Best Blackjack Sites in Canada
If you’re a fan of the classic card game Blackjack, you’ll want to check out our guide to the best Blackjack sites in Canada! We’ve researched and compiled a list of the top online casinos that offer the best Blackjack games, bonuses, and overall gaming experience. Whether you’re a seasoned player or a beginner, our guide will help you find the perfect Blackjack site. Get ready to hit, stand, and double down your way to big wins!
#1 – Gate777 Blackjack Site
Since 2018, Gate777 has provided Canadian players with a high-quality online blackjack experience.
Having teamed up with all the best providers in the casino gaming software industry, Gate777 provides a wide variety of table games, live table games, and of course, slots. In total, players can enjoy over 2,500 games, meaning that Gate777 is easily one of the best online casinos when it comes to choice.
Regulated and licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, Gate777 is safe and secure, so players can sign up and play with peace of mind. There are also many payment options, including Visa, Mastercard and Skrill.
However, verification is required, which isn’t a bad thing, though it can slow a withdrawal process down, while not everyone wants to provide a government-issued ID to use an online casino.
After registering for a Gate777 account, new players can get up to $1,500 CA in bonus funds. Plus, slots players will be pleased to learn you’ll be pleased to learn that the welcome offer includes 50 free spins on any game provided by Microgaming.
If you run into any issues, thankfully, Gate777 has 24/7 support, which can be reached at support@gate777.com
#2 – Leo Vegas Online Blackjack Casino
One of the biggest online casino brands, Leo Vegas, is undoubtedly one of the best blackjack online casinos in Canada. In fact, it may well be the best. All we know is that we rate it very highly indeed.
Crucially, as a big-name casino, people trust Leo Vegas, regulated and licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority.
If you want an online casino that provides many games from all the best software companies, then Leo Vegas is the place to be. There are over 2,000 games to be enjoyed, including casino classics, table games, live casino games, slots and jackpots.
You’ll notice that the desktop site is well-designed and easy to navigate, while the dedicated mobile app is superb.
Canadian players at Leo Vegas have various payment options, including all popular methods, such as PayPal, Visa, Maestro, MasterCard and Neteller.
Perhaps the best thing for new players is the welcome bonus. When you join Leo Vegas, you’ll get up to $1,000 as a deposit match, while you’ll also be credited with 200 free spins on the popular slot game Book of Dead.
If there’s one minor drawback, then it is a lack of 24/7 support, though Leo Vegas is known to deal with queries quickly via their support email, support-ca@leovegas.com.
#3 – Jackpot City Blackjack Site
One of the older Canadian casinos that we recommend is Jackpot City. This online blackjack site has been in operation since 1998 and, therefore, knows a thing or two about providing casino players with a great service.
This casino has no safety concerns, so that players can play safely and securely. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission licenses Jackpot City.
The website looks good and is easy to use, so players will likely find it easy to move around and find what they’re looking for. There are over 600 games to be enjoyed, including table games and slots.
The live dealer games at Jackpot City are particularly good. Why? For starters, most casino games are available with a live dealer option, making Blackjack, Roulette or Baccarat far more realistic. Evolution Gaming provides live streams that are of the highest quality.
The welcome offer at Jackpot City is easily up there with the best that the Canadian online casino industry offers. New players can register and be rewarded with a 100% deposit bonus of up to $1,600. In other words, however much you deposit will be matched by Jackpot City in bonus funds, up to a maximum of £1,600.
One negative is that there aren’t as many payment options as other online casinos, but you shouldn’t have too many complaints if you can get past that.
#4 – Casumo Blackjack Casino Site
Casumo rates as one of the best online casinos in Canada when it comes to the sheet number of gaming options. There are over 2000 games to be enjoyed at Casumo, so players are spoiled for choice.
The jackpots, as are the table games, are plentiful, while there’s no shortage of live dealer tables for those who want to get in on the live action with games such as Roulette and Blackjack.
