Live Blackjack play online for real money

Live blackjack games are no longer a novelty as they were some ten years ago. Every top or new online casino of today has a few pages devoted to live dealer games, with live blackjack having an army of devoted and loyal fans. Live dealer games have bridged the divide between pure online games and land-based casino environment with its buzz and action thrills. Just a touch of imagination, and you will feel these memorable vibes every casino venue has, the roar of happy winners, and the clicking sounds of slot machines. Playing any live blackjack for real money, you plunge deep into the real casino atmosphere and can win even more than 3:2 due to side bets. In blackjack live, you can try to apply the same basic strategies and make the same decisions as in other blackjack formats. This article gives you insight into everything you want to know about live blackjack, its rules, payouts and associated casino bonuses.

What is live blackjack?

A player’s objective in blackjack is to outscore the dealer without busting. One can use all the standard options after getting dealt the initial cards: Hit, Stand, Split, and so on. If you know how to play online blackjack, you will not face any issues with casino live blackjack.

Live blackjack online is a casino game managed by a human dealer. Compared to video slots, where the outcome is determined by pure luck, you can affect blackjack game results by applying skills, knowledge, and some strategies. As with other live games, live blackjack is staged at a studio or a land-based casino.

Whichever blackjack version you pick, you will see a normal bean-shaped blackjack table with a virtual grid on it—all markings (bet areas, short rules, etc.) are not real. Some studios use what is known as a ‘green screen’ technology that creates customised backgrounds for the game. On the other hand, Vivo, LuckyStreak and many other companies do not apply special effects to the background and show the studio as it is.

Live blackjack table and cards

A table in online live dealer blackjack looks like a standard table found in every land-based casino. It has a semi-circular, curved shape. At one end is the dealer’s seat, and on the opposite side, there are places for remote players. Interestingly, all table markings are computer-generated.

The table features betting areas for all players, card boxes where the dealer positions the cards, and so on—all virtual. Players interact with the table by clicking (tapping) on these active areas when they want to place chips or do something with the cards.

A dealer uses special cards with large pips and values to be decipherable by players, considering a read distance from the table to the studio camera. Each card has a bar code that is scanned by a reading device when the card is extracted from the shoe. This is required for the game software to detect the card value and display it on the user interface in a virtual format.

Rules of live blackjack games

The key premise behind any live blackjack is simple: A player must beat the dealer but stay at 21 points or below. At the beginning of every round, the dealer takes cards from the shoe one by one and puts them face up to the designated areas on the table. Almost every blackjack table, except for common-draw blackjack types, rooms seven seated players. So the dealer starts dealing cards starting from his left.

Once all seated players and the dealer get their two cards each, it’s time for players to make their decisions. Also note that the dealer usually gets one card face down, which is an essential feature of most blackjack variations. Every player has about 10-15 seconds to choose how to act and what option to choose, based on the available card rankings. After the player makes a decision and clicks the related button, the turn goes to the next seated user. The online live blackjack cards are ranked as listed below:

• Cards 2–9: Give their pip values (a 2 is two points, a 5 is five points, etc.)
• 10 to K: Worth ten points each
• Ace: Worth 1 or 11 points, depending on the game situation

Standard package of blackjack rules

If you open any blackjack live game in a mobile casino or on desktop, you will see a set of important rules the game is bound by. The rules differ across game versions, and they define player’s actions in different game scenarios. For example, you can see these entries:

• Played with 8 decks
• Double on any two initial cards
• Split on all pairs
• No Double Down after Split
• Only one Split per hand
• Insurance is offered when the Dealer shows an Ace

Since live blackjack has dozens of variations, the rules differ in minor things. However, these slightest modifications have an effect on RTP values.

Number of decks in live blackjack

Most games are played with 8 decks. Some are with 6 decks. Theoretically, a shoe in blackjack can consist of 1, 2 and 4 decks—and this is how some land-based and online blackjack versions work. But live dealer blackjack online typically comes with six or eight 52-card decks (w/o Jokers).

