If you’re going to the casino to try to make real money, Blackjack is one of the best casino games you can play live. The casino house edge is very low when you incorporate basic play strategy, and if you’re any good at counting cards, you can flip the play odds in your favor. Sadly, it’s not possible to count cards when you play Blackjack online, as the decks are shuffled after every round. But you can still narrow the casino house edge at Cafe Casino's online site by making a shrewd choice when deciding which of our nine online Blackjack casino games to play.
This online Blackjack game guide will help you select the best casino game for your online Blackjack casino game session. We’ll go over all of the different online Blackjack game variations available at Cafe Casino, with an emphasis on Single Deck Blackjack because it has the lowest house edge of all. And because house edge isn’t everything, we outline what type of player is drawn to each of our Blackjack games, so that you can decide for yourself which is the best version of Blackjack for you.
Single Deck Blackjack
Casino House Edge: 0.076%
If you’re a Blackjack elitist, it doesn’t get any better than Single Deck Blackjack. Blackjack connoisseurs flock to this casino game for good reason; when using basic play strategy, Single Deck Blackjack odds are about as player friendly as they can get, as it offers the slimmest house edge of all of our Blackjack games. This is mostly because it uses a single deck blackjack shoe. You’ll see lots of casinos changing the Blackjack real money payouts to 6:5 in Single Deck to boost the house edge, but Cafe Casino honors the standard 3:2 real money payout, which reduces house edge to as little as 0.076%. That goes a long way when you’re betting between $1 and $300 per hand.
Generally speaking, the fewer play decks there are in the shoe, the lower the house edge will be. This used to be the way Blackjack was always played, but as people got better at counting cards, the casinos started adding more decks to the shoe.
There are a few rules that you should be aware of going into a Single Deck Blackjack session. For one, the play Dealer must hit on soft 17 (Ace-Six) when playing Single Deck Blackjack, and two, there is no surrender option. Once you move up to Double Deck Blackjack, the play Dealer will stand on soft 17, which gives you a slightly better chance of winning, but the surrender option still won’t be on the table. It’s only with the six-deck shoes in Classic Blackjack and The New Blackjack that you get to use the surrender play – in exchange for the player Dealer hitting on soft 17.
All told, Single Deck Blackjack has the lowest house edge of all the variants at Cafe Casino's online site, whether you’re playing the Classic game version or the new game with the modernized layout. But you still have to employ Single Deck Blackjack strategy to keep that house edge as low as possible. There are subtle differences in Blackjack strategy depending on how many play decks are in play and what the play Dealer does with soft 17, so be sure to grab the strategy chart that reflects the right version of the game.
Standard Blackjack
House Edge: 0.627%
If you’re a traditionalist – go for standard Blackjack. Why mess with a good thing? Cafe Casino's online site has two standard Blackjack games that use six play decks: The New Blackjack, and Classic Blackjack. The New Blackjack offers players a more streamlined experience that’s great for smartphones. You can customize the style of playing cards and the background color, making the game reflect your personal style.
With vintage graphics, Classic Blackjack has the look and feel of a brick-and-mortar Blackjack table. Instead of progressing through various screens throughout a play round, like you would with The New Blackjack, you use just one single screen. For both online games, you can bet between $1 and $500 per hand (you can play up to three hands per round), and get the option to split up to three hands. The Dealer hits on soft 17, and you can surrender any two-card hands.
Perfect Pairs
House Edge: 0.627%
If you strive for perfection – go for Perfect Pairs. This has the same rules as standard Blackjack, but you get a bonus payout for nailing a pair. How much you get paid depends on how perfect your pair is. See below for payout details:
Mixed Perfect Pair: For example, Jack of Hearts and Jack of Clubs: 6:1
Colored Perfect Pair: For example, Jack of Hearts and Jack of Diamonds: 12:1
Perfect Pair: For example, Jack of Hearts and Jack of Hearts: 25:1
In order to be eligible for the Perfect Pair payouts, you must wager anything between $1 and $500 on the Perfect Pairs betting circle. You can play up to two hands per round in Perfect Pairs.
Zappit Blackjack
House Edge: 1.15%
If you’re assertive – go for Zappit Blackjack. All other games will feel passive after playing this six-deck Blackjack game. Every time you’re dealt a hard 15, 16, or 17, you have the option to discard the hand, and get a new one by “zapping” it. It’s a great bonus that gives you more control over your hands. To even out the playing field, when the Dealer busts on 22 and you have a score under 22, it’s a push.
There are a few more rules to Zappit Blackjack that you may want to be aware of. For example, if you land a Blackjack after zapping a score of 15, 16 or 17, it doesn’t count as Blackjack, paying 1:1 instead of 3:2. The Dealer, who hits on soft 17 hands, will also peek for Blackjack if he has an Ace up-card before you get a chance to zap.
Double Deck Blackjack
House Edge: 0.237%
If you have a balanced approach – go for Double Deck Blackjack. It’s the perfect medium in the Blackjack world, as Double Deck Blackjack odds are better than its six-deck counterpart, but not quite as good as Single Deck Blackjack. There are just two decks in the shoe, you can split up to two hands, and double any two cards. The house edge is reasonable at 0.237% (with basic strategy), making it the second-lowest house edge of the Blackjack games in our casino. And you can bet as little as $1 per hand. But the best bonus of all is that the Dealer stands on soft 17, which benefits you – not the casino.
European Blackjack
If you’re used to European casinos – go for European Blackjack. In this variant, the Dealer doesn’t receive the second card (the hole card) until you complete your actions. This may not seem to have any impact at first, but it does come into play when the Dealer’s face-up card is an Ace. Since the Dealer waits until you finish your moves before receiving the second card, you can still place bets when the Dealer has a potential Blackjack lurking. In American Blackjack, when the Dealer’s face-up card is an Ace, he will immediately “peek” for Blackjack, restricting you from placing bets (except for insurance).
Another unique rule that only seems to pop up with European Blackjack is with doubling. You can double only with hard totals of 9 to 11, meaning you lose the opportunity to double with soft 13 to 18, as basic strategy advises.
Does one of these online Blackjack games stand out to you? Give them a try online on Practice Play mode to see which you like best, and then switch to Real Play online when you want to start earning real money payouts for your Blackjack prowess.