All of Casumo’s games come from the top software providers in the industry, over 20 of which Casumo, who the Malta Gaming Authority licenses, have teamed up with, so you know you’re getting the best table games, plus all the big-name slots, such as Starburst and Book of Dead.
Fortunately, there are several reasons why Casumo deserves to rank among the best online casinos in Canada, but if there was only one, then that could be the sign-up bonus, which is the best to feature in this list.
When you join Casumo as a new player, you’ll get up to $1,800 in bonus funds. Simply follow the sign-up process and make your first deposit. Casumo will then match the deposit in bonus funds up to $1,800. That’s not all, as you’ll also get 115 free spins.
Another thing worth mentioning is the loyalty/VIP Program. Customers can earn points by playing selected games. Doing so will unlock rewards and perks such as free spins and bonus funds.
The minimum deposit is $20, which may put some small-stakes players off, especially as other casinos have a minimum of $10; that’s a small price for an otherwise top-of-the-range online casino service.
#5 – Spinaway Casino Blackjack Site
Established as recently as 2020, this online blackjack casino is one of Canada’s newest, but it has quickly gained a positive reputation, and it is easy to see why.
Firstly, the number of games on offer is very appealing. Join Spinaway, and you’ll be able to play over 1,700 games, which, while not the most from a Canadian online casino, is more than many other options.
All of the playable games as Spinaway come from top software providers, so the quality is high, and that goes all the way through, whether it’s table games, live dealer games, slots or jackpot games.
The sign-up bonus offered by Spinaway isn’t quite as generous as some of the other online casinos in this article, but it’s still a very good one. New players can register and get up to $1,500 in bonus funds, plus they’ll also receive 100 free spins.
A nice touch from the guys at Spinaway is the acceptance of Bitcoin, which is increasingly used in online gambling. However, they don’t have the most payment options, which is a little disappointing, but if that’s not a massive deal for you, or if you’re looking to use crypto to deposit, you’ll get along with that fast-growing online casino just for fun.
Why Claim Online Blackjack Bonuses?
Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate player, blackjack is a tough game. The rules are simple enough to get the hang of. But there is more to playing blackjack than knowing when to double down, split, stand, or turn. To become a seasoned blackjack player, you will need as much free cash as the casino will throw at you via blackjack bonuses – so don’t miss them!
Best way to play your chances with an online blackjack casino bonus
Blackjack remains the first seat in the casino for the discerning patron. The game is a classic with many pluses for players, including the best figures at the casino tables.
The same is true online, where blackjack is reportedly the most popular casino card game on the web. For casinos, that means swallowing that this game has the lowest house edge while knowing that online games. And online blackjack casino bonuses – will bring in players in big numbers.
The nature of the game – a single dealer-v-player set-up – is also easy to play and easy for casinos to offer, including in live streaming versions.
Cashing an online blackjack bonus
All these advantages often mean that blackjack is excluded from online casino bonuses. So if you see a blackjack bonus, then snap it up.
The lower return to the house and the game’s popularity means it makes sense to be down-rated in play-through weightings. Play-through is the amount of money – a multiple of your bonus – that a player must spend before they are allowed to withdraw money won with their bonus.
The best way to find and cash an online blackjack bonus is by looking for casino sites that advertise that specific offer. Use blackjack sites as your way in, or Google via blackjack – which is much less likely to have onerous restrictions.
Making the most of your online blackjack bonus
If you want to play with your online blackjack bonus, you may pay the price in play-through or bet size restrictions. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t go for it. Just be prepared to play for a while before you can withdraw your winnings.
With this in mind, it’s best to consider online blackjack bonuses to fund a free tour of a casino site without risking your own money. Playing when someone else is staking your wager is also a great time to try some blackjack strategies.
My view on strategies is not always very complimentary. But if you’re looking for ways to win bigger, get better value or extend your playing time, then doing so with an online blackjack bonus is surely the best time.
