Best Irish Blackjack Sites

How to Play a Hand of Online Blackjack

If you’re new to online blackjack, you needn’t worry about facing a steep learning curve. Blackjack is really simple to learn. Here’s a quick guide to how a hand plays out. 

1. First, place your bet. In online blackjack, you’ll be up against the dealer only, so your goal is to have a higher hand than the dealer without going over 21. 
2. Once betting time is over, the dealer will deal two cards face up to you and two cards to themselves, with one card face up and the other face down. 
3. Assess your hand value. Number cards carry their own face value, face cards are each worth 10, while Aces are worth 1 or 11, depending on which is more advantageous. If you receive an Ace and a 10-point card, that’s a natural blackjack. Here, you would win the round immediately, unless the dealer also gets blackjack by hitting 21. In this situation, the result is known as a ‘push’, and you would simply get your stake back. 
4. If you don’t get blackjack, it’s time to decide your next move. You can ‘hit’ and ask for another card, or ‘stand’ to keep your current hand. Most versions of blackjack also allow you to ‘split’ (separate the cards into two separate hands if they are a matching pair) or ‘double down’ (double the bet and take one more card only).
5. If you choose to ‘hit’, you can continue to do so until you get a hand value that you’re happy with, or until your hand exceeds 21. If this happens, you ‘bust’ out and lose.
6. If you decide to stand, the dealer will reveal their face-down card. Whether the dealer ‘hits’ or ‘stands’ depends on the blackjack variant, though the most common rules dictate that the dealer stands on 17 or more.  
7. If the dealer doesn’t bust, the winner is whoever has the highest scoring hand. As with natural blackjack, if you and the dealer tie or ‘push’, your bet is returned to you.

That’s really all there is to playing blackjack, though different online blackjack sites may have their own subtle variations on things like how many cards the dealer is obliged to draw, and what additional bets are available. This makes it wise to play free blackjack demo games to ensure you understand any nuances before you put any cash on the line.

Blackjack Variations for Irish Players

Irish players have the pick of the bunch when it comes to different blackjack games, with each one offering its own special features.

• American Blackjack – American Blackjack is typically played with six to eight decks of cards. The dealer will check for blackjack if their face-up card is an Ace or a 10-value card before players make any moves. If the dealer has blackjack, the game ends, and players with less than 21 will lose. Those with blackjack will tie. In American Blackjack, players can usually double down on any two cards and split up to three times.
• European Blackjack – There are several key differences between European Blackjack and American Blackjack. In European Blackjack, the game is usually played with two decks, and the dealer only checks for blackjack after all players have completed their moves. In this version of online blackjack, you can only double down on certain hands and can only split once.
• Multihand Blackjack – With Multihand, players can play up to four hands at the same time. This makes it a great option for experienced players looking to up the ante. Some casinos host Multihand Blackjack games with six decks of cards, while others use eight. Either way, it’s an exciting variation that offers greater flexibility, giving you the option to play it safe with some hands and be more aggressive with others.
• Atlantic City Blackjack – Atlantic City Blackjack offers several player-friendly features that reduce the house edge. For example, the dealer must stand on a soft 17, while they also peek to see if they have blackjack on ten-value cards and aces. If the dealer does have blackjack, revealing it earlier saves the player money as they only lose their initial bet and don’t push on with splits and double downs. There are also more options to split throughout the game, such as with different ten-value cards like K-J and Q-10.
• Pontoon – Pontoon and classic blackjack both share a common ancestor in the centuries-old card game Twenty-One. In Pontoon, the best hand is 21 points from two cards — a move known eponymously as Pontoon. This is followed by a Five Card Trick — if players receive five cards that don’t reach 21, they win regardless. Another difference in Pontoon is that both of the dealer’s cards are face down instead of just one, making it harder to adapt your play to what the dealer has.
• Blackjack Switch – In Blackjack Switch, players are dealt two hands to each of their playing positions and have the option to switch the top two cards of each hand. The catch is that rather than natural blackjacks paying 3:2, they instead pay 1:1. Additionally, instead of busting, a hard 22 for the dealer pushes all players’ hands except a natural blackjack.
• Perfect Pairs – Perfect Pairs is a popular side bet in blackjack that allows you to bet on whether your first two cards will form a pair. Payouts vary, starting at 5:1 for a mixed pair and maxing out at 30:1 for two cards of the same rank and suit. Perfect Pairs is a separate bet from the main game, and players can still win or lose the main game even if they lose the Perfect Pairs side bet. 

Blackjack Strategy

Part of blackjack’s appeal is that it isn’t all about luck, since every hand you’re dealt requires make-or-break decisions on your part. Therefore, it’s absolutely vital that you have a good understanding of basic blackjack strategy, especially if you’re going to play real money blackjack online. 

It’s important to note that using blackjack strategy doesn’t guarantee you’ll win, but it can enhance your chances in the short term. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to be aware of.

