With records dating back to as early as 1601, blackjack has been a game that has been played for centuries — and no wonder, with only a single deck of cards being required and such competitive edges, it’s a game that has a reputation as being a favorite among all gamblers. Of course, these small edges also make it disliked by casinos. Especially online casinos.
DraftKings Blackjack – How to play & features
However, there is one online casino that not only allows it but also celebrates it with a total of 18 different blackjack variants — 13 of which have jackpots attached to them. This is, of course, DraftKings casino.
On February 19, 2019, the fantasy sports giant moved into the online casino world, quickly making a splash with their $2,000 first deposit bonus and $50 no-deposit bonus. Now available in Michigan, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut — DraftKings Casino has been a favorite among any regular casino player, though perhaps none more than Blackjack enthusiasts.
This review will detail why DraftKings should be your number one pick for playing blackjack online.
DraftKings Online Blackjack Lobby
With such simple rules, you may wonder how exactly DraftKings can offer so many variations, as well as which variation is the most profitable. Well, below, we’ll cover what separates them and which ones are the best.
Blackjack Variant | Min-Max Stake | Jackpot? | Live? | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Classic Blackjack | $1-5,000 | ❌No | ❌No | 4/5 |
Themed Blackjack | $1-5,000 | ✔️Yes | ❌No | 4.5/5 |
Multihand Blackjack | $1-21,000 | ✔️Yes | ❌No | 5/5 |
Four 20s Blackjack | $1-15,000 | ✔️Yes | ❌No | 4.5/5 |
Down Under Blackjack | $1-7,000 | ❌No | ❌No | 5/5 |
Classic Live Blackjack | $0.10-unlimited | ❌No | ✔️Yes | 4.5/5 |
Infinite Blackjack | $1-5,000 | ❌No | ✔️Yes | 4/5 |
Do keep in mind that all blackjack games play via the same rules. The games are played with eight decks, with the dealer standing on 17 and drawing on 16.
Classic Blackjack
The most straightforward form of blackjack. This game has no bells and whistles — aimed mainly at the sort of player who just wants to play blackjack.
There’s nothing wrong with this game. Though with no rules that favor the player, and no jackpots attached to it, it isn’t one I would recommend on a site like DraftKings, where there are so many more favorable options. This classic blackjack is also available in a secondary theme via their Lunar New Year Blackjack.
Themed Blackjack
The most common type of blackjack available on DraftKings. This type has many themes: classic, pride, retro, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, hockey touchdown, vacation, and Las Vegas. There’s no real difference between them though touchdown blackjack does allow you to march down the field into the end-zone to collect points as you win hands. However, these points are meaningless.
Instead, the main bonus of these types of blackjack is that they play the same as classic blackjack, though so long as your bet is $2, you’ll have the opportunity to be awarded the $1000 jackpot randomly.
Multihand Blackjack
Tied for my favorite form of blackjack on DraftKings. As the name suggests, multihand blackjack allows you to play multiple hands of blackjack at once. While this may seem strange to some, experienced blackjack players will know that the more cards on the table, the more information you have to make an informed decision.
What this allows you to do is play the first six hands with relatively small bets with the idea of gaining information and even eliminating potential cards — whereas with your last hand, you can bet big and make a more thoughtful decision. It can be a little confusing at the start. Though it essentially plays on the same basis as card counting. Plus, this blackjack variant also has a $1000 jackpot attached to it — though you do need to ensure that all bets are at least $2 to qualify.
Four 20s Blackjack
With a name alluding to marijuana, it can be simple to dismiss this as just another themed variant. However, the Four 20s variant has similar strengths to the previous entry allowing you to play up to four hands simultaneously. Plus, you must take part in their side-bet, which awards payouts for the number of 20s you are initially dealt.
Pay 1-3x for one 20, 4x for two 20s, 20x for three 20s, and a genuinely massive 420x for four 20s. With a max bet of $15,000, this allows Four 20s Blackjack to offer some of the largest blackjack-related payouts on all of DraftKings. Plus, it also qualifies for the DraftKings jackpot when you play with $10 or more.
One of the few drawbacks of this variant compared to the classic multihand variants is that all bets must be the same amount. So a $5 bet is actually $5 on each hand plus an additional $5 for the side bet, thereby being a $25 bet. As such, this is not the variant to play if you’re on a budget.
Down Under Blackjack
Down Under Blackjack is the other variant of blackjack that is tied as my personal favorite. No jackpots here, and you can only play one hand at a time. What makes it one of my favorites though is that you are given a hint as to what the dealer’s hidden card is.