Use your Blackjack Bonus and Play Basic Blackjack Strategy
Most blackjack games offer a house edge of just 1%. To a lot of blackjack players, this may seem like an exaggeration. However, those players lose. The house edge only applies to anyone that knows and understands basic strategy or is otherwise referred to as an optimal strategy.
Learning basic strategies is not particularly difficult. However, it rather depends on how good your memory is. Some tables or charts tell you what you should do next according to your and the dealer’s hands. This cannot be easy if you are playing blackjack at a live table in a land-based casino. On the other hand, if you play blackjack online, you can have these tables printed out on your phone or another screen.
By using a blackjack casino bonus that gives you free cash, you will not only be playing versus a house edge of 1% but also increase the number of hands you can play. And that, in turn, gives you a higher chance of winning.
You must know that the basic strategy will change according to the variation of Blackjack you are playing. Some tables will not allow you to split or double down. Other tables will have multiple decks in play.
Take Advantage of Blackjack Bonus Codes
If you are a blackjack player, and this is the first time you have understood how the basic strategy applies to the house edge, then the best advice we can give you is to sign up for a new blackjack site. You can use the blackjack bonus and have more money to invest.
Most blackjack bonuses will give you a 100% deposit match bonus. That means if you deposit £100, you will be awarded an additional $100. As a result, your starting casino balance will be $200. Most blackjack online casinos offer the chance to double your money up to an average of $500.
Use Your Blackjack Bonuses to Play Bonus Bets
If you can find a blackjack table that offers bonus bets, then using your blackjack bonus cash can spice up the action. Blackjack side bets come in many shapes and forms. Some of the most common include betting on a progressive jackpot or 21 + 3, perfect pairs, and more. Look at the blackjack tables at your online casino and see if there is a bonus bet option on any of them.
Be aware that the house has a huge edge when you bet on the bonus options. This is why serious blackjack players that use basic strategy will never bet on the bonuses. However, bonus bets can be fun if you have free cash and want to make the game more interesting.
Play LIVE Blackjack Tables
LIVE Blackjack tables are in a land-based casino location, but no players visit the location. Instead, there are HD-quality webcams linked to the blackjack tables. There is also a live Dealer that deals with real cards. The webcams stream this back to your desktop or mobile device so that you can play live blackjack online.
The live webcam action is the closest you can get to playing blackjack without setting foot in a casino. However, if you are a low-stakes casino player, playing on the live tables can be tough because they come with higher minimum bets than virtual blackjack games.
However, if you can claim a decent blackjack casino bonus, you can use that bonus to play live blackjack.
Popular Online Blackjack Software Providers
- Microgaming (Best for Blackjack Gold Series)
- NetEnt (Best for High Limit Blackjack Tables)
- Felt (Best for Different and Unique Betting Options)
- Pocket Games Soft (Best for Mobile Blackjack)
- Play’n GO (Best for Multi-Language Blackjacks)
- iSoftBet (Best for Low-Stakes Blackjack Tables)
- Iron Dog Studio (Best for Responsive UI on Mobile)
- Pragmatic Play (Best for Multi-Player/Seat Live Tables)
- Realistic (Best for Perfect Pairs and 21+3 Side Bets)
- 1×2 Gaming (Best for Blackjack Games with Bonus)
- Playtech (Best for Tables with High-Quality Graphics)
- Evolution Gaming (Best for Live Dealer Blackjack)
The History of Blackjack – Origins of Blackjack
The murky origins of blackjack remain a rather hotly contested topic. However, based on research done by blackjack historians Arnold Snyder and Rodger Baldwin, the oldest game bearing close similarities to modern-day Blackjack appears to be a Spanish game, “Trente-un” or Thirty-one, with its oldest reference by a priest in 1440.
In addition, the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes also mentioned the name “Trente-un” in one of his texts written during 1570, although at least three other games, discussed below, bearing similarities, could have influenced blackjack’s evolution.
