If you've ever played blackjack online before, I think you'd agree that you're always wondering:
Live Blackjack games stream from a casino studio to your computer with real dealers and cards. It’s the best way to play 21 online and get an authentic gambling experience. Our guide gives you the best live dealer blackjack casinos for real money.We’ll show you how to start playing online, what to expect on the stream, and give you info so you can make better bets. Cherry Red Casino. Cherry Red Casino is frequently mentioned in the blogs of online casino fans.
Is this game rigged?
- Online Live Blackjack; Live dealer blackjack is a variation of blackjack which allows gamblers to experience playing real blackjack online. Instead of visiting a land-based casino, players can live stream the game from casinos that offer live blackjack online games. Online Blackjack Gambling. There are a lot of casino sites for players on the.
- Evolution Live Blackjack is the fastest, slickest, richest-featured online Blackjack game available anywhere. Everything’s optimised perfectly for the best possible playing experience on desktop, tablet and smartphone – and on the largest selection of live tables or at dedicated tables created exclusively for any operator. Our numerous Blackjack variants meet the needs of both.
How different is this compared to playing at the casino?
Well online casinos have heard your thoughts and have come up with a solution to ease your concerns by providing a much moretransparent and real experience to substitute that annoying RNG dealer.
Live blackjack dealers.
In this article we're going to look at how live blackjack works, how they compare to RNG blackjack and where you can playsafely for real money.
Live Dealer Blackjack Sites
Live Blackjack for US Players
Bovada
As seen in our complete review of Bovada, they are the most recommended casino for US players due totheir longstanding reputation.
They currently use Visionary iGaming software to power their live dealers which has a decent selection of live games as wellas mobile compatibility.
BetOnline
While we didn't review them as high as Bovada, BetOnline are a decent alternative and utilize the exactsame software (Visionary iGaming). Established since 2004, their reputation took a hit in 2017 but they have bounced back strong and have provided a great service ever since.
Their live blackjack options include:
SportsBetting.ag
While not as well known as the above two options, SportsBetting.ag is a sister site to BetOnline and offers the exact sameservice but with a different skin/layout.
Their live blackjack options include:
Is Live Blackjack Legal in the US?
Live Blackjack for UK Players
888 Casino
One of the most reputable brands in UK since 1997, 888 casino uses Evolution Gaming software to power it's live dealers which allows them toprovide an impressive 50+ blackjack tables.
888 also provide private blackjack tables to assure that no matter how busy their site is, there is always a table to playlive blackjack on.
Their tables include:
Casino Cruise
A relatively new casino to the industry (established since 2014), we have decided to list them here because they have builtquite the reputation for providing a great all around service.
They primariy use Evolution Gaming software to power their live dealer games however they also use Net Entertainment as wellto add more diversity to their live dealer gaming catalogue
Their live blackjack options include:
Live Blackjack for Canadians
888 Casino
One of the most reputable global online casino brands, their presence in Canada certainly doesn't fall short from high expectations. 888 casino uses Evolution Gaming software to power it's live dealers which allows them toprovide an impressive 50+ blackjack tables.
888 also provide private blackjack tables to assure that no matter how busy their site is, there is always a table to playlive blackjack on.
Their tables include:
Mr Green Casino
Mr Green Casino is fast becoming one of the most popular live blackjack destinations for Canadian gamblers. Their slick and modern interface makes for a very seamless experience with a combination of multiple software providers bringing a large diversity of games.
Their live blackjack options are powered by both Evolution Gaming and Net Entertainment to bring the best experience possible for it's customers
Their live blackjack options include:
Is Live Blackjack Legal in the Canada?
