Online Blackjack Casinos

Online blackjack is one of the oldest and most popular casino card games enjoyed by players from across the world. Our Mansion Casino guide explores how to play blackjack online, the rules, the strategies, any tips for real money play, the top blackjack casinos available, the payouts you can expect, some popular blackjack casino games, the software that powers them and much more. 

Above you’ll find a list of highly recommended online blackjack UK casinos, but you may be wondering how our experts determine which one makes the cut and what we look at when ranking each blackjack online site. Here’s an overview of the factors taken into consideration: 

• Licensing and Regulation: First and foremost, all online blackjack casino sites that we recommend must be licensed and regulated by a respected gaming authority like the UK Gambling Commission.
• Safety and Security: We want all of our readers to experience a safe and reliable online gambling experience at the blackjack casinos recommended so we check that all games are monitored in line with fair gaming regulations and that all transactions are conducted through SSL encryption to protect any sensitive data. We also expect all top online casinos in UK to offer their players a range of responsible gambling tools like deposit limits, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion.
• Casino Games and Software: Not only do we make sure that each casino offers online blackjack casino games before they make it onto the list, but we also like to see a wide variety of other online casino games such as slots, instant wins, live casinos and more. Powering the platforms should be top iGaming industry providers such as Evolution, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Quickspin, Microgaming and more.
• Blackjack Variations: In addition to traditional tables, many of the top blackjack casinos will offer a range of variations such as Blackjack Switch, Pontoon and Cashback Blackjack. These variations of the online blackjack game provide a modern twist on the old classic version.
• Casino Bonuses: We take a good look at the blackjack casino online bonuses and promotions for each site. It’s great when we find a welcome bonus plus plenty of other deals like reloads, free spins and cashback as it means customers are in for an entertaining experience. We also check out the bonus terms on these deals to ensure they are fair and achievable.
• Payment Options: The best online blackjack UK casinos will offer a wide choice of trusted and reliable payment methods. These typically include debit cards, e-wallets, bank transfers and prepaid vouchers. Popular providers include Visa, Skrill, PayPal, Paysafecard and Apple Pay. Our team also delve into the deposit and withdrawal processes to ensure deposits are instant and cashouts paid within a reasonable timeframe with no excessive fees.
• Customer Support: From time to time, players may need to contact customer support. Top blackjack online UK casinos usually provide 24/7 support over 365 days a year. We expect the response times to be reasonable and the team to be knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Support is typically provided across email or live chat and there is often a FAQ section available on site which can resolve minor teething issues.
• Mobile Compatibility: Mobile casinos are more of an expectation these days. Our team will test the compatibility of a site whilst using a smartphone or tablet. Many blackjack casinos will offer a fully optimised platform whilst others may still provide a dedicated mobile app. 

Classic blackjack game rules are really simple and easy to understand. Blackjack is essentially a table card game with the objective being to beat the dealer’s hand without exceeding 21 points. There are several popular variants of the online blackjack UK game so recognizing specific terms, learning the basic rules of blackjack and understanding the differences will stand you in good stead.

When playing any variation of the traditional game at one of our recommended blackjack casinos, you will find specific blackjack rules in the game’s menu settings relevant to each variant. By using the basic blackjack strategy relevant to the game, your enjoyment should increase and success unfold.

How to Play 

First things first, you need to select the blackjack casino online that you wish to register with, make an account, collect the welcome bonus and head to the table games section. Choose the online casino blackjack game you’d like to play, browse the rules, check the limits and choose your bet:

• Classic blackjack online uses the standard Vegas rules with 8 decks of 52 cards.
• The dealer and all players receive 2 cards at the start of the game
• The first card is dealt face up to all players and the dealer
• The second card is dealt face up to all players, but down for the dealer
• Each player then needs to decide whether to “Hit”, “Stand”, “Split” or “Double-Down”
• If a player’s total value goes above 21, they have “Bust” and are out of the game
• Once all players have made their decisions, the dealer turns over his second card
• If the dealer has a value of 17 or more, he must Stand, less than 17 he must Hit
• Payouts are paid according to the results

