The Wombat’s Guide To Blackjack

We all know I’m a slot wombat first and foremost. But the time comes in every marsupial’s life, when the thrill of the spinning reels wanes, and we need a new betting challenge. Yes, when I get sick of the slots, I like to don my tux and take a seat at a (virtual) Blackjack table.

So if you fancy a flutter on the cards for a change, then take a peek here at our rundown of all things Blackjack – including some of the important rules and my personal pick of the best online Blackjack games we have here at Wombat Casino. Welcome to my Guide to Blackjack, my friends.

Rules and Exceptions

Blackjack rules are fairly similar worldwide — but with a few variations. Most of you will think that the objective of the game is to come as close to getting a hand that is valued at 21 as possible. And you’re right. But the aim also to wipe the smug smile off that dealer’s face by beating their hand too – and you can do this in many different ways. You can even beat the dealer and win with a hand of just 13  if the dealer has gone bust!

Soft Hands

First things first Wombat Fans, let’s get it straight; this has absolutely nothing to do with moisturiser…

In Blackjack, a soft hand is any hand that counts an ace as 11 rather than 1, it also gives players more chances to draw and beat the dealer. So a hand with an Ace and a 5 is considered a soft 16.

The hand is also ‘soft ‘because it can’t bust on the next card. So for example, if you hit (take another card) a soft 18 (an ace and a 7) with a 6, the ace automatically reverts to 1 (rather than 11), and the hand total is now 14 (rather than 24, which would be a bust).

More often than not, the dealer counts an ace as 11 anytime he has a hand of 17 or more. However, about half the casinos worldwide deviate from this rule on soft 17 (an ace and a 6). In those cases, the ace counts as 1, and the dealer hits his soft 17 – this is called a hard hand. Are you still with me?

Doubling Down

On the Las Vegas strip, casinos always allow doubling down, which is a cool little option that allows you to double your bet on any 2 cards. But depending on the variant you are playing, it might only be possible with 10s or 11s. Check the game rules so you know what you’re ‘dealing’ with. Ha! Sorry…

Single Hand or Multi Hand?

Some online Blackjack games play Single Hand which means you have one hand per round, and others use multiple hands. Here you will play with more than one hand per game – which means more chances at scooping the big wins! But you’ll need to put some skin in the game of course. Currently, it is one of the most popular variants of blackjack and is played in a the biggest and best casinos all over the world.

Players are first required to decide how many hands they actually want to play ( 5 is the maximum) – but this wombat is just as happy with 1 or 2.

You can also play with different numbers of decks. The chances of getting  Blackjack hands are the same when playing with a single deck, but with one deck- if you see a load of 10 value cards on the table, the chances are that the deck is loaded up with lower value cards. With multi-deck games, you could be playing with anywhere from 2  and 8 packs.

Our Fave Blackjack Games

Here at Wombat Casino, we have heaps and we mean heaps of online Blackjack games on offer. But here are a few of our favourites:

New to Blackjack? Then we’d recommend Blackjack Pro Monte Carlo Single Hand. With some easy rules and a very favourable RTP (it’s a great big 98.55% in this version), it’s an exciting game which offers some real chances to leave the green baize with your some cash in your pockets. The game is played with 6 decks of cards, and has a nice little Split feature where you can make two hands. This makes sense with higher cards such as 10, J, Q, K etc, but bear in mind that when splitting a pair of Aces, getting 21 won’t pay out the same as a proper Blackjack. Bets start from a little as £1 to a crazy crazy £100 per round, so there’s something for everyone.

Another one of our faves is Vegas Downtown Blackjack Gold. As with the other Gold series games, Vegas Downtown comes with some cracking graphics and some interesting rules. In this variant, the Dealer must hit on a soft 17 which is a combo with a total of 17, but where one of the cards is an A (that is valued at 1). There are also  some cool split rules; you can split a pair of cards that have the same value, but this is limited to once. Oh and by the way, surrendering is against the rules in Vegas Downtown Blackjack Gold, so you better be in for the long haul!

If you are a Blackjack expert (and have the bankroll to match), then you should try your hand at some of the live Blackjack Tables we have on offer. Live Blackjack Common Draw High Limit  brings high stakes play to online Blackjack. Here you’ll take on a real life dealer, and get to chat to them using a chat feature – basically if you can’t make it to  bricks and mortar casino, then this is the next best thing.  Appealing to high rollers, the studio casino is elegant, the croupiers are nice to look at and the live cameras work a treat. This is a serious game though, and not one for the faint-hearted. You’ll need to make a minimum of 1 bet in every 3 rounds, and if you don’t do this, you’ll get get a warning. And lastly, the dealer can draw only up to 16 and must stand on all 17s, but us players don’t.

Wombat tip: For your first trip to a live blackjack table with a dealer, you’re better off finding a nearly full table Wombat fans. Although the number of players at the table hardly affects the odds, the game is much quicker with fewer players. A fuller table gives you more time to think about each hand without being rushed or pressured. Nice!

Enjoy the Blackjack tables, and good luck!