Online Blackjack

Best Online Blackjack Games

Online blackjack is a form of 21 played on the Internet via a home computer or other web-compatible device. "Blackjack" has been the American name for what Europeans have called "Twenty-One" or "Vingt-et-un", the French word for 21, for centuries. Today, blackjack is the most popular casino table game (excluding poker). The game's popularity is tied to its fast pace, relatively easy rules, and ability of players to affect winning by the use of strategy.

Blackjack is usually played with multiple conventional 52-card decks. The 6 to 8 decks usually used is to discourage card-counting, which can be a major advantage when a smaller number of cards are used. The game has been popular with advantage players and card counters since the 1960s, because you can count the number of a particular cards that have been dealt since the last reshuffle, and reevaluate the odds that a particular card is about to appear, adjusting your bets accordingly.

Once blackjack was offered in online casinos, virtual blackjack quickly became one of the most popular card games online.

Online Blackjack Overview

The strategy of blackjack hasn't changed for at least four centuries. That's how long the game is known to have been in existence, though blackjack might be a good deal older. The early 17th century is when the first surviving literary reference to blackjack was made. It was Miguel Cervantes, best known for writing the first novel, Don Quixote, who first mentioned blackjack. In Cervantes' Novelas Ejemplares, which was published in the 1601-02 range, the main characters of the Riconete y Cortadillo story are described as cheats at a game named "ventiuna", the Spanish word for 21. Ventiuna is described as a card game where the object is to reach 21 points, and where the ace in the deck can be valued at either 1 or 11. One major different in modern blackjack is that the cards eight, nine, and ten do not appear in the game.

Once you add the 8, 9, and 10 cards, there appears to be little difference between ventiuna in the year 1601 and blackjack in the year 2011. As the story shows, there were even players clever enough and ambitious enough to think they can beat the game. One wonders when the first blackjack card-counter appeared.

How to Play Online Blackjack

Online blackjack is a continuation of the game played all these years in traditional casinos. The rules of online blackjack are no different the traditional online blackjack played in traditional brick and mortar casinos.

You have a French deck of 52 cards (or numerous decks with the traditional 52 cards), and each player is dealt two cards. The dealer faces somewhere between five to nine players positions, though seven blackjack players is a common number. These cards are usually dealt face up for everyone to see.

After the players receive their cards, the dealer deal two cards to himself or herself, with the first card face-up and the hold card facing down. The dealer can peak at the card, but the players have no idea what the second card is, unless the dealer makes a blackjack (a combination of ace and 10, adding up to 21).

Why Call 21 "Blackjack"?

American casinos get the credit for naming Twenty-One "blackjack". When the game first came to the states, bonus bets were offered if players received the ace of spades and a black jack to equal "21". Therefore, you needed an ace of spades combined with either a jack of spades or a jack of clubs to win the bet, which often paid out at 10-to-1. This game was marketed by card houses as "blackjack".

This initial promotion soon ended, but the name stuck. In the 20th century, it became mainstream for American gamblers to associate traditional "21" with the word "blackjack".

After Internet gambling became an international phenomenon, "online blackjack" became the default term online casinos used to market games of virtual 21. Unfortunately, later events barred many American blackjack players from enjoying the electronic version of the game they helped name.

Online Blackjack Legality

Legally, online blackjack differs from live blackjack from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Overall, though, many of the same legal issues stand in various countries and states. Some nations prefer to make online gambling such as Internet blackjack legal, but regulate the gaming, while others choose to make the game illegal.

For the sake of comparison, the United Kingdom and a number of small nations in the Caribbean Sea, such as Antigua & Barbuda, strictly regulate virtual gambling, but allow their citizens to enjoy these games. The United States of America, from late-2006 until today, have chosen to make illegal the transfer of money in regards to wins and losses at illegal poker, illegal blackjack, and other illegal electronic gaming. (It's important to note that this law only applies to states where such activity is already considered illegal.)

Each U.S. state has its own gambling laws, but President George W. Bush signed into law the Safe Port Act in October of 2006, which was enacted to enhance security at U.S. ports, after a scandal called the DP Ports World controversy roughly six months prior in 2006, where a corporation out of the United Arab Emirates had secured control of security arrangements in six U.S. ports. The law provided for the modernization of the U.S. Coast Guard, too.