Player Actions

Upon taking your turn, a number of actions are possible:

• Hit: request another card
• Stand: stick with the cards you have
• Split: create two hands when dealt a pair
• Double-Down: take one additional card and double your bet
• Bust: if your card values total above 21, you are out of the game 
• Surrender: discard your hand before the dealer completes his hand

Other points to note are:

• Insurance: Insurance is offered when the dealer’s face-up card reveals an Ace and the dealer is allowed to check for Blackjack. If he has it, all bets are lost except for Insurance wagers.
• Side Bets: Players may be offered side bets such as “Perfect Pairs”, “Insurance” or “Fixed” (Progressive Blackjack) as a combination with the main bet (not a stand-alone wager). However, they are usually only taken up by advanced players as the house edge increases considerably.
• Natural 21 / Blackjack: This is the best possible hand - an Ace with a ten value card

Blackjack Glossary

There is some important blackjack terminology that you’ll come across in most Blackjack variants. Here is a glossary of the key phrases:

• Card Value: Points are tallied by adding the value of the cards. Cards 2 - 10 are worth the number on the card. An Ace can be valued at either 1 or 11, whichever is beneficial to the player, and all picture cards are worth 10 points.
• Hit or Stand: After receiving the two face-up cards, the player has the choice to “hit” and receive the next card or “stand” and complete the turn and let the dealer play.
• Double Down: There are some hands, usually when the player has a 9, 10, or 11 that have odds that strongly favour the player. In these situations, you’ll have the option to double your bet and receive one additional card. Then the dealer will play its hand.
• Split: if the player is dealt a matching pair of cards, they have the option to split the cards into two separate hands. A second ante bet must be placed and then each card receives a new second card. Some Online Blackjack variants have a one split limit per hand, while others do not. Using the table below can help you get a better chance to beat the dealer. If you’re not sure, then it’s better to leave it alone.
• Insurance: If the dealer has an Ace showing, the player will be given the option to buy insurance against a Blackjack. They will still lose the hand but will recoup the losses with a 2:1 payout.
• Surrender: This option is only available in select Online Blackjack Variants, such as Blackjack Surrender. It gives the player the option to surrender, or fold, and recoup a portion of the ante bet.
• Side Bets: Some games allow for side-bets that are based on the three face-up cards on the table and have no bearing on the outcome of the main game. The most common side bets are a “player pair” and “21+3.” Player Pair is based on the player’s two face-up cards, and 21+3 combines the three face-up cards on the table and if it makes a high-level poker hand, it will win.
• Multi-Hand: some of the Blackjack tables will allow you to play up to 5 hands per round. Each hand will be treated separately.

Scoring and RTP in Blackjack Online

All cards equate points to their face value with picture cards equalling ten points and aces being worth one or eleven points. If dealt a Natural 21 players should check the payout odds as favoured is 3:2 but sometimes found is 6:5 which is not recommended. With 3:2 odds players receive 1.5x the bet but with 6:5 odds they receive just 1.2x the bet.

The RTP rate for online blackjack is significantly high and depending on the version being played is usually above 98%. With the help of basic blackjack strategy when playing classic online blackjack UK games, you can expect to achieve in the region of 99.5% RTP.

Basic Blackjack Strategy

In addition to the basic blackjack rules of hit, stand, split or double-down, here are a few more pointers:

Paired Hands: As a rule, you should always split aces and eights, but not fours, fives or tens. Other pairings should only be split if the dealer’s upturned card displays two, three, four, five or six.

Hard Hands: A “hard hand” is one that doesn’t contain an ace or where the ace can only be counted as one point. Usually with a total of nine or lower you would “hit”. The only exception may be to “double-down” with nine if playing against a dealer’s weak card. By ‘weak’ we mean a card value of two, three, four, five or six.

