Blackjack is a real sought-after game in both online and land-based gambling venues. There are a number of reasons to its great popularity, namely the simple rules, the speed of the game and the simplest strategy in counting cards. It is believed that the predecessor of this game was the card game "vingt-et-un" ("twenty-one"), which appeared in French gambling establishments around the XIX century.
The rules of blackjack are quite easy. The game is played with up to 8 decks. The deck consists of 52 cards from 2 to Ace. Pip cards from 2 to 10 have their own value, Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 while an Ace can be either 11 or 1 (depends on the hand value). Suits don’t play any role here.
The player’s aim is to collect more points in their hand than the dealer will do and not more than 21. The highly desired combination is a two-card hand worth 21.
Winning and losing hands
Rules |
Description |
Aim of the game |
to beat the dealer, not exceeding 21. |
Betting |
Every player makes a bet before the dealer starts dealing cards. The players put their bet in chips in front of them in the designated area. As a rule, every casino sets minimum and maximum limits on the betting. |
The course of the game |
Once all bets have been made, the dealer start dealing cards clockwise from a special box called a “shoe”. The first card is dealt face up. The second card is dealt face up for every player, except the dealer whose card remains unknown to the other participants. |
Player’s turn |
Then the players at the table make a decision whether to stand or hit. The leftmost player says, "Stand" (meaning there’s no need to get another card), or "Hit" (ask for one more card trying to get a winning hand closer to 21). A player may stand on the two cards, or may go further and get as many cards they want, one at a time, until deciding to stand on the total (if it is 21 or under), or bust (if it is over 21). In this case, the player loses and the bet goes to the house. Then the next player does the same. If a player has blackjack, he/she wins unless there are no other players who have blackjack. The winner gets 3:2 unless the dealer’s face up card is an Ace or any one which scores 10. In this case the player can take 1:1 at once, or wait until the end of the round. If the dealer has no blackjack, the player will win 3:2. |
Dealer’s turn |
Once every player has shown their cards, the dealer opens the hole card. If the total is 17 or more, he/she must stand. If the total is 16 or less, they must draw (not everywhere). The dealer continues taking cards until totals 17 or more. An Ace can count as 1 or 11 depending on the total score of the hand. If there is an Ace and a card totaling 17 or more (but not over 21), the Ace counts as 11 and the dealer must stand. The dealer doesn’t make decisions themselves, they are prescribed by the blackjack game, whereas players always choose on whether to stand or hit themselves. |
Settlement |
The fact that to players always go first gives the dealer a small advantage. If the player busts, he/she loses the bet, even if the dealer goes bust as well. If the dealer busts 21, each player who has stood will get 1:1 player's bet. If the dealer stands on 20 or less, all the players who have more get 1:1, the others lose their wager. If there is a Push (the player and dealer’s hands are equal), no chips are paid out or collected. |
Before starting to play blackjack online for real money, you should get to know what buttons are on the screen and what some special terms mean. When playing blackjack online, you will see the following buttons on the blackjack table:
The main buttons can vary from a casino to a casino. Different types of blackjack also have different buttons on the table.
Blackjack has one more name, “natural”. If the first two cards are an ace and a "ten-valued card", totaling 21, this is a natural or "blackjack." If any player at the table gets a natural/blackjack while the dealer does not, the player wins and gets one and a half times the amount of their bet at once. If the dealer has a natural, he/she immediately collect the bets of all the players who do not have naturals.
If both the dealer and any other player have naturals, there is a tie, and the player takes back his chips.
If the dealer's face-up card is a ten-valued card or an ace, the dealer looks at the face-down card to see if there is a natural. If the face-up card is not a ten-valued card or an ace, the dealer opens it when the dealer’s turn starts only.
There are 52 cards in a standard deck for Blackjack. There may be up to eight decks used. It depends on
The usage of several decks saves time; otherwise, the dealer would have to stop and shuffle a single deck after each round.
Card value
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 have their face value
Jack, Queen, King are counted as 10
Ace can be counted as 11 or 1 depending on the hand total in order not to go bust.
One of the things that increases the interest to the game is blackjack odds. The casino advantage in blackjack is less than in any other game. This game gives a player an opportunity to beat the house. The number of decks influences greatly on the odds.
