Like many of the classic casino games, Blackjack made the jump to online play during the 1990s. It’s a game that’s known for its combination of random chance with an element of player decision-making, remaining one of the most popular casino card games to this day.

But for anyone looking to play a game of online Blackjack, there are some important facts to know ahead of time. Read on to find out five of the most important things to know about the game of Blackjack.

1. The objective of the game

One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to Blackjack is the actual aim of the game. It was originally known as 21, after all, so plenty of players assume that they need to get a hand value of that number.

Actually, in games of Blackjack, you don’t need to hit a value of exactly 21. What matters more than the exact value of a player’s hand is whether it is higher or lower in value than the dealer’s hand.

If a player’s hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s – without going over it – then they will receive a payout. This means that there is more to consider than just aiming for 21 in a Blackjack game, especially for players who want to avoid going bust.

2. The number of cards in play

Did you know that the number of cards involved in a game of Blackjack varies depending on the format being played? Typically, dealers use between one and eight decks of cards in a game, so there could be as many as 416 cards in play.

Of course, players don’t see most of those cards during the game as their purpose of using extra decks is to reduce the chances of card counting, as well as modestly increasing the house edge.

In games with fewer decks, other rules will generally be stricter to compensate, such as restrictions on splitting hands and rules relating to soft hands.

3. The different rules of Blackjack

There are actually a few different varieties of Blackjack that use different rulesets, with many of them available to play online. This means that it’s important to check which variety it is before starting a game.

A lot of the basics stay the same, but some changes in the rules have a significant impact on the flow of the game and the options available to players on their turn. For instance, Atlantic City Blackjack allows late surrender, while in European Blackjack, the dealer only draws a second card after all players have completed their hands.

4. The role of RNG in online Blackjack

Unlike games played in land-based casinos, online Blackjack does not use physical playing cards. Rather than shuffling and dealing from a physical deck, online games make use of a random number generator (RNG) to determine each card as it is dealt.

This makes it almost impossible to predict which card will come out of the deck next in an online Blackjack game.

5. The hand you don’t want

Obviously, any player wants their two initial cards to add up to 21 – something known as a natural Blackjack.

But, in terms of the initial dealing, the hand value that players least want to see is 16. This is considered the ‘worst’ starting hand value, as it sits high enough to risk going bust on a hit but is also low enough that the dealer’s hand is likely to end up higher.

And now you know just a little bit more about the game of Blackjack!

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