Your Complete Guide on Everything to do with Online Blackjack in Ireland

From Rain Man and The Hangover to online casinos and even kitchen tables, blackjack is one of the most popular card games in the world. As a former casino turned critic, Casino.com is better placed than anyone to give you the lowdown on everything you need to know about online blackjack in Ireland.

Blackjack originated from the card game 21. The very first mention of this game is in a book called ‘Rinconete y Cortadillo’, where the protagonists are card cheats. Since then, the card game has had quite a glamorous history, appearing in lots of Hollywood movies from James Bond to Austin Powers.

Today, it is one of the most popular card games to play online or in a physical casino. Its combination of straightforward rules and requiring strategy to win consistently means it perfectly toes the line between casino games like roulette and poker.  In this piece, I will help readers learn everything they need to know about how to play blackjack online in Ireland.

Unfortunately, every game of blackjack is not created equally. A player is doing themselves a disservice if they just hop on to the first casino they find and start playing as they could be missing out on any number of things. That's why we are here to help players find the best online blackjack in Ireland. Here is what we take into account:

Promotions and bonuses- Different casinos offer different bonuses and promotions. This can be welcome offers, ongoing promotions, or even blackjack-specific bonuses. We make sure we find the casinos that are offering their players the most.

Casino licensing and registration- Despite increased regulation, Irish players are facing more threats from illegitimate casinos today than ever before. Don’t worry, as if you go through Casino.com, you can guarantee we have checked to see if the casino is properly licensed and registered and thus above board.

Varieties of blackjack- There are lots of different variations of blackjack from lots of different software suppliers. We make sure to shop around from casino to casino and provider to provider to find the best blackjack games for Irish players.

If you cannot find any licensing information for a casino, that's your number one red flag. Searching the casino on Trustpilot to see other players' reviews is also a good idea as it can alert you to anything dodgy a casino may be doing. As I said above, going through Casino.com is your safest option for legit online blackjack.

Some lists you read on the internet are going to try and give you the top 10 Irish online casinos for playing blackjack. I personally think this is too many and want to narrow it down further for you. I have found 5 casinos that I think are the best around for Irish players looking to play some blackjack.

Fatfruit- If you are an experienced online casino player, Fatfruit will need no introduction as it's been one of the most popular with Irish players for years. It has over 10,000 games, a 100% matched first deposit welcome offer, and lots of regular promotions to reward its loyal customers.

When it comes to online blackjack in Ireland, Fatfruit have been long considered one of the best, if not the best, options. Of its 10,000 games, a significant portion are blackjack games. It's a casino that contains every variant of blackjack, from standard games with live dealers to more exclusive options like Private Lounge Blackjack.

RollingSlots- One of the highest-rated casinos available to Irish players, RollingSlots is an obvious inclusion on this list. Even though it was only founded in 2021, the casino quickly rocketed up the casino ladder to become one of Irish players' favourites. It rates very highly and puts a lot of effort into having a great live dealer section.

The casino has over 1425 live dealer games, with a significant portion of these being varieties of blackjack. There are lots of standard blackjack games available, but I do recommend trying some of the VIP live dealer games as there is such an authentic feel to them.

Spinoloco- Is a very new casino from Medial N.V. It is only a year old but does come from a very trusted brand. What is fascinating about Spinoloco is that in such a short time, it has become incredibly popular with Irish players. I think this is because of its very generous promotions that especially reward loyal players and also the really cool modern feel of the casino.

A lot of online blackjack in Ireland is played through the live dealer section, and that is why this casino is so popular. Not only does it have great variety and an authentic feel, but the casino also offers a massive 25% cashback promotion on live dealer games. This is massive for Irish players who want to play blackjack regularly at a casino.

Tonybet Casino- One of the most underrated casinos that Irish players should be looking at to fulfil their blackjack needs is Tonybet Casino. The reason it's underrated is that it has a quality sportsbook, and a lot of people don’t realise it also has an excellent casino. 