Number of decks |
House advantage |
1 |
0.17% |
2 |
0.46% |
4 |
0.60% |
6 |
0.64% |
8 |
0.66% |
Not only does the number of decks make an influence on the game odds. The casinos where the dealer can hit on the soft 17 has the higher advantage than the blackjack casinos where the dealer must stop on all 17’s. The proper use of the blackjack basic strategy also improves player’s chances to win in the long run.
There are slight differences in how to play different types of online blackjack Australia. The rules depend on the type of the game and the provider. Here are some common instructions how to play blackjack at Casino Rocket.
Choose the type of blackjack you fancy trying in the casino lobby. Some types of the game can be played for free whereas others require a real money bet. Thus, live dealer blackjack is played for money deposit. If you want to play blackjack online for real money, go to the banking and make a deposit first.
Today online gambling blackjack offers a sheer number of types from a classic to progressive one. So, everyone will certainly find the game or games they like. Each type has different probabilities and odds. Therefore, before trying any game, learn more about it in order to pick up a right strategy.
Types of online blackjack |
Description |
House Edge |
Providers |
Classic Blackjack |
Played with 1 – 8 decks. The players and the dealer get two cards. One of the two dealer’s cards is face down, all the others are face-up. Then the player stands or hit. Once the player stands, the dealer opens the hand, the person who has more points without busting wins. |
0.35% |
Evolution, Pragmatic Play, Platipus
|
Progressive Blackjack |
It has the same rules that the classic one. Before starting, the player makes a side bet allowing getting extra payouts. The player can also win money or a percentage of the jackpot if they have different hand combinations. |
0.57% |
Microgaming, Playtech |
European Blackjack |
Played with two decks of 52 cards. The second card is given to the dealer only after the player’s hand has been completed. The dealer stands on 17 and hits on 16. |
0.39% |
Nucleus Gaming, BetSoft |
Atlantic City Blackjack |
Played with 8 decks. The dealer has two cards at the beginning and checks for blackjack, if there is, the game ends before the player could lose their money by doubling. Offers the Late Surrender option. You can split three times whereas Aces can be split once. |
0.35% |
Microgaming, Playtech |
Spanish 21 |
Played with eight decks with 48 cards (10 are removed). The dealer hits on soft 17. The player's blackjack and 21 beats the dealer's blackjack or 21. There is Insurance and Surrender. |
0.38% |
Microgaming |
Blackjack Switch |
The player is given two hands and can switch the two top cards of the two hands where he wants. The dealer can have 22 points without busting. Blackjack is paid 1:1. |
0.17% |
PlayTech |
Vegas Strip Blackjack |
Played with 4 decks. Unlike 10 value cards can be split. |
0.32% |
Microgaming, Playtech |
Pontoon |
Played with 8 decks. The dealer wins the ties. The cards are dealt faced-down. The player must twist (draw) on any hand with the total less than 15. If the dealer has Pontoon (natural), it is declared immediately and the game is over. If Aces are split, only 1 card can be taken after that. |
0.39% |
Nucleus Gaming, Bgaming |
Super Fun 21 |
Played with 1 deck. The game offers bonuses for certain combinations of hands. A 5-card or 6-card hand totaling 20 and that has not been doubled wins. Dealer must hit on soft 17. There is a late Surrender. |
1.30% |
Microgaming, Playtech |
Chinese Blackjack |
Played with 2 decks. All cards have similar values like in traditional blackjack, except an Ace which can be counted 1, 10 or 11. 2 aces are a "ban-ban” and pay 3:1. A "ban-nag” (a traditional blackjack) pays 2:1. If the dealer has "ban-nag", he beats every hand except for a "ban-ban." |
0.56% |
Microgaming |
Triple 7’s Blackjack |
Offers high bonuses for certain combinations of hands. Triple Diamond Sevens give progressive jackpot. The dealer’s cards are faced up. You can’t double after a split. You can’t split sevens. The dealer draws on 16 and stands on 17. |
3.45% |
Microgaming |
Double Attack Blackjack |
Played with eight decks with 48 cards. Pays even money on a blackjack. All cards except aces can be split up to 4 times. Dealer stands on a soft 17. |
0.62% |
Microgaming, Playtech |
One of the most popular online pastimes is live dealer blackjack. It is the same blackjack; the main difference is that you are playing with a live dealer who you can see on the screen. It is much alike a land-based blackjack. The dealer sits at the table, shuffles and deals cards. Only chips are digital. Live dealer blackjack has lots of variations including classic blackjack, pontoon, speed blackjack, progressive one and many others. To play blackjack at a live casino, you have to
Then, you play as a traditional blackjack, decide whether to stand, hit, double, or split. During the round you can text tablemates using the game chat.
