Live blackjack: table rules, Bet Behind and side bets

A live blackjack table looks the same everywhere: a real dealer, a shoe of cards, seven seats and a betting timer. The rules behind it are not the same everywhere, and they decide how much the game costs you before you play a single hand. Our blackjack strategy chart assumes one rule set; this article is about reading the rules of the table in front of you, playing when the seats are full, and pricing the side bets that live tables push. Card values and the rules of the game are on our blackjack page.

Open the rules panel first

Every live table has an info or help panel with its rules and payouts. These are the lines to look for, with what each one costs. The figures are changes to the house edge against a game where the dealer stands on 17 and blackjack pays 3:2, from Wizard of Odds:

• Blackjack pays 3:2 or 6:5. The most important line. At 6:5 the edge rises by about 1.39 points: in our simulation, from 0.43% to 1.80% - about four times as expensive.
• Dealer stands or hits on soft 17. "Dealer stands on all 17s" is better for you. If the dealer hits soft 17, the edge rises by about 0.22 points.
• Number of decks. Most live tables use eight. The chart works for four to eight decks.
• Doubling after a split. If it is not allowed, the edge rises by about 0.14 points.
• The dealer's second card. Many live tables deal the dealer's second card only after the players have finished (the European no-hole-card rule). Read what happens to doubles and splits if the dealer then has blackjack; Wizard of Odds puts the typical cost of this rule at about 0.11 points.
• Insurance. Offered when the dealer shows an ace. It pays 2:1 and, with eight decks, has a house edge of about 7.5%. Basic strategy never takes it.

At a table where the dealer stands on 17, blackjack pays 3:2 and you play the chart without mistakes, the house edge is about 0.43%. Each line in the list above moves you away from that figure.

When all seven seats are taken: Bet Behind

Bet Behind lets you place a bet on the hand of a player who is seated at the table. Evolution introduced it in 2014 so that an unlimited number of players can join a seven-seat table while they wait for a seat (Evolution press release). You can bet behind one or several seated players, and seated players can bet behind each other too.

The catch is simple: your bet follows the seated player's decisions. If they stand on 16 against a 10 or split tens, your money is played that way too. Before betting behind, watch a few hands of the player you choose. A player who ignores the chart turns a 0.43% game into a more expensive one, and you pay for it.

Unlimited-seat tables

Some tables solve the seat problem differently: everyone plays at once. Evolution's Infinite Blackjack has unlimited seats, low bet limits, the Six Card Charlie rule (six cards without busting wins), and four side bets: Any Pair, 21+3, Hot 3 and Bust It. Its commonly published rules are eight decks, dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack pays 3:2, with a return of 99.47%. Pragmatic Play's ONE Blackjack works on the same principle.

On these tables you make your own decisions, so the strategy chart applies in full. Check the rules panel all the same: unlimited-seat tables often add their own rules, and the side bets are front and centre.

What the side bets cost

Side bets are separate wagers with their own pay tables, and they all cost more than the main bet. With eight decks:

• Perfect Pairs - wins if your first two cards are a pair: 25:1 for a perfect pair (same suit), 12:1 for a coloured pair, 6:1 for a mixed pair. House edge about 4.10%.
• 21+3 - your two cards plus the dealer's up card as a three-card poker hand. With the common table (suited three of a kind 100:1, straight flush 40:1, three of a kind 30:1, straight 10:1, flush 5:1), the house edge is about 3.70%.
• Insurance - about 7.5%, as above.

We calculated both pay tables exactly for an eight-deck shoe; for 21+3 the result matches the Wizard of Odds 21+3 analysis. Pay tables differ from table to table, so read the one in the panel. Compared with a main bet at 0.43%, Perfect Pairs is almost ten times as expensive, and 21+3 more than eight times.

Live tables and bonuses

If you play with bonus money, check how live blackjack counts towards the wagering requirement. Slots usually count 100% of each bet, while table games often count only 10-20% or not at all - see our article on wagering requirements. A bonus that has to be wagered at a table can take many times longer to clear than at a slot.

What not to expect

Live tables use a shoe that is cut and reshuffled regularly. Card counting is not a plan here, and casinos do not need to stop it. The chart lowers the house edge; it does not remove it. Over many hands, the result moves towards a small loss.

Play within your limits

Live tables move at the pace of the dealer, and a session can last longer than you meant it to. Set a budget and a time limit before you sit down, and use the limits in your casino account - our guide to responsible gambling tools shows how. The responsible gambling page lists where to get help. All the casinos we review are on our all casinos page.