By John Cunningham.

Online Blackjack is a great way to bring the fun of the casino floor into the comfort of your own home. Thanks to widespread internet casinos and iGaming, this is possible worldwide—which includes Ontario. Canadian players can play blackjack online in Ontario at home or on the go, with trusted operators regulated by the AGCO and iGO. 

If you’ve always been interested in blackjack but have been afraid to put some chips on the Table, online blackjack is a great place to start. There are often lower minimums, meaning you can bet $1 a hand and get a feel for the game before upping your bet sizing. Here are some quick tips every new player should keep in mind before they get started.

Avoid Virtual Blackjack Tables

Virtual tables might seem like fun, no-pressure ways to get started, but there’s no real difference between them and a live table. Virtual tables are nice to play at if there’s no real money being wagered. Some online casinos offer demo versions with free chips you can use, and we highly suggest you do that. It’s an easy way to learn the basics and get familiar with the table and format of play. The thrill of a live table is definitely missing, and playing with a real deck is often better than a virtual one, as the virtual deck may get reshuffled after each hand, meaning that there is no chance for a deck to be ‘hot’ or ‘cold’. For beginner players, this doesn’t matter much, but after you get the hang of it, it’s something to keep in mind. 

It’s definitely better to go hit up a live table after a few hands at a virtual one. Live tables can often be found at online casinos and feature a real-life dealer handing out physical cards at a table. They’re live-streamed directly to your screen, and you can even interact with them via chat sometimes, as well as the other players at your table. This really brings the atmosphere of a brick-and-mortar casino right into your home and helps add to the immersion. Likewise, you get to see real cards being dealt, so you know you’re not just losing because a computer rolled a random number that says so. 

Don’t Bother Trying to Count Cards

If you’re a beginner who’s thinking of putting on some shades and taking the casino for all they’ve got—think again. Not only is counting cards a super complex strategy¹⁾EDITOR NOTE: Although card counting may not be easy, it is far from a “super complex strategy”.  It just takes practice!, but it’s also nearly impossible online. Thanks to massive decks that are often eight or more in size and a cut card halfway through, counting cards will get you nowhere. Similarly, it’s an offense that can get you banned. Just like how real-life casinos have the right to prevent card counters from playing blackjack, online casinos have terms of use, and one of them is most certainly not to count cards. 

With AI and algorithms analyzing your betting patterns, it’s not hard to see if someone is potentially trying to gain an edge over the casino—which leads us to our next tip, where you can get an edge and improve your game without having to worry about getting banned or memorizing a consulted strategy like counting cards.

Learn Basic Strategy

Basic strategy is what every serious blackjack player strives for. If you’ve ever sat down at a real-life blackjack table and had veterans around you huff or puff when you hit when you should’ve stayed, it’s because you weren’t following basic strategy. Now, it’s their problem if you play how you want to play, but basic strategy does have its advantages and is the best way to cut down on the house’s edge and turn a potentially losing string of bets into a winning one.

The basic blackjack strategy is as simple as looking at what card the dealer is showing and your total. Think of it as a simple, “If X then do Y.” There are even charts you can keep handy nearby in another tab while you play if you don’t feel like memorizing it by heart. Remember, this is an online casino, there are no rules like no phones or no distracting conversations like there might be at physical casinos. 

Basic strategy also tells you when to split and double down, two options that new players might stray away from since they can seem complex. A double-down can often be a great bet and is, more often than not, safe, depending on the card the dealer is showing. 

You’ll have to figure out what type of blackjack your online casino offers, though, as different variants can change the odds and, therefore, change your basic strategy. Deck size doesn’t matter too much online, so focus on finding a chart for your variant of blackjack, be it Spanish 21 or regular blackjack, where the dealer hits on a soft 17. 

On a final note about online blackjack in Ontario, the side bets are a good bit of fun and can be exciting when you hit, but basic strategy would say to avoid them as they’re typically a losing game. Still, they can be a great way to add some more variety and luck into your hands of blackjack.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Cunningham is an enthusiastic content creator renowned for skillfully crafting compelling and enlightening articles. Possessing a journalism background and a profound fascination with technology, travel, and lifestyle subjects, John infuses each of his creations with a unique outlook. His captivating narrative style and thorough investigative approach aim not merely to educate but also ignite inspiration within his audience. Beyond his writing endeavors, he can be discovered venturing into unexplored destinations, delving into photography experimentation, or immersing himself in the pages of a captivating book. 

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