Live Blackjack for Aussies
BitStarz
BitStarz uses Evolution Gaming software and provides a great diversity of blackjack tables in a variety of betting ranges.Boasting over 50 tables for live blackjack alone, they also have live dealers for Baccarat, Roulette, Pokerand various other novelty games. Their live dealer experience is top notch and they also have a if you wantto try Their customer support is impeccable
Their live blackjack options include:
Joe Fortune
While not as entertaining as BitStarz, Joe Fortune provides an alternative live dealer experience targeted towards the limitedAustralian Market. Powered by Bodog software, they offer 19 different live blackjack tables of varying bettingranges as well as Roullette and Baccarat.
Their live blackjack options include:
How Does Live Blackjack Work?
The latest evolution of online casino gaming allows you to play blackjack against a real physical dealer which you can seeover a live video stream in real time.
So just like visiting the local casino, the live action thrill is much more present as you can chat and interact with not only the dealer, but otherplayers and viewers on the table.
All of this is provided to you through a live stream on your desktop or mobile device however the dealer, and any other playerswill NOT be able to see you which should ease any privacy concerns.
All of the actions the dealer makes are visible and as he/she deals the cards, you will prompted on your screen on what optionsto take. This is achieved through microchips that are attached to each card so the software knows what the valuesare and can track your chosen actions accordingly.
RNG Blackjack vs Live Blackjack
RNG Blackjack
RNG (Random Number Generated) blackjack are the standard computerised games that are found at all online casinos.
These are powered by software that perform intricate mathematical algorithms to simulate the shuffling of multiple cardsso that the result is a fair system that mimics playing with actual cards.
The benefits of playing RNG blackjack is that you can play at a much faster pace (or slower if you prefer) than normal andmost online casinos offer a multitude of variations to choose from.
Now is it possible for these type of games to be rigged? Absolutely. This is why we list reputable online casinos only on blackjackinfo where their games are audited by third parties to ensure fairness.However, the live blackjack option certainly does give more comfort because you can visually see the cards beingdealt by a human dealer
Live Blackjack
Live dealer blackjack allows you to play against a human dealer in real time so there is no RNG used. The gamingexperience is much more realistic as you can interact with the dealer and other players on the table through alive chat function.
The negative aspect of live blackjack is that you can't decide how fast/slow a pace you want to play because there are otherplayers on the table waiting for you to make a decision. Each casino will have some sort of visual indicator toshow you how much time you have remaining to make a decision. If time expires then the lack of response is interpretedas a stand.
Also note that streaming the live feed of the dealer requires a lot of data so be sure to have a stable and fast internetconnection or it may turn out to be a more frustrating experience instead.
Live Blackjack Variations
Just like in normal RNG online blackjack, the type of live blackjack variation and rules offered depends on the softwareprovider the casino chooses to use.
Live Blackjack Software Compared
| Playtech Live Gaming | Evolution Gaming | Net Entertainment | Extreme Live Gaming | Visionary iGaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tables | 100+ | 100+ | 10+ | 20+ | 20+ |
| Blackjack Pays | 3:2 | 3:2 | 3:2 | 3:2 | 3:2 |
| Decks | 8 | 8 | 6 (Mid-shoe machine reshuffle) | 8 | 6 (Shuffle Master i-Shoe) |
| Dealer Hits Soft 17 | |||||
| Double | Any 2 | Any 2 | Any 2 | Any 2 | Any 2 |
| Double After Split | |||||
| Hit After Splitting Aces | |||||
| Resplit Allowed | |||||
| Surrender Allowed | |||||
| Insurance Offered | |||||
| House Edge | 0.48% | 0.73% | 0.44% | 0.62% | 0.69% |
| Min. & Max. Bet Range | £/$5-£/$20k | £/$3 - £/$20k | £/$5 - £/$10k | £/$5 - £/$10k | $0.50 - $2.5k(early payout tables) $5 - $100(Blackjack HD & American Blackjack) |
| Languages | English Russian French Spanish Italian Romanian Mexican-Spanish Mandarin | English Danish Swedish German Flemish Finnish Norwegian French Spanish | English German Dutch Italian Norwegian | English Italian German | English Spanish |
| Studio Locations | Spain Belgium Latvia Philippines Romania | Live studios: Malta Latvia Romania Canada Land Based Casino Stream Locations: Belgium Spain USA | Malta | London Gibraltar | San Jose Costa Rica |
Let's go over a few of the popular providers so you can see the difference
Visionary iGaming
Here are the rules for the regular table :· Blackjack pays 3:2
· Dealer hits on soft seventeen
· Peek
· Late surrender
· Double any two cards
· Play of multiple hands is allowed
The house edge for this game is 0.58%. While late surrender and the ability to double after you split are nice, the dealer choosing to hit on soft seventeen is a significant disadvantage for the player.