Card shuffling in live blackjack

A dealer takes a new shoe when a red card is reached in the current one. Shoes are usually made of transparent material so that players can see what’s inside. Before the new shoe with cards inside is put into play, the dealer must shuffle the cards (though they have already been shuffled automatically by a person before being placed on the table).

So, the live blackjack dealer gets out all the cards, divides them in half, takes small portions from each stack, and shuffles them, using a few maneuvres. The whole procedure takes around ten minutes. In some games, the dealer re-shuffles the whole stack again for the second time. Once completed, the dealer re-inserts the cut card into the stack and puts the whole stack into the shoe. This routine can differ across live games, but in general outline, it is more or less identical.

Key settings in live blackjack games

It’s in the provider’s best interest to make their games informative and comfortable to play. Otherwise, players will go away to competitors. Evolution, Playtech, LuckyStreak, and other flagship companies try to maintain the high entertainment value of their games. With this in mind, they equip their live blackjack games with various settings, intuitive UI, and other features. For example, live blackjack from Evolution has a camera switch button that you can click to reduce or increase the screen size if you have a slow connection.

Games usually have a hideable live chat window or line and payout popups. The general approach to live blackjack is to make the active screen with the dealer as less cluttered as possible. You can also customise sound (or mute it at all), enlarge the browser window (like clicking F11), see the bet history, and use other features that vary across game models and providers.

Player’s options in live blackjack

After receiving the two cards, plates have a few choices of what to do next. A player is supposed to know game rules and the basic strategy for the specific game with the purpose of making proper decisions. Below, you can get acquainted with the main choices your live blackjack offers. Note that some options can be greyed out or unavailable at all.

Stand

A player picks this option when he thinks the two initial cards are sufficient to win in the round. When ‘Stand’ is clicked, the turn moves to the next player. While this option can be picked on any hand, the basic strategy recommends standing at 17 and higher.

Hit

By hitting, a player commands the croupier to get dealt one more card if he believes the first cards are not enough for a favourable outcome. The dealer then takes a new card from the transparent shoe and puts it to the player face up. The ‘Hit’ move can be used technically for as long as the total card score is 20 or below. In case a hit results in a bust, the player loses the current round.

Split

When the player has two same-valued cards, he might want to split the hand. The dealer then separates the two initial cards, takes two new cards from the shoe and adds them to each initial card, thus creating a new hand. This has an implication that a bet equal to the ante is deduced from the player’s balance to cover the new hand.

Double Down

The best live blackjack games have different approaches to this option. Some games allow doubling down only when the hand totals 10, others—when it totals 9, 10 or 11, and yet others do not restrict the Double Down move. When you pick it, you actually double your ante and receive a new card to the existing hand. Most live games allow only one DD per hand.

Insurance

This is a widespread choice that is, though, not recommended by experts because of mathematic considerations. An Insurance option unblocks and becomes clickable if the dealer’s faceup card is an Ace. This means that chances are the dealer’s hole card can result in blackjack. Choosing Insurance, the player pays half the ante, and if the dealer finally gets 21, he will receive 2:1 of the Insurance side bet but loses the ante, implying the result is a breakeven. This option is not recommended because the odds of landing a BJ for the dealer is merely 31%.

Surrender

What is normally called ‘Surrender’ in blackjack is more correctly known as ‘late surrender’. The word ‘late’ is usually omitted because this type of surrender is used almost everywhere in live blackjack. So when all the two cards are given to each player, the dealer then peeks at the hole card to see if it creates 21 (natural blackjack). If not, all interested players are allowed to surrender their current hands in exchange for half the bet. Here, you should think of whether your hand is good or bad. When used wisely, Surrender can be another helpful tool to reduce the house edge when you play live blackjack for real money.