For those looking for great live online blackjack options, Tonybet Casino is going to be a good choice. They try to balance everything by having low-entry games as well as options for high rollers. The live dealer section is once again where the best action is as the casino has really put effort into giving it the Vegas effect with great HD blackjack options.

Lucky Circus- Every year, Ask Gamblers has a casino awards event, and one of the categories is ‘Best New Casino.’ Lucky Circus was nominated for the award and I’m not surprised one bit. The casino immediately burst onto the scene with its very generous welcome offer and promotions section.

One Blackjack by Pragmatic Play is the headline blackjack game that Lucky Circus offers to Irish players. It's one of the most popular games on the site for a reason, thanks to its authentic feel and elite gameplay. There are lots of other options both in live and regular mode if that is not to your taste, as the casino puts a lot of effort into its table game section.

Blackjack may be a pretty straightforward game, but there is a lot of strategy. That paves the way for different types of blackjack games. I am going to break down some of the most popular ones here so you can see what tickles your fancy the most.

American Blackjack- If you hear anyone refer to a game as classic blackjack, this is it. Dealers normally play with 6-8 decks and all the standard rules apply.

European Blackjack- This version is very close to the standard blackjack games except for some critical differences. In most versions, you will play with 2 decks of 52 cards. The main rule to focus on is that the dealer only gets to flip one card and then must wait for the players' decision before flipping the other.

Blackjack Surrender- If you are a more conservative player of online blackjack in Ireland, then this game may be perfect for you. It's the standard rules, except players will be allowed to surrender after the first two cards are dealt and get half their stakes back.

Blackjack Switch- This has the same rules as American Blackjack, except, as you may have guessed, there is a switching element. Players can switch the second card to a different hand, thus increasing their odds. The downside is that the dealer can play to 22 and the payout odds are not as good as other variants.

Live Blackjack- This variant just refers particularly to all the varieties of blackjack that have a live dealer. You can normally play all the above variants, but it will give you the feel of a brick-and-mortar casino.

An often overlooked but really important part of a casino's game section is what software providers they have. A lot of experienced blackjack players will already have their favourite games and providers. For those that don’t look out for providers that are well established in the casino world.

It is likely that at your chosen casino, if you are looking for blackjack games, you will come across a lot of variants from Evolution and Pragmatic Play. These are two of the biggest game suppliers and are known for having some of the best online blackjack Ireland offers.

As a big blackjack fan myself, I am going to recommend that you play on your desktop no matter what varieties of blackjack you are playing. The reason for this is that if you are playing any sort of blackjack strategy, you need to have all your options on the screen in front of you.

Sometimes on mobile, you may have to click on a menu to access all the moves available to you which can disrupt your flow. If you are going to choose mobile, then I recommend using a casino with an app as these will most resemble the desktop version. 

As table games go, blackjack is not the most complicated, but it's not simple either. The basic game rules in terms of hitting or busting are simple, but there is a lot more that goes on around this. A lot of terminology and a lot of different game approaches, so let's start right at the beginning:

1. Before we get into the rules, you will need to find what casino you want to play with.
2. Next, choose your standard or live online blackjack game and get ready to play.
3. Place your bet and wait for the dealer to deal your cards.
4. You will get one more card, and the dealer also gets their first. You must then decide to stick or hit
5. The dealer deals his card and the closest to 21 without going over wins. 

Bust- Bust or busting is the term used for when a player or the dealer goes over 21. It just means you have lost.

Hit- this is the term used for when a player signals to the dealer that they want another card so they can get closer to 21.

Stand- This is just the opposite of hit; it's the term used for when a player does not want any more cards from the dealer.

Push- Simply means a draw between the dealer and the player. Both sets of cards are added to the same amount, so your stake is returned.

Surrender- during a specific game of blackjack, a player can surrender after the dealer flips their first card and get half of their stakes back.

