How and Where to play blackjack online in the USA?

Looking for the best online sites to play blackjack in the USA? We have created this guide to help you find the right option. However, AmericanGambler.com warns you that offshore casinos are not safe places and you play there at your own risk.   

 

How to Play Blackjack Online, Basic Rules, Payouts

Blackjack is one of the most entertaining and popular card games. It is also one of the oldest card games. In blackjack, the object of the game is to get your cards as close to 21 as you can without busting and while beating the total the dealer has.

In online blackjack, as is in regular casinos, the dealer must stand on a 17 whether it is soft (with an ace) or whether it is hard (without an ace). In the beginning, the dealer deals out one card to everyone playing, and the first time around the dealer deals his first card face down and then deals another card with his facing up. If the dealer has an ace as the card showing, you have the option of buying insurance; if you buy insurance and the dealer has Blackjack (21) then you get you the money back, but for insurance it is only equal to the amount you first bet.

Payouts for this game are simple; if you beat what the dealer has and you don’t have blackjack at the beginning of the round then you double your money. If you have blackjack at the beginning of the round and the dealer doesn’t, then you get 2.5:1 your money, meaning if you bet $20 and you have blackjack but the dealer doesn’t then you get $50 back (of which $20 of it is your initial bet). If you and the dealer both have blackjack, then it is a push, meaning you don’t get 2.5:1, you just get your initial bet back. The final payout for blackjack is also a push, which happens when both the dealer and the person playing have the same total. For example, if you have 20 and the dealer also has 20, then it is a push and you get whatever your initial bet was.

Where to Play Blackjack Online for Real Money

There are two sites that could be considered the best legal online blackjack casinos in the USA, though both are located in Las Vegas. The first is Slots.lv and the other is cafecasino.lv. There are a few sites for players that reside in New Jersey as well, which include: Caesar’s Palace, Tropicana Online, Sugar House, Virgin Casino, Golden Nugget and Borgata. We will look at the sites available for all users that can legally access them.

On Slots.lv, they offer a 100% signup bonus of up to $5000. This works by doing either of the following: deposit $100 and play with $300 on your initial deposit and then $100 on each of your next 8 $200 deposits, or deposit $500 to get $1,500 on your first deposit and then an additional $500 on each of your next eight $1,000 deposits. The rollover requirement for this promotion is 35x. Slots.lv offers three deposit options either via credit card, Bitcoin Cash or Bitcoin. They also offer three withdrawal options, which are Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, or check by courier.

On Cafecasino.lv, they also offer 100% up to $5000. In order to get the full $5,000 bonus, you must deposit $1,000. The bonus comes with a few restrictions. The first is a 10x max cash out, and the second is a 35x rollover requirement. Like Slots.lv, you can deposit using any major credit card, Bitcoin, or Bitcoin Cash. They offer three withdrawal options, which are check by courier, Bitcoin, and Bank Wire.

For the check by courier option, you have to withdraw at least $50, and there are maximum withdrawal amounts for new players as well as VIPs. For new players it is $2,000, and for VIP players it is $2,500. If you use the Bitcoin option, the minimum to withdraw is $10, and there is also a maximum for new and VIP players. For new members the maximum is $2,500, and for VIP members the max is $3,000. Lastly, for the bank wire option the minimum is $1,500, and like the previous options there is a maximum for new and VIP members, which is $2,000 for new members and $2,500 for VIP members.

States Where Blackjack Online is Legal and Where Illegal

There are four states in the United States that allow online casino play: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware.

New Jersey began to allow online casino play in 2013 and is now the largest market for regulated online gambling in the US. The overall market in the state is worth more than $225 million per year. New Jersey has six well-established online gaming sites, which are: Golden Nugget, Virgin Casino, Caesar’s Palace, Borgata Casino, Tropicana, and Sugar House, all of which offer different signup bonuses

Pennsylvania has voted to begin to allow online casinos, but they will not launch this until July 15^th of 2019. The state will have its own casino sites that will be from casinos within the state.

