Play Live Dealer Blackjack Online in Canada: an Expert Guide

Online blackjack, long one of Canada’s most popular casino games, is quickly gaining popularity in the live dealer space at online casinos. Live dealer blackjack allows players to enjoy the game they know and love, with all the social elements, from the comfort of their own home.

Our expert guide to live dealer blackjack will cover:

The best live dealer blackjack casinos
How to play live dealer blackjack
Different variations of the game
Proven strategies for winning at live dealer blackjack
Advantages to playing live dealer blackjack

Best Live Dealer Blackjack Casinos

Here are our favourite online live dealer blackjack casinos for Canadian players:

Top Rated Canadian Casino

#1

5/5

BONUS $400

Min Deposit $20 650+ Slots

Deposit Methods

E-Wallet

Mastercard

Visa

+6

Interac E-Transfer

Instadebit

Neteller

Skrill

ecoPayz

Trustly

Payout Speed
1 day (Process) up to 10 days (payment)

Play Now

Jackpot City Review

#2

4.9/5

BONUS $1000

Min Deposit $20 300+ Slots

Deposit Methods

Mastercard

Visa

Maestro

+6

Interac E-Transfer

Instadebit

Flexepin

Neosurf

ecoPayz

eCheck

Payout Speed
24-48 hrs

Play Now

Spin Casino Review

#3

4.8/5

BONUS $1500

Min Deposit $20 400+ Slots

Deposit Methods

Bank Transfer

Mastercard

Visa

+7

Interac E-Transfer

Instadebit

Neosurf

Skrill

Voucher

ecoPayz

Paysafe Card

Payout Speed
1-5 days

Play Now

All Slots Casino Review

#4

4.75/5

BONUS $3000

Min Deposit $25 12+ Slots

Deposit Methods

Bank Transfer

Bitcoin

Mastercard

+8

Visa

American Express

Bitcoin Cash

Discover

Litecoin

Ethereum

Person to Person Methods

Ripple

Payout Speed
Instant (Bitcoin) 10 days (check)

Play Now

BetOnline Casino Review

#5

4.72/5

BONUS $3000

Min Deposit $20 150+ Casino Games

Deposit Methods

Bank Transfer

Bitcoin

Mastercard

+8

Visa

American Express

Discover

Litecoin

Skrill

ecoPayz

Ethereum

Ripple

Payout Speed
1 to 15 Business Days

Play Now

SportsbettingAG Review

See All Casino Reviews

What is Live Dealer Blackjack?

As we’ve covered, live dealer casino games are the online casino’s solution to losing the social elements of playing at a brick-and-mortar casino – when you play a live dealer game, you’ll be on a live video feed at a real table, with a real dealer and real players.

Live dealer blackjack is no exception – if you’ve ever sat down at a blackjack table in real life, you’ll be familiar with the social, team-based atmosphere. You’ll get the same experience when you play live dealer blackjack online. Real players and dealers you can banter with in real time, the opportunity to watch the dealer shuffle, and more.

If you haven’t played blackjack before, live dealer is a great place to start. The dealers are friendly and helpful, and can help to provide advice on how to handle certain situations.

How to Play Live Dealer Blackjack

The goal of blackjack is simple: you are trying to build the best hand to beat the dealer – and the dealer only – without going over 21. Each of you will be dealt two cards initially, and you will need to choose whether to take more cards, or stick with your hand.

An ace is worth one or 11 points, whichever benefits your hand more
Face cards are worth 10
The remainder of the cards are worth their face value (e.g. a 3 would be worth three)

This process remains the same whether you’re playing standard blackjack online or playing live dealer blackjack. The main difference, in addition to the social atmosphere, is that in live dealer blackjack, you’ll communicate directly with the dealer throughout each round, rather than pressing buttons.

