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Did you know that blackjack was reputedly a favorite game of Napoleon when he was in exile? Or that it is officially the most popular table game at casinos?
In the past, it wasn’t possible for players in the US to play free live blackjack games online, but this changed with the opening of sweeps casinos. We’ll take you through how playing at a sweeps casino works, and give you our top picks of the best live blackjack games available to players right now so you can start playing.
The basic rules of blackjack are easy to master, which is part of the reason behind its long-running popularity. Whether you’re playing at a live blackjack online casino, or among the bright lights of Vegas, the rules are the same.
Some people might tell you that the aim of the game in blackjack is to try to get your cards as close as possible to 21. But really the aim of the game is to beat the dealer!
In the basic setup, each player, and the dealer, will be given two cards. Those numbered 2–10 are worth their face value, while picture cards have a value of 10. An ace can count as either 1 or 11.
Once you’ve got your cards, you can either choose to hit, which means receiving another card, or stick, which means that you’ll keep the cards you’ve got. If you go over 21, you’ll go bust and be out of the game. The dealer will then reveal their cards and the person closest to 21 is the winner. Or, if you’ve got the same score as the dealer, this is called a push, and means that the round is a draw. The best possible hand is an ace and a 10 or picture card, which is an immediate blackjack. Sounds simple right?
Playing online blackjack with a live dealer at a sweeps casino replicates the experience of playing at a live casino very closely but the major difference lies in the currency you use. Rather than staking with real money, you’ll use two forms of virtual currency, called Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins.
As soon as you sign up to a sweepstakes casino, you’ll be given a bundle of Gold Coins to start playing with. They have no monetary value but let you play all of the casino style games and slots on the site. You can gain more Gold Coins through daily giveaways, referring friends to the site, or by taking part in competitions. You can also buy a bundle of Gold Coins if you wish to. In reality though, you probably won’t need to as it’s never too long until a promotion delivers another batch of Gold Coins to top up your balance.
As well as Gold Coins, providers also give out Sweepstakes Coins (or they might be called something different on a specific site, such as Sweeps Coins). Like Gold Coins, Sweepstakes Coins have no real-money value but, unlike Gold Coins, any winnings you have can be eventually redeemed for real-world prizes including cash. You can’t buy Sweeps Coins, but you can win them through competitions. They can also be included as a nice bonus when you buy a Gold Coin bundle.
Blackjack has been around for hundreds of years (in fact, the first mention in print of blackjack is a reference in Don Quixote, published in 1605), and the basic game has given rise to hundreds of different incarnations. These are a few of the most popular sweepstakes casino varieties:
This is a new type of blackjack which allows an unlimited number of players to join a virtual table.
American blackjack is also known as classic blackjack. It uses one deck of cards and so has a low house edge of just 0.5%.
This type of blackjack lets you play with multiple hands at once. There are six decks on the go, so there’s a lot of potential for fast-paced play, which is perfect for more experienced gamers.
Now that we’ve had a look at the different types of blackjack, we can jump straight into the best sites letting you enjoy a game for free. Now, while we’d love to say that there are hundreds of sites to choose from, that just isn’t the case at the moment. But, the options we do have are two of the very best sweepstakes casinos around.
Site | Bonus offer | Game selection |
Stake.us | 250,000 Gold Coins, plus $25 no deposit and 5% rakeback using the code TGTSOCIAL | One online blackjack live dealer game, plus a Stake.us original version and a blackjack slot |
High 5 Casino | 250 Game Coins, 5 Sweeps Coins, and 600 Diamonds | Live dealer and six blackjack table games, plus lots of slot versions |
Stake.us was launched in 2022, but in that short time, has made a serious impact. Thousands of players have flocked to the site to enjoy Stake.us’ selection of slots from creators like Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw, or to have a go at the massive selection of table, live dealer, and Stake.us original games.
There’s another reason why Stake.us is so popular and that’s their stellar selection of bonuses. This kicks off with the welcome package for new players, giving you 250,000 Gold Coins plus a $25 no deposit, and a 5% rakeback on all losses when you use the exclusive code TGTSOCIAL on sign-up. But it doesn’t stop there. Players can also enjoy daily reload bonuses to top up their Gold Coin balance, and take part in regular leaderboard competitions and tournaments to add to their balance.
Blackjack lovers coming to Stake.us will be able to play one classic live dealer game, but can also take advantage of Pragmatic and Stake.us versions. As one of the best free live roulette casinos, table game fans can also enjoy a spin on the roulette wheel, or choose between several baccarat games.
High 5 Casino is home to over 800 games including hundreds of slots from creators such as Pragmatic and Net Ent, as well as a broad selection of table and live dealer games. That includes several exciting variations of blackjack, from multi-hand and classic American-style table games to a live dealer version, as well as many slot incarnations of the game.
The welcome offer at High 5 is not quite as generous as that of Stake.us, but it does provide players with a package of 250 Game Coins, 5 Sweeps Coins, and 600 Diamonds. These Diamonds are another way to enhance your time playing at High 5; check out our full High 5 review to find out how they work.
Live casino bonuses keep on coming at High 5 too, with reload bonuses available every day, and a loyalty program that doles out extra perks as you move up through the reward levels.
If you live in a state where real-money online casinos aren’t permitted, then sweeps casinos are a fantastic option to open up a casino style experience completely safely and legally. And now, they can even offer a live dealer experience across games including blackjack, all without the need to step out the front door!
They sure are. They operate slightly differently from real money casinos and allow players in states where online gambling is not legal to enjoy a casino experience. Players at sweeps casinos don’t use real money to play with, but instead use virtual currencies which have no real money value. To find out more about how they operate, the best thing to do is read through our sweeps casino guides.
While you can’t win real money playing at sweeps casinos, you can redeem the Sweepstakes Coins you’ve won as real-world prizes. At some sweeps casinos, this is cash, but at others this could take the form of gift vouchers or merchandise.
This depends on the individual site but, unfortunately, players in Washington are not able to play at either of the platforms discussed here. However, it’s important to note that the legislation surrounding sweeps casinos is frequently updated. We provide the latest information on all things sweeps casino, so bookmark our site and check back in with us regularly to see what’s new.
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.