Canada’s Best Live Dealer Blackjack 2021

How Does Online Live Dealer Blackjack Work?

With live dealer blackjack, the action is streamed by webcam from blackjack tables in casino-like studios. You make your moves just as you would when playing any online blackjack game, except that your decisions are communicated to a professional.

The studios are kitted out with all the equipment required for powering the live dealer experience. From the lighting to the high-definition cameras to the software, there’s a lot of tech in place to ensure each game of live dealer blackjack runs smoothly. Live chat is often available too, allowing players to speak with the dealer and other players in the game. 

How We Review Live Dealer Blackjack Casinos

Here at BestOnlineCasinos, our recommendations come from carefully researching each site. Here are some of the important elements we take into account.

Licensing

Offshore casinos aren’t bound by any Canadian regulations, so is there a way to tell if a site is legitimate? Yes: by checking that the site is licensed by a reputable gaming authority such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Our reviewers will only ever recommend licensed sites, as this ensures a fair, secure online gambling experience. 

Payment Methods

When playing live dealer blackjack or any other casino games, It’s important that players can make deposits and withdrawals in their preferred way. Sign up for any of the casinos listed here and you’ll enjoy a choice of payment methods, from debit cards to e-wallets to pay by mobile services. 

Bonuses

Everyone likes to get a little extra for their money. That’s why the team at BestOnlineCasinos always looks out for generous bonuses for both new and existing members. In this section of our review, we also analyze the T&Cs for each bonus, giving top marks to the most player-friendly conditions.

Software Developers

Software developers are the secret stars of the iGaming world. These companies create the games you play at online casinos, and we like to see sites hosting games from a good range of developers, including live dealer specialists like Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play.

Range of Games

When it comes to casino games, variety is always a plus, so we look for casinos that offer a range of different live dealer blackjack games. On top of that, we ideally like to see a whole heap of other games too, from the latest slots to random number generated (RNG) versions of blackjack and other table games. 

Customer Support

If you ever have any questions about a casino site, or encounter glitches or issues, it’s good to know you can quickly contact customer services. When reviewing sites, we check how easy it is for members to get in touch with staff, and what hours they’re on call. The ideal service would be live online chat, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

How to Sign up to a Live Dealer Blackjack Casino

It couldn’t be easier to sign up and start playing live dealer blackjack online. Simply follow the steps below.

• Compare casinos
  Finding the right casino is usually the biggest challenge. Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you ‒ rather than having to spend hours browsing around online, you can read our reviews and recommendations right here.
• Sign up
  When you’ve chosen a casino, follow our link straight to the sign-up page. You’ll then have to enter some basic personal info to create your account, which may involve submitting some proof of your name, age and address to pass the verification process.
• Deposit
  Unless you’ve been given a no deposit bonus for signing up, you’ll now need to deposit funds into your account. Head over to the cashier page and select your preferred payment option, following the onscreen prompts. 
• Claim bonus
  The welcome bonus may be applied automatically when you make your first qualifying deposit; alternatively, you may have to check a box or enter a promo code. Either way, you should have your matched deposit or free spins after making your first payment.
• Play
  You’re now all set to play! Head to the live casino section to find the live dealer blackjack options, and prepare to take on the dealer!

Live Dealer Bonuses

Most live dealer blackjack sites offer bonuses to their customers, and we’ve outlined some of these below. Whichever kind you get, it’s important to check the T&Cs, paying particular attention to wagering or playthrough requirements ‒ these stipulate the number of times you’ll need to bet your bonus amount before you can withdraw any winnings. 

Sign Up Offers

A sign up offer or welcome bonus is a one-off perk for new customers only. It usually takes the form of free spins, a matched deposit bonus, or both.  

Matched Deposit Bonuses

These bonuses involve the casino matching a proportion of your deposit with bonus credits, up to a certain maximum limit. You can then use these credits to play casino games, usually including live dealer blackjack. Let’s say there’s an offer of ‘100% up to $500’ ‒ in this case, depositing $100 would get you an extra $100 in bonus funds to use on all eligible games. 

No Deposit Bonuses

While most sign up bonuses are activated once you’ve made your first deposit, some casino sites will give you a no deposit bonus just for becoming a new member. These often take the form of free spins or bonus funds.