Here are some advantages when playing live dealer blackjack:
There are a good number of types of blackjack and each of them has a different winning probability. You can win while playing any type of blackjack, but you’d better shop around to learn what probabilities the chosen type of blackjack has. When knowing odds and probabilities, it’s easier to pick a game that has more chances to win.
The only type of online blackjack that has the best probabilities is a blackjack that is played with a single deck. It is difficult to find it. This game can have a 99.60% RTP. Anyway, in case you find such a game, check the rules and make sure of the fact that the game has high probabilities because a single deck does not always mean the best odds.
When playing online blackjack, all decks are shuffled after each game, thereby making card counting impossible. But when there is a single deck only, you can easily test your skills in card counting.
Blackjack Rules influence on winning probabilities greatly. They can increase RTP up to 2%.
On the other hand, there are some rules which decrease player’s chances to win enormously. That’s why every player should try to avoid blackjack with the following rules:
To play online blackjack for real money at Casino Rocket, a player has to register. It is an easy and standard process.
You must verify your account to get the most of it. To do it, you have to
The casino can also phone to the number provided in your user account. Withdrawals may be terminated until the account is fully verified.
To make a deposit you need to
Payment Method |
minimum deposit |
maximum deposit |
commission |
available currencies |
Visa |
AUD25 |
AUD8,000 |
free |
USD, EURO, AUD CAD, NZD |
Neosurf |
AUD15 |
AUD8,000 |
free |
USD, EURO, AUD CAD, NZD |
Ethereum |
0.005 ETH |
unlimited |
free |
|
Dogecoin |
1 DOGE |
unlimited |
free |
|
Litecoin |
0.01 LTC |
unlimited |
free |
|
Bitcoin |
0.00006 BTC |
unlimited |
free |
|
tether |
0.01 USDT |
unlimited |
free |
|
Before making the first withdrawal, you have to verify your account. In case you provide false private data, the withdrawal can be terminated, and your Account will be blocked. To verify your account, you have to upload identification documents. To withdraw
The limits depend on the payment method used. If you win more than AUD15,000, the Casino divides the payout into monthly instalments of max AUD15,000 until the full amount is paid out. The progressive jackpots are paid in full.
Payment Method |
min. withdrawal |
max. withdrawal |
commission |
withdrawal time |
Bank Transfer |
€500 |
€4,000 |
free |
1 - 5 working days |
Neosurf |
AUD250 |
AUD8,000 |
free |
Instant |
Ethereum |
0.005 ETH |
unlimited |
free |
Up to 10 min |
Dogecoin |
1 DOGE |
unlimited |
free |
Up to 10 min |
Litecoin |
0.01 LTC |
unlimited |
free |
Up to 10 min |
Bitcoin |
0.0002 BTC |
unlimited |
free |
Up to 10 min |
tether |
0.01 USDT |
unlimited |
free |
Up to 10 min |
Most virtual casinos offer their customers an opportunity to try blackjack for free. There are several types of the game that are allowed for free play. No casino gives an opportunity to try live dealer blackjack for free. Free blackjack is played like real money one, the only difference is that it is played with virtual currency.
Today a lot of gaming software providers develop blackjack games. So, there is a wide choice of blackjack in online casino in Australia.
provider |
classic blackjack |
live dealer blackjack |
progressive jackpot blackjack |
other types of blackjack |
Microgaming |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Atlantic City, Speed, Pontoon, etc. |
Evolution |
+ |
+ |
- |
Lightning, Speed, Power, Infinite |
Pragmatic Play |
+ |
+ |
- |
American, Azure |
Betsoft |
+ |
+ |
- |
21 Burn, American, Pirate 21 |
Nucleus Gaming |
- |
+ |
- |
Single Deck, Super 7, European |
Nowadays, not only can everyone play blackjack in a land-based casino, but they can also do it in an online casino. Some blackjack players are fond of real casino games, others prefer virtual blackjack. Both online and land-based blackjack has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Land-Based Blackjack |
Online Blackjack |
- To play blackjack, you have to leave your place. - You have to spend money on travelling, accommodation. - Land-based casinos don’t work 24/7. - There are no bonuses. - Blackjack is a popular game, it may be difficult to find a seat at the blackjack table. - You can get your winnings instantly. - You can interact with other players. - It is noisy. |
- You don’t have to leave your home. - You spend your bankroll on the game only. - You can play your favourite game any time you want. - There are different bonuses. - You can easily play the game, never mind how many people are playing it at the same time. - It takes time to withdraw your winnings. - You play alone. You can chat with other players when playing live dealer blackjack. - You can play in the quietness of your home. |
There are a lot of games in online casinos. There are thousands of slots, and many table games including roulette and baccarat, keno, craps, and many others. Different players prefer playing different games. What game to choose, let’s compare the most popular ones.
