Blackjack at Captain Cooks Casino is a card game in which you play against the dealer and try to get a hand closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over. Anyone searching for captain cooks casino blackjack usually wants to know which versions exist, how a hand plays out and whether the computer or the live dealer version suits them. This page covers those points in that order.
Common blackjack variants
Most blackjack games share the same core rules, but several versions are common. Classic blackjack is the standard form, with the dealer's rules set by each table. European blackjack deals the dealer's second card only after the players have acted, so the rules for doubling and insurance differ. Spanish 21 removes the tens from the deck and offers extra payouts for certain hands.
Some tables also let you play several hands at once or offer side bets, which carry their own rules and payouts. Check which variants Captain Cooks Casino offers before you play, and read the rules shown at the table before you join.
How a blackjack hand plays out
Each hand starts with a bet. The dealer then gives you two cards and takes two for the dealer, with one dealer card face up. Cards from 2 to 10 count at face value, jacks, queens and kings count as 10, and an ace counts as 1 or 11, whichever suits your hand better.
On your turn you can hit to take another card, stand to keep your total, double to take one more card and double your stake, or split a pair into two hands where the rules allow it. A hand that goes over 21 loses straight away. A natural blackjack, an ace and a 10-value card as your first two cards, usually pays more than a standard win, but check the payout shown at the table. The dealer must keep drawing until reaching a set total, and the table rules say how the dealer handles a soft 17.
Each card is dealt at random. Your choices change how you play a hand, but they do not decide which cards come up.
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Computer version or live dealer table
In the computer version, a random number generator selects every card, and you play against the software with no other players at the table. It is the simplest way to play a hand, and the rules stay as shown on the screen.
In a live dealer game, a real dealer shuffles and deals cards in a studio, and the table is streamed to you. You make the same decisions, but you see the physical cards and the dealer, and each round moves at the dealer's pace. Captain Cooks Casino has live casino games, so you can compare the two formats on the live casino page. If you play on a phone, Captain Cooks Casino offers an iPhone app and a mobile version of the site.
Practical points before you bet
Read the table rules and the natural blackjack payout before you join, because they differ between versions. Set a budget before you start, and choose a stake you can comfortably lose in full.
Do not raise your stake to win back earlier losses, because the odds of the next hand do not change. Betting systems such as Martingale double the stake after each loss, but they do not change those odds either. If you find yourself betting more to recover losses, stop and take a break. The safer gambling page lists the tools available to you.
