How to Play BlackJack by Yourself

Wondering how to play blackjack by yourself isn't as silly a question as you might think. It's not just a group game meant for parties and casinos. You can absolutely play it solo, whether that's just for fun or to practice before you head out to play more seriously. Besides, casinos can be intimidating places to learn a new game! There's no need to put yourself through that. This simple walkthrough can show you how to play solo to improve your skills, learn card counting, or even as a fun way to pass the time. Let's dive in!

Ways to Play Blackjack by Yourself

Before we look at ways to play, here is a quick reminder on the game's purpose: there's a dealer and a player or players. The player's goal is to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 as possible, without going over. Aces are worth 1 or 11 points (it is the choice of the individual player). Face cards are 10 points. All other cards are worth their pip value. Now, there are a couple of ways you can play solo blackjack, so let's take a closer look at each of them.

Playing With a Deck at Home

The simplest way to learn how to play blackjack by yourself is at home with a deck of cards you likely already have lying around. You'll also want to grab a notebook and pen or pencil to track your wins and losses, as well as betting chips (or tokens or coins — anything you want to use to stand in for chips). First, make sure your deck has the full 52 cards. Then, for extra accuracy, grab 1-2 more decks of cards and shuffle all of them together (some casinos use multiple decks).

To actually play, you'll want to start dealing the player hand in front of you and the dealer hand across from you. Shuffle all the cards and cut the deck so that at least the last 60–75 cards are not used at all (again, because in casinos this will be the case).

Deal one card face up to yourself and one card face up to the dealer. Then take another card for yourself face up, but give the dealer's card face down, and do not look. Now your game is set and you're ready to play!

Practicing With Online or App Versions

If you don't have a bunch of decks of cards lying around or you're more interested in being able to play on the go, then single-player blackjack games online like the one at 247 Solitaire are your best bet. It's also available in app form, making it even easier to play wherever you are. Fee online simulators like this help you get comfortable with gameplay and understanding when to make a move or not.

Online games can also have customizable rules to suit your house play style, instant scoring (no more need for math), and even stat tracking. That makes it simple to see how often you win or lose and how to adjust your play style to the rules you want to play in real life. Solo blackjack this way really helps you hone your decision-making skills.

Practicing Specific Skills (Card Counting, Strategy, Betting)

One of the best parts of playing blackjack single player is the risk-free freedom to use games to focus more on specific skills than on winning. This is because you can focus on one element at a time, instead of feeling the pressure to win above all else.

Try running some card-counting drills. Flip through a deck and keep a running count. You can do this by assigning a count of 1, 0, or -1 to groups of cards. Many people assign a value of 1 to low cards like 2–6, a value of 0 to midrange cards like 7–9, and a value of -1 to high cards like 10s, jacks, queens, kings, and aces. The higher the count, the better your hand will be. It's tricky to learn in the moment, though, so getting some practice in will help a lot.

You can also practice your bankroll by starting with a set number of chips and simulating varying bet amounts. Whatever you choose, solo repetition builds muscle memory for real games.

Benefits of Solo Blackjack

Why play solo when the real fun is in the betting? That's easy. Here are our favorite benefits.

Sharpening Your Skills for Real Play

The only way to learn is to practice, and it's much easier to learn (especially when you're new) without the pressure of other players. You can test how and when to hit, stand, split, or double by using strategy charts and learning how those actions work. This helps you reduce hesitation during real casino play. It also improves your familiarity with the odds and probabilities of different hands. The more comfortable you get here with the moves you can make, the better you'll do when playing for real.

Low-Pressure Entertainment at Home

The whole point of casinos is to create a tense and high-pressure environment for gameplay because they want to make it exciting, and they want you to lose. But even in a party environment with friends, if you're playing for real money or even just playing competitively, the pressure is on. That's not always the vibe you want when you're just trying to relax or have a little fun!

Solo play is a fun time-killer without the financial risk. It gives you the flexibility to play wherever and however you want, whether it's a few quick hands or a long practice session. For variety, switch it up between live-deck play, apps, and websites depending on your mood.

Building Card-Counting and Mental Discipline

Learning card counting is crucial if you want to get great at blackjack. You might not be used to keeping so many numbers tallied up in your head at once, so practice will be essential. You want to turn card counting into muscle memory, so you can do it without hesitating or even really thinking.

There are also multiple different card-counting strategies. You might want to test them all out for a while before deciding on which one is right for you. Only in a solo environment can you get the freedom to fumble, mess up, and make mistakes without consequence. And it's not just beginners who need the practice: even advanced players do it before testing out new strategies in casinos.

Why Solo Blackjack Works

Learning how to play blackjack by yourself is more than just a fun way to spend some time. It's how you can get yourself comfortable with the game itself, sharpen your skills, and gain true confidence in your abilities. What better way to give it a whirl than with free blackjack games on 247 Solitaire? You can play single-player rounds of blackjack there, any time, day or night, where stats are tracked and gameplay is designed to mirror real conditions. Try it today.

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.