Blackjack |
Roulette |
Pokies |
- A game of chance and skill. - You have to learn rules and strategies. - RTP is about 99%. - There are some useful strategies to increase winning probabilities. - The house edge is 0.5%. |
- A game of pure chance. - There is no need to learn a lot about the game, just know more about types of bets and their odds. - RTP is over 98%. - There are some betting strategies that help not go broke. - The house edge is 5.26%. |
- A game of pure chance. - You can start spinning the reels immediately, without learning any rules. - RTP is 95% on average. - No strategy is useful. - The house edge is between 5% to 15%. |
There are lost of blackjack strategies existed, but the one that is workable is certainly the basic blackjack strategy. The proper usage of this strategy improves player’s odds of up to 2% and this is great in the long run. Before using the basic strategy, you should learn several things that will increase your chances of winning. You must know
There are certain differences in the strategy when Surrender is possible on a hard 16 except double 8s when dealer shows 9, 10 or Ace or Surrender on a hard 15 when a dealer’s face up card is 10.
The strategy chart differs slightly when the dealer hits on soft 17.
The blackjack basic strategy uses certain abbreviations. In order to help every player to use the strategy chart, we decipher the abbreviations. Don’t be afraid if you seem to be a bit difficult to memorize them at the first sight. You will easily remember these abbreviations while playing.
Below there is the basic strategy chart for a single deck blackjack. There is no need to learn it by heart, you can use it during your playing session. Different colours will help you make your way through it quickly.
Dealer Must Stand on All 17
Dealer Must Hit on Soft 17
When you are playing blackjack, the blackjack strategy chart differs again. The chart has been specially designed for 4 and more deck-blackjack. Like a single-deck blackjack, there are some variations. Pay attention to the blackjack rules whether the dealer must stand or hit on 17, etc.
Dealer Must Stand on 17
Dealer Must Hit of Soft 17
When you are going to sit down at the table to play blackjack, you may wonder what the most desirable card combinations are. Indeed, there are not too many of them.
· The top hand in blackjack is without any doubt Ace and a 10-value card, a natural or blackjack. This hand allows you to win in most cases (unless the dealer has blackjack either). According to statistics, every 20 hands is blackjack on average.
· The second-best hand is the combination of cards totaling 20. Therefore, you’d better not split 10s; it’s a winning hand in most cases.
If there are the best hands, the worst hands also exist. Of course, nobody wants to get this hand, and many players are afraid of it. What is it?
You see, there are better hands and worse ones, but don’t be upset beforehand. Follow the basic strategy, look at your cards and the dealer’s upcard, and then make a decision. If you are afraid of losing money play free blackjack.
Card counting is one of the best-known and almost legendary blackjack strategies in the world. The famous Hollywood movie, 21, starring Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, tells us about MIT team. The team travelled to Las Vegas and played blackjack there using card counting. Most of people think that this strategy involves memorizing cards which were in the game. Fortunately, it is not right. In fact, card counting uses a special system that allows keeping track of the ratio of low cards to high ones.
The first thing, the newbie must do is to assign a point score to each card, as follows:
While cards are being dealt, a card counter does calculations, adding and subtracting with each card.
The card counter updates score with each card dealt. It is called ‘running count’. The player keeps doing it until the dealer shuffles cards, then the new score starts. The positive score means the player has an advantage while the negative gives advantage to the house.
For example, on the table there are three players and the dealer, the cards are
All this totals +1.
Casinos have always tried to make counting card more difficult. That’s why they started to use more than one deck. True count or count per deck will help.
Let’s imagine you have a +4 running count and 6 decks remain. It differs a lot from having a +4 running count and a single deck remaining. In the first example, there is about 1 additional high card per deck remaining thereby the player hasn’t got the advantage yet. The number of extra high cards doesn’t matter for card counting. What matters is the number of high cards compared to the number of low cards.
