Updated: 2024Top Casinos with Live Dealer Blackjack
Live blackjack has been taking the casino industry by storm since it came into existence at the live casinos. It is one of the most popular table games, which combines elements of skill and luck.
With the lowest house edge among table games, blackjack is appealing to beginners as well as experienced gamblers in the UK.
What is Live Blackjack?
Live blackjack is available via the web at online casinos, where you can play blackjack with a live dealer. Most often, the blackjack table and the dealer are set in an actual casino, with various camera angles to give the most realistic casino experience possible.
Sometimes it can be set outside a casino, in a studio but with the same casino presentation. You can even interact live with the dealer via the chat box.
You can play one on one with the dealer or there may be other players around the table. Live blackjack tables come in a variety of minimum and maximum betting limits, so there’s something for everyone to choose from.
The classic blackjack uses the international 52 card deck without the jokers. Through the years, online casino operators have produced new and exciting versions of blackjack much to the pleasure of players.
Live Blackjack Gameplay Rules
The fundamental idea of live blackjack is to create a hand whose points amount to 21 or as close to 21 without going over (bust).
Games are played using eight decks of 52 playing cards. You are initially dealt a hand of 2 cards while the dealer gets one card face up and one card face down.
From this point begins a series of possible options you have available to play a rewarding hand and have a chance to beat the dealer.
Card Values
In live blackjack, the numbered cards assume their face value. The Jack, King, and Queen count as 10 points. An ace counts either as a 1 or 11, depending on the other card.
For example, if you have an ace and a 2, the ace automatically counts as 11. If the ace value of 11 would make the hand go bust, the ace is automatically counted as one.
Hard and Soft Hands
In blackjack, you can have a hard or soft hand. The difference lies in whether the hand has an ace (soft) or does not (hard). As mentioned above, the ace can have two values, as such the total points of the hand can fluctuate.
A hard hand does not have an ace in it. There is only one possible total value for the hand.
A hand with a 10 and a 5 will always be 15 points.
A soft hand has an ace in it so it could have two values. A soft hand cannot go bust from its first hit, as the ace would take its lower value.
For example, a hand with an ace and a 4 is a soft 15. The blackjack live online dealer will refer to this hand as a 5 or 15.
Hitting and Standing
This is the crucial decision the game of live blackjack revolves around. It can lead to a winning or losing hand.
Hitting – a hit means that you want another card on top of your current hand. You can ask for a hit as many times as you think it gives you a chance of getting your hand closer or equal to 21.
Standing – when you opt to stand, it means that you are content with your current hand as is. Players usually stand when they think their hand has a good chance of winning or if they think there is a bigger chance of going over 21 if they ask for a hit.
Deciding to hit or stand depends on your hand on deck, as well as the dealer’s face-up card. Depending on the dealer’s card that shows, there are some recommendations.
| Dealer’s face up card | Player’s recommendations |
| Ace | Possibly the worst case scenario since the blackjack live dealer has a better chance of drawing cards without going over 21. You have to play aggressive and try to get a hand of 17 or higher to improve your winning chance, but still, the dealer remains favourite to win the hand. |
| 10, J, Q , K | Another scenario where you need a strong hand of 17 or more. You should hit if you have 16 or less but stand on 17 or more. It is a tricky situation as the dealer has a good chance of hitting 20 or 21. |
| 7, 8, 9 | Your chances of winning are better in this case. As above, hit on anything below 17 and stand on 17 or higher. |
Live Blackjack Doubling Down
Doubling down is used when you think you have a solid chance of winning the hand. It is a move made in favourable conditions, where you double your original stake for a single card.
You should take advantage of this ‘money’ move in live blackjack as it is an opportunity that can be used to benefit your potential winnings.
If you are uncomfortable losing more money and the amount worries you, then you are at a table with higher stakes than you can afford. You should just find another one that accepts lower bets.
Some favourable conditions where you should really consider doubling down in a live dealer casino blackjack:
| Your cards | Dealer’s face up card |
| Hard 9. | Low cards, anything below 7 but not an Ace. |
| Soft 16 to 18. | In between 2 and 6. |
| Hard 10 or 11. | Lower than your hand. |
Live Blackjack Splitting
In almost all live blackjack versions, when you are dealt a pair (two cards of the same value), you have the choice to split them into two different hands.
Your bet is doubled and you are then dealt two more cards, one for each hand. You then have two separate chances to beat the live blackjack dealer.
You can also take it a step further. After splitting the original pair, if you are dealt another pair in one of the hands, you can split that as well. Your original bet will triple, but you will also have three different chances at a winning hand.
It is extremely important to have a clear idea of when you should split pairs in blackjack, especially if you are looking to earn some profit. Considering there are only 10 card values in the game, it shouldn’t be too hard to memorize different scenarios and know what you should do.
| Always split | Maybe split | Never split |
| Aces | 2s, 3s or 7s if the dealer’s face up card is a 7 or lower | Pair of 10s |
| Pair of 8s If you split a pair of aces or 8s and are dealt another pair of aces or 8s, always re-split | 6s if the dealer’s face up card is from 2 to 6 | Pair of 4s |
| 9s if the dealer’s face up card is 2 through 6, 8, 9 | Pair of 5s |
Minimum and Maximum Bets
The bet limits vary from table to table and from casino operator to casino operator. Generally speaking, the minimum limits tend to be higher in live blackjack than just the online version without the dealer.
Minimum bets usually range from £5 to £10. But you will find some online casinos that offer live blackjack tables with lower bets, such as Paddy Power with £3 minimum.
Maximum bets usually range from £1000 up to £5000. These depend on the casino provider and also higher amounts are allowed for players’ part of their VIP or Loyalty programs.
Whether you are a low or high roller, you can see how bet limits can fluctuate from a couple of pounds to thousands of pounds depending on the online casino. So do take the time to look up these limits before deciding on the place to play live blackjack. Sometimes these limits can be quite hard to find out, so don’t hesitate to contact the casino directly, especially since most of them have live chat support.
Live Blackjack Bonuses
In the online casino industry, casino bonuses such as sign-up, reload, no-deposit and cashback are typical.
However, when it comes to bonuses for live blackjack, you will have to dig around a little deeper to find some that covers your preferred game type. That is because live blackjack has the lowest house edges so it would be a high risk for online casinos to offer a generous bonus.
More often than not, a welcome bonus comes attached to wagering requirements. Wagering requirements are the number of times a player has to roll over the deposit amount in order to withdraw any potential winnings.
For example: a sign-up bonus might sound like, “100% match up bonus up to £100 with 40x wagering requirements”. That means that if you deposit £100, you will receive a £100 bonus. But you would have to stake £4,000 (£100 x 40) before you could withdraw your funds.
LeoVegas Live Blackjack Bonus
For example, Leo Vegas offers a matched first deposit bonus with 100% contributions for live blackjack. It does have a 70x bonus amount wagering requirement though, which is pretty high.
Betfair Live Blackjack Bonus
Betfair offers a matched first deposit with 30x wagering requirements but only 50% of live blackjack contributes towards that. This basically brings the wagering requirements to 60x.
It is crucial to read the terms and conditions of each available bonus. They may seem very generous but once you read over their fine print, you might change your mind.
