In the early 18th century, the Vingt-et-un version became very popular in French casinos. And when the French revolution came to an end in around 1789, many people fled the country to other safer parts of the world, leading to the gradual spread of the game particularly in North America. Since there were no gambling laws already established in the USA during the early 18th century, the game continued to grow in popularity and was later named “Blackjack’’ by gamblers.

The US government, however, prohibited the play of blackjack in the early 19th century after many people started to move to North America in order to play this game. But that didn’t stop professional players as they continued to play the game, though, underground.

Blackjack was surprisingly getting more reach despite being deemed illegal, so this attracted legalization of the game. And in 1931, blackjack gambling was legalized in the state of Nevada. Thereafter, Las Vegaswas established and it became the most popular place for playing blackjack. The game was increasingly becoming a favorite for many gamblers, so other states as well as countries around the world, finally legalized it.

To attract more players, some casinos then introduced a special bonus bet with which a player whose hand featured one of the blackjacks and the aces of spades won at 10 to 1 odds. After several years, however, this payout was discontinued but the name blackjack still remained to date.

Blackjack Bets

Once you have determined the score by adding the first 2 cards, you’ll have the following betting options:

Hit

To Hit simply means drawing another card from the dealer when your time to play comes. There’s no limitation on how many cards you can draw, however, be sure not to exceed 21.

Tip on when to hit — Hit if the total score is 2 to 10. You can also hit when you have a “Stiff’’ hand (12-16) if the dealer’s hand is showing a card between 7 and 10.

Stand

If you choose to stand, it means you’re happy with your hand so there’s no need to take any more cards.

Tips on when to Stand — you can decide to stand if you have:

• A hard total of 17+
• A soft total of 17 and dealer’s hand is showing an 8 or more
• A soft total of 18 and dealer’s hand is showing a 9 or more
• A total score 0f 19+

Best Blackjack Strategies

The basic strategies can simply be summarized to as knowing when to hit, stand, split, double down, surrender, and take insurance. If you’ve memorized the strategies, then you’re ready to take advantage of the following advanced blackjack strategies that can make it easier to maximize your potential winnings.

Positive-progression strategy

With positive-progression, you need to increase your stake following a win. You’ll only return to the original wager after you lose a hand. If you’re lucky to run a winning streak, then this betting strategy can work out wonders for you as long as you understand when to walk away from the table. The trick is to weigh carefully on how much you should increase your wager.

Negative progression strategy

If you love wagering big, then the negative progression may be ideal for you to recover your money and win big. All you need to do is to increase your wager after you lose a bet. It’s up to you to decide how much to increase your bet with. If you win, you’ll return to the original wager and all the money used to place your bets will be recovered back. For a winning streak, you’ll be required to bet the same amount until when you lose.

Blackjack Variations

Fortunately, blackjack offers a long and great list of variants to keep you entertained for endless hours. Well, here are some of the most popular blackjack variations you’ll want to check out:

• Blackjack switch
• Vegas Strip
• Bonus Blackjack
• Double blackjack
• Double exposure
  blackjack
• European blackjack
• Multi-hand blackjack
• Spanish 21
• Match play 21
• Face up 21
• Super 21
• Perfect pair blackjack
• Super Fun 21
• Double Attack
• Pontoon

Best Online Blackjack Games

Trying out the various variants of blackjack to find a great one can be time-consuming. Fortunately, we’ve done the research for you and we’re presenting you with the following 4 best online blackjack games. They are great for any gambler, whether you’re a veteran or just starting out.

1. European Blackjack Gold

Boasting a unique modifiable Expert mode, this blackjack game offers an easy gameplay and sleek graphics to keep you glued to it. The game is played with 2 standard 52-card decks, and the cards are reshuffled once each hand has been played. The game rules are simple, and perhaps that’s why it’s one of the most popular blackjacks variant among players worldwide. You can hit, stand, double down, split, as well as take insurance.

You win if you’re able to achieve a hand of 21 points, which contains an Ace. The payout is 3; 2. And if you and the dealer get blackjack (21) at the same time, you’ll have to “Push” and this can result in a win or a stalemate for both of you.

2. Classic Blackjack

Classic Blackjack is a popular and highly entertaining game powered by Microgaming. You’ll certainly fall in love with its crisp graphics and fascinating sound effects.

