Learning how to play blackjack, whether you are playing online for fun or if you are wanting to learn to play online or at a casino for money, is a simple task. The very fact that the rules of play for blackjack are fairly simple and straightforward is why it has become the single most popular poker game played today.

You can learn how to play quickly. The game starts out with a maximum of seven players against the dealer. Each participant is dealt two cards. The players are given theirs face up and the dealer is allowed one card face down, the "hole" card. In blackjack you learn that each player goes against the dealer separately. You can calculate whether to try to get your card points closer to twenty one or "surrender" immediately and loose only half your original bet on the hand. Then you will either find a number that you feel will beat the dealer and "stay" or you will go over and lose that hand. The dealer then proceeds to the next player and so on till all players are either "busted" or holding the number of points they think will win the hand. Finally the dealer reveals his hidden card and casino blackjack, if he has seventeen points or above must stay there and pay out to any higher numbers. If he is below, then he takes another card or more to come as close to twenty-one as possible. If the dealer "busts" everyone left in the game wins.

The point counting is also simple. The numbered cards are equal to their face value. The ten and face cards are worth ten points and the Ace can be used as either a one or an eleven depending on how it would best increase your hand. Before going online to play blackjack for money you may want to play free blackjack online for fun a bit and get the feel of the game. There are many quality poker sites and the casinos themselves who offer how to play guides and ways to calculate the odds of winning.

Once you are ready to play casino blackjack online for money, you will find that different online casinos will offer a variety of special bonuses to get you to sign on with them. Researching the bonuses can also add to your overall winnings when you begin to play online blackjack in a serious fashion. Finally, the most important thing to learn about playing blackjack as well as any gambling game, is to set limits and stick to them so if one day is a loser, you will be able to afford to come back to the table on a winning day.