Live Dealer Blackjack
If you’ve ever played blackjack online before, I think you’d agree that you’re always wondering:
Is this game rigged?
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 more transparent 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 play safely 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 to their longstanding reputation.
They currently use Visionary iGaming software to power their live dealers which has a decent selection of live games as well as mobile compatibility.
Ignition Casino
While we didn’t review them as high as Bovada, Ignition Casino are a decent alternative and utilize the exact same software (Visionary iGaming). Established since 2013, they have 2 types of live blackjack tables:
- Early Payout Blackjack
- Live Blackjack
Their live blackjack options include:
They also offer a pretty substantial 300% up to $3,000 sign up bonus but only if you deposit using cryptocurrency. If you deposit with a regular credit card then it is 200% up to $2,000.
Slots.lv
We found the experience at Slots.lv to be a bit sluggish compared to the above two options. However, they still offer a decent experience and their welcome bonus is quite attractive.
The welcome bonus with crypto is $7,500 which is split into the following:
- 300% up to $1,500 on the first deposit
- 150% up to $750, on the next either deposits
They currently accept Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tether, Ethereum and Litecoin. You can also deposit using credit card but the bonus is only up to $5,000 which is split into the following:
- 200% up to $1,000 on the first deposit
- 100% up to $500, on the next either deposits
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 to provide 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 play live 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 built quite 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 well to 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 to provide 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 play live 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, Poker and various other novelty games. Their live dealer experience is top notch and they also have a if you want to 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 limited Australian Market. Powered by Bodog software, they offer 19 different live blackjack tables of varying betting ranges 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 see over 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 other players 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 players will 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 options to take. This is achieved through microchips that are attached to each card so the software knows what the values are 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 cards so 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 and most 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 being dealt 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 gaming experience is much more realistic as you can interact with the dealer and other players on the table through a live 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 other players on the table waiting for you to make a decision. Each casino will have some sort of visual indicator to show you how much time you have remaining to make a decision. If time expires then the lack of response is interpreted as 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 internet connection 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 software provider 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
Blackjack
Early Payout Blackjack
Evolution Gaming
Blackjack
Blackjack Party
My personal favourite, Evolution Gaming has live dealer studios based in Latvia and are known for providing highly energetic and 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 powered casinos 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 and 21 + 3. You can read more details about their rules and variations in our complete review here.
Playtech
Grand Blackjack
Blackjack VIP
Lounge Blackjack
Blackjack Soho
Soriee Blackjack
Royale Blackjack
Transylvania Blackjack
Unlimited Blackjack
Playtech have been a software provider for online casinos since 1999 and have rapidly expanded their catalogue to include live 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, Spain and 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 clearly set their goal to be the leader in the live dealer space.
You can read our complete review of Playtech’s live dealers here.
Extreme Live Gaming
Blackjack
Founded in 2013, Extreme Live Gaming has a studio based in London and offers live blackjack with 8 decks similarly to other providers.
What sets them apart however is their “LiveBox” product which streams a feed from an actual land based casino where you can place 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 experience for blackjack at some stage
Ezugi
American Blackjack
European Blackjack
Hybrid Blackjack
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 casino to 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 manner lead 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 make you wonder though, since it’s so easy to record video footage of gameplay, why would a casino even attempt to rig their games in a manner like this?
FAQ
No. While they all practically offer the normal RNG style blackjack, it takes a lot of resources to 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 casinos that 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.