Cash Out

This action may have other names in different blackjack games. It is inherently a late surrender, but the scope of funds received by the player is floating. So, after the cards are distributed, the dealer peeks for blackjack. If he has no BJ, players have an option to Cash Out (surrender) and receive the payout based on the total score of the player’s hand and the dealer’s upcard. This is much like the cost of respin in video slots, where it is linked to the strength of current symbols on the reels. The Cash Out feature is present in some BJ tables from Evolution—but this is an option that some casino operators may turn off.

Early Surrender

Though widely found at land-based casinos of the US and Latin America, Early Surrender is rare in blackjack live casinos. Here, a player is allowed to surrender a bad hand before knowing the dealer’s facedown card. After leaving the current round and getting a 0.5x bet back, the player can watch the round till the end. Early Surrender is found in no-hole-card blackjack, where the dealer takes the second card and reveals it only after all players have made their moves.

Dealer’s rules in live blackjack

The player is given a few choices in live casino blackjack, but the dealer must always act according to the algorithm suggested in the game rules, which are essential for understanding the game flow. The dealer gets the first card when distributing cards among players. The second card is either facedown (in most cases) or is taken from the shoe closer to the end of the round. Whatever the case, the dealer exposes the hole card to see the total score. And this is where the dealer’s rules come into effect.

Some games have it that the dealer stands on all 17s, while others command the dealer to stand only on hard 17 but hit on soft 17. This is something the dealer cannot override and act voluntarily—every dealer’s movement is determined by the game rules. Usually, a live table features a short line like ‘Dealer stands on all 17’ or something like that. Besides, the dealer has no options of splitting or doubling down. All he can do is to stay with the two initial cards or Hit.

Bet sizes and payouts in live blackjack

Bet sizes in live blackjack are usually bigger than online blackjack. They usually start at $1 and go up to $500—but this is not a general rule. VIP blackjack tables, like the Prive series from Evolution, accept $1000 per hand and higher. Similarly, tables aimed at low rollers allow betting 50 cents and even lower.

With payouts, the situation is more straightforward. Nearly all live blackjack games have uniform payouts: 3:2 for a natural blackjack, 1:1 for a win, and 2:1 as Insurance. Important: players should know the difference between 21 and ‘natural blackjack’. If you win with the first two cards, this is known as Blackjack, and you get 1.5x times the bet. If you hit on your initial hand and finally score 21, this is a normal win that suggests you get even money.

The above payouts are regular and used in almost every live blackjack casino. But additionally, some games, e.g. Free Bets Blackjack from Evolution, have side bets, i.e., optional bets that can yield profit to the main bet. If you place a 21+3 side bet and get the Suited Trips outcome (three identical same-suited cards), you will earn 100:1. More about side bets is written below in this blackjack review.

Basic strategy in live blackjack

Every game has an RTP property. In video slots, it is fixed and unchanged, regardless of how the player acts. As for live blackjack, a player can count on a certain return if he makes correct decisions with every hand. For example, when having a 16-score hand, the best way to continue is to stand in most cases. Picking another option will most likely lead to a round loss. Wrong decisions have a cumulative effect — if you manage each hand improperly, your game will have a low actual RTP, and you will fail to take full advantage of online blackjack live.

A basic strategy sets forth the most beneficial and correct moves a player should perform in certain game situations. Basic strategies differ across games, meaning you cannot take one basic strategy designed for one game and apply it slavishly to another live online blackjack. A basic strategy in live dealer blackjack online comes as a chart or table. The horizontal line at the top shows a dealer upcard, and the vertical line to the left is the player’s hand (for hard and soft totals separately). You match the X and Y axes on that chart and see the optimal move for your game.

Blackjack strategy charts are not available in every game. Evolution does not offer them in their detailed game rules, and neither does Playtech. One of the solutions is to search the proper BJ strategy on the internet, minding the specifics of your selected blackjack.

