FACT: The only Blackjack solution you should consider for playing online, is Live Dealer Blackjack at an online Live Casino.
In my opinion, there is no viable alternative.
Blackjack is designed to be played with Real Cards that are shuffled and dealt by a dealer at a real table.
So why would you not play with someone that you can interact with in real-time?
It’s a no-brainer. Online live casino blackjack with a live dealer is almost as good as playing in a real bricks-and mortar-casino.
Before you go off and play live blackjack, there are some subtle differences between the live dealer solutions that you should really know about. They can make a big difference in where you choose to play.
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Live casino blackjack is designed to give you a similar experience to playing the classic card game at a physical casino, and these days, thanks to improved internet technologies, it’s more real than ever.
The House Rules are EVERYTHING when it comes to Blackjack. Every Blackjack game is not the same. Understanding the differences will save you money, increase your enjoyment, and give you a better chance of beating the casino.
Features like the number of decks in play (6 or 8). Vegas or European Rules, and restrictions on Doubling and Splitting all contribute to the house edge. Make sure you understand them all and why they are important.
My perfect game online is 8 deck, played to Vegas Rules, with no restrictions on Doubles, the Dealer peeks for Blackjack, and Splits are allowed. I like to double on splits but I can’t play Ezugi Blackjack due to country restrictions, so I play at Evolution & Playtech Live Casinos.
Once you’ve learned the basics Blackjack is a great card game. It’s the only card game at Live Casinos where you are in control of the decision making process to play your hand. My playing guide will have you up and running in no time.
One of the most important skills to learn when playing live Blackjack is Basic Playing Strategy. It will help you extend the life of your bankroll and teach you decision making based on the cards you’ve been dealt. I explain how and provide some cheat sheets.
What constitutes The Best Blackjack Casinos will vary depending on your playing preferences. I believe the 6 casinos I’ve listed are the best in terms of game choice, reliability, fast withdrawals and the range of on table promotions.
Blackjack is not the same across every live casino software provider.
Check out my comparison of game rules and features by software type and a choice of casinos where you can play.
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Everyone is different in what they like. I have the perfect game for me and It’s at Leo Vegas.
I’ve compiled a list of my favourite live dealer blackjack casinos for each of the software suppliers, with their major game rules listed.
You can compare live casinos to see where you can play live blackjack and choose what’s best for you.
| Casino | Dedicated Tables | Decks | Side Bets | Euro Vegas | Dealer Peak BJ | Surrender | Double Back if Dealer BJ | Split a Split | Double a Split | Even Money Dealer BJ Player BJ | Multi Hand | Splits back if Dealer BJ | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Evolution |  | 8 | BB/21+3/PP/BustIt/Hot3 | Vegas | |  | | | | | | | Goto Casino |
 Pragmatic Play | | 8 | BB/21+3/PP | Vegas | | | | | | | | | Goto Casino |
 Ezugi | | 8 | BB/21+3/PP | Vegas | | | | | | | | | Goto Casino |
 Pragmatic | | 8 | 21+3 / PP / BB | Vegas | | | | | | | | | Goto Casino |
 Playtech | | 8 | BB/21+3/PP | Both | On Vegas | | | | | | | | Goto Casino |
As I’ve mentioned above, not all live blackjack games are the same.
There are some common elements. All online live dealer Blackjacks pays 3:2 for a BJ and Insurance pays 2:1.
That’s pretty much where the common element’s end as each of the Live Casino platform providers has developed their own playing rules.
There are a full rundown and comparison of each of the rules on my Blackjack Features page. It also contains a complete list of the casinos where you can play that particular software.
If you’re not sure how to play live blackjack, the first thing you need to know is that, generally, there are three versions of live casino blackjack – 7 Seat Blackjack, Unlimited Blackjack, and different variations of Blackjack.
Here, we’re going to look at them in detail.
This is the more traditional game, where there are seven playing positions on a table.
You play with other people, and it’s essentially the same game you’ll find in land-based casinos.
You place your initial bet and the live dealer deals everyone two cards. Depending on the rules (European or Vegas), the dealer will take one or two cards.
Each player takes it, in turn, to play their hand, until they either stand or bust out.
The dealer is the last to play his hand. When his hand is completed, it’s compared to all the players’ hands and those beating him will be paid out.
There are some obvious issues with 7 seat Blackjack, especially when you’re offering it to an almost unlimited number of players over the internet.
The Seven seats fill up quickly, so the live casino operators have four options at their disposal to enable players to play:
This is a game where only one player’s hand is dealt. This allows the casino to offer blackjack to an unlimited number of players. Each player plays the hand as if it was his own. When all players have completed their hand the dealer will complete his and payout those players that beat him. There are a few differences with this version over 7 Seat Blackjack:
The third category of live Blackjack is the variation games
These are games based on Blackjack but have been modified in some way to provide a slightly different playing experience.
