Best Free Blackjack Casinos in Canada

Free Blackjack vs Real Money Blackjack

There’s one obvious difference between these two kinds of blackjack games: one involves staking real cash, the other is played using virtual currency only. Canadian gambling sites often host both options in their games libraries, allowing members to try out new titles before committing real money wagers. The latter is something that we always recommend at BestOnlineCasinos, encouraging whenever we can the practices of responsible gambling. 

Although table games such as blackjack are fairly easy to get the hang of, it’s crucial that players first take some time getting up to speed with the rules of the game, the betting options, and the sequence of bets at the table. Blackjack has many different variants – a result of its long and fascinating history – and players will quickly find that these variants have slight modifications to the rules. 

They include the popular European and American formats, as well as fresher innovations like Vegas Strip Blackjack, Blackjack Switch, and Blackjack Perfect Pairs. All of these variants and more will be available to play at the top free blackjack casinos.

How to Play Free Blackjack

The aim of any blackjack game is to attain a hand as close to 21 as possible, without exceeding 21 and busting out. In Blackjack, players pit themselves against the casino – as represented by a dealer – as opposed to other players at the table. 

At the start of the game, you’re dealt two cards face up. The dealer typically gets one card face up and one face down. You’ll then play out your hand, with the dealer following suit once you’re finished. 

All picture cards are worth ten, while cards two to ten hold their face value. Players can decide whether aces in their hands are worth one or eleven, which brings the soft/hard 17 rule into play. A soft 17 is a hand containing an 11-valued ace, while a hard 17 is a hand containing a one-valued ace. In some blackjack variants, dealers must stand when they have a soft 17. 

Players can improve their hands through a series of betting calls.

In most free blackjack games, players have five betting options at the table, as follows:

• Hit – the player asks for another card
• Stand – the player is happy with their hand and takes no more cards. Also known as stick
• Double down – the player doubles their initial bet and commits to taking precisely one more card 
• Split – the player splits two cards of the same value into two hands, which play out in turn. Most blackjack games allow players to split any ten-valued cards, so players can for example split a ten and a queen. If players take the split option, they must match their initial wager behind the split hand
• Surrender – the player essentially folds, forfeiting half their stake. Whether or not a surrender call is permitted will depend on the blackjack variant being played

Free Blackjack Variants

Here are some of the most popular variants you’ll find at a free blackjack casino.

Single-Deck Blackjack

One of the most significant elements of any blackjack game is the number of decks in circulation. Blackjack can be played with just one deck, or up to a maximum of eight. The more decks in play, the greater the casino’s house edge. This is due to the fact that having an increased number of decks makes it more unlikely for players to land a natural blackjack: an ace and a ten-valued card, and the best hand in any blackjack game. 

Single-deck blackjack has just 52 cards involved, giving it the kindest house edge of any casino game at 0.16%. In reverse terms, single-deck blackjack has a return to player (RTP) rate of 99.84%. Please note, however, that these figures are based on a perfect blackjack strategy, so most players will be at a slightly bigger disadvantage. Dealers must typically hit on soft 17 in single-deck blackjack games, and players are able to split their hands up to three times. 

Multi-Deck Blackjack

The introduction of additional decks steadily increases the casino’s house edge. With eight decks in play, this rises to just above 2%, which is still significantly less than most other casino games. Multi-deck blackjack can refer to any games between two and eight decks, and specific rules around betting options will depend on the casino and variant in question. Always read up on these before you start playing, particularly if you’re wagering real money.

Blackjack Surrender

Blackjack Surrender is a specific blackjack variant that celebrates the game’s surrender calling option. This game has six decks in play, giving it a house edge of 0.24%. Dealers must always hit to 16 and must also stand on any 17, soft or hard. Crucially, this variant gives players the option to call a late surrender, which can be made after the dealer has peeked at their own hand for a natural blackjack.

The Best Blackjack Developers

Canadian online casinos are served by the industry’s best software developers. From a free online blackjack perspective, here are some of the names to look out for. 

NetEnt

NetEnt is a master of all casino games, from the industry’s best real money slots to free to play table games such as blackjack. It was founded in 1996 and its titles feature in the gaming libraries of casino sites all over the world. We particularly like NetEnt’s Double Exposure Blackjack, where players get to see both of the dealer’s cards. In exchange for this advantage, all ties in this game are considered player losses.

Microgaming

Founded in 1994, Microgaming’s influence on the online gambling industry stretches back even further than NetEnt’s, and the company lays claims to the creation of the world’s first online casino software. Microgaming has developed a bunch of different blackjack games in that time, and we recommend checking out both its Atlantic City and Vegas Strip series.

Evolution Gaming

Evolution has been around for roughly ten years less than the other two developers mentioned here, but it’s almost single-handedly responsible for the biggest innovation in modern online gambling: live dealer games. These games use high-definition cameras to livestream the action of a real casino table straight to the devices of players around the world. It’s a trend that’s now mimicked by plenty of other game developers, but Evolution’s technology is considered the original.