There is also the option to back bet behind other players, but this is generally not recommended because if they make a poor decision you are stuck with their choice.
'>Blackjack
However unlike most other blackjack unlimited implementations, the player’s options are slightly limited as you are unable to take more cards than basic strategy dictates. So you are allowed to stay when basic strategy urges a hit, but you are not allowed to hit when basic strategy tells you to stay.
This version is called early payout because you also have the option to exit the hand prematurely and get paid a certain amount. Presumably the payout option is always less than the expectation of the hand and the player should refrain from taking it, although if the payout is close to expectation it is possible that some hands (stiffs for example) might eventually become worth less than the payout at higher counts.
Compared to other online live dealer games, the Early Payout game allows players to play a lot of hands per hour. You can play three hands simultaneously, and you get in significantly more rounds per hour as well.
The rules are as follows:
- Total Decks – 6
- No Peek
- Deal Hits on Soft 17
- No resplitting allowed
- Double on any 2 cards
- Insurance pays 2:1
The house edge of this blackjack variation comes to about 0.69%
'>Early Payout Blackjack
Visionary iGaming is the only software provider that powers the live dealer games of all US casinos and interestingly usesonly 6 decks as opposed to the usual 8 seen in other providers.
They have two variatons called Normal and Early Payout which also allow for Side Bets which can make things interesting.You can read more about Visionary iGaming here. They have a house edge of around 0.58% (RTP 94.2%) for their regular tables.
Evolution Gaming
The rules are as follows:- Uses classic seven seat tables
- Cards are dealt from an 8 deck shoe
- Shoe is manually shuffled (around halfway through)
- US style deal (dealer cards are one face down, one face up)
- Dealer must stand on all 17’s
- Doubling after splitting is permitted
- Doubling any two cards is permitted
- No hit on split Aces (one card per Ace only)
- Re-splitting is not permitted
- Insurance is available
- Bet Behind is available
- Side bets available: 21+3, Perfect Pairs
With these rules in mind, the house edge comes out to be 0.73%. The 21+3 side bet house edge is 6.29% and the Pairs side bet house edge is 4.10%. They also provide a feature called pre-decision where you can, similarly to poker, make a decision while waiting for your turn to speed things up.
'>Blackjack
These are generally low stakes (£0.50 – £25) tables with 7 seats available although an unlimited amount of viewers are allowed to bet behind any player they choose.
'>Blackjack Party
My personal favourite, Evolution Gaming has live dealer studios based in Latvia and are known for providing highly energeticand entertaining dealers. Their platform was built specifically to provide casinos with live dealer games.
While Blackjackinfo is filled with information about strategy, sometimes all you want is fun and Evolution Gaming poweredcasinos are the best at providing an entertaining live blackjack experience.
They use 8 decks and have a house edge of about 0.73% (RTP 99.27%) with the options for side bets called Perfect Pairs and21 + 3. You can read more details about their rules and variations in our complete review here.
