Blackjack Casinos Canada

How to Play Blackjack at a Casino Site

Getting started playing blackjack at a casino site or mobile casino app is easier than you might think. Here’s the process to follow at most blackjack casinos:

1. Choose one of the blackjack casino sites from my list above.
2. Register with your details and confirm your ID.
3. Verify your email address.
4. Log in and make your first deposit with a banking method accepted by the site.
5. Once your deposit is accepted, head to the casino’s games catalogue and look for blackjack games – many will have special blackjack sections.

Remember, this is just a general process you can expect when you start to play blackjack for real money – some sites may vary!

Types of Blackjack Games Available at Casinos

There are a few different twists on blackjack games you can expect when looking around different casinos – some have different types of bets and themes. However, they will normally fit under one of two different types:

• Classic Blackjack: classic blackjack games are based on Vegas tables, and you simply play against a virtual dealer, with some side bets attached.
• Live Blackjack: with live blackjack, you play the game with a real dealer – they can’t see you, but you can react to the cards they deal.

What Bets Can I Place on Online Blackjack?

Betting on blackjack is fairly simple , but there are a few different bet types you should be aware of. These include:

• Straight Bets: where you place your chips on whether or not you think you will reach the total of 21 before your dealer.
• Insurance Bets: where you wager that your dealer will make blackjack (i.e., get a perfect 21) if they draw an ace in their face-up hand.
• 21+3 Bets: this bet brings in poker rules to an extent – it’s a side bet where you decide whether or not you will make a poker hand with your first three cards.
• Perfect Pairs Bets: where you wager that your first two cards will match in terms of colour, suit, or value.
• Other Pair Bets: some blackjack games let you bet on specific pairs– for example, a Royal Match is when you pair a King and Queen.
• Over/Under 13 Bets: where you believe your hand will be worth more or less than 13 in total.
• Lucky Ladies Bets: where you predict your hand will total 20, and odds increase if you have Queens of Hearts appear.
• Super Sevens Bets: Where you bet on sevens appearing in your hand – the more sevens that appear, the longer the odds.
• Match the Dealer Bets: where you bet that one of your first two cards will match the dealer’s when face-up.

This is just a taste of the different side bets available in blackjack – the game is still evolving after all this time, meaning you will probably see more pop up while exploring different casinos.

Live Dealer Blackjack

In a live dealer casino blackjack game, you play as normal, but a real dealer plays with you via video link. They will play with multiple players at once, meaning that every player in the live dealer room is playing against them! Live dealer blackjack aims to recreate the atmosphere of playing the game at a real casino, and it remains a popular choice for online bettors.

Playing Blackjack on a Casino App

It’s gotten easier to play at the best blackjack casinos via mobile devices over the years. Mobile casino apps now let you install their games catalogues to your phone or tablet. That means you can simply swipe across and launch blackjack games from your devices – on the go, at home, or anywhere else with an internet connection. Playing blackjack on a casino app is also faster and more intuitive, on the whole, compared to playing via website.

What Bonuses Can I Get at Blackjack Casinos?

Many blackjack casino sites offer welcome bonuses to help new customers explore a variety of tables and games. Here are just a few different types you can look out for when trying different casinos:

• Deposit Bonuses: where you get free credit when depositing at a casino for the first time.
• Reload Bonuses: Reload bonuses are where you claim extra bonus credit on your next few deposits at a casino.
• Cashback Bonuses: this is a type of offer where the provider offers to award bonus credit for losses. At casinos cashback bonuses are usually a certain percentage of the losses made.
• VIP Bonuses: blackjack casinos with loyalty schemes offer bonuses and freebies when you log in and play regularly.
• Highroller Bonuses: these bonus deals give you extra credit when you spend a certain amount on blackjack tables – play with caution!

Best RTP Blackjack Games

Return to Player (RTP) tells you how often a blackjack game is likely to pay out over its lifetime. This figure can be used to measure how generous games are but shouldn’t be used to decide whether or not they will definitely pay out!

Here are the top five blackjack games based on RTP right now:

1. Lightning Blackjack – 99.5%
2. Infinite Blackjack – 99.4%
3. Classic Speed Blackjack – 99.2%
4. Blackjack Classic – 99.2%
5. Speed Blackjack – 99.2%

This RTP data tells us that the above games will pay out 99% of the time across their lifetimes. However, there are a lot of variables to consider – so don’t use this data to measure your luck.

How to Choose the Best Blackjack Casino

Here’s everything you need to know:

1. Pick a top-rated casino from sites such as Playcasino.ca and from reading user reviews – people who play at casinos know them better than anyone else!
2. Search through the lobbies of blackjack casinos you’d like to play at and check out the game ranges
3. Check out welcome deals and other bonuses attached to blackjack – are they fair and generous?
4. Check that the casino you’re registering with accepts your payment methods
5. Read all the terms and conditions that apply to any sites or deals you opt into

What are the Wagering Requirements at Blackjack Casinos?

