Probably one of the most popular casino table games worldwide, Blackjack is a great game whether you’re playing at home or at a casino. However, there are a few differences to keep in mind when you play Blackjack at home. In this A to Z guide, we’ll walk you through all the Blackjack rules, strategies, and things to keep in mind when you play Blackjack at home that will help you get better odds of having a winning hand.
Terms and conditions apply
Claim your
30 Free Spins with your first deposit of £10
on the Big Bass Splash slot!
Terms and conditions apply
Terms and conditions apply
Terms and conditions apply
Terms and conditions apply
Terms and conditions apply
Terms and conditions apply
Terms and conditions apply
Terms and conditions apply
The rules of Blackjack are fairly simple to wrap your head around, especially when compared to more complex casino games like poker and its variations. The straightforward rules are yet another reason why you can play Blackjack at home without having to learn many complicated rules or strategies. With relatively simple rules, the game of Blackjack is considered one of the most fun and thrilling games to play.
It also makes it a game that’s ideal to practice and play at home if you’re still new to the world of Blackjack. Once you master playing Blackjack at home, you can take your new skills to the table, whether it’s in a real-life casino or in an online game of Blackjack with a live dealer.
At Platincasino UK, you will find a dedicated section full of Live Blackjack games available to play. With so many Blackjack variations, friendly dealers, and sharp graphics, you get the best aspects of playing at a casino, except that you can do it all from home. And if you’re not ready to take your skills to the live casino table just yet, you can also check out or selection of online Blackjack games without a live dealer.
Basic Strategy To Successfully Playing Blackjack
In order to play Blackjack at home successfully, you first need to get familiar with a basic strategy so that you’ll be equipped with enough knowledge to play your hand in the best way. While the hand you’re dealt is based on chance, the way you play it involves a lot of skill and knowledge about the dealer’s cards.
One of the first things to learn is to distinguish whether the dealer has a good up-card (the card dealt facing up on the table) or a poor one, and then learning what to do in each case. In general, the 7, 8, 9, 10, and Ace cards are considered good up-cards for the dealer. On the contrary, a poor up-card can be a 4, 5, or a 6.
When a dealer has a good card, you should keep hitting until you reach a hand of 17 or more. When a dealer has a poor card, then you can afford to stand when you reach a total of 12. The whole aim here is to have a higher hand than the dealer but with the smallest possible risk of going bust. Keep in mind that the dealer doesn’t have the same option as the players to stand on 12 or higher; they must keep hitting until they reach 17, at which point they have to stand.
The Pack In Blackjack – The Cards Used For The Game
The standard deck used when you play Blackjack at home or at a casino is usually the 52-card pack. However, some casinos also use several different decks shuffled together. Blackjack can even be played with up to nine 52-card decks but there are also other popular choices like the six-deck game with 312 cards instead of 52. Blackjack games with more than one deck of cards is usually referred to as multi-deck Blackjack.
If the casino uses four or more decks shuffled together, the cards are dealt from the shoe. This is a box that is used by the dealer to deal one card at a time without holding the card pack itself. If one deck is used, a blank card is usually placed at bottom of the card pack. This card is not dealt but it’s simply there to alert players when the deck is going to be reshuffled.
Multi-deck Blackjack has become increasingly popular, especially in land-based and online casinos. The reason for this is to discourage players from using card counting techniques because with multiple decks, it’s harder for card counters to keep an accurate track of what cards have been dealt and what there is left in the deck.
How Private Blackjack Games Are Played
Players who choose to play Blackjack at home still follow the basic rules of playing Blackjack at a casino or online, but there are a few important differences that you need to know about before you play Blackjack at home with your friends. In this section, we’ll walk you through how private Blackjack games are usually played.
First off, private Blackjack games are usually played between two to seven players, including the dealer. It can also be played with more players, but the games become much harder to play this way so a maximum of seven players is recommended. The standard 52-card is used with the addition of the joker card. This card is used to replace the card that is taken from the top of the card deck and then thrown to the side, known as the burn card.
The Joker card is not used by any player. The value of the cards remains the same as when you’re playing in a casino. This means that the cards from 1 to 11 have a face value, the Ace is a one or an 11, and the King, Queen, and Jack count as 10.
Before the game begins, a betting limit needs to be agreed upon and set by all the players. The betting limit should be decided before any cards are dealt because the game can get very confusing if there are no set betting limits or if they keep changing during the game. In a casino, on the other hand, the betting limits are set by the table and can’t be changed by players.
Since technically there is no dealer, a private game of Blackjack works a bit differently than Blackjack at a casino. One player starts the round by shuffling the cards and then passes them on to the player sitting to his right to cut the pack. After the cut, one player deals one card at a time to every player until one of them gets an Ace. The player with the Ace is the first dealer.
On the other hand, if you’re playing Blackjack at an online casino with a live dealer, the rules are quite different. Firstly, there is only one dealer and they remain the dealer throughout the game in a casino. Secondly, the dealer in online Blackjack deals out two face-up cards to each player while they get two cards, one facing up and one hidden. In a private game of Blackjack, everyone, including the dealer gets a face-down card called a hole card and then a face-up card.
