Blackjack is a simple game. It is played all over the world, and it is seen as one of the most popular card games in every casino. The race to get to 21 has been a pastime for casino goers since the dawn of time. Yet, not all versions of blackjack are the same. From casino to casino, some rules differ, the way the game is played and paced, and eventually how you get your payouts might differ.
Stake is one of the leading online crypto casinos and sportsbooks in the world, and one of the finest blackjack versions on their platform belongs to their very popular Stake Originals department. As we said, this game is your standard blackjack you learned to love and play, but with some slight differences. If you’re looking for unique online blackjack games to play, trying out the Stake Originals version is a must. Here is what it looks like.
Stake Blackjack Rules
The best part about this version is that it does not walk away from the standard rules of the game. The basics is that you have to create a hand that will get you to 21 or as close as possible. By using the betting options available you can create an advantage for yourself, get to 21, or at least only beat the dealer, while not going over 21 and having a bust hand. As it is customary each hand starts with the dealer handing the player a two card hand. The same number of cards is dealt to the dealer, with one of the dealer’s cards remaining turned face down, until you have your hand ready. Once the two initial cards are in your hands you have four options at your disposal: hit, stand, split, or double down.
As far as payouts go, each winning hand is paid out by a 1:1 ratio. If you’re lucky enough, and get a natural blackjack (having 21 from the first two cards dealt) you receive a 3:2 payout. While the essence of the game remains the same, there are small shifts to the gameplay of Stake Blackjack that make it better for some players than the other available versions online. Check out what makes it, if nothing, then at least different.
What Makes Stake Blackjack so Good & Advantages it Has
Not to brag, but Stake did a good job in making their version of blackjack stay true to the game’s basics. For one, and most importantly, Stake kept it simple. The gameplay is clean and has some strong features. Firstly, the house edge is set at only 0.57%. When you have this type of house edge on a game that is designed to be played fast, you can jump from round to round quickly and increase your chances of winning with each round.
All titles from the Stake Originals family share similar traits. These games have been created to be clear in design, smooth to run, blessed with quick animations, and some of the cleanest user interfaces you’ll ever encounter. By being like this, Stake blackjack is an ideal choice for both the regular blackjack players, and the ones who are playing the game for the first time. The best part about it is the game’s total accessibility. If you have a Stake account, you can play it in any corner of the globe, with a currency of your preference whether it’s crypto or a fiat one.
How Stake Blackjack Uses Provably Fair Technology
Stake Originals blackjack is not a live dealer game. In this domain it is more similar to slots or video poker. What this means is that the cards are dealt by, and results are designed by a Random Number Generator. This is how Stake guarantees that each result is without bias and above all else, transparent. By being provably fair, this version of blackjack stands behind each dealt card, and due to it being created on blockchain, each outcome can be verified post each round. This type of approach guarantees fairness to players, and has diminished the number of players claiming that online casino game results are rigged vastly. The cryptographic methods Stake uses are put to use by combining server seeds and client seed values. When these two are put to work together they create an outcome that cannot be changed later on by any means. After each round, the player can check out the records of the round that ended and see that each card was dealt transparently and with fairness of the game in mind.
How to Play the Game?
Each round of blackjack starts by the player receiving two cards. With two cards in hands, the player is put in front of a decision, based on the strength of his hand, and the one card that the dealer has in front of him faces up. As you probably know, the goal of the game is to reach 21, or at least as close to 21 as possible, while having a stronger hand than the dealer. If your hand is too weak, or it doesn’t even exceed ten, you have the option to hit, and receive another hand. In a case you are happy with what you’re totalling after two cards, your best option is to stand. When you receive a pair of cards, let say to Ks for example, you also have an option to split your hand, and draw more cards to complete two new hands. Of course, splitting comes for a price of an additional bet. Lastly, you can double down, but only if you’re confident in your hand, and the luck of the next card being dealt. By doubling down, you only get the chance to receive one extra card, but for a higher payout based on an additional bet made. To double down, you need to double your bet first, and then you receive only one additional card.
Each round of blackjack is decided by the cards being dealt by the dale, and the decision the player makes with the hand given. While the rules of the game are simple as they get, by making different choices, the player affects every round. To get the best out of playing blackjack, one needs to know when to stand, split, hit, and double down.