The three most likely contributors
Historically, blackjack originated in Spain and France, specifically from a game popular in France that swept across most of Europe, called “Ving-et-un” or “Vingt-un,” which translates to 21. But even so, it was pretty possibly predated by “Quinze,” a French game that translates to 15, and “Sette e Mezzo,” an Italian game that translates to 7 ½.
This group of referenced games remains the oldest and most likely origins of the card game that eventually was to become blackjack. Every one of these games had a goal where the player and dealer had to draw cards close to a specific value.
In contrast to games of mere luck, the game’s popularity is likely due to it being one of a very limited number of gambling activities that offer the facade of requiring player skill, which in turn provides players with a sense of being in control.
The Americas
Wherever the game of 21 may have originated, it migrated across to the North American continent with French immigrants from as early as 1789 in the wake of the French Revolution.
Hereafter it continued to evolve through an endless number of varieties and presentations until around World War I. Dealers started offering particularly attractive payouts for hands showing the ace of spades and a blackjack.
This was the origin of the name Blackjack, which eventually caught on to replace “Ving-et-un” or 21 as the most popular vocabulary to identify the game. After being played for hundreds of years in Europe and over 140 years in the Americas, the game finally achieved legalized status for the first time in the state of Nevada in 1931.
The online origins and Influence
1994 saw the birth of the first online casino, with online blackjack included as one of the first forms of online gaming. Classic table games such as blackjack and poker that require minimal explanations became part and parcel of opening offerings in online casinos.
This also marked the beginning of the tug-of-war between online and land-based casinos for the attention of gaming enthusiasts worldwide.
Online blackjack has already proved itself extremely popular in the past decade. It gained such popularity that nowadays, it’s quite impossible to find a Canadian online casino with no blackjack.
Blackjack Rules
Anyone wanting to beat the casinos at a game will need to know how to play blackjack. This article aims to provide a basic understanding of online blackjack rules.
The goal of the Game
There are many definitions of the objectives of this game, but when you get right down to it, in its simplest explanation, you only need to beat the dealer.
Players achieve this by drawing hand values higher than the dealer but equal to or lower than 21 or forcing the dealer to draw a hand value exceeding 21. If either you or the dealer exceeds 21, they lose automatically.
With the above understood, players intent on winning must repeat the process as long as they remain in play.
As an important side note, other player hands at your table have no bearing or impact on your game. In contrast to the experience in Poker games, only the player is matched against the blackjack dealer online.
Online Blackjack Card Values
The game employs a standard deck of playing cards, and suits have no bearing on the game in blackjack. All the numbered cards from 2 to 10 retain their face value, and all face cards Jack, Queen, and King receive a value of 10.
Aces are wild cards that receive one of two values, either a 1 or 11, with the value purely dependent on which will offer the greatest value towards compiling a winning hand.
Blackjack Table Layout
In a near-universal standard, the game utilizes a semicircular table that may accommodate anywhere from five 5 to 12 players, with the most common table arrangement accommodating seven players.
Players sit in front of the table, with the table between themselves and the dealer behind his table, with the chip rack either in front of or next to him.
Basic Playing Rules
Despite the many game varieties and accompanying rule variations, the most commonly dealt blackjack game utilizes six or eight decks placed in a card-dispensing container known as a “shoe.”
Many single and double-deck games will always remain popular; however, casinos more commonly employ shoe dispensers to contain the most commonly played blackjack game employing six decks of standard playing cards.
An overview of a basic blackjack round goes as follows: the player purchases chips, places his wager, cards are dealt with the players by the dealer, the player decides on a hand strategy and actions his strategy, the dealer plays his hand, followed by winning payouts ending each round.