With a total of ten or eleven you should always “double-down”. However, if you have ten against a dealer’s ten or ace, just “hit”, the same goes for a total of eleven against a dealer’s ace, just “hit”. If you have totals of twelve or above you should probably “stand” but if it’s twelve to sixteen against a ‘weak’ dealer’s card, then “hit”.

Soft Hands: A “soft hand” is one that includes an Ace. With this hand you should “stand” on totals of nineteen or above and “hit” on totals of eighteen or less. One exception may be if you’re faced with a ‘weak’ dealer’s card and have a total of sixteen, seventeen or eighteen, you could “double-down”. 

Before you hit the real money tables, check out our handy tips: 

Online Blackjack Tips 

• Register at a licensed online blackjack UK site
• Play blackjack online for free before real money
• Learn the basic blackjack strategy and game rules
• Choose blackjack variants with a low house edge
• Start off cautiously with low stakes betting
• Side bets often have unfavourable odds, so avoid

Real Money Blackjack Strategies

We’ve already outlined the basic blackjack strategy in our guide, this is what all real money players begin with. Online you will be able to find blackjack strategy charts with the same information about when to hit, stand, split or double and the odds of playing these hands.

Card-counting is another blackjack strategy sometimes favoured by land-based casino-goers and although not illegal, many casinos do not take kindly to players using this technique. However, when it comes to online blackjack casino games, it’s a pointless strategy as most blackjack casinos design their platforms to thwart card counting or any related software.

Techniques such as auto-shuffling, utilising eight decks, changing the deck shoe after four decks and burning cards before each new round have been introduced to put a stop to this type of action. Sticking to the basic blackjack strategy can bring you rewards with a low house edge of 0.5%.

Other advanced strategies include the Martingale Strategy, D’Alembert Strategy and Fibonacci Sequence but these are typically utilised by well-advanced players with large bankrolls. 

As we mentioned above, casino bonuses and promotions are an important factor when looking for the best blackjack casinos online. They come in all shapes and sizes as you’ll see below. The top real money casinos will often provide attractive welcome bonuses plus deposit reloads, free spins, cashback and live blackjack bonuses.  

It’s important to read through the bonus terms prior to claiming. These will show what’s expected in terms of wagering, max bet amount, min deposit amount, games available for playthrough, any win caps plus the expiry of bonus funds and free spins. Let’s take a look at the offers you may find:

• Welcome Bonus: These often takes the form of a deposit match plus a bundle of free spins for selected slots, e.g., 100% up to £500 + 50 Free Spins.
• No Deposit Bonus: These are often given as a reward for signing up to the site and will hold a low value, e.g., 20 Free Spins on Registration. The offer typically has a very short validity period.
• Reload Bonus: These are regular promotions offered by casinos and provide for a percentage match on your deposit, e.g., 50% up to £300.
• Free Spins: These are generally offered as a regular promotion determined by a minimum deposit amount, e.g., Deposit a minimum of £30 to receive 50 Free Spins.
• Cashback Bonuses: Some casino sites offer a percentage cashback on losses, e.g. 10% Cashback up to £1,000 to all customers whilst others only make it available for VIP members.
• Loyalty Rewards: Players can collect loyalty points for wagering on specific casino games and redeem them for bonus funds, free spins or cash rewards.
• VIP Bonuses: These may come in the form of lower wagering requirements, cash rewards, free spins, increased cashback, exclusive promos and tournaments, holidays, special events and gifts.

Wagering Requirements 

Claiming a bonus is not mandatory and some players will decide to give them a miss. However, for most it’s a chance of winning extra funds and stretching their budget a little further. A deciding factor for some may be the size of the wagering requirements and the period allowed for playthrough. 

Wagering requirements are the amount of times bonus funds and/or the deposit amount needs to be wagered prior to withdrawal. So, for example, if the wagering requirements are 30x and your bonus funds total £100, you will need to wager a total of £3,000 (30 x £100) prior to requesting a payout.  