Free Spin Bonuses

Free spins are exactly what they sound like: a chance to spin the reels of certain slot games, for free. Even if you’re mostly a blackjack player, free spins can be a nice extra to enjoy. Just bear in mind that wagering requirements may apply to your free spins winnings.

Live Dealer Software Houses

There are a few software developers that have carved out reputations for creating online blackjack live dealer games. Here are some of the names you might see. 

Pragmatic Play

Pragmatic Play is one of the newer casino software developers on the scene, having been founded in 2015 and rapidly establishing itself as a top live casino provider. Its blackjack portfolio includes ONE Blackjack, where there’s only one seat at the table, and you can choose from a selection of side bets with the potential to win 2,000x your stake. 

Playtech

Playtech is one of the great veterans of the industry, having been around since 1999. Given its pedigree, it’s unsurprising the company has live casino offerings, including live dealer blackjack. The titles in this range include Grand Blackjack, a lavish variation aimed at high rollers that unfolds within a gold studio. Live Ultimate Blackjack is another winning Playtech take on the classic game. 

Evolution Gaming

Founded in 2006, Evolution is the leading name in live casino. It has a diverse range of live blackjack games, including Speed Blackjack, where players compete to be the fastest to make decisions on their hands, and Infinite Blackjack, where there are unlimited seats at the table. VIPs can also put down hefty stakes at the lavish Salon Privé tables.

How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack is pretty simple: the objective is to get a hand higher in value than the dealer’s, without exceeding 21. Face cards are all worth ten, while aces can be worth either one or 11. Blackjack begins with the player being dealt two cards. If they add up to 21, that’s a ‘natural’ or a blackjack, and the player automatically wins (unless the dealer also has a blackjack, in which case it’s a tie, or ‘push’).

If the player isn’t dealt a blackjack, they can choose to draw another card (‘hit’), stick with the hand they have (‘stand’), or split the hand into two separate hands if they have two cards of the same value (‘split’). The player can also ‘double down’, which means doubling their stake and drawing precisely one more card only.

The player will either go over 21, which means they lose the game, or they’ll choose to stand at some point. It’s then the dealer’s turn to play, and whoever ends up with the highest hand without busting is deemed the winner.

Blackjack Rules

We’ve outlined the standard gameplay above, but the exact rules of blackjack will vary depending on the variation you choose to play. For example, some games allow players to ‘surrender’ a poor hand, in which they forfeit a proportion of their bet and quit the round. The rules on doubling down may differ too – for example, in European blackjack, players can double down if their hand total is 9, 10, or 11.

There may also be a set rule on whether the dealer has to hit or stand on a soft 17, which is any hand featuring an ace counted as 11. There may also be all kinds of side bets which can add more complexity to the basic game. 

Blackjack Games

As we touched on above, there are many different varieties of live dealer blackjack. Here are some of the most popular.

American Blackjack

American blackjack is one of the most common types of blackjack you’ll come across. Here, the dealer is dealt two cards at the start, one face up and one face down (the ‘hole’ card). If the face up card is an ace or a ten-value card, the dealer can peek at the hole before the player makes a move. If the dealer has a blackjack the round is over. There are between six and eight decks in play, and you’re allowed to double down on any hand value, even after splitting.

European Blackjack

European blackjack follows the same basic gameplay as the American variant, with some key differences. These include the fact that it’s played with two decks of cards, shortening the casino’s house edge, and that the dealer isn’t given a hole card. Players can only split their hand once, and doubling down is only permitted for hands worth 9, 10 or 11.

Vegas Strip Blackjack

Vegas Strip is a popular variant at online casinos. It’s very similar to general American blackjack, although Vegas Strip is always played with four decks of cards. Another key distinction is that, in Vegas Strip, the dealer can only peek at their hole card if the other card is an ace (a ten-value card won’t allow it). 

Blackjack Switch

In Blackjack Switch, the player is dealt two hands. They’re then allowed to swap the second cards of each hand to give themselves a better chance of winning. Another big difference is that if the dealer gets 22, it’s not a bust; instead, it’s deemed a push, unless there’s a player who has a natural blackjack.