One major advantage of playing online blackjack over doing so in a bricks and mortar establishment is that whilst you may get the odd free drink in a Vegas casino, online casinos and blackjack sites give you cash bonuses to entice you in. And those bonuses are often big, really BIG!

Some sites will offer hundreds or even thousands of dollars to new customers in order to get them to try their site. Whilst this isn’t a case of free money, it certainly gives you a great chance to make some cash, place bigger bets than you would normally place, and enjoy longer playing blackjack than you would ordinarily be able to.

Most blackjack bonuses take the form of a percentage match of your first deposit, with bonuses of 50%, 100% or even higher being the norm. So, let’s say you have a 100% bonus worth up to $1,000: deposit the full $1,000 and you’ll have $2,000 of blackjack action sitting in your account!

In order to withdraw funds you’ll need to complete wagering/rollover requirements and these are usually explained as “X times the deposit plus bonus”. Some online casinos have wagering as low as 15 times the deposit and bonus, whilst others will have as high as 50 or even 100 times!

The higher the rollover, the harder it is to actually clear any of the bonus from your account and walk away in the black. This means that choosing a blackjack bonus with a high percentage and low rollover is really important.

Perhaps even more important is making sure that blackjack counts towards the wagering. If you play at a blackjack specialist you can be confident it will but at many online casinos, unless the bonus is specifically a blackjack offer, the casino’s best game is often either excluded entirely or else only contributes towards the wagering at a reduced percentage.

Other terms to look out for include whether there is a maximum bet (you may be allowed to stake whatever you want but only a portion of that may count towards the wagering requirement), if there is a time limit on the bonus and if some forms of blackjack (for example progressive games) are excluded.

Having checked that you’re good to go, the next step is to actually play the game. Due to the low house edge of blackjack when played to correct strategy, blackjack bonuses give you a real chance of winning, so play smart and good luck!