There is more to blackjack than merely hoping to avoid busting, landing twenty-one. In fact, you have a decent chunk of options open to you when you bet on blackjack at online casinos.
If you want to discover how to play the game, we’re here to help. Allow us to walk you through the basics with this brief gambling guide to betting on blackjack.
Check the Table Limits Before Betting
Before you place any sort of wager on blackjack, you must first look at the table limits. Each table will have its own limits, and they may stretch from a few cents/pence up to hundreds, dare we say, thousand pounds/dollars.
Ideally, you will budget your balance and manage your chip stick well before betting.
Receiving Your Cards and Using Basic Strategy
After placing your bet, you will be entitled to receive your first two cards. As you’re no doubt aware, at this point, you can stand or draw. In some blackjack variants, you may also get the option of folding for half your bet back – known as surrendering.
However, we would strongly encourage you to check a Basic Strategy guide to find the best solution based on the cards you have. A couple of proposals may be made to you, and we’ll cover those below.
Doubling Down
One of your first betting options may be to double down. This involves placing a bet equal to the ante (your original stake) in exchange for just one more card. Doubling down is something you will do if you feel you have a good hand. This is because you can win twice as much.
However, there are specific times when you’re going to want to do this and times when you aren’t. Again, a Basic Strategy chart will tell you when.
Splitting
Splitting is not an option available with every hand. Indeed, each blackjack game and variant may have its own rules concerning when you can split a hand. Doing so means paying a bet equal to ante (as explained above) and splitting your cards into two separate hands.
Each will receive a new card. It is advantageous to split aces, but do not split tens. This is a common mistake amongst blackjack players. Splitting tens is foolish as you already have a twenty-point hand. Given the surplus of ten-point cards in a deck, splitting aces is very advantageous.
Some blackjack games and variants do not allow you to do this, though. After all, the casino isn’t stupid – they know what you’re thinking.
Taking Insurance
Taking insurance is an option open to players when the first cards have been dealt. It involves placing a side bet (often £/$1 in value). You are betting that your dealer has blackjack. If they do, you’ll receive winnings of 2:1, irrespective if you lose the hand.
However, given the house edge and probability of success, we wouldn’t encourage you to place insurance bets regularly.
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