Live Blackjack
Live Blackjack
You will have noticed that at online casinos the simple game of Blackjack now has an enormous variety of variations that enable you to make a number of side bets but at live blackjack the traditional game is still played as you might find anywhere is Las Vegas or other casinos around the world.
The basics of the game of Blackjack remain the same but when playing live Blackjack there are some minor differences depending on the online casino at which you are playing as well as some other options and some online casinos such as Ladbrokes casino actually offer two types of live Blackjack one of which is called live blackjack and the other classic live blackjack. The differences between these two forms of live Blackjack are slight but could nevertheless be important to you; for example at live blackjack after splitting you are only allowed one more hit after receiving your second card whereas at classic live blackjack you are allowed more than one hit. Given the choice it must be better to have the chance to hit more than once and indeed other live blackjack providers such as Paddy Power casino do permit multiple hits after splitting.
Classic live blackjack at Ladbrokes live casino also offers the chance to gamble on receiving a pair which is a side bet to the main action but if you do place a bet and are dealt a pair you get paid at odds of 6:1 for a mixed pair, 12:1 for a coloured pair (red or black) and 25:1 for a perfect pair (only possible of course when playing with multiple decks). Another advantage or option which is available at Ladbrokes live blackjack is the ability to bet on another player which is called Bet Behind; this is particularly useful if you see a player at a table who is either very lucky or seems to be a good player as you can watch and learn while at the same backing them and hopefully making some money without actually playing yourself. As a method for learning the game this is a good recommendation.
All live blackjack tables pay out Blackjack at 3:2 unless it has come about after a split in which case it is considered 21 and pays at even money and the Insurance bet will pay at 2:1. For those who are not familiar with the insurance bet it is sometimes available at regular online casinos as well as live casino and it gives you the chance to cover yourself in the event that the dealer card showing is an ace. As soon as the cards are dealt and the ace is showing in the dealer hand you will be asked whether you wish to take insurance or not. If you elect to do so and the dealer ends up with a blackjack your insurance bet wins at 2:1 regardless of what happens in the rest of the hand but if the dealer ends up without blackjack your bet loses. For further details of this bet please see the how to play section. Most online casinos have a section called live casino where live blackjack is played along with other casino games such as live roulette , live baccarat or even in some cases live craps and one we have not mentioned so far is 888 casino who claim the live casino offers the best of social interaction with their dealers.
The game usually encountered is the traditional game but watch out for Vegas Strip blackjack or Vegas downtown blackjack which are interesting variations. Unusually for such a large online casino operator as Party Casino they do not offer live blackjack or any other live casino and even since their tie up with Bwin casino this has not changed although we suspect it will not be too long before they do. Live casino and in particular live blackjack has been coming on leaps and bounds in recent times and we believe the main reason is that it removes the apparent uncertainty surrounding the random number generator by being able to see someone on the other side of the table actually dealing the cards.
We are quite confident that the random number generators in use are random and therefore you stand as much chance of receiving good cards or bad cards from the machine as from the live dealer but it always feels that much better if you pass some comment across the live blackjack table whilst of course remaining polite at all times. It is possibly this interaction with the live blackjack dealers which makes the game attractive to many players whereas playing at an online casino is generally a very individual pastime except of course for games such as poker and if you like the interaction you are likely to go to a land based casino but with live blackjack and other live casino games you can have it all without leaving the comfort of your own home. If you have never tried live blackjack it is well worth a try and we would recommend either Paddy Power, 888 or Ladbrokes but be aware that the minimum stakes are likely to be higher than at a regular online casino as the dealer has to be paid for somehow but on the other hand if you enjoy a high stakes game you are probably better off playing live blackjack. Free blackjack on the other hand is not available at the live casino so if you are lookng to learn to play the game then possibly online free blackjack is the answer for you.