Most bonus terms include an expiry of around 30 days in which to complete the wagering, however, some may only provide 7 days. This is when you must weigh up whether you can complete the wagering in time or if it’s best to move on and look out for a more suitable bonus or promotion. 

Another important point to factor into your bonus playthrough is the contribution made by selected games. Most slot games will contribute 100% towards wagering, however, table games such as online blackjack may only contribute 10% and more often than not, live dealer games contribute 0%. 

As we’ve already discussed, there are several variants of the classic blackjack online game. To play these modern and exciting versions, players will need to brush up on the basic blackjack strategy and any game rules specific to the particular variant. Here’s a list of the top five blackjack casino games: 

• Blackjack Surrender: Played with 6-8 decks, you can “Early Surrender” paying only half of your bet before the dealer peeks for ‘Blackjack’ or “Late Surrender”, receiving half of your bet back only if the dealer doesn’t have ‘Blackjack’.
• 3 Card Brag Blackjack: Played with a single 52-card deck with shuffles occurring after every hand. Players do not have the option to hit, double-down or split, only play or fold.
• Lucky Lucky Blackjack: Play up to three hands at once with the option of making a side bet on any hand. Totals of 19-21 between your two cards and the dealer card reward prizes, all cards suited earn bigger wins.
• Cashback Blackjack: Played with 6 decks and standard rules plus 2 optional side bets. Play up to five hands at once. Players are offered a cashback amount after the initial deal dependent on the cards in view.
• Blackjack Switch: Played with 6-8 decks and many of the standard blackjack rules. Players make two bets of equal size to play two hands. Once the cards have been dealt, the player then has the option to switch the second hand dealt (top card) from one hand to the other.

Now that you have a better understanding of how the game is played and the basic rules of blackjack, why not give it a go. Many of the top blackjack casinos give you the option to play for fun or real money, so if you’re still a bit nervous of wagering your hard-earned cash, check out the free blackjack tables first.

Play Blackjack for Free

The best way to learn how to play blackjack is by practising for free on the blackjack demo version found at most online casinos. You can play at your own pace, learn the basics and develop a strategy for real money play. The only difference is that with free play, you cannot cashout your winnings.  

Plenty of online blackjack UK sites offer you the demo version to play prior to registration and it can be launched for instant play from your web browser. Some sites may still require you to download a dedicated app and/or register your details prior to playing for fun.

Play Blackjack for Real Money 

Of course, the most exciting experience is when you play online blackjack for real money. Firstly you’ll need to register with one of our recommended blackjack casinos and activate your account. You should browse the rules and payout odds prior to playing and start off with low stakes until you feel more confident. Always gamble responsibly and never play with what you cannot afford.

The top online blackjack UK sites provide players with fully optimised platforms enabling the convenience of mobile gaming. You can typically launch the game from your web browser for instant play with no compromise on graphics, sound or gameplay.

Some blackjack casinos still offer a mobile app to download for a tailored experience, this will be compatible with major operating systems like iOS and Android. 

Many of the top online blackjack UK casino sites will offer you the choice of online blackjack for real money or free-play, plus live dealer blackjack. Online casino blackjack is a computer generated RNG game which you can play at your own pace and often for free. However, live dealer blackjack games offer a real-time experience with professional dealers and fellow players.  
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of playing at live blackjack casinos: 

Our list of recommended blackjack casinos include top sites with reliable payment options, instant deposits and fast withdrawals. All transactions are protected utilising SSL encryption technology. Popular banking providers include Visa, PayPal, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Bank Transfers and Paysafecard. 

The best blackjack casinos will offer a safe and licensed site with reliable and trusted payment options. All games will be subject to third-party auditors that monitor the RNG software and RTP rates to ensure fair gaming compliance. In addition, players will be offered protection tools for gambling responsibly. 

At the top online blackjack UK sites, all games are powered by industry-leading experts. Top names like Evolution, Playtech, NetEnt and Pragmatic Play are responsible for some of the most popular online blackjack variants plus exciting live dealer blackjack tables.