Looking for a rock solid casino blackjack game? then Tote Casino is the place to play, Tote is one of the most trusted brand names in gambling, they run on course betting at all of the United Kingdoms race tracks. So they know a thing or two about providing punters with quality service and great odds.

So what can you expect from Totes online casino? Well firstly it’s very easy to join, more importantly it has a fantastic selection of Blackjack games to choose from. Along with standard casino Blackjack you can also play: 21 Dual Blackjack, Progressive Jackpot Blackjack, Surrender Blackjack and Blackjack Switch. You can try all of those new versions of Blackjack for free without even signing up to Tote Casino. Tote allow free play sessions on the instant casino, just click the play button to try it out.

If you decided to play for real money Tote will give you a generous new player bonus, a 100% first deposit bonus (up to max £100). Your bonus will be added immediately upon making your first deposit or transfer into gaming chips, allowing you to use your bonus towards meeting the necessary wagering requirements needed to turn the bonus into withdrawable cash.

All in all Tote is one of the better online casinos, you can play the instant casino (40 games) or download the full casino software (100 games). The games are good quality and along with Blackjack you also get Slots, Roulette and all the other popular casino games to play.

So when do you double down?
It’s easy just double down on the following hands:

 
Just remember that you’re betting on the dealer going bust because of the number of potential cards he will have to deal himself due to the low up card. The greater the number of cards he has to deal, the greater the chance he will go over 21 and you will win.

Doubling down enables you to double your money in an advantageous position but it will cost you twice your bet so choose your hands well to minimise your losses.

The value assigned to cards in Blackjack differs slightly from other casino games like poker or Baccarat. In Blackjack the values of the picture cards (King, Queen, Jack) is 10, The Ace can be valued as 1 or 11, all other cards have same value as is printed on them. See our examples below.

How Cards Score In Blackjack

Here’s our quick guide to card values.

All the cards above are worth the the values written on them. 2,3,4,5,6 etc etc.

All the cards above (King, Queen, Jack and Ten) are worth 10.

The Ace can be worth 1 or 11, suits such as Heart or Clubs have no bearing in a game of Blackjack.

Examples Of Blackjack Hands

Here are some simple examples of hands you might get dealt in Blackjack.

The hand above (7, King) scores 17, with a total of 17 you would normal stand and take no more cards.

The hand above (8, 3) scores 11, with a low total like this you would be wise to take another card from the dealer. As a deck of cards contains more cards with a value of 10 (4 Kings, 4 Queens, 4 Jacks and 4 Tens) than any other number, the odds are you’ll hit a 10 card making a total of 21!

The hand above ( Ace, 8 ) can be worth two different amounts, if you remember that the Aces can be 1 or 11, then the hand is worth 9 or 19.

The hand above (Queen, Ace) scores 21, this is known as a ‘Natural Blackjack’ you will be paid out more for a natural Blackjack.

The basic rules of blackjack are very simple, the casino dealer stands behind the table and distributes two cards to each player in the game and two cards to himself, one of the dealers cards is dealt face down. To win the players must get a card total adding up to 21 or a card total higher than the deals cards to win.

The player can ask for extra cards if he feels his card total is too low to beat the dealers hand. If these extra cards push the players hand total over 21 then he ‘busts out’ and loses his bet. New Blackjack players often make the mistake of trying to get 21, you don’t need 21 to win! you just need a higher total than the dealer.

It’s also worth noting that the dealer in Blackjack must always take an extra card for himself if his original two card total is 16 or lower, he must also stand on 17 and above. Some casinos have slightly different rules on ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ 17′s but we won’t go into those just yet.

• Blackjack can be played with one or more players.
• You play against the casino dealer not each other.
• The player must get 21 or as close as possible to 21 with two or more cards and to obtain a higher score than the dealers hand.
• If the player gets 21 with his first two cards this is known as ‘Blackjack’.
• The player has two main choices in the game ~ To ‘Stand’ which means take no more cards or too ‘Hit’ which is to ask for another card.
• The dealer must continue to draw cards as long his score is 16 or under.
• The dealer must stand at 17 or more.
• You lose your bet if you fail to get a higher total than the dealer or you cards total more than 21.
• If you and the dealer end up with the same card total (known as a ‘Push’) then you don’t win but your bet is returned.
• If your hand beats the dealers you’ll win the same amount as you bet, So bet £10 and you’ll get £10 back from the dealer and you keep your original £10 bet.
• If you beat the dealers hand with 21 in two cards (Blackjack) then you get a bigger payout, normally this is 3:2. So if you bet £10 you’ll win £15, plus you’ll keep your original £10 bet = £25

So now you know the basic rules of playing Blackjack why not take a look at how to value the cards in the game, or learn about the advanced plays you you can make such as ‘Double Down, Splitting Cards and Insurance Bets.