Online Blackjack Games Ireland

Once you've found the best blackjack sites, there's more to know like where online blackjack outshines traditional, offline blackjack and we even have some blackjack tips.

Online vs. Offline Blackjack

There are several advantages to playing online blackjack at casino sites as opposed to visiting a land-based casino. It is a lot more convenient, because you can just pick up your phone and start playing, no matter where you are. It is also cheaper, because you save on petrol or public transport costs.

You will enjoy much greater variety when you play online blackjack. You can choose from dozens of virtual blackjack and online blackjack live dealer games at an online casino, with low minimum bets and high maximum bets.

At a land-based casino, you may only find one or two blackjack variants, the limits will be a lot narrower, and you may not immediately be able to get a seat at the table that offers the right limits for you. You are also liable to be distracted by other players and overcharged for food and beverages. You may prefer the social side of blackjack at a casino, but the advent of live dealer online blackjack ensures you do not miss that.

Online blackjack players are also awarded lucrative casino bonuses, as the various operators are battling for your business. Those bonuses reduce the house edge. That is not the case at land-based casinos, as they have a captive audience.

Blackjack Rules

Blackjack rules are relatively straightforward to pick up. You will play online blackjack against a dealer. That can be a virtual dealer controlled by a Random Number Generator or a live dealer in a dedicated studio. You will be dealt two cards face up, and the dealer will also receive two cards. One of the dealer’s cards is normally face up and the other is normally face down.

The ultimate objective is to get a total hand that is closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand, but without going over 21. If the total value of your cards exceeds 21, you go bust. Face cards – a jack, queen or king – count as 10, while an ace can either count as 1 or 11.

If you are dealt an ace and a 10-card – either the number 10 or a face card – it is considered a “blackjack” and you instantly win. You are normally paid out at odds of 3:2 if you land a blackjack, which is also known as a natural.

If you are not dealt a blackjack, you have two options: stick or twist. If you stick, you do not receive any additional cards. This is also known as standing. If you twist, you are dealt a third card. This is also known as hitting. If your total hand value is still less than 21, you can stick or twist again. If you go over 21, you lose your stake.

There are obvious instances in which you would stick or twist. For example, if the two cards you were dealt added up to 19 or 20, you would not twist, as the chances of going bust would be extremely high. If your hand is 11 or less, you would always twist, as your chances of going bust are zero. It becomes a little more complicated if you are dealt a 12 or 13, for instance. Our blackjack strategy guide below explains what to do in a variety of situations.

When you do not request any more cards, the dealer plays his or her hand. The dealer must twist or stick on certain hands. If the dealer goes bust, you automatically win. If the dealer receives a lower hand than you, victory is yours. If the dealer’s hand is larger than yours or identical, you lose. There are various options, such as splitting cards and doubling down, which you can choose to boost your chances of success.

Blackjack Rule Variations

Most online blackjack games pay 3:2 when you are dealt a blackjack, but some only pay 6:5. That reduces the RTP, so those games are not recommended. The house edge also increases with the number of decks used, to check that before playing. If you find a game where suited blackjacks pay 2:1, the RTP is boosted by 0.57%.

A dealer is usually required to stand when dealt a soft 17 (ace and a 6). However, certain variants allow the dealer to hit on a soft 17, which increases the house edge by around 0.2%. In some online blackjack games, you are only allowed to double down on certain hands, which can increase the house edge by up to 0.18%.

Other games allow you to triple down on any two cards, which improves your chances by 1.64%. Players are allowed to double down after splitting cards in certain blackjack online games, but not others. If you cannot do that, the house edge goes up by 0.15%. Re-splitting can also boost your chances of success by around 0.1%.

Blackjack Game Types

There are several different online blackjack variants, which offer a slight twist on the basic blackjack rules. Options include classic blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, American Blackjack, European Blackjack, Vegas Strip Blackjack, Blackjack Xchange, Blackjack 21+3, Pontoon, Blackjack Suit’em Up, Perfect Pairs, Multihand Blackjack Side Bets, Lightning Live Blackjack and many more. These are the most popular options if you want to play blackjack online:

• Classic Blackjack | This game follows the standard blackjack rules.
• Atlantic City Blackjack | Atlantic City requires the blackjack to stand on a soft 17, while the dealer peeks on 10 cards and aces. It is played with eight regular decks. You can double down on any two cards or after a split. You can split three times, but you can only split aces once, and a late surrender is allowed.
• Spanish 21 | This blackjack game removes the 10s from the deck, leaving 48 cards. That reduces your chances of landing a blackjack, but it makes up for that with various bonuses. For example, a six-card 21 pays 2:1 and a seven-card 21 pays 3-1, while a suited 7-7-7 when a dealer has a 7 pays 50:1. You also get much better payouts on 6-7-8 and 7-7-7.

Top Rated Blackjack Games

These are some of the best online blackjack games you can play today:

Blackjack Switch | In this intriguing blackjack online game, you make two bets and get two hands. You then have the option of trading the second card of each hand to form stronger pairs.

Perfect Pairs | This is one of the best online blackjack games. It follows the classic blackjack rules, but it also introduces a side bet, which pays out if any player is dealt a pair.

Vegas Strip | This online blackjack game requires the dealer to stand on a soft 15. Doubling is allowed on any two cards, as is double after a split and re-splitting. It is played with four decks.

Lightning Blackjack | This is a live dealer online blackjack real money game from Evolution, which guarantees a randomly generated multiplier of 2x to 25x on a winning score. There is also an RNG first-person version of this online blackjack Ireland game.

