If the dealer's hand is blackjack, it is a push. A player's winning blackjack is paid off at odds of 3 to 2. In the event the player has blackjack (2-card 21) and the dealer draws to 21, the blackjack is the winning hand and will be paid at odds of 3 to 2. Blackjack Dealer Rules. The dealer deals in a clockwise direction starting with the player on his left. Each player receives two cards while the dealer flips one of his cards to reveal its value. Players' cards are dealt face down in hand held games while they are dealt face up in shoe games. Most casinos immediately pay out to players who get blackjack, however if the dealer has an ace showing, some casinos will check to see if the dealer also has blackjack (see American Blackjack), in which case the hand is pushed. If the player reaches 21 in their hand but the dealer reveals a blackjack, the dealer wins. Live dealer blackjack rules vary quite a bit. All are dealt from a shoe, with about 50% penetration. I think nobody allows re-splitting any pair. In other words, one split only. Most stand on a soft 17. The most variable rules seem to be on surrender and the dealer peeking for blackjack.
Introduction
Del lago resort & casino reopening. Live dealer blackjack rules vary quite a bit. All are dealt from a shoe, with about 50% penetration. I think nobody allows re-splitting any pair. In other words, one split only. Most stand on a soft 17. The most variable rules seem to be on surrender and the dealer peeking for blackjack.
Special mention should be made about the Ezugi game, where early surrender against an ace is allowed. The effect of this rule variation is a reduction in the house edge of 0.39% to a low 0.11%. Personally, I think they don't understand what they are doing and this rule won't last once they realize how beneficial it is to the player.
It is difficult writing live dealer software reviews when I don't have access to play or watch the games. This was the case with Ho Gaming and Vivo Gaming.
As to the appearance of the table and dealer, please refer to the screenshots at the bottom of the page, especially for Usoft.
Odds Comparison
The following table shows the configurable rules, to the best of my knowledge, at various brands of live dealer studios. An explanation of the column headings follows the table.
Live Dealer Blackjack Comparison
| Brand | Play | Decks | Soft 17 | DAS | Peek | Surr. | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaya Software(Live) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | No | No | 0.71% |
| Asia Gaming(Blackjack) | 18bet | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.62% |
| BetConstruct(Blackjack) | Casino British | 1 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.43% |
| Evolution Gaming(Infinite Blackjack (with six-card Charlie)) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.45% |
| Evolution Gaming(Live Dealer Blackjack) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | No | No | 0.72% |
| Extreme Live Gaming(Blackjack) | Leo Vegas | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.62% |
| Ezugi(Blackjack) | Genesis Casino | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.11% |
| Ezugi(Unlimited) | Genesis Casino | 8 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.35% |
| FashionTV(Blackjack) | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.41% | |
| Fresh Deck Studios(Blackjack) | DuckyLuck Casino | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.62% |
| Gameplay Interactive(Blackjack) | Dafabet / Dafa888 | 6 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.46% |
| HO Gaming(Blackjack) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | No | No | 0.6% |
| LuckyStreak(Blackjack) | BitStarz | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | No | 0.49% |
| Net Entertainment(Common Draw Blackjack (Live Dealer)) | BitStarz | 6 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.59% |
| Net Entertainment(Live Beyond Live Blackjack) | BitStarz | 6 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.59% |
| Playtech(Unlimited Blackjack (Live Dealer)) | BitStarz | 8 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.5% |
| Usoft Gaming(Blackjack Unlimited) | Playhub Casino | 6 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.43% |
| Visionary iGaming(Blackjack) | Sloto'Cash Casino | 6 | Stand | Yes | Yes | No | 0.69% |
| Visionary iGaming(Early Payout) | Sloto'Cash Casino | 1 | Stand | Yes | Yes | No | 0.69% |
| Vivo Gaming(Blackjack) | BitStarz | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | No | 0.5% |
| Wirex Gaming(Blackjack) | 8 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.56% | |
| Xprogaming(Blackjack) | Betadonis | 6 | Stand | Yes | No | No | 0.54% |
Column headings:
- Brand: Live dealer studio and in some cases the particular game.
- Decks: Number of decks used. Penetration tends to be about 50% everywhere.
- Soft 17: What the dealer does with a soft 17.
- DAS: Is double after a split allowed?