Whereas in most variants, you can only hypothesize on what that card could be, Down Under Blackjack uses a color-coded system to give you a hint as to what the dealer’s hidden card is. Blue is 2-5, yellow 6-9, and red 10, J, Q, K, and Aces.
This means you can make some exciting moves that you wouldn’t normally consider. As in the above picture with a 15, conventional wisdom states that I should hit. It’s a horrible scenario because I’ll probably bust. Though I don’t have another choice. However, with the blue hint, I know that the dealer must have either 11, 12, 13, or 14. As such, given that a ten hasn’t hit the board yet, I can make the informed decision to stand, knowing that the dealer will have to hit and will very likely bust. For this hand, I did stand. The dealer showed 13, drew a Jack, and busted.
To get the true edge of this variant, you’ll need to be pretty experienced — though if you feel you’re up to it, you should give it a go.
DraftKings Live Dealer Blackjack
If you’re in the mood for even more blackjack variations, you can leave the DraftKings casino games sections and enter the live dealer games. Different stakes are available. However, there are two main variants of live dealer blackjack worth your time, while games like Lightning Blackjack Live are not recommended for beginners.
Classic Live Dealer Blackjack
In this classic variant, you’ll get the feeling of playing in a live casino. Different lobbies are available for different stakes, though in all, you’ll be sitting with other online players as together you’ll take on a live dealer. This is a more sociable variant as the in-game chat allows you to communicate with other players and dealer alike.
The only real drawback to this variant is that it is slightly slower than others due to you having to wait on other players’ actions. Though if you can get a good seat, you can get similar information to multihand blackjack. This variant is perfect if you’re feeling social.
Infinite Blackjack
One of the negatives to classic live dealer blackjack is that it can be hard to get a seat. In Infinite Blackjack, that’s not a problem. Here the players all share communal virtual cards against a live dealer. Though while you share the same cards, you’re still allowed to act interdependently and choose when you want to stand. On top of this, players can take part in several side bets, including:
- Any Pair — Pair your starting hand and get paid x8, or get the exact suit for x25.
- 21 + 3 — This side bet rewards you based on the pattern of your starting two cards, plus the dealer’s face-up card. Flush — x5, straight — x10, three of a kind — x30, straight flush — x40, suited trips — x100.
- Hot 3 — Hot 3 takes your starting two cards plus the dealer’s face-up cards, and pays you based on the sun of those numbers. A total of 19 will pay x1, 20 — x2, unsuited 21 — x4, suited 21 — x20, 7-7-7 — x100.
- Bust-O-Rama — If you think the dealer will bust, you can bet on it and be rewarded based on how many cards it takes. 3 — x1, 4 — x2, 5 — x7, 6 — x50, 7 — x100, 8 or more — x250.
This variant is not one that I’m a huge fan of due to the fact that it’s as slow as live dealer blackjack, though with a lesser social element, as while there is still a chatbox, with so many players, it can feel like a massive chatroom where messages are only sent, though never read.
Best Blackjack Games on DraftKings
With so many variants of blackjack, there will no doubt be something for everyone. As such, what interests me may not interest you. So together with our expert team, we made a poll to select our five favorite blackjack games available on DraftKings.
#5 Touchdown Blackjack
While not the most profitable, DraftKings Touchdown Blackjack is definitely one of the most fun. It’s played much like the other themed variants. Though in this one, as you win hands, you also win yardage ending up in a touchdown. While the virtual points don’t contribute to extra profit, it does give you something extra to aim towards.
#4 Multihand Blackjack
One of my personal favorite variants. Multihand Blackjack can be a little intimidating with so much information presented at once; however, once you get the hang of it, it can be one of the most profitable. If you’re just starting out with this variant, keep in mind that while you can play up to seven, you can also start with less while you get the hang of things.
#3 Classic Live Dealer Blackjack
While online casinos beat out classic brick-and-mortar casinos in many ways, sometimes you just want the classic feel. The dealers are professional and friendly, willing to engage you in conversation while you play classic blackjack together with the other players. There’s nothing too spectacular here. Instead, it’s just the simplicity of hanging out while playing the game that you love on DraftKings Casino.
#2 Four 20s BlackJack
The most expensive variant also offers the biggest potential payday. In Four 20s, it’s the side-bet that steals the show as with it, you can hit a 420x win when you are dealt four 20s — plus, with a $1000 jackpot available on all bets totaling $10 or more, it’s perhaps your best chance for a big score in minutes.
