Play Blackjack against the dealer

There are no bots at Blackjack here, and none are needed: the dealer is the opponent, and the site plays it. How a game against the house goes.

Why there are no bots at this table

At blackjack you never play the other seats. Every player plays the dealer on their own, and more than one of you can win the same round. So a bot in the next chair would be playing its own hand against the same dealer: nothing about your game would change, and you would only be waiting for it.

The computer opponent is the dealer, and the site plays it. One player is enough to deal, so playing blackjack against the computer here simply means opening a table and starting on your own.

Setting up the table

Opening a table needs a free account. In the lobby you choose four things before the first round: how many chips you start with (100, 200 or 500), the minimum bet (5, 10 or 25), how many rounds the game lasts (10, 20 or 40), and whether the dealer stands or draws on a soft 17. Unless you change them, you get 200 chips, a minimum of 10, twenty rounds and a dealer who stands on soft 17.

A dealer who stands on soft 17 is slightly better for you, which is why it is the default. More rounds with a lower minimum is the longer, steadier game; fewer rounds with a higher minimum swings much more.

How the dealer plays

The dealer makes no decisions at all. It takes two cards, one of them face down, and after every player has finished it draws until it reaches 17 and stops — including on soft 17 if the table says it stands. It cannot be bluffed and it cannot play badly, which is exactly why the order of play gives it the edge: if you bust, you have lost before it turns a card.

When the dealer's face-up card is an ace you are offered insurance, which costs half your bet and pays two to one if the hidden card makes blackjack. If the dealer does have blackjack, the round ends before anyone plays: a blackjack of yours is a push, and every other bet is lost.

Your side of the table

Each round starts with your bet — anything from the minimum up to what you hold. Then you hit, stand, double or split. Doubling adds a second bet the size of the first and gives you exactly one more card. A pair can be split once per round into two hands with a bet each; split aces take one card each, and a split hand of any other rank may still be doubled.

A blackjack pays three to two and every other win pays even money. When the round is settled, press "Ready for the next round" to deal again.

How a game ends

The game runs for the number of rounds chosen in the lobby, and the stack you finish with is your result. Against the house there is no winning in the long run, so the honest target is to finish above where you started — and playing basic strategy is what gives you the best chance of it.

Your seat is kept if you close the tab or lose your connection while playing alone. Open the table again, from the link or from the front page, and you are back where you left off.