How to Practice Blackjack Online to Win More
If you are just looking for a website where you can practice blackjack online, you can immediately play at our recommended online casino and get started playing free blackjack games.
But if you want to get a complete online blackjack practice, there are a few things you need to keep in mind first. Bear with me for a couple of minutes while we walk through them.
Otherwise, pick one of the three sites here, claim their bonus, and use it to create your personal free blackjack trainer for the blackjack tables!
Practise Blackjack Online – How to Play Blackjack: The Rules, Hands & Odds
Even if you know the blackjack rules already, it's always a good idea to refresh your memory on some things. Especially the basic rules of blackjack, to get you up and running.
In case you don't, we've got you covered with our 'How to Play Blackjack' video guide:
We can also take you through the rules here.
In the classic version of blackjack, the player or the players and the dealer get two cards each.
Card values are as follows:
You see 21 a lot here. 21 points are also called a blackjack, as well as the blackjack sometimes game is called 21.
No matter how you call it, the rules stay the same, so knowing them is enough to start practicing blackjack online.
Blackjack Terms to Remember
No matter where you decide to practice blackjack online, there are a couple of terms you won't be able to avoid:
- Hit: To draw one more card with hopes to make it a total of 21 points or less but still higher than the dealer's hand.
- Stand: To stop drawing more cards because of the fear of going over 21.
- Bust: To have a hand with points going over 21. When your hand busts, you lose.
- Push: To have a tie with the dealer. It means you neither win nor lose.
- Split: In case of having two cards of the same value, to bet and play each of them as a different hand.
- Double down: To double the bet and draw one more (but the last) card. At some online casinos, it's possible on any hand, at others only when you have a total of 10 or 11 points. Make sure to read the rules of doubling down at your preferred blackjack game online.
- Insurance: To make a side bet that the dealer has a blackjack. Only applicable if the dealer's face-up card is an Ace. The bet has half value of the original bet and loses if the dealer doesn't have a blackjack.
Playing Blackjack Online – Practise Different Blackjack Games
Why do you need to know about blackjack variants to practice blackjack online?
All the best sites to play online blackjack will offer you more than one version of the game, so it's up to you to choose what you prefer and what you're better off.
Odds-wise, single-deck blackjack is the best game you can play and one all pro blackjack players prefer.
However, other variants like blackjack surrender, European blackjack, and Spanish blackjack can be great fun, too!
If you already know which one you want, click on the game below to open a table and play.
| Blackjack Variant | Play now |
|---|---|
| Classic Blackjack | Play Now! |
| Multi-Hand Blackjack | Play Now! |
| Blackjack (5 Hand) | Play Now! |
| Blackjack (3 Hand) | Play Now! |
| American Blackjack | Play Now! |
| European Blackjack | Play Now! |
| 21 Burn Blackjack | Play Now! |
| Blackjack Surrender | Play Now! |
| Live Dealer Blackjack | Play Now! |
If you're new at this, we've got a few recommendations first.
Many players will tell you to start with classic blackjack — and they are right.
The 'problem' is that many websites call this game in different ways, especially when they decide to make a distinction between the American and the European versions on the blackjack tables.
American vs European Blackjack
If you've played roulette before, you know the game comes in two distinct versions - one with two zeroes (American Roulette) and one with a single zero (European Roulette).
The same happens with blackjack, even if the difference between these is more subtle.
It's all about how the cards are dealt to the dealer.
In American Blackjack, players get both cards face up while the dealer gets one face up and another one face down (the the hole card).
- If the first card is an Ace, the dealer checks the hole card right away to see if he has a blackjack or not.
- If the hole card is a 10 or a face card, the dealer wins and the players lose without even making a move.
- If it's not a 10 or a face card, the dealer puts the card back keeping it face down.
In a game of European Blackjack, however, the dealer gets only one card face up. The second card appears on the table only after the players make their moves.
- If the first card is an Ace, the dealer checks the hole card right away to see if he has a blackjack or not.
- If the hole card is a 10 or a face card, the dealer wins and the players lose without even making a move.
- If it's not a 10 or a face card, the dealer puts the card back keeping it face down.
In a European Blackjack game, however, the dealer gets only one card face up. The second card appears on the table only after the players make their moves.
This small difference gives you a possibility to make extra blackjack side bets without knowing whether the dealer has 21 or not.
Since European Blackjack features a higher house edge, games of American Blackjack are a better choice when it comes to online Blackjack practice or real money hands.
The perfect combination, if you know how to count cards in blackjack, would be to find games in the American variant where you can apply the single-deck blackjack basic strategy. But, unfortunately, those aren't very common.
