Online blackjack is one of the most popular forms of gambling right now. Blackjack is a really simple game to learn, and thanks to the swings that people often see when it comes to winning, it can also give you large payouts when you hit a hot streak. There are some differences between playing online and playing in person, though, and these tiny differences can make a world of difference when it comes to your personal success. Let’s take a look at a few of these differences so that you can be better prepared to make money whatever the situation might be.
- 1.) Soft 17s. Some casinos stay on soft 17 (an ace and a 6), while others hit. This variation occurs in brick and mortar casinos, too, but not as often. Ideally, you want a dealer that will stand. This pushes the odds slightly in the player’s favor in most cases, so if you can find an online casino that stands here, they likely are going to have a more favorable game for you to play at. Do beware though because most table will allow dealers to hit here, so staying on a soft 17 is pretty rare. When you find it, take advantage of it!
- 2.) Table Minimum. Playing with the high rollers is fun and offers a lot of upside when you’re on a hot streak, but when you’re not winning, your bankroll will be devastated. And in a game like blackjack, there’s a better than 50% chance of that happening. So pick a table with a realistic table minimum. Ideally, you don’t want to go over 5% of your budget. So, if you have a budget set aside for this session of $100, you should find a table that allows you to bet $5 or less. Less is far better, but this is the worst case scenario that you should be looking for.
- 3.) Bet spreads. In many brick and mortar casinos, they will start getting suspicious of you if you are playing multiple hands at high levels and then change your bet down to the minimum or go back to one hand. When you’re counting cards, this is often the right play, but in an online casino, counting cards is pointless thanks to the infinite deck size and the randomization that automatically occurs. Making moves like this should be allowed as a result of this. However, not all online casinos will let you do this. If you like to vary your bets a lot to spice things up, make sure that your table will let you before you start playing. Even though online casinos are more random, when you’re hot, this can be a helpful strategy to help you minimize losses and maximize your winnings.
- 4.) Play to the cards. Your focus should be on getting as close to 21 as possible, not on the dealer. If the dealer is showing an 8 and you have a hard 17, it can be tempting to take another card so that you can get ahead of the dealer, but basic strategy says to stay. You need to play the cards, and that means following the basic strategy that will improve your chances of winning. If you don’t know basic strategy yet, spend some time learning it. In an ideal setting, basic strategy gives the casino far less chances to beat you, diminishing their edge to less than 2%. If you can keep that edge low, and then push forward with your bets when you’re running hot, the momentum can shift in your favor. As long as you quit while you’re still ahead, this improves your chances of bringing home some winnngs.