Since Classic blackjack is a single-hand card game, it is played with just one standard deck and the main goal is to try and beat the dealer by achieving 21 points as with other blackjack variants. Shuffling of the deck card is done at the end of each hand. The only difference you should note is that, the Classic Blackjack allows players to double down on 9, 10, 0r 11 but doesn’t allow for re-splits. Also, the dealer is supposed to hit 16 and stand on 17s.

3. Vegas Strip Blackjack

This is also another great blackjack variant, well designed to give you lots of fun. In terms of gameplay, you’ve got nothing to be worried about even if you’re a beginner as the objective and strategies are simply similar to the standard blackjack. Nevertheless, though, there’s a slight difference which is — the game is played with only 4 decks of cards.

4. Double Exposure Blackjack

With Double Exposure Blackjack variant, the dealer receives 2 face-up cards and this will provide you with the necessary information on which strategy to use. If you receive a natural black, the payout is decreased to even money from 3: 2. And any draw result (your hand ties with the dealer’s hand) means you lose your bet.

There’s no hole card since both cards of the dealer are exposed, and therefore you’re not allowed to surrender or take insurance. And if the dealer has 13-16, you can split two 10-value cards. Also, you must hit a hard hand of 19 if the dealer’s hand is showing a 20.

Blackjack Glossary

• Bust: When a player or dealer goes over 21.
• Bust Card: A card which takes
  the dealer’s hand or player’s hand over 21.
• Upcard: A face-up card displayed by the dealer.
• Even money: It’s a form of insurance for a player with a blackjack against the dealer with an ace.
• Hard hand: Any hand without an Ace counted as 11.
• Flat bet: Placing the same bet amount in a row.
• Hole card: One of the dealer’s cards, which is dealt face down. The one a player can’t see.
• Hit: To draw another card from the dealer.
• Natural: When a player is dealt 2 cards that equal 21
• Push: When both the dealer and player have blackjack hands that tie
• Soft: A hand that has an Ace with 11
• Split: When a dealer issues a player with two cards with the same value, and a player chooses to play each of them as separate hands and then places 2 similar bets.
• Stand: To ask for no more cards from the dealer.
• Stiff hand: Drawing one more card could easily bring about a bust.
• Surrender: When you have a worse hand and you opt to give up on your hand in order to recover half of your
  bet.
• 10–value card: Any card that counts 10.

Adding a zero on the wheel proved to be a massive deal that brought about a more savory house edge. The roulette wheel game was brought to the masses when Charles III build a casino, which helped generate a lot of income for his kingdom that was at some point facing financial problems. Roulette quickly spread throughout Europe and was considered an iconic symbol of Monte Carlo’s gambling culture. By the mid-19th century, this mysterious new game was incredibly popular in America.

Americans, however, wanted it more unique with a higher house edge, so they had to redesign the little wheel to add another zero. Now, the doubled zero style
roulette wheel had 38 numbers instead of 37. Unfortunately, cheaters (both gamblers and operators) found this game a good source of income, and this attracted a change in the table design in order to allow the roulette wheel to be placed on top — as a way of preventing frauds. After centuries of play, this layout was further simplified for quick bets and easier gameplay, as well as for croupier to make payouts. Today, the American roulette table design is the most accepted by a large number of casinos worldwide. Regardless of that, the European roulette still dominates in the industry.

Roulette Bets

Street Bets (payout 11:1) — players bet on any number within a row of 3 numbers. If the ball rests on any number within the trio, you win. Keep in mind that you should place the chip on a single horizontal line (right or left). For example, 4-5-6, 9-8-7, 34-35-36, etc.

Corner (payout 8:1) — four numbers need to form a square, and then you bet that one of the numbers will be the outcome. You can place chips horizontally or vertically.

Line (payout 5:1) — this is a six-number bet, where you combine two street bets and then place chips at the corresponding intersection of the 2 street bets. For example, 4-5-6 + 7, 8, 9.

Basket (payout 6:1) — you bet on the first four numbers, i.e, 0-1-2-3-4. You’ll place a chip on the corner, which is shared by the first line and zero boxes.

Snake Bet (payout 2:1) — a player needs to place a bet with the numbers 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34. If you highlight the numbers, you’ll see that they form a snake pattern.

Top Line Bet (payout 6:1) — this type of bet has 5 numbers including the double zero (0, 00, 1, 2, and 3).

Call Bets

You’ll find these types of bets on French and European roulettes. The most popular include:

Voisins du Zéro (Neighbors Bet) — to make this bet, you’ll need a minimum of 9 chips. The bet typically covers a single zero, as well as the seventeen numbers closest to the zero (22 to 25).

