Blackjack bet behind strategy explained for beginners

Before live dealer tables came along, if you wanted to play online blackjack, you did so on your own. You can still play these games, of course, but it's a fairly solitary experience, and you will be playing against a computerized dealer. The games rely on a random number generator to ensure they are completely fair, but it's not quite the same as having a real blackjack dealer.

Today, top online casinos like BetAmerica Casino invest heavily in live dealer tables. You live stream real dealers who play the game with real cards, and there will be slots for seven "virtual players" like you to sit down and bet using funds from your online account. This is all well and good, but at busy periods, the seven seats might be taken.

Happily, that is where betting behind comes in, letting you get a piece of the action even if you don't have a seat at the table.

What is bet behind blackjack?

Let's imagine you log on to your favorite online casino and click on the live dealer section to enjoy a game of blackjack. But, alas, all the seats are taken by other eager players. Fear not. Look closely at each player's seat, and you will see a slot called "Bet behind." So long as you have sufficient funds in your player account, you can place a bet in this slot, within table limits.

Let's assume this is a $10 max bet table. Select a player to bet behind, then place your $10 chip in this player's bet-behind slot. Sit back and see if the player wins his hand – if he does, you win. But if he loses, you lose your bet.

That's bet behind in a nutshell. Not that hard, is it?

Blackjack bet behind strategy

The more observant among you will have realized that you have no influence on the outcome of the hand when you bet behind. All you can do is bet before the cards are dealt and hope that the player you have chosen to bet behind wins the hand on his and your behalf.

You might think, therefore, that there can be no strategy to bet behind blackjack. In terms of how the hand plays out, it's correct to say there is no blackjack strategy since you cannot influence the player's decisions. You can not tell them to take another card or to stand.

However, there are one or two tricks to improve your chances of winning your bet behind bets.

Firstly, don't just bet behind the first player you spot. Instead, study the players at the table first (you can observe a table for as long as you like). What you're looking for are the players who appear to know what they're doing. It might sound obvious, but when you actually take time to watch, you will see some players don't have a clue what they are doing. Do you want to bet your hard-earned money on these guys? Of course, you don't!

Instead, look for players who appear to follow a solid strategy, playing their hand according to the dealer's upcard's strength or weakness. Are they taking another card when they should - or deciding to stand when it's sensible to do so? Do they seemingly understand when it's profitable to split a pair or when to double down?

If you spot one of these players, you know you are better positioned to bet behind them. This player is more likely to turn a profit in a single session, so you can piggyback his or her success.

Other tips to improve your blackjack bet behind strategy include:

• Bet within your limits. By betting only small chunks of your bankroll – say 5% each time – you can afford to soak up a run of bad results, making it far less likely you will go bust
• Keep your head. Even if you did encounter a freak run of bad results, accept that losses in blackjack happen. Heck, we're meant to lose because the casino has the house edge. By staying emotionally balanced, you won't make any rash betting decisions
• Keep looking around. While you might be happy betting behind a particular player, keep an eye on the other players at the table. New players might sit down who might show even more promise, so move your bet behind action to them.

Try bet behind blackjack today

You can experience live dealer blackjack action at BetAmerica Casino. You'll need to register and sign-up for the first deposit bonus, then head to the tables. Betting behind is a good way to dip your toes into the water before plunging in and playing your own blackjack hands.