Playtech
Streaming directly out of Playtech’s Riga studio, Playtech Grand Blackjack, along with Playtech Royale Blackjack uses the US style of blackjack deal. Grand Blackjack is available 24/7 and is a multiplayer 7 seat game.Playtech Grand Blackjack rules include:
- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- Dealer must stand on all 17’s
- Double after split is permitted
- Doubling any two cards is permitted
- Hitting on split Aces is not permitted
- Re-splits are not permitted
- Insurance is available
- Side bets on offer include: 21+3 and Perfect Pairs
- Bet behind is available
- 10 Card Charlie applies
- House edge: 0.48578%
Grand Blackjack
Playtech Blackjack VIP rules include:
- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- European style of blackjack deal
- Dealer must stand on all 17’s
- Doubling after split is permitted
- Doubling any two cards is permitted
- Hitting on split Aces is permitted
- Re-splits are not permitted
- Insurance is available
- 10 Card Charlie applies
- Bet behind is available
- House edge: 0.29593%
Blackjack VIP
Playtech Lounge Blackjack rules include:
- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- Dealer must stand on all 17’s
- Doubling after split is permitted
- Doubling any two cards is permitted
- Hitting on split Aces is not permitted
- Re-splits are not permitted
- Insurance is offered
- Side bets are offered including: 21+3 and Perfect Pairs
- 10 Card Charlie applies
- Bet behind is available
- House edge: 0.48768%
Lounge Blackjack
Playtech Blackjack Soho rules include:
- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- Dealer must stand on all 17’s
- Doubling after split is permitted
- Doubling any two cards is permitted
- Hitting on split Aces is not permitted
- Re-splits are not permitted
- Side bets offered including: 21+3
- Bet behind available Player Pair, Dealer pair, 21+3
- House edge: 0.48578%
Blackjack Soho
Playtech Blackjack Soiree rules include:
- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- Minimum bet is set at £/€/$50
- Maximum bet is set at £/€/$10,000
- Dealer window is 30 minutes
- Players can request a new dealer after 30 minutes or keep the same dealer
- Players can request a shoe change via the dedicated Playtech Blackjack Soiree Host
- Players can request the shoe be reshuffled
- Side bets are available including 21+3 and Perfect Pairs
- Insurance is available
- Blackjack pays 3:2
- Multi seat
- Bet behind available
- US style of blackjack deal
Soriee Blackjack
Playtech Royale Blackjack rules include:
- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- American dealing style
- Multi-seat
- Bet behind available
- Blackjack pays out 3:2
- Insurance pays out 2:1
- Side bets available including 21+3 and Perfect Pair
- Dealer must stand on all 17’s
- Doubling any two cards is permitted
- Insurance is available
- House edge: 0.48578%
Royale Blackjack
Playtech Transylvania Blackjack rules include:
- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- Dealer must stand on all 17’s
- Doubling after split is permitted
- Doubling any two cards is permitted
- Hitting on split Aces is not permitted
- Re-splits are not permitted
- Insurance is offered
- Side bets are offered including: 21+3 and Perfect Pairs
- 10 Card Charlie applies
- European betting style
- Bet behind is available
- House edge: 0.48768%
Transylvania Blackjack
- The game automatically splits certain hands
- In the case of a split, you have the option to split or to fold
- If you fold your bet will be returned to you minus 20%
Additional rules in Playtech Unlimited Blackjack:
- Dealer draws until 16 and always stands on any 17
- Re-splitting is not permitted
- Only one extra card is drawn for split Aces
- Doubling after splitting is permitted
- Dealer does not check for blackjack in any case
- When doubling: If the dealer gets blackjack, you lose both your bets if the dealers first card is of 11 value (ace).
- You get your double bet back if the dealer fist card is value 10 (dealer gets blackjack)
Unlimited Blackjack
Playtech have been a software provider for online casinos since 1999 and have rapidly expanded their catalogue to includelive dealers.
To stand out from it's competitors, Playtech look to be the first in implementing live blackjack dealers for specific languages.They currently have a staggering 500 dealers who are well trained and cater to audiences from the UK, Italy, Spainand Romania.
They have several blackjack variations but their regular tables use 8 decks with the option to sidebet on Perfect Pairs.
