What is Blackjack?
Live blackjack is a classic casino card game that’s popular with many high rollers and other players who are aiming to win real money. Also known as 21, the goal of this game is to have a hand that’s closest to 21 and potentially to get the dealer to bust. This card game involves strategy for players to win consistently and relying on luck will lead to more losses.
Many players who aim to win consistently in this game use certain strategies to get an edge over the dealer. In fact, some players even got banned from casinos due to how effective their strategies were. The rules of this game can get complicated but mastering them is necessary to be able to win in this game consistently.
How to Play Blackjack | Rules of Blackjack
The goal of the game is to get a hand that’s closest to 21. The dealer will first deal cards to all players and give themselves an upcard. Any player that gets a 21 automatically wins but other players will have to decide whether to hit, stand, split, or double down to try and get 21.
The different moves in blackjack are the following:
Some blackjack tables don’t allow players to split or double down, so keep the individual games’ rules in mind before placing bets.
In addition to these moves, blackjack has more rules to keep in mind to be even more familiar with the game.
Blackjack Card Values
Blackjack cards are always read as the following:
Aces can either be 1 or 11, depending on the player’s hand. If the player gets two Aces, then their total is a soft 12 since one Ace is counted as 1 and the other is 11. Getting an Ace and a 10 results in the player getting a Natural Blackjack.
Some blackjack tables remove certain cards from the deck, but the card values don’t change and remain a constant.
Most Common Rules in BK8 Blackjack
As BK8 is powered by multiple gaming providers, each one will have varying rules to make the game unique. However, the most common rules for most blackjack games are the following:
Other tables will have some small differences, so keep these in mind before playing to ensure you can double down after splitting hands.
Dealer Rules
Blackjack is complicated on the player’s part, but dealers have simpler rules they follow. These rules are the following:
Six Card Charlie Rule
Some blackjack tables feature the Six Card Charlie rule where players automatically win when their hand reaches six cards without busting. This is a more complicated way of winning and shouldn’t be aimed for when playing as it’s easier to win with a good hand instead of relying on this rule.
Different Live Blackjack Side Bets
Many live blackjack tables feature several side bets that allow players to potentially increase their winnings depending on the bet’s winning conditions. Some of the best side bets in BK8 blackjack tables are the following:
21+3 Side Bet
21+3 is a side bet where players predict that their first two cards and the dealer’s upcard will make up a three-card poker hand. The name is a combination of 21 or blackjack and 3 which is about three-card poker. The different hands to bet on are the following:
| Side Bets | Winning Condition | Payouts | Odds to Win |
| Suited Three of a Kind | Same suit, mixed values | 100:1 | 1.00% |
| Straight Flush | Different suits, running values | 40:1 | 2.49% |
| Three of a Kind | Three same-value cards | 30:1 | 3.32% |
| Straight | Same suit, running values | 10:1 | 9.90% |
| Flush | Same suit, three same-value cards | 5:1 | 19.61% |
Any Pair Side Bet
Any Pair is a side bet where players guess that their hand will consist of two cards that make a pair. This can be a quite common occurrence since basic strategy dictates players to split when they get two cards of the same value, which is usually a mixed pair.
The different pairs are the following;
| Side Bets | Winning Condition | Payouts | Odds to Win |
| Mixed Pair | Same card value | 6:1 | 16.39% |
| Colored Pair | Same color, same card value | 12:1 | 8.26% |
| Perfect Pair | Same color, same suit, same card value | 25:1 | 3.98% |
Hot 3 Side Bet
Hot 3 is a side bet where the player guesses that the player’s initial two cards and the dealer’s upcard will total 19, 20, or 21. The different conditions and payouts are the following:
| Total Card Value | Payouts |
| Three 7s or 7-7-7 | 100:1 |
| Suited 21 | 20:1 |
| Unsuited 21 | 4:1 |
| 20 | 2:1 |
| 19 | 1:1 |
The highest payout is the Three 7s which requires two 7s for the player and a 7 for the dealer’s upcard. The lowest payout is 19’s which only pay out easy money and isn’t worth it.
Bust It Side Bet
Bust It is a side bet where players bet that they’ll bust when drawing a certain third card. The different conditions for Bust It are the following:
| Dealer Outcome | Payouts |
| Bust with 6 | 15:1 |
| Bust with 7 | 9:1 |
| Bust with 8 | 7:1 |
| Bust with 9 | 5:1 |
| Bust with 10 | 10:1 |
| Bust with colored 888 | 50:1 |
| Bust with suited 888 | 200:1 |
Bet Behind
Most BK8 blackjack tables have limited seating and when the table is filled, gamblers can still play by betting on what a certain player will do. This essentially means “betting behind what the other player bets on.”
BK8 Blackjack Variations
BK8 is powered by multiple live gaming providers, allowing the platform to offer many different variations of blackjack. Evolution Gaming is the gaming provider that provides the most number of blackjack tables at BK8.
Classic Live Blackjack
Most of Evolution Gaming’s tables are classic blackjack tables with a mix of American and European Blackjack rules. This game also features several side bets that are pretty common among Evolution Gaming tables. These side bets are the following:
These classic tables come with different minimum bet amounts to make certain tables feel exclusive. Some tables are specifically meant for VIPs.
Speed Blackjack
Speed Blackjack works similarly to that of the classic game, except that players are free to hit, stand, double down, and split at their own pace without waiting for the other players to make a decision. This allows players to get good cards to get a 21 before other players can get one themselves.
Infinite Blackjack
Infinite Blackjack is a live blackjack game from Evolution Gaming that has some similarities with ONE Blackjack from Pragmatic Play. In this variation, all players are only dealt one hand to share and each player can decide how they’ll play accordingly. Evolution Gaming’s variation features the following side bets and rules that make it unique from other tables with similar rules:
One complaint from some players is that a casino plants at least one player to make dumb decisions that can help get a dealer to have a 21 or at least a better hand than the player.
Lightning Blackjack
Lightning Blackjack is a blackjack variation that follows the same format as Infinite Blackjack while also focusing on multipliers. Because this game features multipliers, players are charged a 100% lightning fee for every bet to have a chance to win with a multiplier on their next hand. When the players win according to one of the following winning conditions, they can get a chance to win with the assigned multiplier on the next round.
FAQs
Conclusion
Blackjack is an excellent live casino game to play to make money, especially since players can use actual strategy to increase how much they stake. Players can even take advantage of certain variations to win big, including Lightning Blackjack with its multipliers.
Try out BK8 Casino’s live blackjack tables today.
