The Deck of Cards and Scoring
The game of blackjack uses a traditional deck of cards of 52. The live dealer typically uses up to eight decks of cards that are dealt out of a shoe at any given time. There are four suits in a deck of cards, namely clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Each suit has 13 ranks from ace, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and 10. The last three are the face cards, namely the Jack, Queen, and King.
In blackjack, the ace can be counted as one or 11 points. You can use the ace’s value to help your hand reach 21 or stay in the game. You can use whatever value of the ace you like. For instance, it may be better to use the 11 value if you think it may beat the dealer, or you may use the one value if the 11 value makes you bust. All the face cards count as 10. All the other cards from two to 10 are worth their rank in points.
How to Play
The live dealer will start dealing after everyone around the table has set their ante bet. Everyone will be dealt two cards face up. The dealer will also get two cards and keep one card face down until all players have played their hands.
You’ll add the value of your cards up. For example, an ace and a face card equal 21, which means you’ve won your hand. You’ll count the ace as an 11 and the face card as a 10. In this case, you’d never count the ace as a one. You could also receive a nine and a three, equalling 12. Once you have your two cards, you have the following options:
Surrender
You can surrender your hand if you think you’ll be unable to beat the dealer’s hand. You’ll receive half of your bet back, and your hand will be over.
Insurance
You’ll only be allowed to take insurance if the dealer has an ace. Taking insurance halves your original bet. You’ll get a payout of 2 to 1 if the dealer draws blackjack or 21.
Hitting
Asking the dealer for a hit adds another card to your two-card stack and increases your hand’s value. You can continue to ask the dealer for hits as long as your cards don’t exceed 21. If you exceed 21, you bust, and you’re out of the game.
Standing
When hitting, you can stand at any point when you’re satisfied that your hand will be high enough to beat the dealer.4
Double Up
You should double up if the dealer’s cards are very low between one and seven, and your two-card hand totals eight, nine, 10, or 11. Doubling up means doubling your initial bet and getting one more card dealt to you.
Splitting
Spitting can only be done when your two cards have the same value. Splitting your cards creates another hand which means you have to place another bet on the second hand. Continue to play out each hand according to the rules. You can split your hand more than once.
How the Dealer Plays
Online casino live dealers are dedicated professionals that have been trained in all casino games. The live dealer knows how to control the game, assist players, and count cards at remarkable speed and accuracy. After all the players have played their hands, the dealer will expose his second card.
If no players have busted their hands, the dealer must continue to deal himself cards and must stand at 17. If the dealer stands after 17 and his hand is less than yours, you’ll win the bet. If the dealer’s hand stands after 17 and it’s more than yours, you’ll lose the bet. If the dealer’s hand exceeds 21, he busts, and your hand will win the bet no matter what total your cards amount to.
Conclusion
Online casinos have live casino lobbies with many variations of blackjack. It’s recommended that you start with the classic game. All you have to do is create an online casino account, fund your bankroll, and click on the live dealer blackjack table you want to join.
The online live casino software is very straightforward. You’ll have icons on your screen that allow you to lower or raise your bets, including other major playing options that you can select.