#1 Down Under Blackjack
Information is power. And with Down Under Blackjack, you get an extra bit of information that no other variant offers. Simple to understand. With potential massive profits for those willing to experiment and study the optimal solution, Down Under Blackjack is undoubtedly your best chance at beating blackjack at DraftKings Casino.
DraftKings Mobile Blackjack App
While the initial brilliance of DraftKings Casino was that you could play blackjack from the comfort of your own home, the DraftKings mobile now allows you to play blackjack wherever and whenever you want.
Available on iOS and Android devices. Simply download the mobile casino app from the relevant app store and enjoy all of the blackjack variants from the palm of your hand.
In game, the blackjack interface is incredibly simple, with all the buttons being well spaced out to ensure you don’t accidentally hit when you are meant to stand. While the mobile app is excellent, it’s recommended that you stick to the single-hand variants of blackjack, as with multiple hands, it can be slightly more challenging to read the on-screen information.
Of course, that won’t be a problem with fun variants like Touchdown Blackjack.
How to Play Blackjack on DraftKings Casino
Playing blackjack online at the DraftKings casino is simple. The first thing you’ll need to do is signup. This is a simple process. Just follow the below steps.
- Click our secure links to navigate to the DraftKings homepage where you’ll be offered our exclusive sign-on bonus of a $50 no-deposit bonus plus a $2000 matched first deposit bonus. Then click the green “Sign Me Up” button.
- On this page, you’ll need to enter your basic account info like username and email. Once that’s done, click “Next”.
- The next page is for verifying your information and confirming that you are legally allowed to play. Just enter your full name as it appears on your photo ID, date of birth, street address, and last four digits of your social security number. Then click “Next”.
- Next up, you’ll need to verify some other info like your mobile number before their Geo-location technology checks to see where you are located. Once they’ve done that, an email will be sent to you, and you’ll need to click the verification link.
- Your account is now created. Next up, you’ll want to click the “Table Games” selection on the right-hand side of the screen. The blackjack games will be at the top of the list. Just select your preferred variant and get playing with your no-deposit bonus.
For beginners and veterans alike, I would recommend Down Under Blackjack to begin with either on your desktop or mobile device. A side bet is offered. Although to begin with, I’d recommend you skip it. Instead, just select the amount of chips you want to play with (min $1) and get playing. Don’t forget to keep in mind what color the dealer’s face-down card is and see if you can use it to gain an advantage.
Of course, even an optimal strategy doesn’t win 100% of the time. As such, you should only bet a small amount of your bankroll on each hand. Also, keep in mind that you cannot use the no-deposit bonus to play the live dealer games, so for that, you’ll have to make a deposit.
DraftKings Blackjack Background and Future Plans
In every different state DraftKings Casino is partnered as an internet gaming operator with a different physically located gaming operator in accordance with each individual’s state’s laws. Below you can find those details, and where DraftKings is legal.
State | Is DraftKings Available? | Physical Partner | License Issuer |
---|---|---|---|
New Jersey | ✅Yes | Resorts Casino & Hotel | New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement |
West Virginia | ✅Yes | Hollywood Casino | West Virginia Lottery Board |
Michigan | ✅Yes | Bay Mills Resort & Casino | Michigan Gaming Control Board |
Pennsylvania | ✅Yes | Hollywood Casino | Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board |
Connecticut | ✅Yes | Foxwoods Resort Casino | Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection |
Delaware | ❌No | N/A | N/A |
With Blackjack being one of the staple casino games, it’s no surprise that it was one of the first games added to the DraftKings Casino. But while that would typically be enough for most online casinos, DraftKings has constantly been adding new variants. As such, you should always be on the lookout for the next variant.
DraftKings is, of course, always looking to expand, with it currently being available in five of the six states when online casinos are legal, with only Delaware missing out; however, they have made it clear that they are looking to expand into Delaware as well as any other states where online casinos become legal in the future.
Play Free Blackjack No Deposit on DraftKings Casino!
A lot of online casinos offer blackjack. Though what makes DraftKings unique is that they celebrate it with so many unique variants so that there’s something for everyone. Plus, with their unbeatable $50 no-deposit bonus, you can get started for free. On top of that, since we know you’ll love it once you try it for free, you can get a 100% matched first-time deposit of up to $2000.
There’s never been a better time to be a blackjack player. Just follow our secure link below to get started immediately without depositing a single dollar.