If you crave the glamour and posh atmosphere of playing in land based casinos, then you should look no further then live dealer games. You will be amazed by the quality of the live streaming and the beauty and professionalism of the live blackjack dealers. Not to mention the fact that, unlike brick and mortar casinos, online ones tend to spoil their players rotten with tens of welcome offers and special promotions every day.
Blackjack Games with Live Dealers
When it comes to blackjack games, online gambling sites feature a wide number of games, with different sidebets, number of decks, rules and wagering limits. Although that is mainly true about the RNG (random number generator) games, live dealer tables also bring something in terms of variation. You will see in the following paragraphs that each software provider that powers the games offered by our recommended casinos brings something new to the table.
It is true, though, that most blackjack tables with real dealers have the same rules of play, use the same number of decks of cards and the presence of some options such as Insurance and Surrender, but there are also a few differences that are well worth mentioning. We will discuss these rules in detail in the next paragraph, but now let’s see which are the most popular blackjack games with real dealers.
- Blackjack Party – powered by Evolution Gaming, this game is hosted by a dealer and a host, making jokes and entertaining the players
- Blackjack Diamond – a high limit table, which can be found at 888 Casino and accepts a maximum of £10,000
- Apollo Blackjack – this game by Playtech offers the options of Multiseat, Betting Behind and the European style of dealing
- Pegasus Unlimited Blackjack – a game in which an unlimited number of users can play in the same time, with pre-set rules
The above-mentioned games have few differences in gameplay that may benefit the player or not, but the important thing is that they personalize the experience and help users get the best of these blackjack games. Having the freedom do bet behind, play multiple tables, adjust the settings to your preferences and many other options will make you feel even more satisfied than playing in a real land-based casino. You can read more about these rules and special sidebets in the following paragraph.
Sidebets & Game Variations
As I mentioned already above, live dealer blackjack games bring a lot to the table and most of it in terms of variety. The sidebets that tables with real dealer allow have some more than appealing payouts and players can’t help but dream about getting that 100 to 1 payout on their bet. Unlike slots, blackjack rarely features a payout above 3 to 2 or maximum 2 to 1, if we are talking about a variation such as Pontoon. But these tables offer additional bets such as Perfect Pairs and 21 + 3, that give players the hope of hitting something almost as big as a jackpot when playing slots.
The Perfect Pairs sidebet can be placed for your or the dealers first two cards and it pays out if they are a pair (two of a kind). If, per say, you get two aces, the payout will be 6 to 1, if they are different suit and colour, 12 to 1 if they are the same colour, but what you really want to get are two identical cards, same value, suit and colour, for a 25 to 1 pay on your initial bet.
The 21 + 3 sidebet will win if you have a good 3 card poker hand combination between your first two cards and the dealer’s face-up card. It pays for as little as a flush (3 cards of the same suit), in which case the players will be paid 5 to 1; a straight pays 10 to 1; and the top 3 payouts are 30 to 1, 40 to 1 and 100 to 1, for three of a kind, straight flush and suited trips, respectively.
Wagering Limits
Most of the times, live dealer tables offer the highest blackjack wagering limits, yet another advantage of choosing to play there. Evolution Gaming usually allow the highest bets, but it all depends on the casino you play at, even though the software provider is the same. Take for example, 888 Casino, one of the greatest operators in the UK. There, you have tables like 888 VIP, Blackjack Platinum VIP and others that accept a bet as high as £10,000. However, the same provider powers the games featured at Betway Casino, but there the limits differ. For example, if you play on the Platinum VIP Live Blackjack at Betway, you can only bet as much as £5,000, which is half the limit at 888. This also implies that your wins will be smaller than when playing at 888 Casino.
As far as Ladbrokes Casino is concerned, where the live dealer games are powered by Playtech, the limits are a lot lower. The highest you can bet when playing blackjack with live dealers is £2,500, a pretty shy limit when compared to the other casinos we’ve mentioned. Nevertheless, Playtech has a lot to offer live casino fans, so Ladbrokes is still a solid choice for playing live games. Moreover, the operator extends a special bonus for you, about which you can read more in the following paragraph.
Hot Bonuses and Offers
When it comes to special promotions for live dealer games, nobody does it better than 888 Casino. Having said that, let’s take a look at their welcome bonus offers first. Once you open an account, you have two options. One of them is a regular player bonus, of 100% up to £100. The other one is for more experienced players, that play live blackjack with high stakes and it consists of £1,500 in your first week as a new player at 888 Casino.
This bonus amount is spread over your first 5 deposits, as follows: 100% match bonus of up to £100 on your first instalment and 30% up to £350 on your next 4 deposits. As you are aware, each bonus has certain wagering requirements and a different contribution for each game or type of game. In this case, the contribution for live dealer games, blackjack included, is 10%.
Of course, this is not by far the way to cash in some attractive offers when you play live blackjack and 888 Casino is the operator for the job once more. On their 888Xtra table, they have hidden special bonus cards in the blackjack shoes, which can bring you a share of £750, while on the 888VIP table, you can win as much as £150 with only one bonus card and the total of the cards amount to £1,500.
Live Dealer Blackjack on the Go
Playing casino games on the go is the favourite pastime of many Brits nowadays, so having a rich collection of mobile titles is a must for operators. Our recommended casinos do not take this lightly and they do have a lot of games that you can play anytime, anywhere, on your mobile devices, be it on iPhones, iPads or Android phones or tablets. Ladbrokes Casino, for example, even feature a special live dealer app for iOS, which you can download from their official store, which will give you access to almost all of their Playtech-powered blackjack tables.
Betway Casino and 888 Casino, who’s platforms are powered by Evolution Gaming are, however the better choice. Their HD live-streaming is flawless even on mobile devices, and you will have access to more games, faster, uninterrupted gameplay and higher betting limits. If you would like to learn more about the mobile offering of our recommended operators, visit our mobile page.