Card games have always been among the most popular attractions in casinos: Poker, Baccarat, the traditional card game "Durak", and, of course, Blackjack, which enjoys high popularity among players at the online crypto casino Stake.

One reason for the fascination with this game is that, unlike many other gambling games where the player rarely or never has direct influence over the game process, here you can analyze the potential win or loss of the current hand based on the cards you hold.

Basics of Blackjack

Objective and Game Process

The biggest question for players unfamiliar with this game is how to play online blackjack. While most card games pit players against each other, in blackjack, the player plays against the dealer. The main objective is to achieve a card sum close to 21 without exceeding it.

Both the player and the dealer receive two cards at the start of the round. The player’s cards are both face-up, while the dealer has only one card face-up. Based on the visible cards on the table, you must decide your next move: whether to stand, hit, or use other strategic actions like doubling down or splitting pairs.

Card Values in Blackjack

Each numbered card from two to ten has its face value. Face cards — jack, queen, and king — are valued at 10 points. The ace is a special card as it can be worth either 1 or 11, depending on what benefits the player more. If the ace is counted as 11, it's a soft hand. If the ace must be counted as 1 to avoid busting, it's a hard hand.

Starting the Game: Bets and Play

After seeing the face-up cards on the table, the player must evaluate their hand and consider the next moves mentioned earlier. Once all players have made their moves, the dealer reveals their hidden card and continues the game according to fixed rules. The dealer must hit until reaching at least 17. If the dealer busts over 21, all players who didn't bust win. Otherwise, the winner is the one whose hand is closer to 21.

How to Play Blackjack Online Stake: Game Situation Review

Funding Your Balance

Now that you know the basics of blackjack, you can proceed to play on Stake — the process is very straightforward. Fund your account using Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency supported by the platform. If needed, you can set your balance to display in fiat currency. Then, proceed to the blackjack game and place your initial bet.

If you don’t place a bet and your balance is zero, you can try playing in demo mode to practice and understand how everything works. This is very convenient for beginners. Whether you place a bet or leave funds in the balance, simply click the green "Bet" button to start the game.

Game Process

Next, the system deals cards to the player and dealer, after which you must decide whether to stand or hit to get closer to 21 points. Doubling in this case doesn’t make sense as the cards don’t seem too favorable.

Since you have an ace, the total can be either 3 (value of 2 points and ace as 1 point) or 13 (value of 2 points and ace as 11 points).

For example, during a test game, I decided to risk and take another card to increase the total of both possible options. The new card added 5 points, making the total 8 or 18. This situation allows for another risk, as at least one option doesn’t exceed 21 points.

Taking another card, I got a ten, making the current situation identical to one of the previous ones: the total is 18, and the ace counts as one.

After this, I decided to stand and not draw more. However, when the dealer started revealing their cards one by one, they ended up with 20 points — more than me and closer to 21.

But in the next game, the cards were more favorable: the dealer scored 22 points, exceeding the maximum 21, thus losing the round.

Online Blackjack Gambling Tips and Strategy:

Knowing a basic strategy significantly reduces the house edge. Understanding the logic of each move helps avoid mistakes and increases your chances of winning in the long run.

• Usually, it's worth hitting if your hand is less than 12, unless the dealer has a weak face-up card (4, 5, or 6). If the dealer has a strong card (9, 10, or ace), you’ll most likely need to hit or double down to keep up.
• If you have a total of 17 to 21, it's generally best to stand, as there’s a high likelihood of drawing a high card. However, if it’s a soft 17 (ace and six), it’s advisable to hit or double down, depending on the dealer's card.
• Double down when you have 10 or 11 and the dealer has a weak card. This is a chance to win double the bet if the dealer doesn’t reach a strong hand.
• Split pairs of aces and eights. Aces allow you to have two potentially strong hands, and eights help avoid the worst starting hand — 16. Don’t split tens — it’s nearly an ideal hand already. Low pairs — twos, threes, or fours — are rarely worth splitting unless the dealer has a weak card.

What Might the Dealer Have?

Statistically, cards with a value of 10 are drawn most often. This is due to the abundance of tens, jacks, queens, and kings in the deck. Knowing this makes it easier to assess the probable strength of the dealer’s hand. For instance, if a six is showing, you can assume the total is 16, and the dealer will have to hit, risking a bust.

Soft and Hard Hands — Why It Matters

The ace adds flexibility. For example, an ace and a six is a soft 17. If the dealer has a strong card, you can risk hitting again since the ace can always be recalculated as 1. In a hard hand (e.g., a ten and a seven — 17), there’s no room for maneuver. In this case, it’s better to stand.

Fairness and Transparency

Stake takes game fairness seriously. All versions of blackjack — both Live Blackjack online casino and automated games — are based either on Provably Fair technology or developed by verified providers like Evolution Gaming.

This ensures that game results are not rigged. If you’re unfamiliar with the term Provably Fair, it’s a method that allows you to independently verify the fairness of each deal using cryptographic algorithms. In the world of crypto casinos, trust is key — and this is taken into account here.

Thanks to blackjack sites like Stake, you can have a great experience playing blackjack with comfortable minimalism, convenient gameplay, and an easy system for depositing and withdrawing cryptocurrency funds.

It's a fantastic way to spend time with your favorite gambling game in a reliable online crypto casino that operates smoothly and without interruptions. However, as always, it's important to set limits for yourself and not get too carried away, as gambling is about expensive leisure, excitement, and adrenaline, not income.