Bitcoin Blackjack

Of all the casino games that you can play online, blackjack is the one that managed to keep the feel of the brick and mortar casino, while bringing wonderful new variants to your screen. Bitcoin blackjack brings all that and more, with unique motifs on the cards, provably fair gaming and huge wins. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about the particularities of Bitcoin blackjack, its variants and how to win big playing your favorite Bitcoin blackjack variant.

The History of Bitcoin Blackjack

Blackjack existed long before Bitcoin. The evolution that brought this wonderful game into the cryptocurrency era, starts with the card games that were brought into Europe from the Middle East. The first reference to card playing in Europe goes back to the 13th and 14th centuries, but the precise origin of Blackjack is still uncertain. Many agree it most likely originated in French casinos around the year 1700 under the name “Vingt-et-Un” which is French for “twenty-one.” The card games French Ferme and Chemin de Fer, which were very popular at the time, were probably derivatives of this game “Vingt-et-Un.”

During the 1800s the game was introduced to the US and this is where it started gaining the kind of popularity it enjoys now. As time progressed, casinos introduced the game and several variants emerged. Blackjack is known as the game in which players have the best chance to beat the house – without counting cards, which is illegal. Then online casinos came, and more variants came to the fore, but most kept the feel of the brick and mortar blackjack. When Bitcoin blackjack came around, it brought some front end changes, like unique graphics and cryptocurrency motifs, but it mainly brought incredible back end upgrades that players now take for granted.

How to Win at Bitcoin Blackjack

So, essentially, to play Bitcoin blackjack you basically need to do what you are used to doing on a standard blackjack game: get a 21 or get as close to a 21 as you can, and hope the dealer or the computer doesn’t get a number higher than yours. On most Bitcoin blackjack games, just like at the casino, the dealer will stand on 17. This is where your opportunity comes, especially keeping in mind that Bitcoin blackjack is generally provably fair. That allows you to independently verify if the draws are truly random, which is something traditional online blackjack doesn’t offer.

Bitcoin Blackjack

BGaming's Surrender Blackjack

Live Bitcoin Blackjack

Bitcoin blackjack can also get much closer to the brick and mortar versions of the game than most would think. There are software providers like Ezugi that specialize in bringing live Bitcoin blackjack tables for you to play at. These live Bitcoin blackjack games come in a variety of languages and the dealers are playing with you just like at a brick and mortar casino. These Bitcoin blackjack games are so real that they have even helped cryptocurrency to come into the brick and mortar world, because they showcase the connection between the virtual and the real worlds.

Before you Try Playing on a Bitcoin Blackjack Table, Learn the Basics!

If you are interested in live Bitcoin blackjack games or on any other variant of this wildly popular game that has inspired countless of tournaments but you still don’t know how to play it or would like to brush up on some details, our staff has put a general set of rules, terms and moves you can read up on. Take a look!

How Bitcoin Blackjack is Played

In Bitcoin blackjack and generally in any other form of blackjack, there are two ways a dealer delivers cards:

  1. Pitch is where the dealer uses two-decks that are held in the dealer’s hands.
  2. Shoe is where the dealer is depending on a gadget that can hold up to six-decks of cards.

The dealer deals themselves and every player two cards. If the game is a “pitch” game, cards are positioned face-down in front of the player, if it is a “shoe” game, cards are placed face-up. The dealer only has one card face-down and one card face-up. The face-down card in the dealer’s hand is known as the “hole” card. The “hole” card is not viewed by the dealer unless their other card is at least a ten in value. This will decide if the dealer has already hit twenty-one, which means the game has ended with all players losing their wager.

In most Bitcoin blackjack variants, these distinctions are not relevant because the computer deals the cards on the screen automatically.

Card Values

Blackjack card values are as follow:

  • Ace: is valued at eleven; however, it will “bust” a player at which point its value is changed to one.
  • Face cards: are Kings, Jacks, and Queens and are worth ten points.
  • Other cards: two to ten are worth their face value, for example, nine is worth nine and four is worth four.

