A Natural Fit

If you’re going to run a fully-fledged casino site, blackjack is likely to be one of the first games you’d think of adding to your collection. Sure enough, that’s what we see at Bitcoin casinos: if the site has any level of game selection at all, one or more blackjack games are on offer.

Technically, Bitcoin blackjack can be played at a wide range of casinos that utilize almost any form of software. More and more sites are offering the digital currency as an alternative deposit option, which means that you can at least do your banking using BTC, even if you can’t actually play in it.

But what we’re particularly interested in are sites that allow you to enjoy a complete gambling experience using BTC. That means you can not only bank in the currency, but also play in it. In fact, at many true Bitcoin casino sites, you’ll only be able to use BTC the whole way through.

One software platform that supports this sort of exclusive use is SoftSwiss. While some BTC-based casinos use relatively simple scripts to set up quick operations, SoftSwiss offers a complete gaming solution that includes more than 350 games – including, of course, blackjack. To make matters even better, SoftSwiss allows the integration of software from other leading developers like Microgaming, Betsoft, NetEnt and others, further expanding the number of games players can potentially enjoy on these sites.

Coin Gaming is another provider that offers a similar ability to integrate many games into a single casino solution, all while supporting Bitcoin through the entire experience. In fact, Coin Gaming sites often include SoftSwiss games as a part of their package as well, highlighting the “plug and play” style of gaming that is typical of these BTC sites.

More Variations, More Fun

One of the worries that many players have when jumping into a Bitcoin site – as with any emerging sector – is that their options will be limited. But as we mentioned above, the nature of these sites ensures that this is never the case. Blackjack lovers will be happy to find that there are plenty of variations on this classic game that can be played using cryptocurrencies. In fact, it’s hard to find a version of the game that can’t be played in Bitcoin somewhere.

Let’s talk simply about the range of games that are available in the SoftSwiss package. There, you will find a “standard” variant, known as Blackjack Surrender, along with a multihand version for those who want to get more action at one time. If you’re looking for variants, you can play the Double Exposure game, in which both dealer cards are exposed for the entire game, or Pontoon, in which no dealer cards are known and many of the basic rules of the game have been changed.

But that’s just for starters. Several other providers also supply multiple blackjack titles to casinos, many of which are only slightly different from each other. If you’re not an experienced player, you may not see that as a big deal, but it truly is: changing the number of decks in the shoe, whether the dealer is allowed to hit on a soft 17, or the rules for surrendering can have a real impact on the house edge and the strategy you should use at a given table.

One of the more exciting novelties you’ll find at some BTC sites is live blackjack. These games get rid of the random number generators and instead play using real cards and a real dealer, all broadcast to you through a live video stream. This allows you to watch the action unfold in front of your eyes, just as you would in a brick-and-mortar resort. It’s the closest you can get to playing in a real casino without flying to Las Vegas or Macau.

Undeniable Advantages

As we’ve already seen, there’s no shortage of blackjack action at Bitcoin casino sites. However, that still leaves the question: with so many great gambling operators out there, why should you choose one that specializes in the cryptocurrency? The answer is that while not everyone needs to play in BTC, doing so does offer some concrete advantages over standard Internet gambling.

First, there’s the fact that Bitcoin is a fast, secure, and mostly anonymous way to process transactions online. This is a big deal, especially in jurisdictions where online gambling is largely frowned upon. Because there is no central authority or issuing bank, it is very hard for regulators to stop the flow of this cryptocurrency, which makes it ideal for usage in so-called “grey markets.” It also means that it can be processed quickly, even in places where there are normally delays for deposits and (especially) withdrawals. Deposits are generally instantaneous; other than the processing time for the casino to verify your winnings, cashing out is typically a snap as well.

Another great feature of these sites is that they can be made provably fair – something that no other land-based or online gaming site can claim. This is done by using a cryptographic hash function, allowing players to check and confirm the results of every single bet they make on provably fair games, which typically includes at least some blackjack options at these sites.

While the exact way in which this is proven will vary from game to game, here’s a general idea of how it works. First, the deck will be shuffled, and the server side (the gambling site) will generate a secret number that is used for the hash. Mathematical randomization is done, which generates a seed number for the shuffle. By running this through a hashing algorithm, the casino will now provide a number that can be used to later verify the results. Players may then get to give their own input in order to allow them to cut the deck at any point they like.

The next hand is then played. Once the hand is finished, the player will be given access to the entire shuffled deck, as well as the hashed server seed and the input they made on their side. The player will be able to see how the original deck matches the one ultimately used for their game, only without their “cut” being made in the deck.

While the specifics of the process can vary, and are quite involved (each casino tends to fully explain their process on their own website), the result is clear: players have the ability to confirm that their deck was a fair and random one, and that their input was properly used to choose cards for their game. Incidentally, the operators themselves like having provably fair games, too: in the unlikely case that players somehow compromise the system to cheat, the process would show that something was done to manipulate the results unfairly.

Of course, none of this means that any game in a live or online casino is unfair. In fact, the vast majority of sites – including all of the ones that are generally considered reputable in the industry – are certainly offering completely fair and random games. But what is great about these sites is that they allow you to do more than just take our word for it; you can prove it to yourself anytime you like.

Place Your Bets

If you’re a Bitcoin enthusiast who enjoys playing blackjack, than it’s time to give one of these BTC casino sites a try. You’re not giving up anything in the way of game selection or software stability in order to enjoy the provably fair gameplay, and supporting a site that is dedicated to the currency is just an extra benefit that you can’t get at a more traditional Internet casino.

But even if you’ve never considered playing using BTC before, this might be an option worth looking into. With more and more sites offering play in the currency, the ability to quickly and securely process transactions gives them a leg up over much of their competition, especially in grey markets. And in an industry where many operators can seem virtually identical to each other, that advantage could be enough to set Bitcoin blackjack sites apart from the pack.