Blackjack Surrender | The ability to surrender a late hand and get half your bet back can increase the RTP by 0.07%. The best online Blackjack Surrender games offer 3:2 natural payouts, doubling down on any cards and splitting hands up to three times. One Blackjack Surrender game from Ezugi has a 99.89% RTP.

American vs. European Blackjack

The main difference between American blackjack and European blackjack is the way the dealer’s cards are displayed. In European blackjack, the dealer receives one face-up card and the face-down card is not revealed until all players have played their hands.

In American blackjack, dealers will be forced to check their hands instantly if they are dealt a face up ace. If they have a blackjack, the game ends instantly. It means that players can potentially lose more on European blackjack, as they have more opportunities to increase their best size – doubling down, splitting – before learning the dealer has a natural.

Blackjack Odds: Why House Edge Matters

Casinos build a house edge into every game they offer. This allows them to pay their staff and maintenance costs and earn a profit. You should see the RTP (return to player percentage) of each game. The house edge is the difference between the RTP and 100%. For example, if the RTP is 99.65%, the house edge is 0.35%. You should seek out online blackjack games with the lowest house edge – thus the highest RTP – as it boosts your chances of success.

Blackjack Strategy

Follow these strategic pillars to increase your chances of success and reduce the house edge when playing online blackjack real money games:

• Always double down on a hard 11.
• Double down on 10 if the dealer has 9 or lower.
• Always split aces and always split 8s.
• Do not split 10s or 5s.
• If the dealer’s face card is 2 or 3, hit a hard 12.
• If the dealer has a 9, a 10-card or an ace, hit a soft 18.
• If the dealer has a 5 or 6, double down ace-2, ace-3, ace-4, ace-5, ace-6 and ace-7.
• If the dealer has a 7, stand with a pair of 9s.
• If the dealer has a 2 or 3, split 2s or 3s.

Blackjack Bets and Payout Ratios

The standard payout ratio on a winning hand is 1:1, so you will double your money on successful hands. If you land a natural, you should be paid out at 3:2, giving you a 150% profit. There are other options that can boost your payout:

Double Down | If you have a strong hand, such as a hard 11, you can choose to double the size of your bet. This means you essentially earn double your initial stake if you are successful.

Splitting Cards | You can choose to split cards, such as aces or 8s. This requires you to double your stake. You will be dealt an extra card next to each of the split cards, and you play two hands, so you can win double your initial stake, break even or lose double your initial stake.

There are some side bets that you can make on certain online blackjack games. There is an insurance bet, which covers you if the dealer gets a natural. Perfect pairs pays out 5:1 for a mixed pair, 12:1 for a coloured pair and 25:1 for a perfect pair, which is two of the same card. If you are playing 21+3, side bets relate to your two cards and the dealer’s upturned card. A flush pays 5:1, a straight pays 10:1, three of a kind pays 30:1, a straight flush pays 40:1 and a suited triple pays 100:1.

Progressive Blackjack

When playing progressive blackjack, you can make side bets. A percentage of the side bets goes into a pot that accumulates on a progressive basis. When a player triggers that jackpot, he or she can win a large payout. For example, on Blackjack Triple 7s, you will receive the full jackpot if you are dealt three 7s in a diamond suit.

Blackjack Betting Systems

The RTP of online blackjack is more than 99%, so your chances of winning are practically 50/50. For that reason, you can apply betting systems when you play online blackjack. There are two types of betting systems: negative progression, whereby you increase the size of your bet after a loss in a bid to chase down losses; and positive progression, whereby you seek to capitalise upon winning streaks by increasing your bet amount after a win.

Negative progression systems include the Martingale, where you double your bet amount after each loss, along with the D’Alembert, the Fibonacci and the Labouchere. Positive progression systems for online blackjack include the Paroli, 1-3-2-6, Oscar’s Grind and the Reverse Martingale.

Live Dealer Blackjack vs Online Blackjack

You should find a wide selection of virtual online blackjack and live dealer blackjack games at the best online casinos. These are the key differences:

Some players find live dealer play more transparent, because you can watch a real dealer hand out the cards rather than relying on RNG software. They also find it more exciting and immersive.

Online Blackjack Software Providers Ireland

Microgaming, Playtech and NetEnt are some of the leading providers of online blackjack games. You can also find fun variants from smaller suppliers such as Switch Studios, Felt Games, Relax, Golden Rock Studios and Iron Dog, plus Blackjack Xchange from Slingo. When it comes to live dealer blackjack, Evolution Gaming is the market leader, but it faces increasingly intense competition from Playtech and Pragmatic Play.

Blackjack on Mobile and Blackjack Apps

Most online casinos have mobile apps or mobile optimised websites or even dedicated mobile casinos, which allow you to play your favourite online blackjack games from your mobile device. You can play virtual online blackjack and live dealer blackjack games, and you may be able to take part in a blackjack tournament online and play blackjack online for fun on your phone. There are blackjack strategy apps too, such as Blackjack 101 and Blackjack Trainer, which can help you make astute wagering decisions.

Top Blackjack Tips

• Avoid 6:5 blackjack games, as they increase the house edge by 1.45%.
• Never take the insurance bet.
• Seek out online blackjack games with the highest RTP.
• Claim bonuses, which reduce the house edge.
• Play free online blackjack games to learn the ropes.
• Memorise the key strategic pillars listed above.
• Practice sensible bankroll management.
• Consider systems such as the Martingale.

Best Free Blackjack Games Ireland

You can play a blackjack online free game for several hours to figure out a strategy, learn how to react in various situations and test out positive and negative progression systems. Practice is the best way to improve, and free games allow you to do so without risking any of your own money. You can then switch to playing blackjack online for money when you feel ready.