Wagering requirements usually apply when you take a casino bonus and need to pay back a certain amount of credit before you can withdraw winnings. However, the wagering requirements at blackjack casinos can vary depending on different terms and conditions, and any bonuses you activate.

Take a look at the top rated low wagering casinos in Canada.

My Top Tips for When You’re Playing at Blackjack Casinos

Here’s what I recommend when you start playing blackjack at online casinos for the first time:

1. Keep clear limits for how much you spend and how much time you play for – gamble responsibly and reach out to the casino’s team for help if you need it.
2. Try different versions of blackjack – try the original first, and then take a look at different twists and live games for a bit more variety.
3. Don’t take side bets for the sake of doing so – some can make your game more expensive without you realizing it.

Does using a blackjack strategy work?

Yes, using Blackjack strategy is incredibly effective, mostly because it is based on cold hard maths and not individual theories and ideas. As stated above, you definitely should never go into a blackjack game without having studied and learned basic strategy.

Basically, if you just follow the set strategy, you’ll also take out an element of the ‘gamble’ from playing blackjack. There are books written about how effective the strategy is. One of them includes the text ‘Gambling 102: The Best Strategies for All Casino Games‘, written by the wizard of odds himself, Michael Shackleford.

You can even get the Cliffs Notes version by taking a look at Basic Blackjack Strategy charts. They’re like chemistry charts, but with blackjack combinations instead of chemical elements. They’re both scientific in nature. Follow the blackjack rules and blackjack strategy, and you’ll definitely be playing smarter and winning more often.

What Other Casino Games Can You Play at Blackjack Casinos?

The best blackjack casinos offer more than just this classic game. Look out for:

• Slots: spin the video reels and make combos to win prizes
• Live Casino Games: other live experiences such as Dream Catcher and Lightning Roulette make you the star of the show
• Bingo: mark off your numbers for a chance to win
• Classic Games: try other card classics like baccarat or wheel-spinning action with roulette.
• Lottery: pick a set of numbers and keep your fingers crossed
• Progressive Jackpots: play games against others for big prize pools
• Crash Games: Popular crash game titles include JetX, Spaceman, and Aviator

Most Famous Blackjack Players

Down below we’re covering the top 5 most notorious blackjack players of all time. These guys put the cool in school and the money in blackjack.

1. Edward Thorp

Credit: Engadget.com

Considered the ‘godfather of card counting‘, Edward Thorp was the first person to both write a book and also put his theory into practice. Thorp’s book, Beat the Dealer, mathematically proved that you can systematically and consistently beat the dealer at blackjack. In order to make sure his strategies were fool-proof, he utilized them himself when playing at casinos. Given that his strategies were created using computer programs (Thorp was also the first to do this), they worked like a charm.

Thorp put together an elite team of mathematicians from MIT and, under his guidance, they proceeded to win a lot of money. See the movie 21, and you’ll know what we’re talking about.

2. Ken Uston

Credit: White Knuckle Playing Cards

While Thorp was one of the pioneers of putting together genius teams to win blackjack, Ken Uston made it a thing. During the 1970s, he put together a number of counting teams and as a result popularized the concept for ages to come.

He won millions from these teams, but he is also known for winning a very important lawsuit against Atlantic City casinos. A few casinos had banned him and his teams, and he argued that they had no right to do so as they were just using their skills to optimize odds – not ‘cheating’ per se. The court ruled in Uston’s favor, and to this day it is not considered illegal to count cards in Atlantic City.

3. Tommy Hyland

Credit: Blackjack.org

Tommy Hyland was never a lone wolf. He made a career out of playing in teams across a wide range of casinos. His card counters have been together since 1979 and consist of around 15 players (round about).

Legend has it that, initially, Hyland was part of a four-member team who each put $4,000 into the pot. Within a couple of months, their collective balance went up to around $50,000 or $60,000. Now that’s what you call a profitable turnover. But nobody really knows how much money the team has made since then. We’re guessing millions.

4. Don Johnson

Credit: Press of Atlantic City

Johnson is more of a recent story. When Atlantic City casinos were going through a rough patch during the recession. Allegedly, they invited well-known pro blackjack players Don Johnson to their VIP blackjack tables. He arranged a 20% cash-back deal to his massive advantage, which any blackjack player is almost unheard of. So whenever Johnson lost $500,000 – he’d get a cool $100,000 of that back.

Johnson ended up winning $15 million from three different casinos in just the span of five months. What’s even more impressive is that Johnson supposedly doesn’t count cards – he has more tricks up his sleeve than that.

Credit: Alea Consulting Group

5. Stanford Wong

In 1963, Stanford Wong (real name John Ferguson) read Thorp’s Beat the Dealer book and low and behold, got inspired to start playing blackjack. At just 21, he headed to Reno and tried his hand at professional blackjack. The venture proved fruitful, and he continued playing from there on out. He even developed his own technique called ‘wonging’ – super risky, but can really reel in the big bucks.

Eventually, Wong followed in the footsteps of godfather Thorp, and started writing his own books. He’s even the owner of publishing company Pi Yee Press.