Live blackjack basic strategy with examples

Let’s look at a few examples: Suppose you have a total of 9 with two cards. This is what the basic strategy suggests:

• Dealer has 2 points: H (Hit)
• Dealer has 3: DD (Double Down)
• 4: DD
• 5: DD
• 6: DD
• 7 to 10: H
• A: H

In another round, you can have two 9s. This is what the basic strategy advises in this situation:

• Dealer has 2 to 6: Split
• Dealer has 7, 10, or A: Stand
• Dealer has 8 or 9: Split

Note that the above chart examples encompass the games where 4 to 8 decks are used, and the dealer must hit on soft 17. If the core data changes (e.g. Dealer must stand on all 17), the strategy is finetuned correspondingly.

Side bets in live blackjack

Side bets are rocket boosters in blackjack. While your normal bets never result in a win higher than 3:2, side bets can increase your bankroll in no time. Side bets are placed on a certain event. If it occurs, the side bet wins. For example, there is a side bet that the player’s cards make up a pair. If the deal results in a pair (e.g. any two 7s), the player gets paid at the odds of 6:1. Optional bets are made in combination with the main bet, but if the latter loses, you still have the chance to win on your side bet.

Everything seems ideal and flawless, but there’s one thing about side bets to be aware of when you play for real money: They have a lower RTP than main bets. According to experts, optional bets feature 90% to 96% RTP, so think twice before gambling on them. Anyway, below, we expound on the most frequently found side bets in the best online live blackjack games. Payout odds can differ across live blackjack variations. What you can see below is based on a few titles from Evolution.

Perfect Pair

This side bet allows you to win if your two initial cards comprise a pair. There are three possible outcomes, each featuring a different cash prize:

• Perfect Pair: The same-suited pair (two 10s of Diamonds), 25:1
• Coloured Pair: A pair of the same colour (10 of Spades and 10 of Clubs), 12:1
• Mixed Pair: Two identical non-suited cards (10 of Spades and 10 of Diamonds), 6:1

The optimal theoretical payout for this optional bet is 95 to 96% (BJ variation–dependent).

21+3

You can place this bet on a dedicated table area and win if your cards plus the dealer’s upcard make up one of the five outcomes listed below. This is a frequent side bet in the best live blackjacks online. You will see that the winning combinations of cards are similar to those in poker. The optimal theoretical payout for this optional bet is appr. 96%.

• Flush: Three same-suited cards (non-sequential), 5:1
• Straight: Three cards of different suits going in sequence, 10:1
• 3 of a kind: Same-valued cards, suits and colours do not matter (QS, QD, QH), 30:1
• Straight Flush: Same-suited cards in sequence (10S, JS, QS), 40:1
• Suited Trips: a full triplet (10S, 10S, 10S), 100:1

All Bets Blackjack by Playtech has a Top 3 side bet that is a light version of the 21+3. In Top 3, there are three possible outcomes: Three of a Kind (90:1), Straight Flush (180:1), and Suited Three of a Kind (270:1).

Buster (BustIt)

A frequent bet found in some games by Evolution and Playtech. It can trigger a payoff only if the dealer busts and the following conditions must be in place:

• The dealer goes bust with 3 or 4 cards: 2:1
• 5 cards: 4:1
• 6 cards: 18:1
• 7 cards: 50:1
• 8+ cards: 250:1
• 7 cards and the player has blackjack: 800:1
• 8 cards and the player has blackjack: 2000:1

Lucky Lucky

This side bet is sometimes attached to online blackjack games. As for live blackjack, Lucky Lucky is a rare option. It involves three cards: two player’s and one dealer’s. This is how it pays out in winning rounds:

• 19 or 20 points: 2:1
• 21 points: 3:1
• 21 points made with suited cards: 15:1
• 6+7+8: 25:1
• 7+7+7: 50:1
• 6+7+8 of the same suit: 100:1
• 7+7+7 of the same suit: 200:1

Bet Behind feature in live casino blackjack

A standard live blackjack table has seven places for seated players unless we talk about common-draw variations where only one hand is on the table. So, a seven-seated live blackjack can accommodate just a few players. If the game is popular in a live blackjack online casino for real money, hundreds of players would want to join it and place bets. However, this would be impossible because of the seating capacity.