The Safe Port Act also instituted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act or UIGEA, which prohibited gambling businesses from collecting payments in regards to bets or wagers over the Internet, if it is unlawful according to state or federal law where the gambler is based. The law excluded online lotteries, horse racing, and fantasy sports.

Since that time, many online casinos do not service American players, for fear that their business will be targeted by U.S. Federal authorities for violation of the UIGEA law. If you are an American online gambler and a casino tells you it doesn't accept U.S. players, it is because that casino or blackjack room is complying with this U.S. law, along with whatever anti-gambling state laws which might activate clauses of the UIGEA.

Online Blackjack Worldwide

Besides the United States of America, you'll find dozens of nations worldwide where online gambling is illegal. This is especially true in countries in the Middle East and Africa, where traditional cultures and moral codes are predominant. A good number of Latin American countries also have severe restrictions on computer gaming, perhaps due to their own traditions, perhaps because they want to save their citizens from spending their last bit of money on a risky game of cards, or perhaps because they prefer their citizens sink their money into the local lottery.

One can't help but wondering that the stringent laws against online gambling in Nevada are designed to force locals to play in the billion-dollar casinos in Las Vegas, while the horse racing industry in certain states lobby to keep online gambling out of their spheres of interest. It wouldn't be so strange to see that happening elsewhere in the world.

That being said, many countries are liberalizing online gambling laws, especially through certain regions of Asia and throughout Europe. This may be why so many of the respected regulatory organizations are found in Europe these days, as Europe tends to have a more permissive view of online gaming than many other parts of the world.

How Online Blackjack Rooms Profit

Online blackjack games make a profit the same way live blackjack tables make a profit: having the odds slightly in their favor. Over the long term, online casinos are virtually assured of making a profit, because the chances are they are going to win slightly more often than they lose. That doesn't mean online blackjack players are necessarily going to lose. If you play, there's an almost 50-50 chance you win the game of blackjack.

Players love blackjack because they can affect the probability of winning through good play or optimal play. An online gambler can make decisions about when to hit and when to sit on the cards you're holding. Since you can affect the outcome of your bets more in blackjack than most other online card games, many smart players prefer online blackjack.

Integrity and Fairness in Online Blackjack

Legitimate online casinos have an interest in assuring their customers they are legitimate. It's in their interest to assure gamblers on their website they are legitimate, because the good reputation of their brand name drives customers to the site.

With a negative expectation game like blackjack, an online casino has no reason to cheat. Any gambler who plays a negative expectation game long enough will eventually lose anyway, so what would be the point of rigging the software?

Beyond that, they have a high incentive to avoid being unfair, because the hint of a cheating scandal would dry up their business overnight.

That's why any legitimate Internet casino is going to be a member of a number of online gambling industry regulatory associations and organizations. They want you to know they are being watched by respected groups, and that they willingly submit to scrutiny.

Gamcare Certificate - UK Gambling Certification

Includes player protection safeguards like age verification, controls for customer spending, self-exclusion options, information on responsible gaming, sources of advice and support, and customer services for problem gambling awareness.

Gambling Supervision Commission - Isle of Man

Offers a sign-up for the latest news, changes, and developments. Also includes GSC annual reports and information on the strong regulatory environment of the Isle of Man government, as it pertains to online gambling.

IGC - Interactive Gaming Council

A not-for-profit organization founded in the United States, and now based in Canada, which seeks to enhance consumer confidence in interactive gaming services and products. The IGC has member companies from the US, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Israel, and the Caribbean.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission

Native American gaming commission which certifies many online casinos and poker rooms. The KGC entered into a 2010 bargain with the Antigua-Barbuda to create an Inter-Jurisdictional Authorization commission.

PricewaterhouseCoopers - Price Waterhouse Coopers

London, England based firm with offices in 154 countries and 757 cities, which is one of the four big accountancy firms. They audit online casinos and card rooms to make certain their games are fair.