A Hand of Live Dealer Blackjack

Here’s a hand of live dealer blackjack in five simple steps:

Place your bet. Table minimums vary depending on which online casino you like and which live dealer blackjack table you select. Bankroll management is important – we recommend choosing a bet size that will allow for you to play at least 20 games (for example, if you have $100 to play with, we’d recommend playing $5 hands at most.
The dealer deals. Each player and the dealer will receive two cards. Both of the dealer’s cards will be face down, while one of yours will be face down, and one will be face up.
Hit, Stand, Split or Double Down. Based on the point value in your hand, you’ll need to decide whether to hit (take another card), stand (decide to take no more cards), double down, or split. We’ll talk more about this step – and how to choose your play – later.
Repeat Step 3 if applicable. If you hit, split, or doubled down, you’ll again need to choose if you want to hit or stand depending on your new card total. You’ll repeat this process until you either have a card total you’re happy with, or until you go over 21 (a “bust”)
Await dealer’s hand for result. Once you’re done with steps 3 & 4, the dealer will go through the same process.

Once each player and the dealer are all settled on their hand, everyone will reveal their cards. At this point, if you’ve beaten the dealer – by getting closer to 21 than they do, without going over – you are paid out. Otherwise, the dealer takes your bet.

a blackjack dealer deals cards to two players

How to Win at Live Dealer Blackjack

Manage Your Bankroll

We recommend this for every type of online gambling. Have a strategy for how to spend your money, and stick to it. In blackjack, each bet should represent – at most – 5% of your bankroll.

Learn Blackjack Strategy

Our guide to online blackjack strategy will teach you the nuances that will help you take your game to the next level.

Play Against the Dealer

You’re playing against the dealer and the dealer only. Don’t get distracted by what other players are doing and don’t let them impact your strategy.

When to Hit, Stand, Double Down, or Split

When to Hit in Live Dealer Blackjack

A “hit” is asking for another card from the dealer

Depending on what the dealer is showing and the casino’s rules, a general strategy would be to ‘hit’ when your cards total fourteen or less.

When to Stand in Live Dealer Blackjack

Choosing to “stand” is committing to receive no more cards from the dealer

A player would “stand” when they’re confident they have a high enough hand to beat the dealer, typically on hands that total fifteen or more (depending on what the dealer is showing.)

When to Double Down in Live Dealer Blackjack

“Doubling down” is choosing to double your original bet and committing to receiving only one more card from the dealer.

As an example, a player should generally “double down” if their hand totals 10 or 11, as the odds of the next card being a ten or face card is in the player’s favour in the long run. Again, this will depend on what the dealer is showing as well as the casino’s dealer rules.

Remember – doubling down doubles a player’s bet, and they only get one more card. If the player gets a good card and win, they win double, but if they get a bad card and lose, they’ll lose double.

When to Split in Live Dealer Blackjack

“Splitting” doubles your current better and splits your existing pair into two separate hands

A split is only an option when a player is dealt a pair. For example, if a player was dealt two 8s, they could split these. They would then have two hands worth 8 each, and receive an additional card for each hand. They’d then play these hands the same way they’d play one – choosing to hit, stand, double down, or even to split again.

Live Dealer Blackjack Tips

Without getting into the weeds of blackjack strategy and theory, here are some basic blackjack tips to give you the best chance of beating the dealer’s hand.

The Dealer Plays by Pre-Determined Rules

In most cases, a dealer must stand on 17. So, if they’re showing a 7 and hit a 10, they can’t take any more cards.

Typically, dealers are also required to hit until they reach 17, meaning they’re required to hit on high hands like 16 and 17.

Assume Face-Down Cards are Worth 10

If a dealer is showing a 6, your hand is in great shape because most blackjack rules force a dealer to hit on 16. So, if their other card is a king, queen, jack or 10, they’re hitting with a good chance they bust (go over 21).

If a dealer is showing a 2-5, your hand remains in great shape for the same reasons noted above.

Leverage Other Game Features

When dealt two of the same card, you have the option of splitting them and playing two separate hands, which does require another bet. For example, if you have two 8s and the dealer is showing a 6, splitting makes a lot of sense because of the better odds.

You can also double down, which means doubling your hand on that bet and committing to receiving only one more card. This type of aggressive wagering allows you to capitalize on your best hands.

