Becoming addicted to blackjack, online or in a regular casino, comes in different forms. Almost everyone, when thinking about a blackjack addict remembers seeing Chevy Chase sit at a blackjack table in Vegas Vacation, playing hand after hand, losing repeatedly, and listening to the dealer trash talk to him. But this doesn’t have to be you.

Top 5 Ways to Know You’re an Online Blackjack Addict:

1. Someone hands you their business card and you yell “Hit me”
2. You see a monkey and suddenly yearn to play more blackjack.
3. You’ve played online so much that you sit at a high roller table on your first trip to Vegas
4. When you start a conversation, it usually starts with, “last night when playing blackjack…”
5. Your alarm clock goes off and you’re playing “one more hand”

Online blackjack is addictive, but only if you let it consume you. If you’ve been playing for awhile, get yourself up and walk around. Go to another game or walk outside and get some fresh air. Blackjack, as is all gambling games, is for entertainment. If you’re using it as a means to increase your money because of financial problems, you’re in way over your head.

Blackjack is a great casino game and is one where you can sit down and play just a few hands or spend the night at the table. The more you play, the more strategies and combinations you learn. Each time you play, you’ll get better at playing your hands. Playing online gives you the exposure you need to the game, but without spending an entire paycheck in the learning process.

Single-deck Blackjack. This game is extremely rare to find and it’s a quick game before it’s time to shuffle again because you’ve only got 52 cards. You’re only dealing with 4 aces, so if you were hoping for a blackjack, your chances aren’t as high, or very high, depending on how many people are sitting at your table. If you’re lucky enough to find a single deck blackjack game at a casino, the betting is going to be high limit for sure.

Face-up Blackjack. Face-up blackjack can be a lot of fun, but it also takes a lot of strategy out of the game. Why? Because all cards are dealt face up, including the dealers. This means that there’s no wondering if there’s a ten behind that nine of theirs because you can see it. Each and every player then takes cards regardless of strategy because their goal is to get a higher total than the dealers. Even if they bust. Think about it. Why stop at 18 when the dealer shows 19? There’s a 2 in the deck, so maybe they’ll be lucky enough to get it. Whether they bust or are under the dealer’s total, they lose their bet regardless.

Some casinos have fun little games added to the blackjack. These are primarily in actual casinos, but every now and then you’ll find an online casino that features something similar, too. They have 7-7-7, which means if you get three 7s to get you to 21, then they’ll pay you extra. It’s hard to do, but it lures people to the table in order to get them to play. There are also versions where you can place side bets in order to spin a wheel if you get blackjack. Many people place the side bets in order to be able to spin the wheel, but it’s usually a gimmick to get you to give more of your money to the house. Why? If you don’t get a blackjack, your little chip over there gets swiped away by the dealer, who usually has a grin plastered across his face while he’s silently calling you a sucker.

Dealing blackjack, whether in a casino or at the dining room table for a group of friends, requires the same thing. There’s nothing different, only the shuffle, which, if you can learn a really fancy shuffle, you’ll have a gift that will impress people for the rest of your life.

When it comes to dealing, you’ve got to decide how many decks you’re going to play with. You take all the decks, shuffle them, and cut the deck. You can either use a shoe (the acrylic case that holds the cards together and dispenses one at a time) or stack them all up. Remember, though, that eight decks mean you’ve got over 400 cards to try and stay upright without all falling onto the floor.

If you’re the dealer, you will start dealing cards with the person to your far left. You’ll deal one card face up to each player and finally to one in front of you, dealt face down. You’ll then give everyone their second card, still starting with the person on your left. This second card will be dealt face up to everyone, including you. If your “up” card shows a 10, face card, or ace, then you must check the bottom card to see if you’ve got 21. If you’ve got 21, the game is over. If not, keep a straight face and the game goes on. Each person now plays their own game. They choose to hit (take a card) or stay. You then reveal your hand and pay each person out, if necessary, or collect their bets.