Player & Dealer Game Signals & Actions
One of the first rules to remember when playing blackjack, dealers respond to absolutely no verbal instructions or requests from players, and all forms of instructions are communicated via signals as described below.
| Purchasing Chips | Placing cash on the felt signals the dealer to count a matching value of chip denominations and push it to the player. |
| Placing Wagers | A player places the chips he wants to bet within his betting circle on the felt to place a wager. |
| Standing | Players satisfied with their dealt hands will signal the dealer they wish to stand by simply waving their hand or placing an open palm over their dealt cards. |
| Hitting | Players requiring additional cards to improve their hands will signal the dealer for a hit to deal cards by tapping the felt with their finger. |
| Doubling Down | Players wanting to Double Down will signal the dealer by placing an additional wager equal to their initial wager to the left of the chips of their original wager. |
| Splitting | Players wanting to Split their cards after receiving a pair of equal-value cards will place an additional wager equal to their initial wager to lift the chips of the original wager. Then signal the dealer a “peace sign” with two fingers, signifying your intention to Split instead of doubling down. |
| Surrendering | Players wanting to Surrender will draw a line across the felt behind their bet; dealers may mistake this for a hit signal. To be safe, always verbalize “surrender” to the dealer. |
Blackjack Strategy & Tips
Knowing the basic blackjack strategy offers players the first element in reducing any casino’s odds and will allow players to start winning at blackjack. Initially, players must learn basic terms like insurance, hard and soft hands, and split aces & eights.
Without perfectly retained knowledge of basic blackjack strategy, uneducated blackjack players may expect to lose ten times as often as players that fully acquainted themselves with basic blackjack strategy.
Reducing the Edge
Knowing the basic strategies assists players in eliminating any house edge casino benefit from blackjack. The house’s only advantage over other players is when a player breaks before the dealer.
The house initially starts with an edge of around 8%. Because the blackjack payment ratio is set at 3:2, it already decreases the house’s edge to around 5.7%. Players knowing when to stand or hit decreases the house’s edge to around 2.5%.
Players can further trim this edge to 1% by knowing the correct strategy behind doubling down decisions. Knowing when to split pairs is the final near-equalizing strategy that reduces the house’s edge to around 0.5%.
Basic Blackjack Strategy
Basic Blackjack StrategyThis rule guides players in playing card hands within the boundaries set by certain conditions (e.g. the number of card decks utilized & surrendering allowed).
This ruleset resulted from a computer simulation involving tens of millions of simulated hands.
Blackjack Casino Rules
It is an absolute necessity that any player knows and confirms that underwear drawers blackjack is played at the casino of their choice.
Wise players will choose a casino offering the most favourable conditions before adopting any strategy. One of the first considerations is the casino’s number of card decks.
Players must remember it is always much easier to beat a game utilizing a single deck than a game employing eight decks of cards.
Also, games offering the ability to surrender or double after splitting improve players’ odds even further. Additionally, avoid blackjack casinos offering rules that deteriorate player odds, such as dealer hits on soft 17s.
Improving Player’s Odds
The following offers players several ways to identify blackjack casinos that provide blackjack games with the most favourable house edge. To establish a baseline in selecting your most favourable blackjack site, use the following figures:
Games employing a single deck of cards = 0.01%, two decks = -0.32%, four decks = -0.49%, six decks = -0.54%, and finally eight decks = -0.57%.
Next, subtract or add the below percentages to the number established by the above information:
Dealer hits on soft 17s = -0.2%, allowing doubling down after splitting = 0.14%, doubling down on tens and elevens only = -0.17%, doubling down only on nines, tens, and elevens = -0.08%, allowing the re-splitting of aces = 0.08% (value counts only on four or more decks), allowing late surrenders = 0.08%, allowing early surrenders = 0.6%, losing all splits or doubles against dealer blackjacks = -0.11%.
After completing these calculations, the highest positive value indicates the casino offers the most favourable player conditions.
Live Blackjack
Online blackjack arrived soon after the advent of the first Internet casino in 1994. So the game has seen a multitude of changes in the way casinos operate and affected it by bringing about changes to make the game more user-friendly and realistic.
Due to its enormous popularity, it usually becomes one of the first entertainment products provided by online casinos offering table game formats.