If the running count is +4 with a deck remaining, we know that there are 4 more 10’s and Aces remaining. This gives the advantage to the player and makes the “True Count” valuable.
True Count =
The True Count shows what your advantage is in a multideck game. Thus, each true count decreases the casino edge 0,5% giving it to the player. However, it varies in dependence of the blackjack game.
To keep the running count and true count is necessary in order to know when the advantage will pass to the player. To benefit from this, you should use this information during your game session and vary your bet according to it. Increase your bet when the true count is higher and decrease it when the true count is negative or neutral.
We can’t imagine our life without mobile phones now and we can use it to enjoy blackjack. Smartphones allow playing the game on the mobile browser and through the casino app.
A mobile version of a casino is available to players through browsers whereas the casino application must be downloaded from Google Play, App store or casino websites.
Mobile Casino |
Casino Application |
- a complete product - available through the majority of operating systems - don’t require downloading and installation - needs an internet connection - an update is an automatic process - because of the unstable internet connection, the gameplay can be interrupted anytime - almost all online casinos have a mobile version - doesn’t require much room on your device |
- part of the website - designed for a certain operating system/some operating systems - has to be downloaded and installed onto the phone - can be used offline - require downloading and authorizing each update, updates take more time - an internet connection doesn’t influence your gameplay - few online casinos offer a casino app - consume storage space on your phone |
First, make sure that the casino app exists. If so, you may use links from the website you are gambling, or look for the app in the Google Play.
To download a casino app to your mobile phone to play blackjack is also very easy.
To play blackjack through the casino app is exciting. Unfortunately, not all gambling venues have it.
blackjack is great game that not only will help you have a good time, but it also develops different skills such as counting, attention, logical thinking and allows beating the casino. However, like any other online casino game, it has its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros |
Cons |
- You don’t have to leave your home. - You spend your bankroll on the game only, you don’t need to pay for tickets, hotels, etc. - You can play your favourite game any time you want. - There are a number of bonuses attached. - You can easily play the game, never mind how many people are playing it at the same time. - You play alone, no one will bother you. - You can play in the quietness of your home. |
- It takes time to withdraw your winnings. - You won’t feel the casino atmosphere. - It is a fast pace game, it takes around a minute, thereby you may lose lots of money in a short period of time. |
It’s up to you. Most blackjack games accept a minimum $1 bet, but there is low budget blackjack. For example, Premium blackjack from Playtech accepts min. $0.1. Not only do blackjack limits matter, but also there is a minimum deposit that a casino allows. It varies from $1 to $30.
The best strategy to be applied while playing blackjack is without a doubt the basic strategy. Following it, you enhance the chances towards winning up to 2%, that is big enough for blackjack game.
Yes, you can. You may log into the same casino and open a live dealer blackjack and invite your friend to join you. When he joins, you may enjoy blackjack together.
It’s quite easy. The majority of online gambling venues give you a fantastic opportunity to enjoy blackjack for free. Just open a casino site, register with it (there are even some gambling websites that will allow you to try the game without registration), find a game which allow you to play for free or demo play.
Open the casino site you are going to play, sign in, make a deposit. Then go to the casino homepage, press a table game section, blackjack and decide which game to play for real money.
It is just like playing it in any other country of the world. Open an Australian online casino, e.g. Casino Rocket, register, make a deposit, find a blackjack variation to play and enjoy your play session.
To make a real money bet in online casino, you have to have a real player account in that casino. Then, open the casino, log in, make a deposit, pick a game you want to play. Open that game, choose a chip with the coin denomination you are going to bet and click on it.
Card counting wants certain skills to be applied during the game. We may recommend reading this article, practising free blackjack to sharpen your card-counting skills. When you think you are ready, visit a gambling site and try real money blackjack.
Many online casinos hold blackjack tournaments on a regular basis. There are daily, weekly, monthly events. There are free rolls where the management can invite you and buy-in tournaments. Blackjack tournament is a good possibility to try your skills at blackjack while gambling with other players.
There are a lot of different types of online blackjack. The number of decks varies from a single deck to 8 ones.
Most casinos can be downloaded on your phone free of charge. But there are not too many casinos that have a casino app. However, you can enjoy all of them without downloading.