Surrender 

Don’t like to risk it all? Surrendering might be the strategy for you. If a wager looks like it’ll perform badly, players can surrender their hand and receive half their stake back before losing it all. You can choose to surrender early or late, with the latter being the most popular variation.

Here, the dealer checks for blackjack before the player surrenders, meaning their wager is still at risk. With early surrender, players can bail out before the dealer checks. Bear in mind, surrender isn’t an option in all blackjack games online.

Split

In the event you’re dealt two cards with the same value, you can split them to make two hands. Since you’ll have more cards, and therefore more numbers to play with, it ups your chances of making 21. The rule of thumb is you should always split Aces and eights, and you should never split fives and 10s.

Hit or Stand

The question at the heart of blackjack is whether to hit or stand. It’s useful to look up basic blackjack strategy to get a good grounding — some of the common rules include always hitting on a hard 11 or less, always standing on a hard 17 or higher, and always hitting on a soft 17 or lower. One of the advantages of playing online blackjack games, compared to playing in a casino, is you can have the basic strategy guidelines open on a separate screen to consult as you play.

Betting Systems

Many bettors like to adhere to blackjack betting systems, where you adjust your bets depending on whether you’ve been winning or losing hands. A famous example is the Martingale system, where the stake is doubled per hand until you finally win, at which point you’ll recoup your losses and make a profit.

Of course, this is risky as your bankroll may run out before your losing streak ends, and table limits may prevent you from seeing the system through. Ultimately, betting systems can never guarantee you’ll win at blackjack, but they can be a useful way to strategize your play and manage your budget.

Best Bonus Offers for Irish Blackjack Players

Irish gamblers can look forward to a big, shiny selection of exciting bonus offers from blackjack sites. Using TopRatedCasinos, you can compare the best incentives available, so let’s have a look at some of the most popular available to players today.

Matched Deposit

Matched deposit offers are a big deal in the world of online gambling sites, but how do they work? Simply put, the casino site will match your deposit by a certain percentage. If, for example, that percentage is 50% and you deposit €100 into your casino account, you’ll get €50 cashback in bonus funds. These offers are always capped at a certain amount, which will be clearly stated in the terms and conditions. 

No Deposit

No deposit bonuses are an eye-catching perk, because — unlike most casino bonuses — they don’t require you to deposit any cash into your account. While their value is usually quite small, they give Irish players the chance to try a website without any risk or commitment. That said, you will probably have to fulfil wagering requirements before you can draw any winnings.

Low Wagering

Most welcome bonuses have wagering requirements, which means you’ll have to make a set number of bets before you can unlock bonus winnings as real money. Low wagering bonuses allow you to withdraw your winnings without having to meet these requirements, which is a big draw for new players.

Free Spins

Often bundled with other bonuses, free spins are certainly something you’ll want to look out for if you enjoy slots online in Ireland. With free spins, you can hit the reels of a specified game (or games) with no risk to your own cash. Wagering requirements may be attached to anything you win, so check the T&Cs first. 

Live Dealer Blackjack

One of the most exciting innovations in the world of online casinos is the rise of live dealer games. This brings the authentic casino experience straight to Irish computers or Irish mobile devices. Instead of playing against random number generators and software algorithms, you’re up against a real human being at a real blackjack table, with the play beamed to you via webcam.

You can even chat to them while you play, adding to the casino-like vibe.

A lot of the best blackjack sites offer these live dealer games, filmed in sleek studio sets and actual bricks-and-mortar casinos, so Irish players can immerse themselves in “real” blackjack without leaving the comfort of their home.

Understanding Blackjack House Edge 

The house edge refers to the advantage the casino has over players in any given game. There will always be a degree of house edge in operation in real money table games — after all, the casino is operating as a business. The house edge is typically expressed as a percentage. For example, a 5% house edge would mean that for every €100 wagered, the casino keeps 5% on average.

Blackjack often has one of the lowest house edges around, meaning players have a decent chance of winning. The house edge differs across blackjack games, but players can usually reduce the house edge by using effective strategy — this differs from games such as slots where the Return to Player percentage is fixed, or roulette where there is no control over the outcome.

So, what is the house edge in blackjack? At PlayOJO, it’s usually 0.43%, which is equivalent to 99.57% RTP. Meanwhile, Paddy Power states that its standard six-deck blackjack games have a house edge of around 0.5%, which can be reduced to 0.4% if you hit, stand, split and double down at the right times.

Mobile Blackjack

The beauty of online blackjack is that Irish betters can play it anywhere they have a good Internet connection. While you can access blackjack sites through the web browser on your iOS or Android device, you might prefer to download the casino’s app.

The main question is whether casino apps are better than mobile-optimised web pages. We think they usually are, and here’s why:

• They’re faster: Apps store the data they need on your mobile device, which means you can enjoy faster load times.
• They’re more convenient: You’re able to access blackjack and other casino games directly through the app, rather than via your web browser.
• They provide push notification: Betting apps can give you automatic alerts on the latest blackjack bonuses and deposit offers, so you’re never out of the loop.