Live Blackjack - Play for Real Money

Live Blackjack Overview

Enthusiastic hosts guide the action in this Pragmatic Play blackjack game. The stream quality is effective, and the betting interface is easy to use whilst taking up minimal space. You can decide what you want to do next before your turn, ensuring play never stalls for too long. Turns typically last for an average of just 11 seconds, making this one of the most fast-moving blackjack games around.

Game Controls

Start playing Pragmatic Play’s Live Blackjack using the following top tips:

• Start by fine-tuning your settings. You can manually adjust the video resolution or allow for auto system adjustments. You can also change the game and studio sound effects.
• View your account history by clicking the clock tab above the chat box on the game screen.
• Take a seat by clicking the ‘sit here’ tab. Use the X button to leave.
• Live support is available when needed.
• Click a chip to set your stake before the closure of the betting window.

How to Play Live Blackjack

Pragmatic Play live casino games were born in 2018 when PP bought Extreme Live Gaming. This developer is London-based and offers an easy-to-play live blackjack experience. If you are new to this game, here is what you need to know:

Bets are Placed and Cards are Dealt

Your live casino betting choices depend on whether you play on regular green tables, azure tables, or ruby VIP tables. Green and blue table bets start at 5.00, while there is a minimum of 250 for VIP tables.

Cards are dealt from an eight-deck shoe and are reshuffled manually mid-shoe. Cards are dealt US-style with one face-up card and one face-down. The theoretical return to play is 99.28% for the main game, 95.9% for pairs side bets, and 96.3% for 21+3 side bets.

There is a deal now feature to speed things up. The betting time ends when one to two players complete their bets.

Decide Whether to Hit or Stay

In classic blackjack games, players take turns to decide whether they want to hit or stand. This differs in Speed Blackjack, where a first-to-decide approach is used. Live Blackjack offers an auto stand option, which is there to help axe the time of the game by 25%. To take advantage of this, you set a default minimum of points when you want to stand.

The aim of the game is to beat the hand of the dealer with a higher one that doesn’t go over 21. After the cards have been dealt, you decide whether to hit and get another card, split, or double down. You can also choose to stand, which means staying with your hand.

Double or Split

You can split if your first pair of cards has equal rank but can only do this once with each hand. You also have the option to double down, but you can’t do this after splitting. Remember that you can only hit once after splitting two aces.

Do You Want Insurance?

You can choose to have insurance if the dealer’s first card is an ace. The aim of this is to protect you against the dealer getting blackjack. If you do this, a 2:1 win is yours.

How to Win

You receive a payout of 1:1 for simply beating the dealer’s hand. You bust if you go over 21. The best hand is one with two cards combining to make 21, which pays out 3:2. You get your bet back if your hand equals the dealer’s, which is known as a push.

The point value of the cards is straightforward. 2 to 10 have these values, while picture cards are valued at 10 and an ace is an 11 or a 1.

House Rules

Pragmatic Play has standardised tables, which means all have the same house rules. These include:

• Vegas rules, where the deal will pull two cards and then peek for blackjack.
• Double down, although not on splits.
• Only one hit for split aces.
• Only split pairs are allowed.
• All 17s stood on by the dealer.
• 2:1 insurance on dealer’s ace.

Special Features

The auto stand feature is a major draw for some players of Live Blackjack. You can set when you want to automatically stand, which will apply unless you choose to split or have a soft hand. You can click the deal now option when one to two players are seated. This closes bets once stakes are placed.

Another feature of Live Blackjack is the chat option, which gives you the chance to send public messages. You can message other players or the live dealer. Feel free to congratulate each other, but always remember responsible gaming. There are timeout and self-exclusion options available when needed.

Betting Options

One of the most interesting betting options in this blackjack game is the chance to bet behind. This means that if the seven seats on the table are full, you can stake on another seated player’s hand. You should be aware that this won’t give you any control over how they play the game.

Along with this option, there are other side bets available. These are:

Perfect Pairs

This is a bet on you having a pair with your first two cards, which could be a suit colour match or another combination. Payouts are based on the type of pair you hold and your chosen stake. You can read more on this in the next section of this Live Blackjack review.

21+3 Bets

This is a bet on the chance of poker hands being made from the dealer’s hand and your own.

Payouts

Blackjack will payout a standard 3:2 in Live Blackjack from Pragmatic Play. There are standardised payouts for side bets.

Perfect Pair Bets

• 25:1 for a perfect pair
• 12:1 for a coloured pair
• 6:1 for a mixed pair

21+3 Bets - Payouts and Probabilities

• 100:1 for suited trips
• 40:1 for a straight flush
• 30:1 for three-of-a-kind
• 10:1 for a straight
• 5:1 for a flush

Optimal Strategy

There are some strategies you can employ to ensure you get the best out of your Live Blackjack experience, although it is important to remember that these can in no sense guarantee a win. Some strategies you may want to consider are:

• Split if you have a pair of eights or aces.
• Don’t split if you have a pair of sixes or tens.
• Carefully consider whether you want blackjack insurance.
• Hit until you reach at least 17.
• Don’t add any more after 17 if your dealer holds a 10. The exception to this is when you have what is known as a soft 18, which is when you have 18 with the ace counting as an 11.

Disclaimer: Live Blackjack trademark / license is owned by Pragmatic Play. This site is not endorsed by Pragmatic Play.