Cryptocurrency Blackjack: How it works and where to play

This article looks at what crypto blackjack is all about, how it works, its advantages and possible shortcomings, and provides some recommendations of the best crypto casinos to play the game.

Let’s start by looking at what the game is all about.

What is crypto Blackjack?

Cryptocurrency blackjack is similar to traditional online blackjack with the same principles and rules. The big difference is that players do not use fiat to fund their play, unlike regular online casino blackjack. Instead, the funding is done with cryptocurrency. Bitcoin blackjack is the most common type of crypto blackjack, but there are others like Ethereum blackjack and Tron blackjack, as most casinos will allow you to play with different digital coins.

Also, cryptocurrency blackjack is provably fair. Since the game runs on a transparent code, a player can view and verify it. Unlike traditional blackjack, you will not just have to trust that the casino will give you fair odds.

How to play crypto Blackjack? 

Online casino blackjack is easy to learn, even for an absolute newbie, as the rules are quite straightforward. And since most of the rules remain the same when playing crypto blackjack, it should also be quite easy to grasp.

Here are the main steps to follow when playing crypto blackjack:

Step 1: Buy crypto

This step will not be necessary if you already have some crypto in your wallet. However, for those that have never played any online casino game with crypto, the first step should be to get the digital coins you intend to use when playing. You will probably need a crypto exchange and wallet for that.

Step 2: Sign up with a casino and deposit crypto

Next, you have to sign up with the casino and deposit the crypto you want to use to fund your play. The casino should direct you on how to do this, but it typically just entails copying and sending crypto to the provided wallet address.

Step 3: Wager to start playing 

Now you can wager to start playing but remember that while some casinos allow you to deposit crypto, they may still require you to wager in fiat. Also, keep the following important points in mind.

• The rules of playing crypto blackjack are the same as any other online blackjack.

• The game is played with a dealer, and you can either play as a single-player versus the dealer or with others, as most tables offer up to 7 spots.

• When you make a wager, you receive a hand – the dealer and player are dealt two cards.

• The goal of crypto blackjack is to create a hand with a higher value than the dealer has but equal to or lower than 21 points.

• Each card is at face value, except Jack, Queen, and King which count as 10. An Ace has a face value of 11 or 1.

• Blackjack begins with you begin with placing a bet, just like when you play other casino games. 

• Next, you will be dealt two face-down cards. The dealer also receives two cards. 

• At this point you will have the option to ‘Hit’ (ask the dealer for an extra card), ‘Stand’ (keep your current hand), ‘Double down’ (double your initial wager and draw one more card), or to ‘Surrender’ (giving up your hand).

• A player with a hand value of 21 or the closest to it, wins the game. The dealer will often stand on a hand value of 17 or higher.

Step 4: Cash out in crypto 

If you win, you can cash out immediately in crypto, which only requires you to select crypto as your withdrawal method and then provide your wallet address. Some online casinos also have a fiat cash-out option to allow you to convert crypto to cash.

What makes crypto Blackjack better than traditional Blackjack?

While there is not much difference between regular casino blackjack and crypto blackjack besides the currency you use to wager, gambling with crypto comes with several benefits. 

Here is an overview of some of the benefits:

• Easy to maintain your privacy – Crypto casinos respect data privacy, and you will never need to provide personal information when playing. And since no personal information is attached to your crypto wallet, it is easy to maintain financial privacy from credit rating agencies and banks.

• Higher profits from winnings – While the price of the US dollar remains steady, the price of cryptocurrency can skyrocket overnight. Winning 1 Bitcoin at blackjack today is not the same as winning 1 Bitcoin the following week. Players stand to gain huge profits from playing with crypto, just make sure to pick the right time to cash out.

• Increased fairness and transparency – You can use blockchain technology to verify card deals and probabilities, making it easy to tell which casinos offer fair odds. Also, most crypto casinos tend to be highly transparent, and how they are set up makes information concealing quite hard.

• It is faster – Deposits and withdrawals take seconds. You can withdraw your winnings anytime you want without ever having to wait for any financial institution to process the payments. Simply add your wallet address, and your earnings will be sent instantly.