Play Blackjack At Home – Steps Of The Game
| Definition | Example |
| The Bets | Once every player has received their hole card and evaluated it, every player places their bet. For example, if the betting limits chosen are between £1 and £10, a player can place a bet of £5. If you lose, the dealer gets £5 but if you win, you get your £5 bet back plus the same amount from the dealer. |
| The Shuffle | This refers to shuffling the deck of cards by taking cards from the bottom and placing them on top, then again from bottom to top, each time varying the number of cards picked out. In private Blackjack, the dealer always shuffles the cards at the start of the game. |
| The Cut | Once the dealer shuffles the cards, he passes them on to the player to his right for the cut. This refers to the player taking the cards and splitting them into two. The top of the deck is taken and placed facing down beside the remaining part of the deck. The lower part of the deck is then placed on top of the other deck. |
| The Deal | The deal refers to the role of the dealer, which every player will get the opportunity to be. The deal usually moves to the left, with the person on the left side of the dealer taking the next turn to be the dealer. However, another example is when the dealer is determined by whoever gets a blackjack first. |
| The Play | In private Blackjack, the dealer has the ability to choose whether every other player has to double the bets. If the dealer gets a blackjack, he gets double from every player. However, if a player gets a blackjack, then he/she wins double and will then be the dealer. |
Play Blackjack at Platincasino
Common Signals And What They Mean In Blackjack
If you play Blackjack at home instead of a casino, the first thing you need to learn are the common Blackjack signals and what they mean. Since you don’t have any buttons as you would when playing Blackjack online, you need to know the hand signals for the move you want to make.
Not to mention, you will look like a total pro once you master these hand signals. If you’re not entirely sure you’re making the right signal, you can also simply say the move you want to make in addition to making the signal. Below, we’ve listed the four most important hand signals in Blackjack and what they mean.
| Move | Hand signal |
| Hit | Take your card and scrape it slowly across the table in your direction. |
| Stand | Slide your card carefully under the chips. |
| Double Down | Place the amount of chips you want to wager next to the chips you placed for your initial bet, pointing with one finger. You also need to reveal your face-down card. |
| Split | You also need to reveal your face-down card. |
| Surrender | There is no specific hand signal for this, instead, players usually indicate verbally that they are surrendering. |
Further Actions You Can Take When Playing Blackjack
One of the most important aspects of Blackjack strategy is to know when you should hit and when you should stand. This is the core of playing any Blackjack game that will open up further actions you can take such as splitting a pair, doubling down, and taking an insurance bet, even when you play Blackjack at home. In this section, we’ll brush up on what each action means in Blackjack and even more importantly, what action you should choose depending on your hand.
Hit – this means you want to receive an additional card from the dealer. If your hand is less than eight, then you can hit for another card to increase the value of your hand because the chances of improving it are high without risking going over 21. You can even hit on a hand as high as 12, although the risk of going bust now becomes possible, when the dealer has a high card.
Stand – this means you want to play your hand as it is without receiving any additional cards. If you have a high hand of 17, 19 or 20, then it’s not a good idea to take another card because there is a chance you will end up with a hand higher than 21, and we all know what that means.
Double down – to double your initial bet and be dealt another card. If you get a hand totalling 11, a soft hand between 16 and 19 or a hard 9 or 10, consider doubling down because there is a good chance at getting very closer to 21. However, keep in mind that doubling down still comes with a risk of going bust and losing the game.
Split – to split your hand into a two and place a second bet that is equal to your initial bet. Keep in mind that each new hand receives another card. The most obvious scenario where you should split is when you have a pair of 8s or a pair of Aces. You can also split pairs of 9 and 10 but keep in mind that such hands are already good hands as they and if you split them, you need to get a good card to make two new, strong hands. The worst hands to split at two 5s and two 4s, because they will result in two weak hands.
The insurance bet is another side bet that is available when you play Blackjack at home or in a casino. If the dealer gets an Ace, then every player has the option to choose whether they want to take the insurance bet or not. If they do, then they will get back half of their initial bet if the dealer gets a Blackjack, so it’s worth considering taking the insurance. However, you also need to keep in mind that if the player doesn’t get a Blackjack after all, then you lose your insurance bet, so it’s not necessarily a good idea to take insurance.
Conclusion
After looking at the basic strategy when you play Blackjack at home, it’s clear that Blackjack is not simply a game of chance but there is also plenty of skills that can be used to improve your odds of winning. Essentially, Blackjack is an interesting game that combines chance and skill. Now that you know the basic Blackjack strategies, the moves and the signals to make them, it’s time to take what you’ve learnt in this guide to play Blackjack at home and practice at home before hitting the casinos.
Play Blackjack At Home – FAQs
Should I stand on 17 and over?
Having a hand of 17 is perhaps the situation where deciding whether to hit or stand is the most important. In general, you should stand on 17 and over because this is a considered a strong hand to have and more importantly, the chances of going bust by hitting is high since you’re already close to 21.
Should I take insurance when playing blackjack?
There is both a pro and a con when it comes to the insurance, so not every player agrees about whether the insurance is a good bet or not. If the dealer gets a Blackjack and you have taken the insurance bet, then you at least get to keep half of your initial bet. However, if the dealer doesn’t get a Blackjack, then you lose the insurance bet amount.
Is Blackjack all luck?
No, unlike slots and some other types of online casino games, Blackjack is a game that combines both luck and skill. Whenever the dealer deals cards, it’s totally a matter of chance because there is nothing that you can do to influence what cards you will get. However, there is also a big element of skill and strategy involved in playing your cards and realising good opportunities to make certain moves. So, in a nutshell, Blackjack isn’t simply about luck but also about skill!
Is card counting illegal?
Card counting isn’t illegal in the UK, but it’s still a big no-no for most casinos. Card counting is sometimes even considered a form of cheating and many casinos will ban players and ask them to leave if they suspect they are card counting. Card counting can give players an edge over the casino because it allows players to know when they’re in a good position to raise their bets, which is why most casinos will blacklist players who are caught counting cards.
Should I always stand if there’s a risk of going bust?
In Blackjack there is always a reasonable chance that the dealer will go bust. He can actually call himself lucky if he finishes in the zone between 17 and 21. So play cautiously and if you’ve got 13 or more, you are better off to stand. Only hit on 12 or less.
