Play Online Blackjack at Slots Heaven NZ

Blackjack has been around for over 300 years, making it one of the oldest games still PLAYED in modern casinos. You can play this strategic card game at all of New Zealand’s biggest casinos, but the best way to enjoy it is to grab your favourite device, settle down on the sofa, and open SlotsHeaven.com NZ.

At Slots Heaven New Zealand, you’ll find a multitude of Online Blackjack variants, allowing you to explore everything that this classic card game has to offer.

It’s often said that Blackjack is a very easy and straightforward. To an extent, that’s true, but if you want to move from playing Blackjack for fun to playing Blackjack for real money and winning as often as you can, it becomes a little more complex.

Whether you’re new to the game or have played a few hands and are looking to improve, make sure you understand all of the following rules and features:

• Order of Play: The player or players are dealt two cards at the start of play, and these are both “face-up”, which means they are visible to everyone. The dealer is also dealt two cards, but in most variants, only one of these can be seen. The players must make their moves first and only when they have finished does the dealer take their turn.
• Card Values: All cards in Blackjack are assigned a value. Players must add these cards together to create a total of 21 or less. Anything over this will cause them to “bust” and end the hand. All cards from 2 through to 10 are represented by their face value, which means that the 2 of Hearts scores 2 points, the 5 of Spades scores 5, and so on. The Ace can be either 1 or 11, and all picture cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) score 10.
• Hit and Stand: The player’s main choices are to “Hit” or “Stand”. With a Hit, they request another card, with a Stand, they settle for the cards they have and the score that those cards have accumulated.
• Additional Moves: In addition to the Hit and Stand options outlined above, players can also opt for a Double Down, Split, or Insurance, and some variants will feature other moves as well.
  • Double Down: Also known simply as a “Double”, this move instantly doubles the player’s bet in exchange for another card.
  • Split: Available whenever the player shows a pair, a Split will turn their two cards into two separate hands.
  • Insurance: The player can take insurance when the dealer shows an Ace as their face-up card. If the dealer then turns a 10, Jack, Queen or King, thus completing a Blackjack, the Insurance bet will payout.
  • Surrender: The Surrender feature is not all that common but it tends to be sought by the majority of players. It allows the player to Surrender their hand in exchange for some of their stake being return.
• Side Bets: Many Online Blackjack games have side bets that add some extra betting options to the game. Players can choose to place side bets like 21+3, which turns their hand and the dealer’s face-up card into a poker hand (paying out when it becomes a Set, a Straight, or a Flush, for instance) or Perfect Pairs, which triggers payouts when the player’s cards form a Pair or Three-of-a-Kind.
• Multi-Hand: A Multi-Hand game of Blackjack allows multiple hands to be played at the same time.

For more information on specific rules and features, take a look at our Blackjack Help section below.

While the goal of Blackjack is always to beat the dealer, the addition of extra moves and features has created many different variations of this game. Some of the most popular of these include:

• European: In games of European Blackjack, the dealer only draws their second card after all players have made their decisions. Generally, the house edge in European Blackjack is below 0.62%, and it is played with between 2 and 8 decks.
• American: A better-known variant of Blackjack whereby the dealer’s card is dealt before the players make their moves. One of the dealer’s cards is dealt face-down, but if there is a chance of a Blackjack, they are allowed to “peek” at it. Between 6 and 8 decks of cards are used in American Blackjack.
• Spanish 21: Typically, the game of Spanish 21 allows re-splitting aces and late surrenders, but the biggest difference is that there are no 10 cards in the deck. It uses a Spanish deck of 48 cards, as opposed to the French deck of 52 that most players are familiar with.
• Switch: A unique take on a classic, and one that was created by Playtech a number of years ago. In Switch Blackjack, players are dealt two hands at once and can “Switch” cards between these hands, creating the perfect hand from two imperfect ones or sacrificing one hand to improve another.
• Pontoon: The name “Pontoon” was first used in the UK, but today, the game is commonly played here in New Zealand and over in Australia. The main difference between Pontoon and traditional Blackjack variants is that both of the dealer’s cards are dealt face-down, so the players can’t see them and don’t know what they are up against. The 5-Card Charlie rule also applies, triggering a 2:1 payout when a player has a five-card hand that totals less than 21.
• Double Attack: A variant of Spanish 21 that pays Even money for a Blackjack and allows players to double their stake after they see the dealer’s up-card. This game got its start in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but it can now be played at some of the best online casinos around the world.

Games of real money Blackjack tend to have a very low house edge, but the odds can still vary considerably from one game to the next. Odds can be impacted by the amount paid for a Blackjack and the use of features like Switch and Surrender.

Here is a quick rundown of the ways you can collect in a game of Blackjack:

• Blackjack: Also known as a “Natural”, a Blackjack is formed by an Ace and a Ten card. It must occur with the player or dealer’s first two cards.
• Regular Hand: A win occurs when the player beats the dealer, either because they have a better hand or because the dealer has gone “Bust”.
• Insurance: Players can choose if they want to take Insurance and will receive a payout of 2:1 if they do and the dealer scores a Blackjack.
• Tie: A tie can occur when both the player and dealer have a Blackjack, in which case all stakes will be returned and the player with neither win nor lose.

For a rundown of the game’s odds, along with other helpful information, take a look at our Help section below.

Many Blackjack players use a strategy known as Basic Blackjack Strategy. It is a carefully formulated series of rules based on probability. Effectively, it tells you what moves you should make based on what cards you have and what card(s) the dealer is showing. It’s much easier to learn than it sounds, but because it impacts all aspects of the game, from standard play to additional features, it’s something that requires a little patience.

To get you started, here are a few basic tips and strategies:

Split

You can Split any pair and many inexperienced players are tempted to Split all pairs, but this is not recommended.

The Strategy recommends that you always split Aces and Eights but that you never split Fours, Fives, Nines, or Tens.

Double

It’s often recommended that you Double Down when you have 9, 10, or 11, as well as when you have a Soft 16, 17, or 18 (“Soft” means the score is formed by an Ace). You should never Double Down when the dealer is showing an Ace or when you have something higher than 11.

Surrender

Whether or not you should surrender is often based on the dealer’s hand. For instance, it’s recommended that you surrender a 16 when the dealer has an Ace, 9, or 10. You should also surrender a 15 when the dealer is showing a score of 10.

All Slots Heaven Blackjack games are supported on mobile. Grab your device, login to your account, and you have a vast selection of top online casino games at your disposal. Along with a host of Blackjack games, you can also find many top pokies, Roulette variants, and much more.

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Blackjack is very easy to learn, and at Slots Heaven NZ, we have a wealth of great games for you to explore and guides for you to read. There are top tips, strategies, and more, but even with all this info, you may find yourself getting lost and confused every now and then. In such cases, just use one of the following help options:

• In-Game Help: Read about rules, payouts, probability, and other essential info on the game’s info screen. All games have them. Click the menu icon in the top corner to load this screen.
• Customer Support: If you have a question that the game file can’t answer or a problem that it can’t resolve, just contact our Customer Support team. They’re on hand to help 24-hours a day by email, Live Chat, and phone.

Whether you know it as Pontoon, Twenty-One, Spanish-21, or Blackjack, this is a great game that has a lot to offer players of all skill and stake levels. You can learn the basics very quickly, pick-up strategies just as easily, and before you know it, you’ll be a full-fledged member of the Blackjack fan club!

Slots Heaven NZ is the best place to play blackjack and to explore countless other games like it, from Online Baccarat to Video Poker, and more. Join today, collect your Welcome Package Bonus, and deal yourself into some hands of Online Blackjack!