For blackjack players new to live (online) blackjack, following is a very brief precis. An actual game of blackjack is dealt by an actual dealer from a studio somewhere, and vision of that deal is streamed live to players’ PC’s and imbedded in an interface that enables online participation in the game.

Industry particpants claim it to be the closest thing to being at a real casino, without actually being there. The dealer is real, the cards are real, and importantly, game outcomes are determined by irrefutable random chance, rather than a random number generator and computer graphic. But for players looking to play live blackjack, it’s perhaps worthwhile considering that there are a number of different options out there, in terms of how the game is presented, applicable house rules, and deal convention. Below are a few of the major differences to be aware of, as well as some key facets of live deal online blackjack that are worth noting.

To start with, the distinction between single deal and multiple deal live blackjack games should be made.

Most live blackjack games are played in multi-player format whereby each betting round involves hands being dealt to multiple players sitting at the table. This is just like what you would find in most traditional casinos, where you take your place at a seven seat table and each player plays their hand in turn.

Less common, but available nonetheless, are live deal blackjack games where the dealer deals a single ‘player’ hand, albeit to many players. Under this scenario, while typical blackjack rules apply and each player is still plays their own hand, a different deal convention is used to allow for different decisions made by players. As an example, you may find that despite standing on a given hand, the dealer will continue to deal cards to the ‘player’ hand. These are for players who have elected to hit/double down etc. The obvious failing of this type of game is the fact that it departs slightly from how you are dealt your hand in a traditional casino. The benefit, however, is that games are appreciably quicker than their multiplayer counterparts (particularly when the table is near full!), as each player is afforded anywhere up to 40 seconds to make each play.

Another key consideration is the relevant house rules. While ’standard’ blackjack, if there is such a thing (ie dealer stands all 17s, blackjack pays 3:2) is the standard offering, a few live online casinos offer significant variations to this. A notable example is Blackjack Basic Strategy With Early Payout, offered by casinos taking their vision from Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Card Club and Casino. This game requires players to follow the basic strategy play with an option at any stage of the deal to fold the hand and take an applicable payout amount.

One final consideration for the would-be counters out there, is the policy live casinos follow with regard to insertion of their cut cards. The common approach taken is to deal from an eight deck shoe and re-shuffle approximately mid-shoe. Having only four of eight decks to play with doesn’t give counters much of a chance to penetrate the shoe and apply an effective counting strategy.

Milton Shaw writes for a number of online gambling portals including Livedealer.org which provides live game reviews, including a closer look at various live blackjack offerings.

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