Delaware became the first state to legalize gambling in 2012, and the sites that offer online casinos in the state are Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway. The state revenue is relatively small, with $2.6 million a year in revenue from gambling.

The last state where online blackjack is legal is New York. New York has never had any law passed making online gaming illegal despite being strict on gaming in general.

There are far more states in the United States where online casinos are not legal, as outside of the four states listed previously it isn’t legal in any other state. However, this doesn’t mean people outside of the four states will never be able to play online legally. States have started to become more lenient when it comes to online gambling as it helps to generate state revenue, and online gaming is expected to be on the rise in the future.

Best Casinos for Live Blackjack and How to Beat Online Dealer in Blackjack

The only sites that offer live blackjack are sites that reside in the state of New Jersey, and in order to use these tables you must be physically located in the state. However, if you are in the state of New Jersey then there are a few sites that offer this feature, including sites like Caesar’s Palace, Golden Nugget, Virgin Casino, and Tropicana.

These sites do a maximum bet of $2,000 for live blackjack dealers, while the minimum for most sites is $1.

However, just because New Jersey is the only state that offers this feature on their sites doesn’t mean that this option won’t be available elsewhere in the future.  Keep an eye out for live blackjack to eventually appear on all sites that operate legally within the United States.

The only way to really beat a dealer at online blackjack is to play at a table that only has one deck—and you still have to be able to count cards. Most online blackjack tables use three decks to deter this from happening. Counting cards is also a difficult skill to learn.

How to Make Money Playing Online Blackjack, Best and Perfect Strategies

The best way to make money playing blackjack online is to follow a strategy and not break from using that specific strategy. There is no such thing as a perfect strategy; however, there are a lot of strategies to follow that can help you win money. Listed below are a few of the best ones to follow.

Double Down on a Hard 11. One of the best starting hands you can be dealt is a hard 11, meaning more than likely you are dealt a combination of one of the following: 9/2, 8/3, 7/4 or 6/5. Doubling down means that you are doubling your initial bet when one of these combinations is dealt. There is no way to bust on an 11, and you have a good opportunity to have a 7, 8, 9, or a face card dealt, which gives you a good shot to not only win but to maximize your profits on one hand.

Never Split A Pair of 5s or 10s. If you are dealt a pair of 5s, your total is then 10 to begin with and it really doesn’t make sense to split them. You will not bust, but you also have a good chance of winning the hand on the next card dealt. Splitting a pair of 10s or face cards is even worse as the highest total you can get without busting besides a 21 is 20. If you are dealt a pair of 10s or a pair of face cards, you have a high probability of winning if the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, and the worst that can happen is a push.

Always Double Down When Being Dealt Ace/2-Ace/7 if Dealer has a 5 or 6 showing. The reason for doing this is that you cannot bust with an ace, because if the total goes above 21 then the ace drops the point value down to 1. If the dealer has a 5 or 6 showing, then there is a good chance the dealer must draw another card, and if the card that is facedown is a 10 or a face card then there is a good chance the dealer will bust.

Blackjack Bankroll Strategies, How to Optimize Your Budget

Let's begin by stating that your bankroll can be as small or as large as you want it to be; just make sure you are being careful and smart about your starting bankroll, as most of this is for fun and entertainment purposes. Perhaps down the line you can do this for a living, but in the meantime do not commit more than you are comfortable with possibly losing.

When choosing a table, your bankroll should be 50x the table minimum bet. For example, for a table with a $5 minimum bet your bankroll should be $250, for a $10 minimum table $500, for a $25 minimum bet your bankroll should be $1,250, and so on and so forth.

For determining the unit per play at the table you are sitting at, the minimum bet should be your unit per bet. For example, if you are sitting at a $5 minimum bet table then your bankroll should be at least $250, and your unit per bet would be $5. You can take advantage when you go on a hot streak by increasing your unit per play by up to 3 times, meaning at the same table $15 would be your play on a hot streak, but once you lose a few hands in a row then you should drop it down to the original unit play.

