Blackjack Casino Sites
Looking for Blackjack Casino Sites? Use the Desibets.com guide to the best online casinos in India to play Blackjack and the bonuses available.
- Best Blackjack Casinos in India
- How to play blackjack
- Blackjack card values
- Blackjack terminology
- Blackjack Rules
- Popular blackjack games
- Basic Blackjack strategy
Best Blackjack Casinos in India
Both at land-based venues and online, blackjack is one of the most popular card games in the casino. As a decision-making game, players have a degree of control over the outcome of a hand. Furthermore, its exceptionally high RTP provides a great chance of winning.
If you’re new to blackjack or simply want a refresher, this guide is for you. You’ll learn how the game is played online, what the most popular variants are, and we also provide a basic blackjack strategy to help improve your gameplay. What’s more, Desibets has hand-picked the best blackjack casinos in India, where you can sign up and hit the tables today.
How to play blackjack
Putting strategy to one side, it only takes a few minutes to learn the basic rules of blackjack. The objective of this game is to beat the dealer with a hand total of 21 points or fewer. There are three possible ways you can achieve this.
- You hit 21 points with your first two cards - this is called blackjack.
- You stand and the total of your hand beats the dealer’s total. For example, you stand on 20 and the dealer ends on 18.
- You stand on any hand total, and the dealer ‘busts out’, which means their hand total is 22 points or more.
Blackjack card values
In blackjack, the cards are given a point value. Regardless of which variant you play, the values remain the same.
- An ace can be 1 point or 11 points
- Number cards 2-10 are equal to their face value
- Jacks, Queens and Kings are 10 points
As you start to play blackjack and learn the strategy, you’ll discover hard and soft totals.
- A soft total is a hand with an ace being counted as 11 points. For example, Ace - Eight is soft 19
- A hard total is a hand with an ace being counted as 1 point, so Ace - Eight is also hard 9.
Blackjack terminology
Most casino games have some specific terminology, and blackjack is one of those. Before playing, it’s worth understanding these terms that you will encounter throughout a game.
- Blackjack – 21 points from the first two cards.
- Stand – to not take another card - sticking with whatever point total you have.
- Hit – to take another card. You can ‘hit’ multiple times in a single hand.
- Double Down – to place another bet (the same value as the initial wager) and then draw one more card.
- Split – a hand can be split if the first two cards are the same (i.e. seven and seven). After splitting, the two hands are played independently.
- Insurance – insurance will be offered if the dealer’s up-card is an ace. This is to protect the player from the dealer hitting blackjack.
- Surrender – some blackjack games offer surrender. The player can fold their hand before the dealer acts. Typically, half of the initial bet is returned.
Blackjack Rules
While the rules of blackjack vary slightly depending on which game you play, most of the essential elements remain the same. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to playing blackjack online.
- The player places a bet.
- Two cards are dealt to the player - both face-up. Two cards are dealt to the dealer - one's face-up and the other is face-down.
- If the player hits blackjack, the round is over, and the dealer pays out the winnings.
- If the player’s point total is 20 or fewer, they must make a decision on what to do: hit, stand, double down, split.
- If the player hits and the point total goes above 21, the dealer wins without playing their hand.
- If the player stands on 20 or fewer. The dealer then completes their hand in accordance with the table’s rules.
- Once completed, the two hands are compared and the payouts are made if the player wins.
Popular blackjack games
India’s best blackjack casino sites have a massive selection of games. These are some of the most popular variations you can play:
Single-Deck Blackjack
For most serious blackjack players, this is the best variation. The game uses one 52-card deck, and usually, the dealer must hit on soft 17. Blackjack pays 3:2, but there are some single-deck games that only pay 6:5.
Blackjack Switch
Blackjack Switch offers a modern twist on this classic game. The player is dealt two hands (four cards in total), and they are allowed to swap the top card of each hand with the other hand. For example: hand 1 is Ace - 7 and hand 2 is 4 - 10. The player can swap the ace and the four to make 4 - 7 and Ace - 10.
Double Exposure Blackjack
In regular blackjack games, the player can only see one of the dealer’s two cards. However, in Double Exposure blackjack, both of the dealer’s cards are face up. Knowing the dealer’s point total is a big advantage, so some of the other rules have been tweaked to ensure the casino still has a small edge.
Basic Blackjack strategy
Each variant of blackjack has its own optimal strategy, which will ensure you get maximum value from the game the longer you play. However, with there being so many blackjack games, learning the correct strategy for each will take a lot of time. Luckily, the basic blackjack strategy can be used with any version of the game.
Although this won’t deliver the maximum RTP, it will be pretty close. You can find many basic blackjack strategy charts online. Alternatively, you can memorise this simplified text version:
- Stand on hard 17 or more.
- Stand on hard 13, 14, 15, and 16 if the dealer has 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
- Stand on hard 12 if the dealer has 4, 5, or 6.
- Stand on soft 19 or more.
- Split aces.
- Split 8s unless the dealer’s up card is a 10. If it is, then hit.
- Never split 4s, 5s, or 10s.
- Double down on hard 9 if the dealer has 3, 4, 5, or 6. If not, hit.
- Double down on hard 10 and 11 unless the dealer has 10 or ace.
- Never take insurance.
FAQs
Is it legal to play real money blackjack in India?
Blackjack is a staple of every online casino in India. They offer both RNG and live dealer games catering to recreational players and high rollers. Please note, however, that online gambling is prohibited in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
What is the best blackjack casino in India?
It’s a personal preference as to which is the outright best blackjack casino in India. Desibets has compiled a list of the top sites for you to compare and find your favourite.
What is the house edge of blackjack?
The house edge varies depending on the specific variant you play. However, most games range between 0.5% - 1.5% house edge if the player uses the correct blackjack strategy.