• More game formats – Crypto casinos have several in-house blackjack formats. They will not restrict you to playing only a few standard versions, such as American or European blackjack.

• Low fees – High fees can significantly decrease your profits when playing in online Casinos. But this should never be an issue with crypto blackjack since you never have to pay for things like credit card or withdrawal/deposit fees.

• Welcome bonuses and rewards – Crypto blackjack sites are known for offering incredible welcome deposit bonuses, signup bonuses, and rewards for VIP players. Some crypto blackjack sites match your first deposit by 100%, which means you have more money to play with. A generous welcome bonus can be the difference between winning big at blackjack or striking out with the dealer.

What are the disadvantages of crypto Blackjack?

There is no doubt that crypto blackjack has many advantages over traditional blackjack, but it also has some shortcomings you should know before you start playing.

• It is not available in some countries – While most online casinos will try to cater to a global market, crypto blackjack is unavailable in some countries due to regulatory and other restrictions. It is important to check whether a casino allows you to play the game from your country before making the deposit.

• The volatility factor – The volatile nature is perhaps the greatest demerit of using crypto to play blackjack. The coin's value is constantly changing, especially with highly volatile coins like BTC, ETH, and XRP, which puts you at a greater risk of losing your investment. An easy way to work around this is to play with stablecoins like USDT, BUSD, and USDC or keep checking the market for the least volatile coins.

• Unfamiliar bet denominations – The betting denominations can be quite weird when using crypto to play blackjack for the first time. Most casinos list your betting stake in millibitcoin, and it will take some time to figure out how to convert this into dollars when playing.

Popular crypto Blackjack games

American Blackjack

American blackjack is a six-deck variant of the 21. Players can either split their hand if they receive two cards of the same value, or they can also double down on their hands with a cumulative value of 9, 10, or 11. In addition, players can place a wager referred to as “insurance”, if the dealer has a Blackjack. The game follows the same rules as Blackjack, with the dealer mandated to stand on 17 or higher. 

Single Deck Blackjack

Instead of using two decks, this form of blackjack only uses one deck of cards, influencing the odds of the game. Single-deck blackjack has a higher RTP than conventional blackjack games, around 99.5%. All the rules of blackjack apply here, you can re-split two times and the dealer will stand on 17. 

European Blackjack

European blackjack uses between 2 and 8 decks of cards, each containing 52 cards, making it impossible to follow cards. The dealer is only allowed to look at the card face down in front of them, once every player has made their decision. All the rules of blackjack apply, splitting hands is not permitted.

Where to play crypto Blackjack 

1. Bitcasino.io: is a popular casino that makes signing up and playing hassle free. The casino offers more blackjack variants than most others, including Live Blackjack. Also, the casino will give you up to 20% cashback.

2. BitStarz Casino: offers one of the biggest welcome deposit bonuses around. Receive a 100% deposit match up to 5 BTC and 180 free spins. The top-rated casino is one of the oldest online casinos in the world, and it guarantees maximum security and privacy for players.

3. Stake: The neat interface is one of the first factors that will catch your attention when interacting with Stake for the first time. Besides the appearance, the casino offers several perks like cash back, bonuses, and provably fair games. And you can use all the popular crypto coins to play at stake.

4. BitcoinCasino.us: established in 2017 is one of the few available crypto casinos in the States and it hosts numerous crypto blackjack options as well as five different coins, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and Dogecoin. There are various bonuses for you to pick but our favorite is the weekly cashback.

5. Bitcoin Video Casino: iPlayCrypto's favorite casino couldn't be missing from the list as they provide you with the basic crypto blackjack experience without any hassle, without even having to register. Something like the Rynair of crypto casinos.

6. FairSpin: It’s fair to say that this casino offers some of the best Bitcoin blackjack casino games. The platform is user-friendly and accepts several cryptocurrencies including BTC, XRP, ETH, DOGE, LTC, and TRX.

7. Cloudbet: Established in 2013, Cloudbet is a household favorite amongst crypto enthusiasts. The platform offers generous welcome bonuses, exceptional customer support service, and the hottest selection of Bitcoin blackjack games at your disposal.