Sky Live Blackjack Review

Sky have recently changed live casino providers moving from Evolution Software to Playtech at the same time as launching Sky Casino.

Sky offers players Live Blackjack, Live Roulette, Live Baccarat and Live Casino Holdem from a range of shared and generic tables from Playtech’s live casino studio in Latvia. If you’re interested in a more general review check out my Sky Live Casino Review.

What’s great about Sky Casino is the dedicated dealing room where they have their own tables and dealers. It’s not as busy as the main Playtech area but when you’re using the dedicated tables you’re playing with other sky customers. The camera angles are also better and it seems that you get a more personal experience than at the general play tables.

The Sky Live Blackjack does particularly well in the dedicated area with one VIP Table and at least two normal play tables. In the general play area multiple Unlimited blackjack and 7 Seat Blackjack tables can be found, so you’ll normally be able to find a seat.

The rules of Sky Live Blackjack are standard across all of the tables with the exception of some minor play variations if you’re playing at the Unlimited Blackjack table (I’ll come onto those in a minute).

7 Seat Blackjack

This is played from an 8 Deck Shoe that is manually shuffled normally by another dealer. Burn cards are taken at the beginning of every new shoe and one card is taken before each new round is dealt. The dealer takes two cards. Doubles and splits are allowed. When Aces are split they only get one additional card.

When the dealers up card is an Ace Insurance is offered but the round continues until all players have completed their hands which is different from casinos using Evolution Software, where the dealer will check immediately and if he has Blackjack the game round ends.

You have the ability to play multi-seat at all tales, normally limited to 3 seats at one table.

You can play Perfect Pairs and Bet Behind side bets, although the Bet Behind is only available if you’re watching play. You cannot use this feature if you’re playing. If you’d like to do that it’s available at William Hill’s Live Blackjack tables.

Unlimited Blackjack

You can play up to 5 seat positions. Where this game differs from 7 Seat Blackjack is that every hand can be played by multiple players. You bet on the hand you want to play and when the cards are dealt you make your decision on how you want to play them. The “system” will remember whether you have bust or stayed. It does the same for every other player of the hand. When the dealer has completed his hand those that have won will be paid out.

When a hand is dealt the can be split the player is given two options. You can double your bet and play the hands or you can fold and receive your stake back minus 20%.

I prefer playing at the Sky Live Blackjack dedicated tables. It just seems a more personal experience and they also run the occasional on table promotions where you can win a range of prizes which isn’t possible when you’re playing at the general tables.

Sky Live Blackjack Features

As you’d expect from one of the leaders of live casino solutions the software is very good and easy to use. You can display the games in one of two modes. Full Camera mode where it’s just you the dealer and the table or in a mixed mode where the same image is displayed but with a computer generated image of the table wrapped around that shows the cards dealt in computer generated form.

All other options work in both views. You can chat with the dealer, see history of the last hands and there is a re-bet facility and also the option to make your first play decision before play reaches you. This can speed up the pace of play on the table especially when it’s full.

Don’t expect games to be quick, they pretty much follow what happens at a land based casino, so it’s as much about the experience as it is the game.

Sky Live Blackjack Images

Sky Live BlackjackLobbyDedicated TableGeneral 7 Seat TableUnlimited Blackjack

Banking

Sky offer a range of deposit & withdrawal methods using popular Debit & Credit Cards and online wallets such as Paypal and Neteller. UK based players will experience quick withdrawals.  Payments to other countries may take slightly longer.

Customer Service

As you’d expect from a major brand like Sky, their customer service is very good.  They can be contacted on a 24 x 7 basis using Chat or Telephone.  They also have a very comprehensive online FAQ that you should certainly check out as it contains a lot of useful information.

Security

Sky holds two licenses.  For UK players they have the newly introduced licence from the UK Gambling Commission and for players from other countries they are licensed by the Aldernay Gambling Control Commission.  The UK regulations that have been introduced  apply a stricter code of conduct on Casinos, which is why many casinos have withdrawn from the UK market because they either can’t maintain those standards or don’t want to pay the UK government tax on their profits from UK players!.

Bonuses

There is a two stage Welcome Bonus at Sky Casino.

Firstly there is a £20 no deposit bonus that you receive when you first sign up.  Wagering requirements are 50 x the bonus with each bet at Blackjack contributing 20%, so you will have to wager £5000 before you’l be able to withdraw any winnings.

Then when you make your first deposit you’ll get a 100% match bonus up to £500 and a second match bonus of 50% up to £500.  Wagering requirement are 20 x the Deposit and Bonus with a 20% contribution on Blackjack.  You have 30 days to meet the wagering requirements before you can withdraw.

Summary

I really like playing Blackjack at Sky Casino, especially at the dedicated tables.  The dealers are very chatty and if the table is quiet they will encourage you to take part.  Bet limits across the tables are good and should suit most players.  I’d certainly recommend playing here.

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