What is Live Blackjack?

Blackjack is one of the main pillars of any popular casino on the high street, and its success has translated to the online world thanks to the continued growth of live casino blackjack, featuring professional dealers and high-quality tables that make you feel like you’re in your favourite casino, all from the comfort of your home.

While video blackjack is an electronic version of the game, Blackjack VIP is an almost exact replica of the real life version. Once you’ve selected a room you are taken to a live-streamed session where a dealer is ready to welcome you into the game and deal your first hand.

How to play live blackjack

As is the case with most popular casino games, the rules of live blackjack and blackjack VIP are very simple. Once you have placed your bets, you will be dealt two cards, face up, while the dealer will give themselves a single face-up card. The objective at this point is to get as close as you can to 21, when adding together the index value of your cards. When you are dealt your cards, you are likely to be in one of two situations. Firstly, you may be dealt two low cards and be in a position where you need to draw additional cards to add to your hand in order to get a greater overall value for your hand. If this is the case, you select the “Hit” button on your screen when it’s your turn. Alternatively, you may be dealt a relatively high pair of cards that put you close enough to 21 for you to not want to risk going over 21 by drawing a third high card. If this is the case, you hit the “Stand” button and stick with what you’ve got. Once all hands have been completed, the dealer will then play out their hand by drawing cards until they reach a figure of at least 17. Once 17 is hit they are obliged to “stand” and the hand is over. Any hands that remain in the game that are over 17 (or whatever value the dealer ends on at the end of their hand) win and are paid out are odds of even-money. The only exception to these payout odds are when you hit blackjack, which is when you are dealt an ace and a ten in your first two cards and you receive a 6/4 payout, which is a 50% bonus on a regular payout.

In addition to the regular game, you will typically have a couple of side bets to keep in mind when playing VIP blackjack. The first one, traditionally on the left-hand side panel of your playing box, is the Perfect Pairs side bet. This bet gives you the chance to win cash if your opening pair of cards match. There are three payouts for this, the lowest of which comes when you have matching valued cards that are different suit colours. For example, a seven of hearts and a seven of clubs. The next step up on this payout is when the suit colours match, so a seven of hearts combining with a seven of diamonds. Finally, the jackpot for this side bet comes when both cards are an exact match, such as two sevens of diamonds. This typically pays out at odds of 30/1 but do make sure you check the odds as these can vary from table to table.

The second side bet is the 21+3 side bet which combines both your cards with the dealer’s first card that they deal themselves face-up at the beginning of every hand. Varying payouts are on offer if you can combine these three cards to make a poker hand, such as a straight (three cards with adjacent index values, such as 6, 7, 8), a flush (three cards of the same suit) or three of a kind (three matching cards). Both of these side bets usually have smaller wagering requirements than the regular ante bet, so they represent a fun, inexpensive way to add a little bit of extra excitement to your session.

Betting strategies

When playing on Blackjack VIP where staking ranges are slightly higher, it’s highly recommended that you maintain an optimum betting strategy, which will guide you on whether or not you continue to draw cards, depending on both the value of your hand before drawing, as well as the face-up card the dealer has received. An example of how this would work would be if you were dealt a hand with a value of, let’s say, 14. Now, if the dealer had a 10 card in front of them, the chances are they are likely to draw a card from the deck that will give them a powerful hand, which is sure to beat your 14. With that in mind, the optimum betting strategy would be to draw a card and hope to enhance your hand into the high teens or even up to 21. There is an element of risk here, but the mathematics dictate that taking a card is the right thing to do. However, if the dealer instead has a 6 in front of them, you would be more inclined to stick with your 14 as it is more likely that the dealer will bust their hand by drawing two mid-to-high value cards and taking their hand over 21. There are various charts that you can consult to help you get to know optimum VIP blackjack strategy a little better, but it is very quick to pick up and you should have it seared into your memory in no time!

Withdraw your winnings

If you’ve come out the other side of your VIP blackjack session in profit, congratulations! We hope our rundown and advice on optimum strategy have played a part in your success…

But anyway, with Casino77 you can withdraw part of or all of your balance at any time via your account portal. Please allow for a few business days while we process any requests and also check that your preferred banking method is accepted when finalising the withdrawal.

Play Live Blackjack with Casino77

Here at Casino77 we have a great range of VIP blackjack options that tailor for a whole host of playing budgets and staking ranges. Feel free to take a look around our in-depth VIP blackjack lobby and see what’s out there. And, as always, good luck!