Blackjack is considered to be one of the most popular and simplest casino table games. At LTC Casino, you can play Blackjack with a variety of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), Tether (USDT), and XRP.
Blackjack has been known at least since the beginning of the 17th century, long before the modern crypto casinos era. Throughout the centuries, players have developed the best possible Blackjack strategies to maximize their odds of winning. Blackjack is an easy-to-learn and fun-to-play game, that’s why it remains extremely popular among crypto gamblers, even with the availability of all conceivable slots stuffed with various bonus games.
Why Is It Worth Playing Blackjack with Bitcoin?
Better odds overall
Many smart players choose Bitcoin and Blackjack because that’s how they increase their chances for success. Blackjack has one of the highest RTPs among all casino games, while Bitcoin has a track record of steadily growing in value over the years.
No transaction limits
Bitcoin is not constrained by transaction limits, which are typical for the traditional payment system. This is especially appealing for high-rollers, many of whom prefer table games.
Privacy
Some banks restrict gambling transactions, but your bank will never know that you buy crypto for gambling.
No time limit
This is another benefit of software-based Bitcoin Blackjack compared to the real dealer variation, including games in land-based casinos. Playing on a virtual table, you can take as much time as you need to make decisions. It is an important advantage of Bitcoin Blackjack compared to the games at real-world casinos, where you are under constant pressure and have to make your turns fast.
Bitcoin Blackjack Rules
Like its traditional version, Bitcoin Blackjack is played at a table with a dealer and up to seven players with one to eight 52-card decks. The players can place bets in whichever cryptocurrency they prefer. There may be upper and lower limits for the amount one can wager per round. The game is played against the house, not against the other players.
The game objective is to achieve a higher card total than the dealer, but no more than 21. Cards in Blackjack have the following values:
- Cards from 2 to 10 are worth their face value;
- Face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) are worth 10 each;
- Aces are worth 1 or 11. An ace also forms the best possible hand in Blackjack when dealt along with a face card. This hand itself is called a blackjack.
When all bets are done, the dealer places cards face up on the table from left to right until everyone seated has two cards. The dealer also places two cards to themselves, one face up and another face down (hole card).
During the next step, the players are offered to take extra cards, so they can build a hand that is better than the supposed dealer’s hand.
When your turn comes, you will see various buttons on the screen depending on your hand:
- Hit — Take one more card. The player can hit an unlimited number of times as long as the total value of their hand is less than 21. If the total exceeds 21 points, the player busts and immediately loses on this hand.
- Double Down — Double your bet and be dealt only one additional card.
- Stand — End your turn with the current hand.
- Split — Split your hand to have two separate hands, thus doubling your bet. You can split only if your initial hand is a pair.
- Surrender — Give up a half-bet and retire from the game. Most Bitcoin Blackjack games don’t enable the Surrender option.
The player doesn’t need to take any actions when dealt a blackjack (A + T, J, Q, or K), as it’s an instant win unless the dealer also has one, in which case the hand ties. On the contrary, the dealer’s blackjack results in an instant loss. However, if the dealer’s face card is an ace, the player can use insurance, that costs half of the current bet. If the dealer has a blackjack, insurance pays 2 to 1. The player’s blackjack pays 3 to 2.
In most Blackjack games, the dealer has to stand on 17 or higher value. If the dealer busts, all remaining player hands win.
Types of Bitcoin Blackjack Games
There are multiple types of Blackjack games that differ in specific rules. Most of these games can be played with crypto. It’s better to familiarize yourself with the different types of Blackjack before you start to make the most of this game.
- Classic Blackjack is also known as Traditional Blackjack. It follows the most standard set of rules described above without any significant changes.
- European Blackjack is played with two decks. According to the European Blackjack rules, the dealer doesn’t deal the hole card until the player decides on how to play their hand. In other words, the dealer does not check for a final combination until the end of the round, and you stand to lose more if you double or split, while the dealer has a blackjack.
- Vegas Strip Blackjack is played with four decks. The dealer checks for a blackjack. The player can re-split the cards up to 3 times and double down after splitting the aces. This is one of the most widespread Bitcoin Blackjack variations.
- Atlantic City Blackjack is similar to Vegas Strip but is played with eight decks. Atlantic City Blackjack supports the Surrender option.
- Double Exposure Blackjack is played with eight decks. In this variation, both of the dealer’s cards are dealt face up. Players are only able to double on 9 and 11. Double Exposure is one of the worst Blackjack types for a player as it has the house edge of 0.69%.
It is also possible to distinguish the following variations of Blackjack, that may follow any abovementioned set of rules:
- Live Blackjack, that is played with a real dealer.
- Multihand Blackjack, where a player can simultaneously take several hands against one dealer’s hand.
Bitcoin Blackjack Tips
You can drastically increase your odds at the Blackjack table just by following several simple tips.
Understanding Hard Hand and Soft Hand
In Blackjack, the definitions hard and soft are normally used when describing hands containing an ace. Remember that an ace can be worth 1 or 11. This is an advantageous situation since you can adjust the total depending on your current needs. Soft hand means that you cannot go bust by hitting because you can change the value of the ace at any moment.
For example, if you have an ace and a five, this is soft sixteen. Sixteen is the worst possible hand in Blackjack, so you will naturally want to improve it by taking extra cards. Let’s assume you happen to draw a six. Instead of going bust, you simply switch the value of the ace to one. With a soft hand, you can either stand, hit, or double depending on the dealer’s open card.
Hard hands, on the other side, can bust. In the previous example, the resulting hand with a total of twelve is considered hard because you will go bust if you hit a ten.
Bitcoin Blackjack Basic Strategy
The beauty of Blackjack is that you don’t need to learn much to become the best player in the world. There is a basic Blackjack strategy that will always tell you the correct move to maximize your odds. It doesn’t mean that you cannot lose, but following this strategy you will make the most mathematically sound moves. If there is no luck, nothing, not even the best strategy in the world, can help you.
Below you will find the basic strategy, which shows the most optimal method of playing any hand. The given strategy applies to the most common Bitcoin Blackjack specifications, which are:
- Four to eight decks;
- The dealer hits on a soft 17;
- A double is allowed after a split.
To use this strategy, you need to determine whether you have a soft or a hard hand and find the total of your hand it in the left column. Then, in the top row, you need to find the dealer’s face-up hand. At the intersection of these two, you will see the correct move.
Here is what abbreviations in the table mean:
- S = Stand
- H = Hit
- Dh = Double (if not allowed, then hit)
- Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand)
- SP = Split
- Uh = Surrender (if not allowed, then hit)
- Us = Surrender (if not allowed, then stand)
- Usp = Surrender (if not allowed, then split)
Things to Avoid When Playing Bitcoin Blackjack
Even though Blackjack is a simple game, there are some things that you should never do when playing this game. This way you can increase your odds and avoid getting in an unfortunate situation when it happens to other players.
As a Blackjack player, you should avoid:
- Splitting 10s — Check the table above. Two tens is the second-best hand in Blackjack after 21, that’s why it would be unwise to split on it.
- Using side bets — You may be offered to place a side bet before the game starts, including “Lucky Lucky”, “Perfect pairs”, “Royal match”, “21+3”, and “Bust It!”. Just remember that the house edge for side bets is higher than for the Blackjack game itself.
- Using insurance — It’s important to understand that insurance loses you money in the long run, as the dealer has a blackjack less than one-third of the time.
- Counting cards — Virtually all Blackjack variations in the crypto casinos follow the rules that make it useless to employ strategies based on card counting.
- Playing multiple hands if you are new to the game.
- Losing more than you can afford and chasing losses.