- Peek: Does the dealer peek at hole card for a blackjack. In cases where there isn't a hole card, the value in the table indicates if the player will lose his original bet only (yes) or everything (no) if the dealer eventually gets a blackjack. Sometimes the dealer will peek only under 10 or under an ace. Possible values are:
- Yes = Dealer always peeks with either a 10 or ace up.
- No = Dealer never peeks. Player will lose all money bet doubling and splitting if the dealer gets a blackjack
- Ace only = Dealer peeks only under an ace up. If no hole card is taken, 'ace only' means the player will lose his original bet only if the dealer gets a blackjack starting with an ace up, but everything if starting with a 10 up.
- 10 only = Dealer peeks only under a 10 up. If no hole card is taken, '10 only' means the player will lose his original bet only if the dealer gets a blackjack starting with a 10 up, but everything if starting with an ace up.
- Surrender = Can player forfeit half his bet and not play the hand? This option is generally offered only after the dealer peeks for blackjack, but in the Ezugi regular game (as opposed to unlimited), the player may surrender before the dealer peeks.
- Edge = House edge
Screenshots
Asia Gaming.
FashionTV.
Ho Gaming.
Evolution Gaming.
Wirex.
In the Usoft game, the dealer will flash when any player gets a blackjack.
Blackjack Early Payout and regular blackjack by Visionary iGaming.
Blackjack early payout and conventional blackjack by Net Entertainment.
Written by: Michael Shackleford
I like to assume that anyone reading one of my posts is starting at zero. I'm not doing exactly that here, because I'm not explaining in detail all the rules of casino blackjack.
But I do want to draw the distinction between hard hands and soft hands.
Blackjack is a simple comparing game where the player and dealer each start with a two-card hand. The one with the higher total points for their hand wins the bet, but only if they keep theirtotal to 21 or below. A total of 22 or higher is an automatic loss.
The cards have points based on their rank. The numbered cards have the same number of points as their numbers: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The face cards (jack, queen, and king) are alsoworth 10 points each.
The only exception is the ace. No one would blame you for thinking that an ace is worth 1 point. It is, in fact, in many situations, worth a single point.
Blackjack House Rules
But it's also worth 11 points.
When you have a hand with no aces in it, you have a hard total. This means that the total is what the total is.
For example, if you have a jack and a 3, you have a hard total of 13. There's no wiggle room there. That's the total.
But if you have an ace and a 3, you have a soft total. That's because the ace counts as 11, but if you get a card that would otherwise give you a total of 22, you can count it as a 1 instead.
With an ace and a 3, you have a soft 14. If you hit that hand and get a 10, you have a hard 14. (Any hand where the ace must be considered 1 point to avoid busting is also considered a hardhand.)
Dealer Rules Blackjack In Casinos Slot Machines
The strategy for a player with a soft hand as opposed to a hard hand is significantly different. Since you have that added layer of protection from busting, the right move is often to play a softtotal more aggressively.
Odds Comparison
The following table shows the configurable rules, to the best of my knowledge, at various brands of live dealer studios. An explanation of the column headings follows the table.
Live Dealer Blackjack Comparison
| Brand | Play | Decks | Soft 17 | DAS | Peek | Surr. | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaya Software(Live) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | No | No | 0.71% |
| Asia Gaming(Blackjack) | 18bet | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.62% |
| BetConstruct(Blackjack) | Casino British | 1 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.43% |
| Evolution Gaming(Infinite Blackjack (with six-card Charlie)) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.45% |
| Evolution Gaming(Live Dealer Blackjack) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | No | No | 0.72% |
| Extreme Live Gaming(Blackjack) | Leo Vegas | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.62% |
| Ezugi(Blackjack) | Genesis Casino | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.11% |
| Ezugi(Unlimited) | Genesis Casino | 8 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.35% |
| FashionTV(Blackjack) | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.41% | |
| Fresh Deck Studios(Blackjack) | DuckyLuck Casino | 8 | Hit | No | Yes | No | 0.62% |
| Gameplay Interactive(Blackjack) | Dafabet / Dafa888 | 6 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.46% |
| HO Gaming(Blackjack) | Vera John Casino | 8 | Hit | No | No | No | 0.6% |
| LuckyStreak(Blackjack) | BitStarz | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | No | 0.49% |
| Net Entertainment(Common Draw Blackjack (Live Dealer)) | BitStarz | 6 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.59% |
| Net Entertainment(Live Beyond Live Blackjack) | BitStarz | 6 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.59% |
| Playtech(Unlimited Blackjack (Live Dealer)) | BitStarz | 8 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.5% |
| Usoft Gaming(Blackjack Unlimited) | Playhub Casino | 6 | Hit | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0.43% |
| Visionary iGaming(Blackjack) | Sloto'Cash Casino | 6 | Stand | Yes | Yes | No | 0.69% |
| Visionary iGaming(Early Payout) | Sloto'Cash Casino | 1 | Stand | Yes | Yes | No | 0.69% |
| Vivo Gaming(Blackjack) | BitStarz | 8 | Hit | Yes | Yes | No | 0.5% |
| Wirex Gaming(Blackjack) | 8 | Hit | Yes | No | No | 0.56% | |
| Xprogaming(Blackjack) | Betadonis | 6 | Stand | Yes | No | No | 0.54% |
Column headings:
- Brand: Live dealer studio and in some cases the particular game.