So many live games have introduced a Bet Behind feature that expands the table’s capacity unlimitedly. When players occupy all the seven places, the others who enter the game have two options: wait till someone leaves the table or choose to bet behind the main (seated) BJ player. If the latter option is preferable, the non-seated player places his chips on the outcome of the main player’s decisions.

This seemingly doubtful solution has an obvious benefit: If you know that a certain player is a real pro, you can bet behind him, knowing that he will play ideally, applying the basic strategy and thus maximising the return. When using the Bet Behind tool, you get the same payout as the seated guy; similarly, if he loses the round, you lose your chips, too.

Variations of live blackjack

Live blackjack comes in many variations that can differ in small aspects regarding the main decisions of a player. For example, one variation allows doubling down on all hands, while the other only allows on 9, 10, and 11. Most variations are played with a hole card, but some are of a no-hole-card type. Notably, every smallest rule change affects the game RTP to some extent. For example, the number of decks changes the house edge in the following way:

• 1 deck: +0.17%
• 2 decks: +0.46%
• 4 decks: +0.6%
• 6 decks: +0.64%
• 8 decks: +0.66%

It’s hard to say which version new players should prefer. We believe all hole-card variations where the dealer peeks for blackjack are easier. Some players also like Double Exposure variations, because it’s much easier to make a decision when the dealer’s both cards are face-up. Anyway, some of the most popular and frequent live blackjack variations you can find in the best live online casinos are reviewed below.

Important note: You will hardly ever know that the game you are going to open has American or European rules because live dealer blackjack games usually have generic, undescriptive titles.

American live blackjack

This is considered a classic blackjack game where the dealer peeks at the hole card, and some live games also offer late surrender. In fact, most games you can find in live casino lobbies (including mobile casinos) fall under the big category of American Live Blackjack. It is played with 6 or 8 decks. Live games of this type allow players to double down on any two cards, which increases the player’s edge by 0.1%—a tiny thing, but all blackjack changes have minor effects that finally make the difference when added.

Another good feature in American blackjack is that players can split their hands up to three times, thus getting a total of four hands. A typical RTP for this variation is 99.4%, provided a basic strategy is followed.

European live blackjack

This is a rare type of game, also known as Early Payout Blackjack. The latter is released by Ezugi. Here, the dealer has no hole card, so players do not know whether the dealer has blackjack or not until after they complete their hands fully. With this in view, all split and double-down moves are considered bad unless the game has an OBO rule. If so, a player will get back the best on split and double down in case the dealer and player have BJ. Another feature of European live blackjack is that the player’s and dealer’s blackjack is not a push. If both have 21, the dealer wins.

Compensating for these unfavourable rules is Early Surrender, which is offered in some live games on the dealer’s ace. If your hand is poor, e.g. 16, you should use the early surrender feature to get back half your initial bet. Just to recap, European live blackjack is pretty rare in online casinos. If you want to try it, open Ezugi’s library.

Spanish 21 blackjack

This variant stands out from the rest due to the absence of 10s in the decks, and this feature forces the player to tweak the strategy. Blackjack live online, based on the Spanish 21 rules, allows the player to double down on any two cards and also double down after splitting. Its high RTP (99.60%) makes it an excellent choice for all players; however, its controversial rules do not appeal to some players.

Common-draw live blackjack

The idea of common-draw games is that there is only one set of cards for one player. But this set is shared among all the connected players simultaneously. A good example is Multiplay Blackjack Live by Authentic Gaming. Here, the table features a single box for cards and chips. All players linked to the table can see the same picture, but there are no restrictions on how they can act with that hand. One player chooses to hit while others stand, and so on.

The best live blackjack casinos offer common-draw BJ with side bets, e.g. the one from Authentic has Perfect Pairs (25:1 max), 21+3 (100:1 max), Lucky Ladies (100:1), and three more. The natural blackjack payout is typically standard, at 3:2.