It's not in the interest of online casinos to cheat or run an unfair game. While smaller outfits no doubt have tried to cheat players before and may try to cheat players in the future, the big online casinos you've heard about have every reason to run a fair game, and every reason to avoid the appearance of unfairness. Having the right to run legitimate online blackjack games where you have a slight advantage is essentially a license to print money. No one with any sense would risk that sweet set-up to cheat at their own games.

Randomness of the Game - Online Blackjack

Online blackjack rooms spend a lot of their time and focus on making sure the game is fair. Cards are shuffled and randomness is achieved through the use of "random number generators" or RNGs. These computer randomize the card selection during a game, calculation millions of card combinations a second and selecting one at a random setting. This way, neither you nor the casino dealers have any idea what's coming up next.

Differences from Conventional Blackjack

There are significant differences between conventional blackjack and virtual blackjack. The biggest difference is the speed and convenience of playing online, as opposed to driving out to a brick-and-mortar casino (a long journey for many to deal with the speed, or lack of speed, of human dealers. With Internet blackjack, you can play your favorite casino game anytime you want.

Below are some other differences.

Online Blackjack Is Faster - Internet blackjack tends to have around 20 hands more per hour than a live casino's blackjack table. Because the interface allows for quick decisions before it's a player's turn, players usually are faster online, too.

More Online Blackjack Tournaments - Blackjack tournaments are few-and-far-between in live casinos, but are an everyday occurrence in virtual casino environments.

Slower Payouts in Online Blackjack - One big disadvantage of online blackjack rooms is, if you win, you're probably going to have to wait a few days to cash out your winnings.

Multiple Blackjack Versions - Online casinos tend to have multiple variants of blackjack, so you'll be able to shop around to find exactly the game you want.

Less Social Interaction Online - Another disadvantage of online blackjack is you miss the social interaction. You can meet people online and discuss in IM and message boards, but the social interaction online just isn't the same as sitting next to a person in a casino setting.

RNG Blackjack vs Live Blackjack Dealers - One complaint many blackjack players online complained about where the random number generators and the ability to increase deck size so much, that there was no longer any strategy. Some online casinos have met that complaint by returning live blackjack dealers to online gaming, including 8-deck hands. If that suits you, then you can search and find live blackjack dealers.

Online Blackjack Currency Issues

Currency issues are something you won't find in the brick-and-mortar casino nearest you, since everyone is using the same currency in the local scene. In an online casino environment, where players come from around the world to play, currency issues are a major concern. Different online casino companies have met this problem in difference ways.

Many online casinos only accept U.S. dollars, or handle all their currency transactions with the American dollar. This might seem odd, since some of these casinos no longer accept US players. US currency makes sense if a casino only wants to use one type of currency for the sake of convenience, though, since it's in many ways an international currency.

Other casinos convert funds when a player deposits them. You have to watch out that you don't lose money due to exchange rates using this method, because some casinos convert funds at lower rates than a bank or credit card company might. Online blackjack players sometimes keep an e-wallet, also known as a digital wallet or virtual wallet, which aids all sorts of electronic currency transfers and e-commerce, beyond simple online casino deposits and withdrawals.

E-Wallets include online money transfer websites like NETeller, PayPal, or eWalletXpress, which let you deposit money in a number of online vendors, service providers, and entertainment websites. Other methods to make deposits and withdrawals at online casinos include major credit cards like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, instant checks and echecks, Bodog's "Rapid Transfer", a moneygram or money order through a traditional wire service like Western Union, and even hybrid systems like the PINDebit method used by PDC Poker. When depositing at online gaming companies, you'll also find references to electronic money transfer companies like the following: Click2Pay, Delta Card, Diners Club, Ecocard, Ezipay, Instadebit, Maestro Card, Moneybookers, MyCitadel, Paysafe, Skrill, Speedcard, Ukash, UseMyBank, and Webmoney. These are by no means the only options.

Blackjack Tools - Online Blackjack Software

Most of the online casinos are associated with one casino software providers or another. You'll hear them boast about being "powered by" one software type or another. Among the major online casino software providers are Playtech, Microgaming, Cryptologic, Boss Media, "Gambling Software" Company, Net Entertainment, Party Gaming, OpenBet by Orbis Technologies LTD, Realtime Gaming or RTG, Vegas Technology, and Grand Virtual OGT.

