If you think that winning casino games is simply a matter of luck, you'd be mistaken. It's true that some of the games in the Sloto online casino games lobby - like slots, keno and other lottery games - deliver completely random results on every play. But winning at other games involves elements of both luck and strategy. If you're aiming to achieve high winning payouts, stick to games like poker and low house edge blackjack online where the house edge is lowered every time you play a more skillful game.

Blackjack

Classic blackjack offers one of the lowest house edges at the casino – 0.05%, but only if you play according to the correct technique as outlined in the Basic Blackjack Strategy. Blackjack strategy is a set of rules that set out the optimal decision for any situation, based on your hand and the dealer's upcard.

Basic strategy works because it calculates the "Expected Value" of every option. Blackjack strategy is based on the hand that you're holding as well as the dealer's upcard. Some of the most important rules of Blackjack basic strategy include:

  • If you have a 17 or above, you should stand.
  • If your hand totals 12 – 16, you stand if the dealer's upcard is 2-6 and hit if the dealer's upcard is 7-Ace.
  • Always stand on a soft 20.
  • Double down if your hand shows a value of 10 or a soft 19, based on the dealer's upcard (2-9 or 6).
  • Always Split Aces and 8s.

General Blackjack Strategy Rules

It's not simple to remember every recommended gameplay for every possible hand combination, but there are some general rules that you can follow that may not allow you to reach the optimum Return to Player rate but will bring you close to that goal.

Decline high-edge side bets and insurance. It may seem enticing to add a flashy side bet that brings with it the promise of a lucrative payout prize, but often, secondary bets carry with them a house edge that can climb to as much as 13%.

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Check the rules of the blackjack variation that you plan to play. Rule variations can change the house advantage significantly – in the house's favor.

  • Avoid 6:5 tables which yield significantly less than other payout rates. For example, on a $10 bet, a 3:2 payout will yield $15 on a natural blackjack, but at a 6:5 table, you'll only win $12 with the same hand. 6:5 tables increase the house edge by roughly 1.39.
  • Choose a game where the dealer must stand on a Soft 17 (an Ace and a 6). This rule reduces the house edge by ~0.22% compared to tables where the dealer must hit on a soft 17.
  • Single-deck and double-deck games offer slightly better odds than 6-deck or 8-deck shoes due to higher probability concentrations when pairs or blackjacks are drawn.

One of the most important guidelines for smart blackjack play is to never take "Insurance". Insurance is a side bet that's offered to players when the dealer's visible face-up card is an Ace. Insurance is supposed to act as a financial safeguard against the dealer having a natural blackjack (a 2-card hand totaling 21). But, by taking insurance, you raise the house edge to 5.9%.

Surrender when indicated. Surrenders are the right move when you have a hard 16 and the dealer shows a 9, 10 or Ace. Surrender a hard 15 when the dealer shows a 10. By surrendering, when your hand doesn't look promising, you can forfeit your initial bet rather than playing out the hand and losing everything. By surrendering in a high-risk scenario, you can lower the overall house edge by up to -0.10%

SlotoCash Blackjack Options

When you play blackjack at SlotoCash, you have three blackjack variations from which to choose. All of these variations allow you to apply basic blackjack strategy to your gameplay and enjoy better and higher winning payout prizes. SlotoCash blackjack variations include:

Blackjack 21

Classic Blackjack (also known as "Twenty-One") is the traditional form of blackjack. Players compete against the dealer as they attempt to build a hand that's as close to 21 as possible and that beats the dealer's hand without going over that number.

Gameplay involves both the player and the dealer receiving 2 starting cards with the player's cards dealt face-up and only one of the dealer's cards being face-up (the second, the "hole card", is face-down).  The player has the option to:

  1. Request an additional card which increases the total number of points in his hand (a "hit).
  2. Keep his current hand total and end his turn (to "stand").
  3. Double the original bet in exchange for receiving one more card (to "double down").
  4. Split two cards of identical rank and then play them as independent hands at the same bet amount as the original wager (to "split").
  5. Forfeit the hand and recover 50% of the initial wager (to "surrender").

The dealer then plays according to these rules:

  1. Reveals his hold card.
  2. Hit until the hand totals 17 or higher.

Classic blackjack pays out at 3:2 for a natural blackjack and 1:1 for a standard win.

Under standard rules, playing Classic Blackjack with perfect basic strategy reduces the house edge to roughly 0.5%, which makes Classic Blackjack one of the highest-RTP (Return to Player) table games at the casino.

 

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