Discover the Best Bitcoin Blackjack Sites with Our Guide

There aren’t many bitcoin casino games that are as popular or as widely known as blackjack. Because of its simplicity, blackjack was one of the first games to appear in online casinos back in the early 1990s. It was one of the first to be ported to mobile devices and to be chosen as a live dealer game. Naturally, blackjack was also a lab rat when it came to bitcoin betting. We’re happy it was because this is one of the most exhilarating games you can play with BTC stakes. Moreover, the game is so straightforward that everybody from ranked amateurs to seasoned pros and blackjack veterans can play it.

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How to Play Bitcoin Blackjack Online

We’re sure that most of you will already know how bitcoin blackjack works. Many of us learned the game as children, and that knowledge doesn’t easily slip from memory. If you’ve played “Twenty-One” before, you’re in good company, as that is essentially the same game.

Originally called Vingt-et-Un (“Twenty-One” in French), the game took on its current name when it arrived in Las Vegas, and casinos cunningly thought of a way to lower the basic prizes by offering more if you had twenty-one with a “black-colored Jack”. However, those rules have long since gone (in most games), but the name stuck. How do you play, then?

For those of you not in the know, here is our guide to playing bitcoin blackjack online…

Setting Up Your Bets

Every game of bitcoin blackjack begins with a bet. Your bet must fall within the table limits. Once you have bet, two cards are dealt with your hand and two with the dealer’s hand. In many games, you will be able to see one of the dealer’s cards. However, this rule can change depending on the variant you are playing.

The Draw and Card Values

After the draw, you can look at your cards. Each blackjack card counts for its numerical value, so 2s are worth two points, 5s are worth five points, and so on, with 10s and faces all worth ten points, and aces worth either one or eleven points, as needed.

Many people assume that you are trying to get a twenty-one-point hand in blackjack, but that’s not true. What you need to do is beat the dealer’s hand – that is all. Any hand which has a value of over twenty-one points will bust, and you will lose your bet. Fortunately, you can’t bust with just two cards.

If you have a twenty-one-point hand from the off, and the dealer can’t match it, you have a “natural” and will win outright. The same is true for the dealer. If you don’t, and the dealer doesn’t, the game moves on.

Your Options

You can choose to hit or stand, depending on the value of your hand. If you have a high-scoring hand, you will want to stand (stick) with what you have. A low-scoring hand may see you want to hit (take another card). Bear in mind that going over twenty-one points will see you lose, so you need to weigh up your options carefully. You may also have the right to take an insurance bet, surrender, split, or double down, but we’ll come to those shortly.

Winning (or Losing)

After all decisions have been made, the hands will be revealed and compared. The winning hand is the one that outscores the other. In the event of a blackjack tie, the hands push, and your bets are returned in most games. If you beat the dealer, you will pocket winnings of 1:1. However, if you beat the dealer with blackjack (any twenty-one-point hand), you will score a 3:2 payout.

As mentioned, there are other options open to you, and the nature of these can vary depending on the game you are playing. They include:

• In some games, you may double down, which involves doubling your stake and receiving just one more card.
• You may also split identical cards. The exact cards you are permitted to split may vary from game to game. When splitting cards, you are creating two new hands, and so must place a wager equal to your original bet down on the table. Re-splitting involves splitting already split hands, and not all games permit this.
• Some blackjack variants allow you to surrender (often before taking another card). You are essentially folding to receive half your original bet back.
• Insurance bets may be taken in most games. You will typically do so when the dealer has a ten or an ace showing at the start. This will cost you and acts as a side-bet. You are betting that the dealer has blackjack. If they do, you will pocket an insurance bet of 2:1, whatever the outcome of your hand. If they don’t, you lose your side-bet.

Again, these rules may be tinkered with depending on the variant you are playing. There are lots of bitcoin blackjack games out there, so explore them to see how they affect these additional betting options.

Where the Game Varies – Bitcoin Blackjack Variants

As touched on above, there are plenty of different blackjack variants out there. The number of decks used in a game, the total of the dealer hits and stands on, the value of the prizes, and the rules regarding doubling down and splitting can all change. This alters the RTP and house edges of games and creates a wonderful selection of bitcoin blackjack variants for you to choose from. There are far too many for us to list in full here, but we’ll give you a sliver of a taste of some of the most popular ones below:

Blackjack Surrender/Early Surrender

We alluded to this game earlier. Blackjack Surrender (and Early Surrender) is a game whereby you can fold before you play. This allows you to redeem half your stake, and it is ideal if the dealer has an ace or ten.