Sparing no expense, Playtech built a large studio of 8,500 square metres in Latvia back in February 2017 and have clearlyset their goal to be the leader in the live dealer space.
Extreme Live Gaming
Extreme Live Gaming Blackjack rules are as follows:- Uses an 8 deck shoe
- Vegas rules apply (2 cards for dealer)
- Dealer offers insurance on ace up card before checking for blackjack
- Insurance pays 2:1
- Blackjack pays 3:2
- Tied blackjack is pushed
- Dealer must stand on all 17s
- Players can split pairs
- Split pairs can get unlimited cards
- Split Aces can only get one card each
- Any pair may be re-split
- Aces can only be split once
- Players can split any two cards of the same rank
- Double down on any first two cards
- Doubling down not permitted after split
The house edge comes to 0.62%
'>Blackjack
Founded in 2013, Extreme Live Gaming has a studio based in London and offers live blackjack with 8 decks similarly to otherproviders.
What sets them apart however is their 'LiveBox' product which streams a feed from an actual land based casino where you canplace bets alongside people inside the venue itself.
Unfortunately this is only available for their roulette games but it will be interesting if they ever provide this experiencefor blackjack at some stage
Ezugi
This is the classic blackjack that is utilized at most online casinos using Ezugi and has tables with various betting ranges from €10 – €1,000, €20 – €2,000 and €50 – €5,000. The house edge with the most optimal strategy is at a very low 0.11% due to the early surrender option that is rarely seen anywhere.- Dealer stands on soft 17
- Early surrender against ace available
- Eight decks
- Dealer peeks for blackjack with aces
- Doubles possible on any two cards.
- Doubles after a split is possible
- Re-splitting not allowed
- Back betting is allowed
- Insurance for blackjack is available
Extra Features:
- 21+3 Side Bets
- Perfect Pair Side Bets
- Bet Behind
American Blackjack
The rules for Ezugi’s European Blackjack are as follows:
- Dealer stands on soft 17
- Early surrender against ace available
- Six decks
- Dealer peeks for blackjack with aces
- Doubles only possible on hard 9, 10, & 11
- Doubles after a split is possible
- Insurance for Blackjack is available
Extra Features:
- 21+3 Side Bets
- Perfect Pair Side Bets
- Bet Behind
European Blackjack
This does have a minor 0.05% increase in the house edge bringing the house edge of Hybrid Blackjack to 0.59% assuming that you employ basic strategy. Unlike Blackjack Unlimited, where there is only one hand played, with Hybrid Blackjack you have a full table but players can bet on existing spots and control their hand’s destiny without being forced to follow the decisions of the spot holder.
'>Hybrid Blackjack
Despite the fact that everyone is playing the same hand, people are allowed to play their own hand how they want it and if they choose to stay while someone else chooses to hit that card does not affect them. The rules for Ezugi’s Blackjack Unlimited are as follows
- Dealer Stands on Soft Seventeen
- Double After Split Allowed
- One Card Only to Split Aces
- Eight Decks
- Double Any Two Cards
- European No Hole Card
- No Surrender
- Blackjack Pays 3:2
- Insurance available
Extra Features:
- 21+3 Side Bets
- Perfect Pair Side Bets
- Bet Behind
One advantage to the Blackjack Unlimited variant is the game speed. Because there is only one hand to play rounds are significantly faster than at a normal table. Unfortunately, they do cut off what appears to be three decks out of eight.
The documentation suggests a house edge of 0.43%, which is not accurate unless the dealer peeks for blackjack. Assuming you can resplit to four hands and the game is played with the European No Hole Card rule the house edge is actually 0.54%
The house edge on the Perfect Pair side bet is 4.1% and 6.29% for the 21+3 side bet.
'>Unlimited 21 Blackjack – Auto Split
Offering a variety of different themed tables, Ezugi has some great options when it comes to live blackjack.
In fact, they are one of the only providers who offer the early surrender option which can be found in any of their American Blackjack tables with a very low 0.11% house edge
You can read more about Ezugi and their catalogue of games here
Is Live Blackjack Rigged?
