The appearance of online Blackjack was pretty impressive, but there were still some people who wanted a more realistic gaming experience. Therefore, live dealer casino Blackjack was created, a game which features streaming video footage of a real person who is dealing the cards. Even more, you get the chance to chat with other players during the game. Basically, live dealer Blackjack gives players the opportunity to try out games as in a brick and mortar casino without having to leave the comfort of their own home. If you want to experience this for yourself, here are some basic facts you need to know about Blackjack.

Place your bet

If you are experienced in regular online Blackjack, this game will seem pretty easy to you. Hands start with players choosing how much money they want to bet. To place a wager, you will have to choose the appropiate amount of virtual chips, and they'll be placed in your betting space.

The deal

After all bets have been placed, the dealer will deal the cards to all the players in a hand. Once that is done, the dealer will go around the table and ask each player what their decision is. They can choose to hit, stand, double down or split (if they have a pair).

For the players who choose hit, double down or split, the dealer will give the rest of the cards to them. Based on the results, the players will either be paid winnings or they will have their virtual chips taken away. When the hand is over, a new betting round and hand will start.

Chat function

Many online casinos provide players with the option to chat with the dealer and sometimes even the chance to talk with other players. A chat box is featured in one of the corners of the screen and players can type what they want to say into that box. The messages are relayed to the dealers via the screen and they answer back to players by speaking. Some casinos also allow players to talk to each other via the chat functionality while they sit at the same virtual table.

What you should keep in mind is the fact that chat rules are very strict for live dealer games as some people tend to abuse the privilege of talking by using offensive language. When that happens, the chat option can be temporarily revoked or the players can be banned from the casino when this behavior tends to repeat itself. There are also some casinos which avoid the hassle by removing the chat function altogether. In this case, you only get to watch the live dealer and game action instead of being able to talk to the dealer or players.

Blackjack rules

The first thing you should know relates to the fact that Blackjack rules vary from a casino to the other and this might complicate learning the game. Therefore, you should check out the variations of the game before deciding to play. However, most correct Blackjack rules are so fundamental that they don't bear any variations in various casinos. Even more, most-large scale casinos have similar rules, which makes Blackjack a lot less complicated. Knowing this, let's take a look at the basic rules.

At a casino Blackjack table, the dealer faces five to seven playing positions from behind a semicircular table. There are between one and eight standard 52-card decks shuffled together. The jokers aren't used in this game. In most cases, casinos make use of several decks mixed together, known as shoe, to speed up the game. The idea is to have more cards in play and reduce the frequency of reshuffling. Another great thing about this kind of gameplay is the fact that card counting (a technique used by players to get an advantage by keeping track of the proportions of different value cards remaining in the play) gets to be more difficult.

In real casinos, there is a dealer who is employed by the casino. The game allows room for eight players simultaneously, and each gamer is playing against the dealer. Each player is assigned a playing area, a place where bets are made and cards are placed.

The casino should be posting the betting limits on a sign on the table. Additionally, the rules are also printed and put on the table.

Chips are also indispensable and they are bought directly from the dealer. A player can also put cash on the table which will be transformed into chips by the dealer. The ordinary denominations for casino chips are: white chips = $1; red chips = $5; green chips = $25; black chips = $100.

Each player places a bet, in the form of chips, in the designated area. The minimum and maximum bet limits are recognized before dealing. The general limits are between $2 and $500.

Some basic rules

Here are some of the most common rules of Blackjack:

•  the player's ultimate goal is to beat the dealer's hand without going over 21. The players at the table are no concern, as your hand competes only against the dealer's;
•  aces are worth 1 or 11, which one suits you best. Face cards (10, Jack, Queen, and King) are valued at 10. The cards from 2 to 9 are valued at their face value;
•  when the game starts, you will get two cards, the same as everybody who is in the game. One of the dealer's cards is hidden until the end, while the players' cards are dealt face up;
•  when you hit, you ask for another card, while when you stand you hold your total and end your turn;
•  'bust' refers to going over 21, that's when you lose;
•  'Blackjack' or 'Natural 21' means your have been dealt 21 in your first two cards. An ace and a 10, that means. If you get two aces, split and then get a ten-valued card, that is not a Blackjack, but rather a total of 21;
•  the dealer will hit until their cards have a total value of 17 or higher;
•  a 'Double' is pretty similar to hit, but it warrants that you only get one more card and the bet gets double;
•  'split' can be done when you have two cards of the same – and the pair is split into two hands. This kind of action doubles your bet;
•  a double or a split are allowed only on the first move, or on the first move of a hand created by a split.

Player decisions

After receiving the first two cards, the player has four option: hit, stand, double down, or split, each of them with a corresponding hand signal.

Hit

It refers to taking another card from the dealer and its signal is: scrape cards against the table (when there is a handheld game); tap the table with a finger or wave hard toward body (in games dealt face up).

Stand

This move refers to taking no more cards. It is also known as 'stand pat', 'stick' or 'stay'. The signal is slide cards under chips (in handled games), wave hard horizontally (in games dealt face up).

Double down

You can increase the initial bet by up to 100% if you commit to stand after receiving exactly one more card. The additional bet is placed in the betting box next to the initial bet. There are some games which don't allow the player to increase the bet by amounts other than 100%. The signal is as follows: place additional chips beside the original bet outside the betting box, and point with one finger.

Split

If the two cards a player receive have the same value, then he can choose to split into two hands, by moving a second bet equal to the first one in an area outside the betting box. The signal is: place additional chips next to the first bet outside the betting box; point to fingers spread in a V formation.

Surrender

This move is only available for a first decision of a hand. Some games offer this option, usually in hole-card games and directly after the dealer has checked for Blackjack. When you surrender, the house takes half the bet from you and gives the other half back, terminating your interest in the hand. The signal is: the request to surrender is done verbally.

Ending statements

Blackjack is the most widely played casino game all around the globe, having many rule variations. It has also inspired the creation of other games, such as Spanish 21 and pontoon.