Blackjack Bonus – Blackjack Bonuses

Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the world and is one of the most common games you’ll find when playing in online casinos.  Because of this, lots of casino sites offer blackjack specific bonus offers for new players that allow you to start playing with a larger bankroll versus a standard deposit.  On this page you’ll find listings of the best blackjack bonuses currently available from online casinos along with wagering requirements.

How To Play Blackjack – Blackjack Rules

The object of Blackjack is pretty simple, get as close to 21 as possible with your hand total without going over and while having a higher value hand than the dealer.  The game is played with a maximum of 6 players betting at a time and all of them are playing directly against the dealer (meaning there is no inter-player competition).  The round begins with players placing their wager and the dealer will then deal cards from left to right until each player has two cards face up and the dealer has one card face up and one card face down.  At this point, the action moves to the first player to the left of the dealer who has to make a decision as to how to play their hand.  Each player must make one of the following decisions below with regards to how they want to play their dealt hand.

*Card values are taken at face value for cards under 10, face cards all have a value of 10 and aces have a value of either 1 or 11 depending on how you want to play your hand, for example Ace plus 8 would be either 9 or 19 total.

• Hit – If a player wants to hit, it means they want an additional card added to their hand to improve their chances of getting closer to 21.  Remember that the objective is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over and while beating the dealer’s hand total.  If you hit and go over 21, you will do what’s known as “busting” and your bet will be lost for that particular hand of play and you will wait until the next round.
• Stand – If a player elects to stand with their hand, it means that they are happy with the total that they’ve been dealt and do not want anymore cards.  If a player stands then the action moves to the next player until all players dealt in the hand have made their decisions.  When the dealer reveals their hole card if your total beats theirs you would win.  When to stand versus when to hit depends on a variety of factors including the rules of basic strategy as well as what your hand total is in relation to the dealer’s up card for a given round.
• Double Down – Another option that a player has is to do what’s known as double or double down.  This means the player must place an additional wager equal to or lesser than their original bet for which they will receive one additional card to their hand, they must stand after this card has been dealt.  The reason that doubling is an attractive option is that it allows players to increase their bet when it’s likely a dealer will bust.
• Split – The last decision that a player could make on their hand is what’s known as splitting and this can only be done when the player receives two of the same value card in their hand, for example two 10′s.  To split the player must place an additional wager equal to their first bet and than the cards will be split apart and played as two separate hands (with the dealer giving the player new cards on each split card).
• Blackjack – If a player is dealt a 10 or face card plus an Ace they have what’s known as Blackjack and they will immediately win their hand paid out 3/2 on their original wager assuming the dealer doesn’t have an Ace.
• Insurance – If the dealer’s up card is an ace, players will be offered insurance which is equal to 1/2 or less of your original wager.  If you take insurance and the dealer has a blackjack, you will break even on the hand.  If you do not take insurance and the dealer has blackjack you will lose your wager.  If you have Blackjack and the dealer has an ace up, you can take insurance, ask for an even money payout or wait to see if they have blackjack (in the case the dealer has blackjack and you also have it your hand will push, no win and no loss).

Once all players have made the decision for their hand based on the options above, it’s the dealer’s turn to play.  What happens is that the dealer will flip over their hidden card (hole card) to reveal the total value for their hand.  In most games, if the dealer has a total of 16 or less than they have to hit and draw another card.  If the dealer has a hand total of 17 or higher they are forced to stand and may not take another card.  Once the dealer has either finished drawing or has stood on their hand, their hand total will be compared to the players and all players who have a higher total than the dealer will win their bet, which will be paid even money 1:1 for each wager made.