Live Dealer Blackjack

If you want to play a game of blackjack online, your only solution should be Live Dealer Blackjack at a reputable Live Casino.

In my personal opinion, there is no other alternative. Blackjack is designed to be enjoyed with real playing cards that have been shuffled by a real dealer and dealt by a real dealer.

So, there should be no reason you shouldn’t be able to interact with a real person in real time either. Online blackjack at a live casino is just as good as playing the game in a land-based casino.

However, before you start looking for a live casino and placing your bet, you should know that there are a few differences between land-based casino blackjack and live casino blackjack that will make a huge difference on where you decide to play. You will also need to understand how the game is played, what are the best strategies available for blackjack, and know which live casinos offer the best live blackjack games.

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Factors to Consider

Once you registered a new account at a Live Casino, you will come across two types of blackjack games, including 7 seat blackjack and common draw or unlimited blackjack.

7 Seat Blackjack is exactly as the name suggests, only 7 players will be allowed to play at one table. In some cases, you can also occupy more than one seat, known as a multi-seat, at one table. During peak hours, you might struggle to find a seat, especially at the low to medium stake tables. Therefore, I would advise choosing a live casino that offers dedicated tables.

Common Draw or Unlimited Blackjack offers a live dealer that will deal one or more player hands where an unlimited number of players can wager on the hand. This is mainly used as a solution for players who were unable to find a seat at a 7 Seat blackjack game.

Other factors to keep in mind is the number of decks, ranging from 6 to 8 deck games, the different game rules, such as Vegas or European rules, the playing options during each hand, and the available side bets in a game of blackjack, if there are any.

How to Play Blackjack

The basic premise for 21 or blackjack is for players to ultimately beat the dealer. This can be accomplished by forming a hand value equalling 21 or as close to 21 as possible, or by simply ensuring your hand value is higher than the dealer’s hand. I would also like to stress that beating the dealer does not actually require you to have 21.

Blackjack Game Setup

Firstly, you will need to understand the card values of each playing card in a game of blackjack. All picture cards including King, Queen, and Jack are valued at 10 and all playing cards ranging from 2 through to 10 will have their own face value. Ace on the other hand will either be treated as 11 or as 1. A game of blackjack can be played with one deck of 52 playing cards or with up to 8 different decks. When using multiple decks, the cards will either be shuffled by a machine or manually and will be placed in a dealing shoe where the dealer will draw the playing cards from. A reshuffle of the cards usually takes place halfway through the shoe, however, most casinos these days tend to continuously re-shuffle the cards with a shuffling machine.

Howcast

At the beginning of a hand, every player will place their chips on the table to make a wager. Once the bets are placed, the dealer will start dealing two cards, from the left, to each player, both facing up. Thereafter, the dealer will deal two cards to himself with one card facing down and another facing up. The first player will then have a series of options available based on the value of his own hand as well as the dealer’s face up card. The options consist of:

Stand: If the player is satisfied with his current hand value and does not want to take any additional cards, he will stand.

Draw/Hit: If the player wants another card from the deck to increase his overall hand value, he will hit until he is satisfied with his hand value or until he stands.

Double: This provides the option to double the current wager and only be allowed to take one more card from the deck. The player will have to stand after this decision, regardless of the and value.

Split: When the player receives two cards of the same value, he has the option to split his hand into two different hands. The dealer will then draw one additional card for each new hand and will require an additional bet to be made on the second hand.

Should the player draw a card and his hand value exceeds 21, he would essentially lose his initial wager. This is also known as a bust. Play will continue until all players have made their decisions until they stand or bust.

The Dealer’s Hand

Once each player has completed their hand, the dealer can then turn to his own hand. However, there are certain restrictions that will apply to the dealer’s hand. For instance, the dealer needs to stand on 17 and must draw a card if the hand value is 16. The dealer also can’t double down on a bet or split his hand. Thereafter, the dealer will pay all players that have beaten his hand value 1 to 1. Blackjack can occur when either the dealer or player is dealt a 10 and an Ace card. This is an unbeatable hand and pays 3 to 2 in multiple deck games and pays 6 to 5 in single deck games.

Blackjack Tips and Strategies

There are loads of tips, tricks, and strategies out there to improve your overall gameplay and to lower the house edge if you are a decent blackjack player. Even if you don’t consider yourself a mathematician, you can still improve your odds and your overall bankroll by simply applying the following strategies while playing Live Dealer Blackjack:

You should always hit on soft 17 (i.e 6-Ace), split 8’s and aces, double down when your initial cards are 11, and stand when you have a hard 17 or greater. You should never split 10’s or 5’s, and never stand when your hand value is between 12 and 16 while the dealer has a card value of 7 or higher. In addition, you should never play blackjack when drinking, never think you’re on a winning streak, and never play for an extended period without taking a break.

Best Live Casinos for Blackjack

I’ve extensively reviewed quite a few live casinos and included my top six picks below that I will gladly recommend above all others that are currently in existence. This is because they pretty much provide the best package when it comes to Live Dealer Blackjack and impress with reliability and fairness along with years of industry experience.