Here’s How to Play Live Dealer Blackjack Online

In the past two decades, technology has completely changed the way we enjoy casino gambling. Today, it’s possible for players to play online Blackjack and all other casino games from the comfort of their homes.

While online Blackjack provides endless entertainment, some players still long for the real-life Blackjack tables at land-based gambling venues. Hence, many internet casinos now have live dealer Blackjack games that make for a more realistic and authentic Blackjack experience. Read on to know how to play this exciting new variation of Blackjack online.

Live dealer Blackjack basics

Live dealer Blackjack is basically a live version of the classic Blackjack game that has been popular throughout Blackjack history. As such, the basics and other rules of live dealer Blackjack are quite similar to that of traditional Blackjack, though they may vary slightly at some casinos.

In live dealer Blackjack, the numbered cards between 2 and 10 carry their face value. The picture cards – King, Queen and Joker – are valued as 10 in the game. Depending on the gameplay rules, the Ace is treated as either 1 or 11 here.

Depending on the live casino you choose to play at, live dealer Blackjack can have anywhere between 1 to 8 decks of 52 cards. In games with multiple decks, a card shuffling machine is used to shuffle the cards.

How to play live dealer Blackjack

As with several other casino games online, the gameplay of live dealer Blackjack starts with all the players placing a pre-defined wager. Then starting from the left, the dealer deals two cards to each player at the table. Here, the dealer also receives two cards. But one card of the dealer is face up while the other card is face down.

After all the players and the dealer have received their cards, the first player decides what to do with his hand. At this point, he can go with any of the following three options:

• Stand – In live dealer Blackjack, you can go with this option when you are content with your hand value and don’t want to receive any new card.
• Hit – To hit means to receive another card from the dealer to improve the value of your hand.
• Double down – With this betting option, the player opts to double down his initial bet and receives an additional card. Note that it’s mandatory to stand after receiving the extra card here.

Besides these, many live dealer Blackjack games offer the Blackjack surrender and Blackjack insurance betting options. What’s more, you can also find various side betting options like 21+3 and perfect pairs at the best mobile casino offering live dealer Blackjack games.

The layout and functions of live dealer Blackjack

As mentioned earlier, live dealer Blackjack is quite similar to Blackjack games available in brick-and-mortar casinos. The only major difference between the two exists in terms of playing experience. Below we’ve explained the various features of live dealer Blackjack:

Auto-generated tables

Live online casinos are renowned for their convenience and accessibility. With live gambling platforms, you can easily access live Blackjack and all other casino games 24×7. But in rare instances, the live casino tables can sometimes get full. To avoid such problems, some top live casinos offer auto-generated tables that come into play as soon as the seats get full.

Live chat

The main reason why casinos offer live dealer games is to provide players with a realistic gaming experience. So, it’s no surprise that live Blackjack games allow players to interact with the dealer and other players in real time. And this happens via the live chat feature.

Bet behind option

To make the overall gameplay more interesting, some software providers now include the bet behind betting option in their live dealer games. With that, players are allowed to place wagers on other player’s hand. It’s worth noting that the bet behind option is a part of several Blackjack tournaments.

Multi-table play

This is another great live dealer Blackjack feature that can be found at some top online live casinos. With the multi-table play option, players can wager on two, three or even four Blackjack tables at the same time. While novice players may find it somewhat overwhelming, multi-table play is quite popular among experienced casino players.

Card counting in live dealer Blackjack

As the gameplay of live dealer Blackjack takes place at a live studio in real-time, some players think that it’s possible to count cards and get an edge over the casino. But let us tell you that this conception is far from reality. In fact, several aspects of live dealer Blackjack are designed such that they deter card counting. Nevertheless, if you want to use a betting system, we suggest you go with the Blackjack basic strategy.