• 2 chips cover 0, 2, 3
• I chip each placed on split 32/35, 19/22, 18/21, 12/15, 4/7,
• 2 chips on 28/29/ 25/26corner

Tiers du Cylindre — here, you’ll have a list of 12 numbers (27, 13, 5, 24, 23, 10, 36, 11, 30, 8, 16, 33), and you’re required have a total of 6 chips to make a bet. Place one chip on each split: 33/36, 27/30, 23/24, 13/16, 10/11, 5/8.

Jeu Zero — you bet on the numbers 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15 using 4 chips. One chip on bet straight up (26) and the remaining 3 chips on split 32/35, 12/15, 0/3.

Orphelins — your bet will have 8 numbers that include 17,34,6, 1, 20, 14, and 31. If you’re keen, you’ll see that all these numbers fall outside Tiers du Cylindre and Voisins du Zéro.

Roulette Strategies

Roulette strategies can be categorized into either progression strategies or no progression strategies. In progression roulettes, a player is required to double their bet following a loss, or double the stake after a win.

When it comes to no progression roulettes, they feature positive and negative progression systems. There are some roulettes in this category, however, which don’t feature a progression — meaning your bet will remain flat no matter the outcome (winning or losing streak).

We’ve prepared a list of the most popular roulette strategy systems that are supported by European and American Roulette style. Just check it out and see which Roulette bets work best for you.

1. Martingale

Martingale negative progression betting is one of the most popular systems, which typically relies on a player increasing his/her stake each time they lose. If you win, you get to recover your money and this helps keep your bankroll in the positive. Unfortunately, though, this strategy can drain your bankroll fast when you go on a losing streak. So, it’s generally advisable that you start with small wagers every time you use this strategy.

Martingale is commonly used in Red/Black betting or where odds are even, or very close to even as possible. The odds for European Roulette version are 48.6%, whereas the American Roulette 47.4%.

4. Fibonacci

In Fibonacci, players are presented with a sequence dictating that the next number is the sum of the previous 2 numbers. For example, the first eight numbers will be 1, 1,2,3,5,8,13, and 21. When betting, the number series will equal the amount of stake. And for every win, your stake is reduced to the previous level, which means a relatively low risk.

5. Oscar’s Grind

With the Oscar’s Grind betting strategy, you’re required to bet flat whenever you register a loss and double your bet following a win.

6. Parlay

The parlay strategy is similar to Oscar’s Grind as it requires players to double their bets when they win and keep wagering the same amount after a loss.

Best Online Roulette Games

After thorough research, we’re happy to say that we found 3 best online roulette games that every player will love to try out:

1. European Roulette Gold

The European Roulette Gold is a Microgaming variation, which is designed based on the European Style of 37 pockets (1-36 and one zero). It offers a lower house edge of 2.7% and, therefore, casino players can expect higher winning odds. Whether it’s the inner bets (dozens), outside bets (Black/Red, 1-18/19-36, Even/Odd), or
internal bets (splits and straight up numbers, you have plenty of ways of winning in this game.

Why play European Roulette Gold?

The game is run on 3D graphics with pleasant atmosphere, so you’ll just feel like you’re playing a real roulette. With European Roulette Gold, you can save up to 8 different bet layouts for fast gambling. Well, these bets can easily be accessed at your preferred time. The exciting thing with this roulette feature is that, you can add and remove any of the existing bet, reset or simply undo the last action.

2. French Roulette

Microgaming’s French Roulette is also a 37-number wheel game with a single zero. What makes this roulette special is, it has a couple of unique features that are responsible for the low house advantage — giving players a better chance of winning.

It takes full advantage of the unique rule La Partage and En prison. With the La Partage rule, you can place an evens bet and if you hit the green zero, you’ll lose just half of your bet and not the entire bet. And this will, without a doubt, create a positive if not a great difference in your payout rate.

If you place a large amount of money and the ball lands on the green zero during an evens bet, you can opt for the En prison rule to get all your bets back instead of getting half. Nevertheless, it’s possible to lose the entire bet if you miss on the next spin.

3. Multi Wheel Roulette Gold

Multi Wheel Roulette Gold, powered by Microgaming software, is one of the best European Style roulette game on the internet with 8 spinning wheels. It is well laid out with intriguing and superb features for a fantastic gameplay. Players are provided with an easy user interface and a rewarding 3D gaming escapade, where winning is real.