How to Play Live Dealer Blackjack

Live Dealer Blackjack is a casino game favoured by many because it really emulates the live casino experience without having to leave your computer screen. The rules of play are simple and can be picked up quickly, and once you picked up the basics, you can challenge yourself to learn the intricacies of blackjack and hone your strategies to go from player to master. Here we will look at the basics to get you up and running.

The Virtual Blackjack Casino

To closely mimic the real casino you will find yourself facing the dealer, who will be sat at the blackjack table. Your live host will deal the cards from the physical shoe and place them down, face-up which is exactly how a real casino play would proceed. The cards of the other players will be visible to all, and you can interact with the other players as if you were all sat in the same room. Before each round start players are given time to place your bets, as once gameplay starts no further bets can be accepted.

The Rules of Blackjack

In a nutshell, the winner is the person who beats the dealer. That is all there is to it. The highest score of a round is 21, and while that is an automatic winning score it will not happen in every round, so, the winner is the person who holds a higher hand than the deal without exceeding that magic number.

Blackjack Card Values

All number cards are worth their number, so cards from 2-10 are just that, a 7 and 3 makes 10. Picture cards, the King, Queen and Jack, are also worth 10. An Ace is the only card that can change its value, being worth 1 or 11, and you can assign the value as the game progresses. So, drawing a Jack and Ace gives you 11 or 21 (clearly the latter wins the hand). If you draw an Ace then 3 you have 14, so if you choose another hit and get a 10, you have 24 which would be bust, so at this point, you would change your Ace to be 1 and have a total of 14 which is still a playable hand. Drawing over 21 at any point results in an automatic bust and you lose your bet.

Live Blackjack Terminology

Hit: Asking for another card, there is no limit, just take care not to go bust.
Split: If you are dealt a pair of cards, say two 6 cards you can split them and essentially run two hands. You will have to match your original bet on the second hand.
So, that is all you need to know to play Live Blackjack. If you fancy getting started and trying your hand, then Pots of Gold Casino has a great Live Dealer Blackjack Bonus for new players.