Blackjack Moves

Despite the differences between Bitcoin blackjack and the traditional game in terms of how cards are dealt, the moves and the way players can play their hand is similar. A player receives their cards and observes the dealer’s single-face-up card, they are then challenged and must make several decisions. They can “stand,” “hit”, “double-down”, “split” or “surrender”:

  1. To “stand” indicates that no more cards are needed for this particular hand of the game.
  2. To “hit” indicates that a player wants an additional card to get nearer to or to make twenty-one. On the other hand, a “hit” can also “bust” a player making them lose their bet. For example, if a player’s cards add up to 15, they may take a “hit” or ask for an additional card. If the additional card is “six” they have twenty-one. If the additional card is over six they go bust because the amount will total more than twenty-one. If they receive a card under six like three, this will equal 18, the player must decide if it is worth it to take another hit.
  3. To “double down” means the player doubles their original wager and receives an additional single-card.
  4. To “split” the player will double their wager by positioning new-chips on the table if they are dealt 2 cards that have the exact same value. Their two cards are then separated and the player is given two fresh cards on each of the original cards, playing basically two different hands with the same dealer at once.
  5. Lastly, a player can “surrender.” This indicates that they are giving up their hand and forfeiting at least part of their initial wager.

The Blackjack Golden Rule

One thing that is important to remember when you play Bitcoin blackjack or any other variant of this game, is that you will be playing only against the dealer. The cards that the other players have is irrelevant. If 2 players beat the dealer on a given hand, both will get a pay out, unless it is a very specific blackjack variant.

Bitcoin Blackjack Variants

BetChain offers many types of Bitcoin blackjack, that fit loosely under the following categories:

  • Multi-hand Bitcoin Blackjack - In multi-hand Blackjack you are allowed to play with more than one hand during a round. This makes the game play faster and more challenging.
  • MultPlayer Bitcoin Blackjack - In multi-player Blackjack you get the chance to play with other players in real time which makes the game much more realistic and interesting.
  • Live Bitcoin Blackjack – Just like the brick and mortar casino variant.

Bitcoin Blackjack

BetSoft's American Blackjack

Interesting Stories From Before the Advent of Bitcoin Blackjack

One thing that is impossible to do on provably fair Bitcoin blackjack, is to cheat. There are however, many stories about cheating on traditional blackjack games, including card counting. Here are a few of those stories:

There is a true story about a Las Vegas private detective by the name of Robert Griffin. Griffin realized an opportunity and the casinos were eager to get involved. He assembled a book with pictures of and information about recognized or alleged card-counters and sold his book and a subscription to get updates. This helped casinos evaluate each alleged counter individually. The idea was to work together to overcome card-counters; however, it was not as easy as they had hoped for.

In 1971, card-counter Al Francesco was at the card table betting on Blackjack and checking for ways to defraud the game. His brother, also a card-counter, was in the casino as well. Francesco’s brother sat while he stood next to the table in a discussion. Whenever his brother made a wager, Francesco threw a $100 bet with the understanding that he had an advantage regardless of not having assessed the positive-count himself. The Pit Boss continuously flattered Francesco. After that, Francesco became the first “big stakes game player” in the history of card-counting. He taught others how to keep count and gesture him in.

A player Francesco schooled to act as a big-spender was Ken Uston, president of Pacific Stock Exchange. To Francesco’s disappointment, Uston wrote a book about his playing style titled, “The Big Player,” back in 1977. The book influenced many players and caused the near immediate rapid increase of what was known as “team play,” including the MIT-team and the Tommy Hyland team, each team starting one year following the book’s publication. The MIT group story was discovered by a bigger audience within the last ten years and bestselling books were published like “Bringing Down the House, and blockbusters such as “21” in Hollywood.

Another swindler named Standord Wong helped form the appearance of an efficient, though subtle, card-counter scheme. In 1975, Wong who earned a PhD in economics, published “Professional Blackjack,” and proposed his own strategy, but Wong’s strategy was created for the single player. He recommended table-hopping and back-counting tables. By introducing a “shoe” strictly on positive-counts, a Blackjack player could evade playing through negative-counts and also avoid the usual card-counter give away of wild bet fluctuation.

Keep in mind, during the early days of gambling it was not prohibited to use computers. Players created complex technical devices that they concealed under their clothing. They entered data by toe-taps and the computer responded with vibrations.

Bitcoin BlackJack has the Best Odds!

It turns out that even without the cheats, card counting and the bespoke computers, Bitcoin Blakjack has some of the best odds of any casino game. Blackjack is just as beatable as it has ever been. That is just the icing on the cake when it comes to this wonderful game which our staff here at BetChain loves.


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