When to Hit, Stand, Double Down, or Split
Knowing when to perform which action comes down to how well you understand the game of blackjack. As we said, the game is simple, but making uninformed choices when playing can lead to losses. So, hitting is the best option when your hand is 11 or lower. Weak hands will lose you a round. As long as your hand is 11 or below, hitting comes with no risks involved. From 1 and upward the risk grows with every added number, as in a case you receive a face card when you have 12 in hand you will bust. Yet, hitting is important even when you have 13, 14, 15, or 16, as those are weak hands, and when playing against a dealer that needs to draw until having a hand of 17 or stronger or bust, you need to take some risks even if they’re smaller.
To stand is a move you pull when your hand is at least 17 or higher. These are good hands, and the ones that the dealer will have to parry. Drawing on 17 is a risky move as your risk of busting is quite high. Even if the dealer is holding a face card, you must remain patient, as standing with a strong hand gives you better odds of winning a round than drawing an additional card does.
When you have your hit & stand options sorted out, you can move to what to do when you have a total of 10 or 11. This is when you want to take a risk. To double down is to increase your bet by the same amount you already have on the table, but with a risk of having a weak hand by only getting to draw one additional card. This is something that you do when the dealer is having a weak hand. Your bet and chance of winnings increase, but it is not a move you want to pull when the dealer is standing firmly on a good card.
Lastly, you have an option to split your hand. When you’re dealt a pair such as two As or two 8s, you ought to split your hand. By splitting your hands in a situation like this one, you give yourself a chance to succeed with two strong hands instead of one weak one. To split a hand is an option with every hand, but it is not wise to do it, if you’re not getting an opportunity to get two strong hands after two more cards being dealt, that’s why it is a golden rule that you do not split hands that are pairs of 6s and lower.
Insurance
As we said, blackjack is an interesting game, and that’s why its popularity has only grown throughout centuries since its creation. Insurance is one of the more interesting parts of the game in our opinion. Insurance is a side bet in blackjack. You can take insurance when yours and the dealer’s hands are both dealt, but the dealer’s visible card is an As. When this happens you receive an option of an additional side bet. An insurance bet is your safety net in case that the dealer receives a blackjack from his first two cards. It is a wager that pays out in a 2:1 ration. By taking insurance, you will get back your original bet back, as in a case of insurance you are actually betting against yourself and on the dealer to receive a natural blackjack.
The catch with insurance is that in a case that the dealer is not having a blackjack, you lose the side bet and the round continues. So, you are put in danger of losing both the side bet and the main bet if your hand is weaker from the eventual one that the dealer gets. Also, it carries a risk of losing too much if you often insure your bets as in essence an insurance bet is a wager you’re taking against yourself. So, only use the insurance bet later in rounds when you’re sure that a face card is coming the dealer’s way, and that your hand, in any case it is weak and needs to be insured.
Stake Blackjack RTP & House Edge
As stated earlier Stake Blackjack is one of the fairest games out there as far as blackjack goes. Even by the industry’s standards its house edge is small standing only at 0.57%. The Return to Player is set at an amazing figure of 99.43%. This combo of house edge and RTP makes Stake Blackjack one of the best games on the market as far as blackjack goes. While house edge and RTP are amazing from the players point of view, at the end of the day, blackjack is all about mitigating risks. Higher hands are good to have from the first draw, but they’re not always a guarantee of success. So, hitting in a hand that is above 15 puts you in a risk of busting. So, sometimes it is wiser to stand on a weak hand, and wait for the round to play out. A weak hand is not a guarantee of a loss. A bust is always a loss. Knowing that you cannot bust with a hand that is 11 or less, hitting is your only option. The risk climbs high the moment your hand is over 12. When it is 16, you need to know that the risk of drawing a bust card is over 50%. While percentages state that bust rate is between 30% and 55% for hands that go from 12 to 15, with another card being drawn, you should take risks sometimes, depending on how long you plan your session to be.
Once you understand the basics of the game, blackjack gets more interesting with each card drawn. Once you get a hang of it, trying to play to a higher level through systems such as Paroli Strategy, D’Alembert, Martingale, Labouchere, Keefer System, and Oscar’s Grind system becomes a must.