When playing the game at home, most people don’t like to be the dealer. They like to play their own game. It’s another reason why so many people enjoy playing online blackjack.

There’s not a casino out there that will have you be the dealer. You’re the player every time. Depending on the online casino, though, you’ll be able to see who your dealer is. Some use a cartoon version of a person, others look like real people. Some use fancy shuffling techniques that you can see, other versions you can’t even see the dealer, the cards just magically appear in front of you.

When you’re learning how to play blackjack, the best way to do it is when there are no pressures around and no cash involved. While casinos usually have lessons, they are brief and very basic. Online casinos all offer blackjack and it doesn’t require cash (unless you want it to). Many online casinos are set up for entertainment purposes only. They give you fake money to play with and put you in a room that makes you feel like you’re sitting at a table in Vegas. Other people from around the world are seated around you, playing the same game you are.

You place a bet, your hand is dealt, and the fun begins. You decide whether to take another card or stay. You can only see the dealer’s single card, so you’re going based on the fact that they don’t have 21, or can’t get there. If you were luckily enough to be dealt a 21, game’s over and you get to sit back and collect your winnings. Otherwise, you strategically decide whether to take a card or not. It is a lot of strategy because you wait on what other people are going to do and guess what the dealer has. If the player to your right takes a card when they shouldn’t, it can throw off your game. Completely. It doesn’t sound fair, does it? Again, it’s all part of gambling. And there’s no shame getting up from a table if the other players are throwing off your game. In fact, whether it’s online or in a real casino, it’s highly advised. After all, it’s your money that’s being wasted.

Playing at a table where everyone is having fun lures you in. It truly drives you to the table. Some people yell and others pray. As that second card is coming your way and you’ve already got an ace showing, your adrenaline starts racing. You may even yell “Monkey!” to try and get that face card to get you a 21. It’s a common phrase to hear when playing blackjack, as is “Hit me!” You may find other people scratching the table when they want another card, nodding their head, or an array of other movements. Standing at the table and watching how other people interact with the cards and the dealers is another aspect of the game outside of your own game.

The more you play, the more you’ll learn the variety of strategies. If a dealer is showing a 9, you’ve got to assume it’s a 19. So now what? Now, you’ve got to look at your own hand and figure out if you can get to at least a 19. To match it means you push, so you get to keep your initial bet, but it means you don’t make any money, either. If you can get to 20 or 21, then you’re great. If you go over, it’s game over. Every game can give a different outcome, but betting and playing will keep you learning different hands and combinations. The best way to keep playing the game is by playing online, from the comfort of your computer. And when you’re playing at home, no one can hear you curse or cry!

Why would the casino kick you out? It is a casino’s right to refuse play to anyone, and counting cards puts the favor to you instead of the house, which means they’ll lose money. Since they don’t like to lose money, they don’t want you having an upper hand.

The basic principle to counting cards is keeping track of the high values versus the low values in the deck. The higher numbers, like the ten and face cards, as well as aces, are more likely to help you get a blackjack, which pays 3:2. The smaller cards, like the 4, 5, and 6, help the house because they will likely get you to bust. Keeping track of these through a variety of different strategies will help you keep track of what’s left in the deck, making you more or less likely to ask for another card. The whole idea is to get a blackjack. If you haven’t gotten a blackjack, you can still win the hand by not taking a card that will set you over 21. Going over 21 means that your chips instantly go to the house.

Unlike what you may have seen in movies, you don’t have to memorize every single card that’s been played. You do, however, have to remember the values you’ve assigned everything previously. The more cards that’s been played, the more you have to remember. There’s 52 cards in the deck, but most casinos play with 6 or 8 decks, so that means that there are 24 or 28 aces and even more values of 10, giving you plenty of opportunities to get blackjack. It also gives you plenty of opportunity to miss your counts. Single deck blackjack is available at some casinos, even online, but it’s not very common and usually has a very high limit to the table.