Also, certain online casinos use "proprietary software", meaning they design and use their own casino software. For major online gaming corporations, this might make sense. If you're talking about a smaller outfit, you have to be concerned about security and reliability issues.

The big companies listed above are publicly traded and they specialize in online gaming software, so you know they have cutting edge technology and a strong dedication to maintaining their product excellence. You can't always be so sure about proprietary software.

On the other hand, proprietary software isn't as cookie cutter, and sites that use their own blackjack software might have games you would never find anywhere else. It's a balancing act, but a good rule of thumb is to avoid an online blackjack room if you've either never heard of it or the casino software company they use. If you've heard or one of the other, that's a fair step in the direction of legitimacy.

Online Deposit Bonuses - Blackjack Bonuses

One difference you'll find in online blackjack and live blackjack is the ubiquity of player bonuses in online gaming. Online gambling is a competitive market, and gaming websites are willing to offer incentive plans and lucrative promotions to draw customers to their sites. The common method of luring new customers is to offer an "initial deposit bonus", sometimes known as a "welcome bonus", a "sign-up bonus", "VIP bonus", or simply "deposit bonus".

These bonuses tend to range from around $10 to hundreds of dollars, all the way up to an advertised $10,000 to $20,000, and often match your first deposit at a 50% rate, or even a 100% rate. You don't get that amount of money up-front, of course. Instead, you'll have to meet certain incentives or plateaus. Each casino has its own bonus structure.

For instance, one casino might require you to bet 30 times the amount of the bonus deposit, while others require you to bet 50 times the deposit before you can withdraw it. Others might require you to build up a certain number of "loyalty points" or incentive points, which is determined by the amount of money bet on casino games. Some have restrictions on the type of games that count towards the bonus, and so on. (Many casinos don't count wagering on blackjack toward the claim of a bonus.)

Online Blackjack Software Compatibility

Online casinos need to address blackjack software compatibility issues with various types of electronic devices which interface with their sites' gaming software. For instance, to service the entire possible gaming public, a gaming software platform need to be able to interface with Microsoft operating systems, Mac systems, and Linux-based computer software. Java Applets can be used to aid the interface, while a compatibility layer like the free software app, "Wine" (short for "Windows Emulator"), is also useful.

Making this task more complicated is that people are starting to gamble online using mobile portable devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. There was a time that online casino software only had to interface with personal computers and laptops, and many of these only were compatible with Microsoft operating systems.

To reach a wider potential customer base, blackjack gaming software needs to be able to work with personal digital assistants, iPhones and Blackberries, and iPad type devices. Mobile content providers have begun to offer poker apps for these devices, though not as many apps are available for electronic blackjack games on the market at present.

Learn more about blackjack for Mac users here.

Online Blackjack Portals and Internet Blackjack Forums

People who want to join the online blackjack community have a number of online resources to help them connect. There are online blackjack forums and web portals which offer strategy information, camaraderie, tips on where to find the best online blackjack games, variations, and war stories. There are big blackjack message boards at Blackjack Info and Blackjack Tournaments, which help a new player improve and find the best blackjack games, while giving more advanced players advanced strategy tips and blackjack friendships.

You'll also find many online blackjack portals, where you can read about computer blackjack without having to post a bunch of messages on a forum, or socialize at all. You can read basic blackjack information like "how to play blackjack", blackjack etiquette, and blackjack tips. You can study advanced blackjack strategy, or read reviews of online casinos, gaming software, or any other aspect of online blackjack.

Online Blackjack Strategy

Learn about online blackjack strategy. Most people reading this article have played blackjack for a number of years, and they aren't going to be interested in reading basic blackjack articles or blackjack tips. Instead, they might read advanced strategy discussions or learn how to count cards while playing vingt-et-un. Either way, when you are going from a tradition blackjack table setting in a casino to an online gaming room, you should study the nuances in the electronic game.

Even advanced blackjack players aren't going to be familiar with different software types, online blackjack software tools, payment methods, gaming regulatory associations, and how online casinos run fair games--or run an online blackjack table at all. Hopefully, this article has given you a basic overview of online blackjack, so you can start playing in a virtual blackjack room with the confidence you know what you're doing.