Typically these varieties have rule changes, additional features, and changes in the card decks used.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
A new trend for live casino games has been the introduction of win Multipliers, where a feature in the game boosts the payout.
Playtech is the first to introduce multipliers for Blackjack, with its Quantum Blackjack Plus. It’s possible to get a payout of 50x your initial bet.
The game rules have been changed slightly, so the dealer now pushes on a 3 card bust, which may not sound much but does have an impact on your hand.
The rule change and multipliers also challenge the way you play some hands. It’s quite likely you’ll not follow the basic strategy if you have a multiplier card in your hand.
Power Blackjack has a different set of playing rules from regular Blackjack.
Power Blackjack also has four optional side bets.
It’s always nice to get something for nothing, and with Free Bet Blackjack you get Free Doubles and Splits.
Nothing is ever free though, and you pay for these with a rule change for this game. When the dealer Busts on 22 all winning player bets are “pushed” and not paid as wins.
This reduces the overall RTP for the game to 98.45%, whereas normal Blackjack pays 99.28%.
Free bet Blackjack has been created as a one to many game and is only available at Evolution Live Dealer Casinos.
If you want to play a standard game of Blackjack, but get Multipliers from 2x up to 25x on each winning hand, then Lightning Blackjack is the game for you.
With an RTP of 99.59%, this really is one of the better paying Blackjacks.
The game is played exactly the same as normal Blackjack, but you’ll need to pay a Lightning fee equal to the amount of the main bet before each game round.
There are no side bets, but play is on an unlimited table, so everyone gets to play.
Majority Rules Speed Blackjack is a two-handed unlimited game of blackjack, with a difference.
Playing decisions are made by either following Blackjack Basic Strategy or by the Majority Vote of players playing a hand.
A Majority vote can only happen if the hand is being played by more than three players, otherwise, decisions revert to basic strategy.
It’s a lightning-quick game, so you need to keep your wits about you.
Majority Decisions are not necessarily the best decisions – the more players playing the hand the greater the chances of a good decision being made.
Not really suited to beginners this game will plug a game in the market.
Cashback Blackjack is an innovation from Playtech where players can cash out or surrender their hand at any point during the game before the dealer plays his hand.
The cash-in value changes, depending on the visible cards on the table and can change as players take more cards.
The game can be played by an unlimited number of players and is unique in online live casinos.
Unlike Blackjack Surrender where you can only surrender your hand if the dealer is showing an Ace, Cashback Blackjack offers greater flexibility.
It’s played with eight decks to Vegas rules, with 6 optional side bets.
The RTP is pretty good at 99.59%.
Blackjack Switch Live is only available from one live casino provider, Betconstruct.
It’s a variant of Live Blackjack, where the player is dealt two hands. He is able to switch the second cards on each hand if he wants and go on to play them as separate hands.
The rules have been adjusted slightly to accommodate this feature.
The dealer will Push any player wins if he busts with 22 in his hand, while Blackjack payouts have been modified to pay 1:1 rather than the expected 3:2.
There are two side bets – Super Match and Perfect 4, with each using all four player cards in their calculations.
Blackjack Switch has an RTP of 99.80%.
This is where you’re allowed to play multiple seats/hands at the same seven-seat table.
You’re often restricted to the number of hands you can play. At busy times, the casinos will switch off this function.
You’re able to play multiple tables at the same casino at the same time.
A number of the game interfaces have a multi-table capability where you can display up to four tables at one time on your screen.
Playing at multiple tables can be an acquired taste, so I suggest you try using the layout before committing yourself. I find it too stressful and only play one table at a time.
Special side bets can be played alongside the main hand and are offered by most, if not all, the software providers.
The reason not everyone has them is down to licensing, as it’s costly for the casinos.
The RTP for standard Live Blackjack is 99.5%. As games go this has the best RTP of any casino game out there.
Remember, though, that this figure relates to games played from over 100,000 hands.
You should not use this as an indicator that if you have £100 and play 10 hands at £10, you’ll end up with £99.50 after those 10 hands. It just doesn’t work like that.
One of the great things about playing live dealer blackjack and what makes the difference between an average playing session and a good one is the Dealer. You can choose to play at casinos that have:
You can’t underestimate the dealer’s role in providing a great playing experience.
I’ve spoken to a number who work at live casinos (check out my Inside Live Casinos section for my interviews with live dealers). All of them mention the players and the on-screen relationships they build with people, many of them refer to players as their “friends”.
I love live dealer blackjack; it’s my favourite table game. I’ve learned through trial and error that there are many things that make up a great game:
I’ve also learned that I like to change where I play depending on my mood.
I’ve collected a lot of information that you can use to make an informed choice of where to play.
If you don’t want to play, then hopefully you’ve learned something that you didn’t already know.
You can check out my live casino reviews or my individual Blackjack reviews for Playtech, Evolution & Pragmatic for more information.
If this is all too much and you just want to play at a great live casino then Leo Vegas and VBet Casino are my picks.
You can also play live blackjack for free to practice your skills.
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