The dynamic nature consistent with internet entertainment and specifically referring to the dynamism and propensity for change that comes as part and parcel of operating an online casino count to the benefit and improvement of their player members.
Online Blackjack in the 21st-Century
Online blackjack has seen many improvements over the years. An essential step in the process was the advent of live dealer blackjack. However, live dealer blackjack required one major improvement that mostly pertained to providing instant response times between players and the game studio.
This improvement became possible by instituting low-latency video feeds to provide instant service to live dealer casino blackjack offerings. These newly incorporated live dealer blackjack games were the final step in bringing blackjack into the 21st century.
Location & Language
A few live dealer offerings transmit their broadcasts via low-latency video feeds from studios in land-based casinos. Still, most employ specialized broadcast studios established in the US, Central America, the Far East, Malta, and Eastern Europe.
Several leading online casino developers and software and system providers established and maintained these specialized studios, including luminary iGaming entities like Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech, and Amaya. With these leading brands operating their own live dealer online table games, it translates to numerous further benefits.
Which studio each player would log on to remain dependent on their personal language preferences, with the studios employing staff from the area where they are located. This is done to meet players’ language preferences in their dialect.
Benefits
This final step provided players with all the glory and atmosphere they could only experience in the best brick-and-mortar casinos, from anywhere they choose on mobile devices, without the need to engage in a tedious and time-wasting journey to the nearest casino.
As a further benefit, players can now opt to play blackjack at any casino they choose at a moment’s notice.
Players can now enjoy their favourite blackjack game any time of the day or night, wherever they may find themselves.
Popular Variations of Blackjack
As with any card gaming activity, blackjack has, due to its popularity, spawned numerous variations that still follow the basic rules, just with a few kinks thrown in the mix.
Some have reached such incredible levels of popularity that they even turn into fully-fledged casino games. The eight variants discussed below are just some of the more popular twists and depend on the basic ruleset.
Bonus Blackjack
It possibly offers one of the easiest to understand to anyone familiar with the standard game since it follows exactly the same rules depending on the same basic strategies that make the standard game profitable.
This variant utilizes two decks of cards and offers a unique bonus structure inherent to the game, encouraging larger bets.
Blackjack Switch
Represents one of the newer variants, patented in 2009 by Geoff Hall. It has already gained a massive following, quickly making it available in numerous casinos online or offline.
It fulfils the demands of those favouring video poker-style plays. However, this variant offers a considerably higher house edge than the standard game.
Chinese Blackjack
It became popular in Asia and followed the same basic ruleset as its Americanised cousin. The main differences were its utilization of just two decks and dealers switching as needed.
Furthermore, an ace’s value remains dependent on the number of cards the player accepts and contains a five-card trick comparable to Pontoon.
This variant arose to address the difficulties of playing according to casino rules when played between friends and families.
Double Blackjack
More commonly recognized by the name Double Attack Blackjack is another relatively new variant, mostly made available in land-based casinos since 2010 around Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The rule set follows that of Spanish 21 but offers additional side bets.
Double Exposure Blackjack
The game derives its name from the rules that determine both the dealer cards must remain visible to all players around the table. This rule provides the player with a decided advantage. However, other rule designs are again in place to level the playing field.
European Blackjack
A design purely created to make a professional card counter’s job more difficult. Here, dealers may not take a peek at their hidden card, and in addition, most splitting is allowed on fours, fives, or tens and the eight decks are reshuffled between each round.
Elimination Blackjack
Remains popular around casinos in Las Vegas, it offers a knock-out style play where players do not play against the dealer but are required to knock each other out to become “the last man standing” at the table.
It can be considered a hybrid between Texas hold ‘em poker and blackjack. It has become a favourite with professional gamblers wanting to test their skills in a contest against others.
Free Bet Blackjack
Another creation of Geoff Hall, who, amongst other achievements, has become famous for his creation of interesting blackjack variations, with Blackjack Switch being another one of his designs. It offers free doubling down and free splits.