Insurance- This is a side bet players can take when the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace. It protects against a potential blackjack (exactly 21).

Online blackjack in Ireland can be played with 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 decks. The most popular amount of decks used is 6 decks. You will see this amount across most games except European blackjack, which has two. The more decks there are, the less they need to be shuffled. 

Decks don’t really matter too much in online blackjack as the computer makes sure everything is fair. Just make sure the games you choose are independently tested so they are RNG certified.

The card values for blackjack are very easy to remember and contribute to blackjack being such a fun game to play. 1-10 are face value, meaning the value is exactly what's printed on them. Jack, queen, and king all have a value of 10. Ace is the wildcard as it can have a value of 1 or 11 depending on what outcome suits best. 

Whether you are a player looking for online blackjack real money games or free versions, it will all depend on the casino you choose. This is another reason why it is important to do your research before jumping right into a casino.

A lot of the good casinos these days will offer free demos of their games. These are the options you should choose if you don’t want to play with money. On the other hand, real money blackjack is just the standard games casinos offer where you bet on blackjack.

Outside of poker, blackjack card strategy is probably the most well-known. In terms of publicity, counting cards may be the most famous kind of strategy for any card game. There have been whole hit Hollywood movies based around this blackjack strategy, which only helps create more mystique around the game.

We will get into that method and the controversy in a minute, but first, let's look at some strategies that definitely won’t get you in any trouble! 

This is a common strategy that can be used in a lot of other casinos or games of chance, such as roulette. The main point of the theory is that you can always break even by doubling your stake. The thought is that after every loss, if you simply double your stake, you will eventually break even. A bit risky for my taste as you need a large bankroll.

This is a little more complicated as it brings units into the equation. A player comes up with their own unit system, basically, 1 unit will be the amount of a standard bet they make. In this strategy, the first bet is two units; if you win, you reduce the next bet by a unit. 

However, from then on, every consecutive win sees the next stake rise by one unit. This continues until you lose and you go back to the original 2 unit stake. The idea here is to make the most out of a winning streak.

This is the famous technique that is depicted in movies like Rain Man, 21, and even The Hangover. The reason the method is so famous is that it is banned by casinos as a strategy. While technically not illegal, you can and likely will get banned from casinos if you're caught counting cards.

The fewer decks, the easier this strategy is as a player must assign a positive, negative, or zero value to each card. Low-number cards increase the probability of higher cards coming later in the deck. Players that employ this strategy need to use very quick maths and adjust their stakes until they know the cards are more likely to fall in their favour.

Unfortunately, for those playing online blackjack in Ireland, it is likely going to be impossible to try and apply this strategy. Online casinos tend to use continuous shuffle machines, making it impossible to use the strategy. If you feel you may have a little Rain Man in you and don’t mind the risk, try it out in your nearest casino!

I’ve given you a lot of information now, and you are almost completely set up with everything you need to be a blackjack expert. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:

• Shop around before making a decision. Don’t just choose the first casino you come across make sure it has everything you are looking for 
• Figure out which of the varieties of blackjack you like best. There are lots of variants and lots of different games, so maybe use some free versions first to figure out what games you want to play.
• Figure out your units. This is important and is a good responsible gambling procedure. If you have a unit size figured out, it's easier to stick to your budget.
• Will you employ a strategy? I have gone through some strategies, but there are many more, so do some research and figure out if you want to use any of them.

I went through at the beginning what we look for, but what should you, as a player, look for when choosing a casino for online blackjack in Ireland? This will change from player to player, so you need to figure out what you want from a casino.

Some players may value a big welcome bonus, especially if they want to switch between casinos. If you want to stay loyal to one, then a loyalty programme and regular bonuses will be good to look out for. After that, plenty of varieties of blackjack from leading software providers are good to look for. Finally, I think a great live dealer section will take your blackjack experience to an elite level.