Multi-Hand Blackjack
If you're a beginner looking for ways to practice blackjack online, we'd suggest trying a Multi-Hand Blackjack for free online.
The games plays like classic blackjack, with the only difference being that you bet on multiple hands at the same time.
If you don't have enough people to play blackjack with friends online, this is a good way to see more hands and get a hold of the game faster.
You can usually play multi-hand blackjack with two, three, or five hands.
21 Burn Blackjack
Another interesting version of online blackjack you can practice online for free is 21 Burn Blackjack.
Together with the two dealt cards, you get an extra burn card, face down.
Once you have it, you can add an element of gambling to the game and decide whether you want to replace your second card with the burn one. For a fee.
If you choose to play with the burn card, you need to make an additional bet on it.
If the burn card is A♠, you receive 7:1 for your extra wager. The payout goes down to 2:1 in case the burn cars if it's another ace and zero if it isn't an ace.
Blackjack Surrender
Blackjack Surrender is another popular version of the game. It follows the classic American Blackjack play with an extra move. That move is called a 'Surrender'.
Once you see your cards and one of the dealers, you can surrender if you think you'll lose with your hand anyway.
The possibility to surrender applies only on your first two cards. Thus, if you decide to hit instead, you won't have the option once you see the third card.
A surrender makes half of the wager go back to you no matter what the outcome would have been if you had played.
Which Variant to Play to Practice Blackjack Online?
If you play with free credits, you should play all these online blackjack games, to see which you prefer.
Start with the classic blackjack (preferably, the American one) or the multi-hand one, then move on to different online blackjack versions.
You'll see some difference and get a chance to choose which variant you prefer.
If you play real money blackjack online, in the beginning, make small bets and see what moves make you win more, but play free blackjack as well if you can.
Finally, to make blackjack practice online worth your while, try to put some basic blackjack strategy in place.
Blackjack Practice Online – Basic Blackjack Strategy Tips
Another perk of practicing online blackjack is figuring out whether the blackjack strategy tips work (or don't).
There are literally hundreds of tips you can find online (trust us: just Google it), but we've gathered a few of our preferred ones:
- Double down on 11:
There's a decent chance to get a face card after and then to have 21 points in total. This tip works when the dealer doesn't have an Ace as the open card first. - Always hit on 9 or less:
There's no way you will win with 9 points or less. Plus, the highest card you can get is 10 and it wouldn't make you bust either way. - Always stand on 17 or more:
There are fewer chances to get a 21 and more to bust if you do otherwise. So, it's safer to stand and hope for the dealer to bust first. - Use the basic strategy:
Yes, the most popular Blackjack strategy is called the basic strategy. It includes the tips mentioned above and a lot more.
Don't worry, you don't need to write all these tips down. Much easier is to check the chart below or download our blackjack cheat sheet.
While you won't memorize everything during the first hands you play, in the long run, it will come naturally when playing blackjack or live blackjack games.
You can practice blackjack free online with the chart open in another tab of your browser or on your screen while you play from your phone.
You won't annoy anyone if you take a bit longer to make bets.
That's why playing online is such an advantage for beginners and the best way to practice any casino game. Even better when using blackjack bonuses with an online casino.
The Best Way to Learn is to Practice Blackjack Online for Free
As we've mentioned above, choosing the right blackjack game depends on how you play it: for real money or with free play credits.
If you choose online blackjack practice for free – anything is possible. You usually get enough free credits to practice the game and all its variants.
We'd recommend playing for free before trying to play for real money, and using a free blackjack trainer or blackjack simulator if you can.
Practice Free Blackjack Games Online
There are many only casinos where you can play blackjack online.
On most of these sites you'll find excellent live blackjack games, but also registering to practice blackjack online for free.
You get free credits for each of the games and it will take you a while to spend it all at one of the best sites for real money blackjack available now.
All the free blackjack games on the website are simple to use, intuitive, and perfect for beginners.
Another reason you should practice free blackjack games online there is that you learn how to play blackjack in a real online casino environment that offer real money blackjack.
If you choose some social casino app to play blackjack online for fun, it still works. But then if you decide to switch and play for real money, you might experience "cultural shock".
The platforms, payouts, buttons, and everything else in the game will look different. When you play on a real casino site, albeit you do it for free, you don't risk that.
And then, of course, there's a bonus, too.
You get a welcome bonus on your deposit so that you get quite a few extra money to get started with 'the real deal' — if you feel the free practice helped you master the game.
Claim it, enjoy it, and…good luck!
The promotion presented on this page was available at the time of writing. With some Casino promotions changing on daily basis, we suggest you to check on the site if it still available. Also, please do not forget to read the terms and conditions in full before you accept a bonus.
This article was originally published in April 2020, it was last updated in November 2023.