Don’t Buy Insurance

When a dealer is showing a face-up Ace (i.e. is a 10 or a face card away from a blackjack), players will be offered the option of purchasing ‘insurance’. Insurance is a separate wager that protects you in the event that the dealer does indeed have blackjack.

While it may seem like a good deal, our experts recommend never buying insurance. It increases your wager size, and the house has nearly a 6% advantage on these bets. Stay away.

Advantages to playing Live Dealer Blackjack

Play From Home

It’s the best way to enjoy a real casino atmosphere without having to get up off the couch, drive to the local casino or hop on a plane to Vegas or Atlantic City.

Real Cards & a Real Dealer

When you play online, you don’t have to rely on random number generators and algorithms to deal your cards – it’s a real person, dealing real cards.

Variations of Live Dealer Blackjack

You’ll find most of the usual suspects in live dealer blackjack games, but with added features that make these games stand out from playing against the computer.

VIP Blackjack

VIP blackjack is typically limited to VIP players and high rollers. These games may have larger minimum and maximum bet amounts, along with special VIP treatment to make your experience even more enjoyable. Since these games are so exclusive, you’d be playing against other people with the same gambling habits as you, so you may even make some friends in the end.

Party Blackjack

These games usually involve multiple dealers, loud club music, lots of chatting with players, and sometimes coloured lights to make you feel like you’re actually at a party. Live dealer party blackjack tries to emulate the feeling of being at a party or a casino by connecting with players more often than other games do.

Bet Behind Blackjack

This live dealer variant allows you to sit back and watch the game unfold without playing yourself, but you’re able to bet on other players’ hands. This is a great way to learn and understand the game more.

Live Dealer Blackjack Software Developers

Evolution Gaming

Pragmatic Play

Ezugi

Vivo Gaming

PlayTech

NetEnt

The live dealer casino industry is massive, and there are tons of great software providers on the market. The name you’ll probably see the most often is Evolution Gaming. They are the largest provider of live dealer games and their streams appear on most casino sites, so you know they’re trustworthy and legit. Pragmatic Play is also a common developer, though they sometimes use the name Pragmatic Live for live dealer games specifically.

Live dealer software providers usually operate 24/7 to cater to blackjack online players all over the world, so they are constantly monitored for quality assurance and rarely run into any streaming issues.

Learn More about Online Blackjack

Online Blackjack

Read our expert guide to playing standard online blackjack.

Learn About Online Blackjack

Blackjack Strategy

Master basic blackjack strategy using our guide.

Study Up On Blackjack Strategy

How to Play Blackjack

All the basics of blackjack gameplay, in one place.

How to Play Blackjack Basics

Live Dealer Blackjack FAQ

it's played just like the game enjoyed at brick-and-mortar casinos, and in popular online casino games. The difference is that instead of relying on a random number generator kicking out cards, you get to interact with a real-life dealer and participate in real time via live video feed.

It is rare that you can play any live dealer games for free because they're staffed by real people and have overhead costs. The good news is if you're looking to get practice before playing with real money, typical online blackjack software offers free versions so you can get some reps.

Thanks again to advances in casino software and mobile technologies, live dealer casino games, like blackjack, have become mobile-friendly just in the past few years. However, if you’re interested in joining a table while on the go, do everything possible to connect to a Wi-Fi signal. This will strengthen your internet connection to the table and avoid draining precious data limits.

Yes, if you visit a reputable site like our suggestions at the top of this page, and read our online casino reviews. Any safe online casino site provides safety and fair gaming practice information, or you can reach out to your preferred site’s customer support department. To save time, be sure to check if they have an online support chat function, which is much better than emailing or phoning in a question.

Whatever you're comfortable wagering hand to hand. Table minimums vary depending on which online casino you like, and which live dealer blackjack table you select. It's best to set a bankroll before your blackjack session starts.

Veronica Taylor

Veronica Taylor is a card game enthusiast who you can find checking out the latest themed online casino games or sports betting trends. When she’s not writing about what’s new in the gambling world and industry (both online and on land), you can find her watching the NBA and looking up assorted player facts. (Did you know Lebron snacks on apples and almond butter everyday?)

Email Author