Live Blackjack

Live Blackjack is a relatively fast-paced game. While there are some rules to learn, these are very easy to pick up. This has helped aid the game’s popularity. On top of that, the game is very entertaining, with rounds over rather quickly, which means that you can get a good few rounds in each hour.

There is some strategy to this game too in knowing what cards are still to appear, and what your cards mean when compared to the dealer’s hand. However, it’s not an all-out strategy game like poker as it has some room for chance as well.

This makes it popular with a range of players — those who want to play for fun and lean on that element of chance, and those that want to take the game a bit further with some serious strategies to improve their winning chances.

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How to play

Depending on the version of Live Blackjack that you are playing, you will need at least six decks of cards. The dealer will deal two cards to each player, which the player can then look at. In this game, while there are up to eight players per table, players are only focusing on the dealer’s cards.

Players simply need to beat the dealer. However, the game also requires you to get cards that total, but do not exceed, the value of 21. If your cards exceed this value, but the dealer’s hand doesn’t, then the dealer still wins. Upon seeing your hand you can choose to fold straight away, stick or choose to get an extra card.

Depending on the version, there are specific rules as to when you should opt to take on extra cards and when you should simply stick with what you have.

Live Blackjack strategy

When it comes to blackjack, there are a surprisingly large number of different strategies out there that are aimed at getting you a win. However, not all of these will work. For a real enthusiast, there are actually tables full of blackjack strategies that you can learn.

These tables explain what move you should make for a massive range of card possibilities. However, there are a couple of very popular ones such as always doubling down on a hard 11 and always splitting a pair of 8s and Aces. Not all Live Blackjack games allow you to do these moves though.

Therefore, you will need to check which of these strategies are allowed.

The odds of winning at Live Blackjack

As with any casino game, the probability of winning at Live Blackjack does vary depending on the version being played. However, out of all the online casino games out there, Live Blackjack does have one of the better house edges.

In fact, Live Blackjack has a house edge that can be as little as just 0.5%, which means there’s a really good chance that you, as the player, can actually make some winnings.

Usually, though, Live Blackjack has a starting house edge of around 8%, which, through a number of strategies, you can actually reduce to have a better chance of success. The way to reduce the house edge is through the use of some of those aforementioned blackjack strategies.

But any special rules added to Live Blackjack variations will also affect it. For instance, a game that offers the double down feature can help to push things more in your favour.

Dictionary — get to know the lingo

If you’re looking to get into playing Live Blackjack in a serious way, then you need to understand some of the terminology that comes with it. For instance, the name blackjack is actually the hand that has a final value of 21.

Some other key phrases you need to know, especially when playing the game live, relate to the actions you can take with your cards. To bust is for the hand to exceed the value of 21 and therefore be out of the game. To stand is when you have been dealt your cards, but you choose not to take any more cards, keeping what you have.

To surrender is when you forfeit half the bet if you think you can’t beat the dealer (something not all Live Blackjack versions allow). A soft hand is one that has an Ace valued at 11 whereas a hard hand is one that does not have an ace in it at all.

Good to know — things to consider when playing Live Blackjack

There are a number of things to consider when playing Live Blackjack. First, as we outlined above, it’s important to understand the terminology that will be used throughout the game. It’s also a good idea to understand what some of the betting options are too.

For instance, to double down means to increase the amount of your bet by the same amount. This can be done when you get an additional card. It’s also a good idea to understand what splitting means. This is when you can make two hands out of a single hand, giving yourself an extra shot at winning the bet.

You can only split a hand when you have two equal value cards in that hand though. There are a number of rules as to when this is a good idea as we outlined in the section above.

Our thoughts about Live Blackjack

At the end of the day, Live Blackjack is a really fun game to play online. It combines the best parts of both the online and offline casino world. By playing it in live form, it gives you the chance to get that casino ambience, mix with other players and play a game at the pace it would be played in a land-based casino.

Playing this version also gives you the chance to learn the game in a more in-depth way. However, if you are trying to test out gaming strategies like card counting techniques, this can be a lot harder in the Live Blackjack setting — not that we really recommend trying this anyway.

Overall though, playing Live Blackjack is great fun. You should also make sure to check out the different live versions that are available.