Live Blackjack

Live Blackjack online varies little from Casino to Casino, with the exception of Dublin Bet that takes some of the decision-making out of the game in order to speed it up and also prevent gamblers from making fundamental mistakes.

The rules of the games are set not by the Casino, but by the company suppling them with the Live Dealer Blackjack.

Card counting: this is impossible in both land-based and RNG Casinos, but, you can do it in a webcam Casino! This is because auto-shufflers are not used, and because the dealers are not usually trained to spot it. Therefore, you can improve your chances of winning by adopting a smart approach to your Blackjack play.

First things first, learn Basic Strategy. This is a table that shows you, for any particular type of Blackjack, how to play every combination of your hands and the dealer’s up-card. Without Basic Strategy, your chances of winning are greatly reduced. The great thing is though, that when you play online, you can keep a Basic Strategy chart right next to you so you can make sure you don’t make any mistakes.

Blackjack Strategy Card

Rules

The basic rules of the game, though, are pretty similar whichever Casino you play at.

A “Blackjack� is a hand consisting of an Ace and a 10 or a picture card (which all have the value of 10) thus totalling 21 (where the Ace is 11 – it can also be “1″ if you choose it to be). Your aim is to get as close to 21 as you can without going over – or “bust�. You and the dealer are both dealt two cards. You get to play first. Draw cards until you are happy you cannot go any further and then “Stand�. The dealer will then draw his/her cards but cannot stop until at least a total of 17 is shown. This is the case even if you “bust� yourself, giving a little more chance of a tie and consequently a refund of your stake.

When you win you will receive your stake back and the same again unless you had a “Blackjack� in which case you win 3:2 – your stake back and 1.5 times again. If you are dealt 9, 10 or 11 in your first 2 cards, you can choose to double your initial stake (or “double down�). Esepcially worth doing if you have “11″ as a “21″ is more likley – tens and pictures cards (which count as 10) are the most common cards in the pack.

If you were dealt two of the same card (e.g. two jacks) you can choose to “split�. This doubles your stake creating two seperate hands, each consisting of a Jack. A second card is then dealt to each hand and you can choose to draw again or stand. the process is then repeated for the second jack. Keep an eye on the dealer’s card before you do this – you need to be careful especially if they drew a 10 or an ace as you could end up losing both hands and consequently both your bets.

If the dealer is dealt an Ace as the first card, you can choose to take out “insurance�. This is a side bet which pays you 2:1 if the dealer then draws a “10″ to get Blackjack. If however the dealer does not draw a 10, you lose the side-bet.