Live blackjack providers

If you visit 50 casinos and count all the live blackjack providers on each site, chances are you will have about a hundred providers in total. However, not all of them are frequent in casinos, which prefer high-quality games from well-known companies that are on everyone’s lips. So, you will hardly often see live games from Swintt (though they are pretty off-trail) but will come across blackjack tables from Evolution and Playtech in almost every real-money casino. Below, you can take a glimpse at some of the trendiest live game providers and their live blackjack games.

Evolution live blackjack

Evolution, the world’s leader in live game development, has released more than 10 blackjack games, most featuring more than ten tables, so when visiting the best online casinos, you can see over a hundred active tables from this superb trendsetter. They have a lineup of Classic Speed blackjack: 70+tables, including VIP editions with a $50 minimum bet. For those loving common-draw formats, take a look at their Power Blackjack and Infinite Blackjack. Evolution has numerous localised tables with non-English-speaking dealers, e.g., Spanish, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese. High rollers might want to join a Prive table, but first, make sure to have at least $6000 on the balance; otherwise, you may not enter.

Playtech live blackjack

Blackjack Live from this company is often a mix of blackjack and game show action, with many twists, special effects, and surprises. For starters, try All Bets Blackjack, a common-draw variation with five side bets, some of which are rare: Top 3 and Lucky Lucky. If a single table is not enough, click on ‘+Table’ at the top and add up to three extra tables to your device’s screen. Unique BJ action like no other is waiting for you in Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Live, where you collect achievements to trigger a bonus round and win one of five bonus multipliers. Other tantalising live blackjack games by Playtech are Quantum Blackjack and Majority Rules Speed Blackjack, to name a few.

LuckyStreak live blackjack

Live Blackjack by LuckyStreak is a classic American version, with the dealer peeking for natural blackjack. It comes with the Bet Behind and Pre-Decision features, speeding up the gameplay. Blackjack stats are the standout feature, as it shows each session's stats and success rate to the finest detail, e.g. how many hands you’ve won with Blackjack, Perfect Pairs, Split, etc. They have recently taken a stride forward in live blackjack’s playability on mobile devices, making it look perfect in portrait mode. Dealer stands on all 17s, and the max limit can be $5000 on some tables.

Vivo Gaming live blackjack

If you play live blackjack in a casino with global coverage, you can find four unique games by Vivo, including Turkish Blackjack with a Turkish croupier. Aesthetically, Vivo blackjack is not that impressive because most tables use a chroma key tech with Las Vegas or futuristic backstage that looks kind of weird. All games follow the American BJ rules, where the dealer peeks for BJ on 10s and Aces. Limitless Blackjack is a common-draw variation with the notorious 21+3 and PP side bets. There’s no full surrender option, but players holding a blackjack will be offered even money against the dealer’s ace. A player may split any pair (only once). Dealer stands on all 17s.

Pragmatic Play live blackjack

They are arguably the second-best after Evolution. The live vertical by Pragmatic Play boasts more than 100 blackjack tables representing about ten unique games: a Speed BJ lineup, Azure Blackjack, Ruby Blackjack, and so on. Some tables have no Bet Behind, so only 7 players can participate at a time. Some online casino operators are linked to Pragmatic’s Weekly Blackjack Tournament with 500 cash prizes up for grabs. The dealer peeks for blackjack and offers Insurance before that. No Surrender is available. Dealer stands on soft 17. All cards can be doubled down. Notably, live online blackjack from this studio comes up with a broad range of bet options, especially for high rollers.

Summary

Play live blackjack online if you want a better experience than all-virtual online blackjack found in most casinos. With the best live blackjack, you get the same decisions (Hist, Split, etc.), the same RTP (around 99%), but ten times more fun, adrenaline, and realism. Top live blackjack casinos feature dozens of blackjack tables with varying bet sizes, from half a dollar to thousands of dollars per hand. Along with main bets, live blackjack games have Perfect Pairs, Lucky Lucky, and other optional wagers that can add to your bankroll 1000:1 and higher. All games are optimised for an easy and finger-friendly mobile experience, and you can always go to the blackjack lobby and switch to another live blackjack to try something brand new and exciting.