Considering all actions the dealer makes is visible to multiple players/viewers, it would be extremely difficult for a casinoto rig blackjack.
HOWEVER:
Having said that there was an incident that went viral in February 2017 where video footage of a dealer dealing cards in a peculiar mannerlead many to believe BetOnline was intentionally cheating.
There is no concrete evidence that this was either an accident made by the dealer or purposeful second dealing. It does makeyou wonder though, since it's so easy to record video footage of gameplay, why would a casino even attempt to rigtheir games in a manner like this?
Live Blackjack FAQ
No. While they all practically offer the normal RNG style blackjack, it takes a lot of resourcesto provide a solution for live blackjack so many of the smaller casinos are unable to provide it
No. Casinos have shuffle policies in place to avoid players gaining any advantage through card counting. Blackjackapprenceship.com has a great article about this as to why it's not effective
Yes. Although the interface can get a little bit annoying on a small screen, there are several casinosthat do provide live blackjack solutions for mobile
If you've ever been curious where twitch streamer sodapoppin plays, he plays at BetOnline which is a US casino brand.
While there is no definitive winning strategy, you can still apply our basic blackjack strategy charts to avoid any mistakes.
Live Blackjack Game
My Live Blackjack Sites site is a vehicle for me to record what I think about the live casinos I’ve played and an opportunity for me to relay my experiences at the tables so that maybe other players, inexperienced or otherwise, can get a real player’s opinion of the options that are now available online.
I’m one of those people that has always been a little sceptical of gambling against computers which is why I’ve always preferred to play blackjack at land based casinos. The advent of Live online Casinos has changed that for me. I now really enjoy playing blackjack against live dealers and at a number of different live casinos.
The site primarily consists of individual live casino reviews, accompanied by my own thoughts on each casino, the dealers and the games. Aside from looking at the live blackjack games on offer, I also delve into the customer support side of each casino which to be honest, is where the main differences come to the surface a lot of the time.
Not sure where to start?
If you were to ask me which is the best live casino to play blackjack at I would struggle to give you an answer. Not because they are all bad, but because everyone has different things that are important to them and therefore what makes them the best. I’ve played at quite a few and do have my favorites. I’ve reviewed and listed the ones that I consider to be safe, trustworthy, give good customer service and have good range of game variations, side bets and betting limits.
How does LiveBlackjackSites help ?
You will find that I have made it as easy as possible to search for the live blackjack casinos that match your specific requirements. So if you are interested in a particular deposit method, or for casinos that have a particular side bet then you can search for that by selecting one of the highlighted categories you will see on the review pages. All of the reviews follow the same format, so you should be able to find what you need. I have also created a couple of summary grids, one for the general features of the casinos and another on the bonuses and stakes that are available. I’ve included the Casino Summary grid below if you want to go straight there. You will also find extra information on the site regarding strategies, how to play, and the different side bets available, just use the navigation links above to find what you need.
Live Blackjack Summary Grid
| Casino | No.of Decks | Multi seat | VIP | Perfect Pairs | 21-3 | Bet Behind | Play for Free | Software | UK Dealers | Rating | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 / 8 | Evolution Extreme Live Gaming | ||||||||||
| 6 / 8 | Net Ent Evolution | ||||||||||
| 6 | Visionary iGaming | ||||||||||
| 8/6 | Evolution Net Ent | ||||||||||
| 8 | Evolution | ||||||||||
| 8 | Evolution | ||||||||||
| 8 | Playtech | ||||||||||
| 6 / 8 | Net Ent Evolution |
If you’re a relatively new player, or just want to see what it’s like to play live blackjack at an online casino then you can do this for free, just visit the play for free page for details.
Best Live Blackjack Reddit Game
One final thing. You will not find a bad live casino on this site, so whatever decision you make will be a good one :-). Be lucky and play well.!