If you follow these simple rules for bankroll management, you should be able to build up your profits over time and become a very successful blackjack player. However, if you do not follow these guidelines, your bankroll will become depleted over time and you will then have to re-deposit money, which is never a good thing to do.

How Does 1 to Many Live Blackjack Online Work

Unfortunately, as of now there aren’t any online sites in the US that offer multiplayer blackjack. However, this does not mean that there will not be any that offer this in the future as the sites continue to grow and online gaming spreads in the United States. It would not be a surprise to see a site offer this feature in the future.

Is It Possible to Count Cards Online

Most sites do not offer live blackjack dealers, and that includes the majority of the sites outside the state of New Jersey. Without a live dealer—and a single deck with that live dealer—it is virtually impossible to count cards.

Most sites only offer blackjack with three decks, which means they are shuffling a new deck after each turn, with the process starting back to the original deck every three turns. Those that do not offer live dealers use a computer-generated system that makes it impossible to count cards as the cards are generated randomly each turn.

The sites that do offer live dealers usually have a three-deck minimum as well, and although the cards aren’t generated randomly using computer software it is still almost impossible to count cards unless you are sitting every two out of the three turns. This means that unless you sit out every two turns and you choose to use the same deck, you aren’t going to be able to count the cards.

The sites that do offer single deck live blackjack also have larger table minimums to deter people from doing that. A live single deck blackjack table will generally raise the table minimum to $25 or more, but that is also the case in physical casinos.

So, while it is possible to count cards when going to a casino in person, it is a lot harder to count cards online as they either offer three decks with the live dealer or they use computer software to determine the cards at random. To answer the question, though, it is possible to count cards online, but you have to have a substantial bankroll in order to do so at tables that have live dealers and single deck blackjack. You’d have to sit down with a bankroll of at least $1,250 just to be able to pull it off successfully.

Best Apps to Play Blackjack on the Phone

You can try casino apps like Unibet NJ and SugarHouse Casino. The five best apps to play blackjack on the phone are: Ultimate Blackjack Reloaded, BC Blackjack, Blackjack 21 Free!, A Blackjack Vegas 21 Free Casino Style (Blackjack) Pro Game, and Blackjack Toolbox.

Ultimate Blackjack Reloaded allows you to test different strategies for free, participate in different free online tournaments, check a leaderboard that allows you to know where you rank among the players using the app, and check out different blackjack variations. The best thing about the app is that it has easy-to-use interfaces as well as some of the best graphics.

BC Blackjack offers 3D graphics including chips and full-sized cards, giving it one of the most realistic appearances of many of the blackjack apps that are offered. There are also blackjack trainers on the site that will teach you different strategies, and you can eventually move up to the pro ranks where they have higher buy-ins using free money.

Blackjack 21 Free! doesn’t have add-on store purchases, and the only time you will pay for the app is if you buy the premium app. It also offers realistic rules, dealers, cards, and tables, making it one of the better ones to practice different strategies on.

A Blackjack Vegas 21 Free Casino Style (Blackjack) Pro Game offers one unique option, which is being able to shuffle the deck whenever you want. The graphics are nice, which makes the game even more addicting.

Blackjack Toolbox is designed to make the user a better player. It gives you a chance to practice strategies by having a simulator mode, a teaching mode that teaches you different strategies, a calculator to manage your bankroll, and a record that shows the tendencies of not only the user but the game itself.

What Poker Rooms Online Have Blackjack

The best site that offers both poker as well as blackjack is Americas Cardroom (AmericanGambler.com do not recommend to play on offshore sites). Anyone who lives where online gaming is legal in the United States can sign up on the site, and they will also get a $500 sign up bonus. 

To be able to withdraw money, you must validate your account, which involves submitting a utility bill and your driver’s license. If you used a credit card to deposit, then you must also submit a picture of the front and back of the card. After you have your account validated, there are two withdrawal options: check by courier and Bitcoin. The first check you request every 90 days is free; after that there is a $100 fee associated with it. For withdrawals using Bitcoin there are no fees.

