 | Casumo Casino | 2000 $ | 3.9 | 89036 |
23 | Lucky Days | 10000 $ | 3.8 | 88820 |
24 | JackpotCity | 40000 $ | 3.8 | 88435 |
25 | Europa Casino | 7000 $ | 3.7 | 88514 |
26 | Wazamba | 56000 ₹ | 3.7 | 88447 |
How we rate best blackjack online casinos in India
But before we dive into the world of online blackjack, we would like to give some tips on finding a decent gambling site to play at. In such a way, our readers, who are already familiar with the necessary information will be able to start looking for a blackjack casino right away. Below we will list the main criterias we analyze, while reviewing a gambling site.
License
The first thing to look at is the legal part of the business. We always start our research from analyzing the license and ensuring it has been given by an official legal authority. In case there is no license, we don’t move on with the review and consider the site unworthy for our readers.
Reputation
The next step is to check the reputation of the place. We visit independent player review platforms, read the comments of other gamblers and pay a special attention to the problems they indicate. If the reputation is positive, we still look for some issues mentioned by the players and test them ourselves.
Security
The last parameter we use to filter the casinos is their security both regarding the user data and financial operations. We ensure the security is on a decent level, all the data is safely encrypted and the latest protocols are implemented. Only after matching these three parameters we move on to comparing the site with other places that have passed these filters.
Games
The game collection is not the first thing we look at, but it is especially important. We analyze the amount and diversity of games, check the software providers behind them and test the optimization. If we’re speaking specifically about blackjack online sites, we check the variations of games presented as well.
Bonuses
Promotions provide bonuses and, therefore, some additional value to the players. We analyze the amount of promos, their lower and upper limits, the limits for activation, the presence of recurring promotions and, of course, their wagering requirements. When comparing several casinos, we very often have the situation with them providing almost the same service and almost the same experience. In these cases, comparing the promotions makes the choice way easier.
Banking
We, as casino reviewers, use it as a comparative parameter and analyze the diversity of payment methods supported in the first place. However, from the perspective of a player, it would be more logical to use it as an additional filter: if your favorite banking option is not accepted, the place won’t be comfortable to play at. Just don’t forget to analyze the limits for deposits and withdrawals, processing periods and fees for transactions.
Mobile Optimization
Even if you are not planning to play blackjack online on mobile right now, you may change your mind in future and it is better to have this option at your place. We check whether the site has a mobile version or a standalone app. Then we test whichever of them is available from different devices and evaluate the performance, battery and data usages.
Why are blackjack casinos gaining popularity in India?
Online blackjack variations
We assume that most of our readers know the rules of the classic blackjack and would be ready to play it online right away. But have you heard about infinite or speed variations of the game? In fact, there are dozens of different blackjack online editions with unique features, but we will only focus on the most popular ones:
Classic Blackjack
Just in case some of our readers are not familiar with the classic rules of the game, we will briefly explain it as most of the variations have the same foundation of the original blackjack. In the game, you play versus a dealer and get two cards at the beginning of every round. Your goal is to have the sum of the face values of your cards closer to 21 than the dealer’s, but the trick is you don’t see their cards until the round finishes. The in-round process is quite simple: you can either ask the dealer to give you more cards or to stop and see the result, but if you get more than 21, you automatically lose.
Free bet
Free bet blackjack is very similar to the original, the only difference being that the player may have one split or double for free every round. These are the additional rules for the classic online blackjack: split is a situation, when the player gets a pair of cards and is offered to divide his hand into two hands and place an additional bet, while a double is an option to double the bet when drawing a card.
Infinite Blackjack
In fact, there are two infinite blackjacks floating around online casinos. The first is the live dealer game by Evolution Gaming, in which there can be an infinite amount of players on the same table. The second is the blackjack with an infinite deck. These are all the key differences of both the variations from the classic ones, though there are some additional micro rules you should better check out before playing.
Speed Blackjack
Speed blackjack is another live project of Evolution Gaming. The rules are almost exactly the same as with the classic game, the only difference regards the turn order: the player who has managed to make a decision faster than the other six also gets the new card first. It speeds up the rounds and adds another challenge to the game.
Live dealer blackjack
Live versions are getting more and more popular, so we should describe this category separately. In live games you play versus a real human dealer and make decisions in real time. You can see the dealer through a video live stream, while the dealer reacts to the decisions you make through the interface. The benefit is that you actually get to see the shoe, the way cards are dealt and everything is as transparent as possible. There are hundreds of different lobbies with different rules and settings, most of the games support all the popular platforms, allowing you to play from any device.
Live Blackjack vs RNG Blackjack
Seeing the physical shoe is great, but the benefits never come without the drawbacks. Here we would like to compare the machine online casino blackjack with the live dealer editions. For the comfort of our readers, we will split the pros and cons for each type in four corresponding lists and each point will have a short description.
Live Blackjack pros
✔️ Transparency. You see the cards being shuffled and dealt in real time.
✔️ Authenticity. The live versions do a much better job in recreating the atmosphere of a real casino.
✔️ Socializing. With most of the rooms, you can speak with the dealer and the other players through the in-game chat.
✔️ Quality. It is a new niche on the gambling market and the rooms are fresh and offer a stable performance.
✔️ Fun. Most players simply consider live games a more entertaining experience compared to playing versus a machine.
Live Blackjack cons
❌ House edge. A fraction of all your bets and winnings is taken by the casino to pay the wages of the dealers.
❌ Speed. Most of the rooms have a lot of players at one table, significantly slowing down the tempo of the rounds.
❌ Connection. In order for the stream to be stable and have a good quality, you should have a fast and stable internet connection.