- Decks: Number of decks used. Penetration tends to be about 50% everywhere.
- Soft 17: What the dealer does with a soft 17.
- DAS: Is double after a split allowed?
- Peek: Does the dealer peek at hole card for a blackjack. In cases where there isn't a hole card, the value in the table indicates if the player will lose his original bet only (yes) or everything (no) if the dealer eventually gets a blackjack. Sometimes the dealer will peek only under 10 or under an ace. Possible values are:
- Yes = Dealer always peeks with either a 10 or ace up.
- No = Dealer never peeks. Player will lose all money bet doubling and splitting if the dealer gets a blackjack
- Ace only = Dealer peeks only under an ace up. If no hole card is taken, 'ace only' means the player will lose his original bet only if the dealer gets a blackjack starting with an ace up, but everything if starting with a 10 up.
- 10 only = Dealer peeks only under a 10 up. If no hole card is taken, '10 only' means the player will lose his original bet only if the dealer gets a blackjack starting with a 10 up, but everything if starting with an ace up.
- Surrender = Can player forfeit half his bet and not play the hand? This option is generally offered only after the dealer peeks for blackjack, but in the Ezugi regular game (as opposed to unlimited), the player may surrender before the dealer peeks.
- Edge = House edge
Screenshots
Asia Gaming.
FashionTV.
Ho Gaming.
Evolution Gaming.
Wirex.
In the Usoft game, the dealer will flash when any player gets a blackjack.
Blackjack Early Payout and regular blackjack by Visionary iGaming.
Blackjack early payout and conventional blackjack by Net Entertainment.
Written by: Michael Shackleford
I like to assume that anyone reading one of my posts is starting at zero. I'm not doing exactly that here, because I'm not explaining in detail all the rules of casino blackjack.
But I do want to draw the distinction between hard hands and soft hands.
Blackjack is a simple comparing game where the player and dealer each start with a two-card hand. The one with the higher total points for their hand wins the bet, but only if they keep theirtotal to 21 or below. A total of 22 or higher is an automatic loss.
The cards have points based on their rank. The numbered cards have the same number of points as their numbers: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The face cards (jack, queen, and king) are alsoworth 10 points each.
The only exception is the ace. No one would blame you for thinking that an ace is worth 1 point. It is, in fact, in many situations, worth a single point.
Blackjack House Rules
But it's also worth 11 points.
When you have a hand with no aces in it, you have a hard total. This means that the total is what the total is.
For example, if you have a jack and a 3, you have a hard total of 13. There's no wiggle room there. That's the total.
But if you have an ace and a 3, you have a soft total. That's because the ace counts as 11, but if you get a card that would otherwise give you a total of 22, you can count it as a 1 instead.
With an ace and a 3, you have a soft 14. If you hit that hand and get a 10, you have a hard 14. (Any hand where the ace must be considered 1 point to avoid busting is also considered a hardhand.)
Dealer Rules Blackjack In Casinos Slot Machines
The strategy for a player with a soft hand as opposed to a hard hand is significantly different. Since you have that added layer of protection from busting, the right move is often to play a softtotal more aggressively.
But when we talk about a soft 17 'rule' in blackjack, we're talking about how the dealer plays his hand.