The minimum to withdraw using Bitcoin is $10, with the maximum being $9,500. A request can be made once every three days. As far as the check option, the minimum to withdraw is $100, with the maximum being $3,000. A request can be made once every 7 days.

What Online Sites Can I Play Blackjack from Missouri for Real Money

There are three sites that are recommended for players playing outside the state of New Jersey: Slots.lv, cafecasino.lv, and Bovada.lv. However, we do not recommend anyone to play with offshore betting and casino sites. Check legal casino sites in the USA instead.

What Is Unlimited Bet Behind in Online Blackjack

Bet Behind is a side bet in live blackjack where a limitless number of players can bet behind the main seven seated players. This adds large multiplayer scalability and big winning potential. While they wait for one of the seven seats to become free, players can bet behind. In addition, a seated player can bet behind any other seat.

Players that are on a winning streak are marked with a gold medal next to their name. Up to two ribbons and up to three stars around the gold medal also show how hot a player currently is. Everybody can see the score and choose a hot player to bet behind and try to increase their own chances of winning.

New and inexperienced players can feel the thrill of live blackjack by placing low stakes for the bet behind option. Moreover, not only can they participate in the game, but they can also potentially win something. This side bet is unlimited, meaning that waiting players can bet behind all main players, and a main player can bet behind all seated gamers.

High Roller Blackjack, Where to Play, Max Stakes

The best place to play high stakes blackjack is on Unibet NJ, as they offer live dealers as well as twelve different tables, all with different max stakes.

Four of the twelve tables are minimum bet tables of $10 and maximum bet tables of $500. Another feature offered by these tables is that they are all unlimited bet behind tables.

Two of the twelve tables are minimum bet tables of $15 and maximum bet tables of $750. Like the other tables, they offer the unlimited bet behind feature.

Another four of the twelve tables using the live dealer feature are minimum bet tables of $25 with maximum bet tables of $1000. Like the other tables, these also offer the unlimited bet behind feature.

The final two of the twelve tables are some of the highest-stakes tables online. They offer minimum bets of $100 and maximum bets of $2,500 per hand. Like the tables before, they offer the unlimited bet behind feature as well.

So, depending on what you consider high stakes as well as how high you want to bet, Bovada.lv is one of the best sites offering high stakes with live dealers. They also feature the unlimited bet behind feature, making it arguably the best site online.

Best Bonus Deals for Blackjack Online, What Sites Offer What

There are multiple sites that allow bonuses for new users, but some are restricted to specific states. For example, New Jersey has the Golden Nugget, Virgin, Caesar’s Palace, Borgata Casino, Tropicana, and Sugar House.

The Golden Nugget offers 100% up to $1,500, Virgin offers Cash Back up to $100, Caesar’s Palace offers 100% up to $300, Borgata offers 100% up to $600, Tropicana offers Cash Back up to $100, and Sugar House offers 100% up to $250. These each come with wager requirements.

The wagering requirement for the Golden Nugget is 10x bonus + deposit, meaning if you do the max of $1,500 and claim the bonus you must wager $30,000 in order to withdraw it. Caesar’s Palace has a 25x rollover requirement, meaning you must wager $30,000 in order to cash it out. Borgata’s offer is 10x the bonus, which means you must wager $3,000 in order to withdraw the money.

For Sugar House, the requirement is a 1x rollover requirement, meaning you must wager the amount of the bonus in order to withdraw that amount. For the two sites that offer cash back, you get the cash back that you lost, meaning if you deposit $100 and you lose the full $100 you will get the money back.