Blackjack: Double Exposure

A common bitcoin blackjack variant, Double Exposure, sees the dealer’s two cards exposed and face up from the start. This gives you quite a bit of knowledge about how to bet. However, to keep the house edge, payouts for blackjack are reduced from 3:2 to 1:1. Moreover, the player loses tied hands instead of them pushing. Additional restrictions come in regarding doubling down and splitting, such as not double after a split.

Blackjack Switch

Blackjack Switch sees players play with at least two hands. You are permitted to switch cards from one to the other. This is advantageous if you have the cards to form a blackjack. All cards are dealt face up in this game. Doubling after a split is permitted; you can double on any two cards and re-split up to four hands. However, to counteract this good fortune, blackjack only pays 1:1, and a dealer hand of twenty-two will push rather than bust.

Other Notable Bitcoin Blackjack Variants

Other variants you may come across include Atlantic City Blackjack, Vegas Strip, and Vegas Downtown. Single deck blackjack, multi-hand blackjack, and European Blackjack are other variants you may wish to consider. Each of these has its twists on the rules, but most use an alternative number of decks from conventional, classic blackjack.

Common Bitcoin Blackjack Side-Bets

Almost all Bitcoin blackjack games come with side-bets. Again, these are far too numerous to list in full, but we’ll introduce you to a few of them below:

• 21+3 bets involve having a twenty-one-point hand and one of the following combinations (using the dealer’s upturned card) – a Flush (5:1), Straight (10:1), Three of a Kind (30:1), Straight Flush (40:1), or a Suited Triple or Suited Three of a Kind (100:1).
• Perfect Pairs bets involve having one of the following combos in your first two cards – A Mixed Pair (two cards of an identical value but different suits and colors are worth 5:1), a Coloured Pair (two cards of an identical value and color are worth 12:1), and a Perfect Pair (two identical cards for a 25:1 payout).
• Although not technically a side-bet, it is worth mentioning that a Six-Card Charlie is sometimes applied to bitcoin blackjack games. It involves having six cards without busting. You don’t need to form twenty-one to win this side-bet.

Why Play Blackjack with Bitcoin Online?

Why might you choose to play bitcoin blackjack, as opposed to blackjack with fiat currencies? In a nutshell, Bitcoin is a far speedier method to obtain your winnings, comes with suitably lower fees than many rival options, and offers you a touch more anonymity if that matters to you. Moreover, most top blackjack games are now bitcoin-friendly, so you have nothing to lose by having a go at them with cryptocurrencies.

Top Tips for Betting on Blackjack

We wouldn’t let you get started without first providing you with a few handy hints and top tips from our own bitcoin blackjack strategy book. Get a pen and jot these blackjack tips down if you want to improve your game.

Use Basic Strategy

Basic Strategy is a chart that tells you which option to take based on the blackjack hands on the table. While this will be of little use in a land-based casino, you can print out the chart and use it when betting on bitcoin blackjack games to help improve your odds of success.

Practice Makes Perfect

Top bitcoin betting sites will offer free-to-play RNG (random number generator) blackjack games. We urge you to try these out for free (especially when looking at new variants), so you can get some blackjack practice in before you bet with your real money stakes.

Explore the Variants

There are many variants out there, each with its subtle changes to the rules. If you feel as though classic bitcoin blackjack is fine, but it could be improved, check them out. You may find a variant that is better suited to your playing style or that you can exploit.

Avoid Side-Bets

While the rewards for side-bets are appealing in bitcoin blackjack, we don’t recommend using them. Your chances of success aren’t great. Moreover, you can’t incorporate side-bets into any betting strategies you may be using.

Avoid Insurance Bets – Always

Insurance bets should be avoided. It may be tempting to have a crack at them, especially if the dealer has an ace on show, as there are plenty of ten-point cards in a deck, so logically, they should have a twenty-one-point hand. However, they often don’t, making insurance bets sort of a waste of money.

Key Things to Look for in a Top Bitcoin Blackjack Casino

Sometimes, the bitcoin casino you choose to play at can have a big impact on how enjoyable your bitcoin blackjack experience is. For this reason, you should always ensure that your chosen site is licensed and regulated, promotes responsible gambling, is certified, and carries games from a wealth of different providers, with plenty of variants available. Moreover, you should pick a site with fair bitcoin bonuses and promos that can be used on blackjack games and possibly a site that offers blackjack tournaments to boot.

If that sounds like a lot of work, we’ve got the tools to make the experience shorter for you. Head over to our bitcoin casino reviews to find top blackjack betting sites straightaway. Each has been reviewed by our skilled team and is certified as fair.

FAQs: We Answer Your Questions on Bitcoin Blackjack

It is normal if bitcoin blackjack has you confused. We’ll help straighten things out with this handy and brief FAQ on betting on blackjack with bitcoin.