❌ Data usage. Live games consume much more data compared to the machine games
InfoIt is strange how the two versions of the same game may deliver a completely different experience. Live dealer editions are more about diving into the authentic casino atmosphere and having fun, while RNG ones are about cold math and strategies.
RNG Blackjack pros
✔️ Lower house edge. Machines do not need a wage, so the expenses of the casino are lower and they don’t have to charge you additional commissions.
✔️ Individual experience. You don’t have to interact with other people, making the sessions private and personal.
✔️ Faster rounds. You don’t need to wait for all the players to make their moves to continue.
✔️ Diversity. RNG blackjack is much older than the live one, so there are more titles to try.
RNG Blackjack cons
❌ No transparency. You don’t see the physical cards being dealt, so you cannot be 100% sure the random is fair.
❌ No magic. You always know you are playing versus a machine, which negatively affects the immersion.
Blackjack strategies
Of course, we could not have skipped the part about blackjack basic strategy, which is crucial for an effective long run. This strategy is based on a massive computer simulation that had an AI play through millions of rounds making different decisions. The decisions have later been analyzed to introduce the perfect moves for each hand and for each possible hit. Of course, it is impossible to quickly memorize all the moves, but it will be a good practice to play RNG editions with a cheat list as you are not limited in time there.
Starting hands
We obviously won’t describe the whole blackjack strategy as it deserves a separate full-size article, but we will briefly analyze several starting hands and give guidelines for each of them. For a better introduction to the topic, we will describe three completely different situations: hard totals, soft totals and pair splittings.
- 9 and 4. This starting hand is a hard 13 as it does not have an ace. Hard hand means you may bust with the first hit, implying there is no option for a guaranteed improval. Basic blackjack strategy implies standing if the dealer’s up card is from 2 to 6 and hitting if it is higher.
- Ace and 3. This hand is a soft 14 as the ace may be counted either as 1 or as 10. A soft hand is the one you can guaranteedly improve by a hit without getting busted. According to the strategy, you should hit unless the dealer’s up card is 5 or 6: in these cases you should double.
- A pair of 7. When getting a pair, you also receive an option to split your cards into two hands. According to the strategy, you should split in case the dealer’s up card is from 2 to 7. Otherwise, you should hit as you are basically having a hard 14.
Tips on playing blackjack
Apart from the strategy, we also have some useful tips for playing at a blackjack casino that would be especially helpful for inexperienced players. They are mostly psychological advice that would help with getting more stability and less frustration, so even if you are an expert gambler, feel free to check our list of tips below and try them on yourself.
- Think cold and don’t make emotional bets.
- Manage the bankroll carefully, plan your bets beforehand.
- Practice in free demos before making actual bets.
- Believe in luck. And unluck. If you’re busting all your rounds, maybe you should quit until tomorrow.
- Have fun: don’t let the game turn into a boring grind of rounds.
Counting cards
Counting cards is a master-level skill used in a blackjack casino, where the deck is not shuffled each round. It involves remembering the cards that have already appeared on the table and evaluating your chances based on the cards left in the deck. It might seem simple, but the calculations must be done on the go and you have to re-do the math with every new card. Moreover, the technique is forbidden by most of the casinos and in online casino blackjack they either use multi-decks or shuffle the deck every round.
InfoThe quality of the game, the strategies you may apply, the rules and other parameters depend not only on the specific edition you select, but also on the provider behind it. Don’t forget to ensure you are playing with a trusted developer.
Blackjack games providers
The software providers are the companies, which develop and maintain blackjack online games, both their live and RNG editions. The trust to the specific game strongly depends on its software provider, so we would like to introduce several companies that are the worldwide-respected leaders of the segment:
- Evolution Gaming. This company has made a major success both with the live and RNG versions of the famous table game. Their live lobbies are the most popular on the market and have a great quality of service.
- IGT. IGT is one of the leaders of the online casino games segment that has been providing the topnotch games for dozens of years. They only offer RNG-based editions of blackjack, but the titles are still worth trying.
- Another extremely popular software provider that both has live and RNG editions of the table game available. FYI, they also have one of the best slot machines in the industry.
Playing mobile Blackjack
Playing at a blackjack casino on mobile was possible a decade ago, but it was never as comfortable as it is today. With most of the software providers you will be able to play RNG and live versions without any technical issues: the best games are perfectly optimized and don’t drain too much battery. You may easily jump in for RNG sessions, but the live versions require more data, as we have already mentioned today, so you might want to look for Wi-Fi for those.
Best bonuses for blackjack games
The promotions for the famous table game are usually quite generous as the industry is extremely competitive and the casinos do their best to attract new players. You may receive large one time cash bonuses or have smaller promotions that may be activated multiple times. The most popular types of bonuses are:
- Welcome bonuses. Those typically are bonuses that increase the value of your first deposit by a certain percentage. They have only one activation, so spend them wisely.
- Recurring promotions. These are the promos that are available on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. They are not usually too generous, but in the long run may give much more value than the welcoming gifts.
- It is usually rewarded after a certain period from losing your balance and is calculated based on the sum of your latest deposit. Cashback usually comes with low wagers or even without them.
Blackjack online casinos banking
Wagering requirements are not the only thing that may stand in your way of comfortable gambling. The banking system is also a major challenge for most of the casinos as they both have to invest a large sum to make it work and to deal with as many counterparties as possible to make it diverse. A good banking system is the one you don’t notice: you simply make deposits and withdrawals without being stopped by the transactional limits or by the limited amount of supported payment methods.
How to start playing blackjack online for real money?
Find a decent casino using the advice from the article, read all the terms and conditions carefully and create an account.
Visit the banking page, select one of the available payment options, configure and finish the transaction.
Wait until the funds reach your account balance, then find blackjack in the game collection and start playing right away.