How to Calculate Chances to Win at Blackjack, Any Tools

The odds of winning in blackjack can be affected by a number of things such as rule variations, card rank effects on house edge when removed, and the dealer’s up card. Let’s begin by looking at how rule variations can affect the house’s edge:

• 6 to 5 payout on a natural instead of the standard 3 to 2 payout increases the house’s edge by +1.3%.
• Not having the option to surrender increases the house’s edge by +0.08%.
• 8 decks instead of 1 deck increases the house’s edge by +0.61%.
• Dealer hits a soft 17 instead of standing increases the house’s edge by +.21%.
• Player is not allowed to double down after splitting increases the house’s edge by 0.14%.
• Player is only allowed to double with a total of 10 or 11 increases the house’s edge by +0.18%.
• Player isn’t allowed to re-split aces increases the house’s edge by +0.07%.
• Player isn’t allowed to hit split aces increases the house’s edge by +0.18%.

The next section only applies when one deck is used, and it is used to count cards as well. Using multiple decks in this section negates everything. These are the differences when the cards are removed from the deck:

• Card rank of 2 decreases the house’s edge by -0.4%.
• Card rank of 3 decreases the houses edge by -0.43%.
• Card rank of 4 decreases house’s edge by -0.52%.
• Card rank of 5 decreases house’s edge by -0.67%.
• Card rank of 6 decreases the houses edge by -0.45%.
• Card rank of 7 decreases the houses edge by -0.30%.
• Card rank of 8 decreases the house’s edge by -0.01%.
• Card rank of 9 increases the houses edge by +0.15%.
• Card rank of 10 increases the houses edge by +0.51%.
• Ace increases the house edge by +0.59%.

The last section deals with the dealer card that is face up and the chance the dealer will bust.

• When the dealer’s up card is a 2 the dealer has a 35.30% chance of busting.
• When the dealer’s up card is a 3 the chances the dealer busts is 37.56%.
• When the face card is a 4 the chance the dealer will bust is 40.28%.
• When the dealer’s up card is a 5 the dealer has a 42.89% chance of busting.
• When the dealer’s up card is a 6 the dealer has a 42.08% chance of busting.
• When the dealer’s up card is a 7 the dealer has a 25.99% chance of busting.
• When the dealer’s up card is an 8 the dealer has a 23.86% chance of busting.
• When the dealer’s up card is a 9 the dealer has a 23.34% chance of busing.
• When the dealer’s up card is a 10 the dealer has a 21.43% chance of busing.
• Finally, if the dealer’s up card is an ace the dealer has an 11.65% chance of busting.

Where Can I Play Video Blackjack only in Las Vegas and Atlantic City?

There are 22 casinos in Las Vegas that offer Video Blackjack: Bally’s, Binion’s, Circus Circus, Encore, Excalibur, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Hooters, Linq, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM, Mirage, NYNY, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Rio, Silverton, SLS Las Vegas, Stratosphere, The D, and Treasure Island.

Of those 22, there are nine that have multiple video blackjack games. Encore has six different ones, and the minimum bets on these machines range from 10 a hand all the way to 10,000 a hand. Excalibur has three different machines, but all three have the same range in bets per hand of 25 to 1,000. MGM has two machines, with one having a minimum per hand of 50 and a maximum of 10,000 a hand, and the other a minimum of 500 a hand and a maximum of 10,000 a hand.

NYNY has four different machines, but they all have the same minimum of 15 a hand and a maximum of 1,000 a hand. Paris has three different machines, with one having a minimum of 10 a hand and a maximum of 2,000, the second a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 2,000, and the third having a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 10,000 a hand. Planet Hollywood has four different machines, with minimum bets ranging from 10-50 and maximum ranging from 2,000-3,000.

Rio has six different machines ranging from 10-100 minimum a hand all the way to 2,000-10,000 a hand. SLS Las Vegas has two machines with minimum bets of 100 and 200 and maximum bets of 2,000 and 5,000. The last casino that has multiple machines is Stratosphere, which has minimum bets of 5 and 10 and maximum bets of 1,000.

Every casino in Atlantic City offers Video Blackjack, so it does not matter which one you go to as they are guaranteed to have it at that casino.

Photo by Esteban Lopez