Free Bet Blackjack

This variation offers ‘Free Double Down’ bets on hands of hard 9, 10 or 11, and ‘Free Split” bets on selected pairs (all pairs except 10, J, Q, and K). The Free Bets are offered automatically if the player’s hand qualifies.

Free Bet Blackjack includes numerous features such as optional Perfect Pair and 21+3 side bets, Bet Behind, and a ‘DEAL NOW’ button to speed up the gameplay.

CARD VALUES

• Cards from 2 to 10 are worth their face value
• Face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are each worth 10
• Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever is more favourable to the hand. Note that a soft hand includes an Ace worth 11.

After the allotted betting time has expired, the dealer deals one card face up to each player. Dealing starts with the first player to the dealer’s left and continues clockwise, ending with the dealer. The dealer then deals a second card face up to each player but the dealer’s second card is dealt face down. The value of your initial hand is displayed next to your cards.

BLACKJACK

If the value of your initial two-card hand is exactly 21, you have Blackjack!

INSURANCE

If the dealer’s up card is an Ace, a player can choose to place an additional insurance bet that pays out if the dealer goes on to win with Blackjack. A player clicks ‘Yes’ to purchase this ‘Insurance’ then places an additional bet equal to half the initial Blackjack bet.

The dealer then takes a peek at his/her face-downcard to check for Blackjack. Should the dealer have Blackjack (i.e. an Ace + 10, Jack, Queen or King), the player wins twice the insurance bet. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, the player loses his/her insurance bet and the game continues.

MAKING A DECISION

As soon as the player receives his/her first two cards they can make an initial decision regarding their hand to Hit, Stand, Double Down or Split.

If no decision is made before the betting time expires, a player’s lack of response is interpreted as hit in the case that the player’s score is 11 or less and stand if it is 12 or more.

DOUBLE DOWN

If a player’s first two cards total 9, 10 or 11 and a third card is likely to result in a hand that beats the dealer’s hand, the player can click ‘Double Down’. This allows a player to double their main bet and receive just one more card.

HIT OR STAND

Alternatively, the player can decide to Hit to be dealt an additional card to add to the value of their hand. The player can Hit more than once to receive additional cards before they decide to Stand once they are satisfied with the value of their hand.

SPLIT

When a player’s first two cards are of equal value, the player can choose to ‘Split’ them into two separate hands.

If the player splits two Aces, he/she will receive just one additional card on each hand. No doubling is allowed.

DEALER’S HAND

The dealer must ‘Hit’ (take an additional card) when his/her hand is 16 or less. The dealer must ‘Stand’ on all hands of 17 or more (including a ‘soft 17’, which is a total of 17 made up of an Ace counted as 11 and a card with the value six). The dealer loses the game with a hand that exceeds 21. If a player’s final hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand, the player wins even money on his/her initial bet.

THE GAME OUTCOME

• The player wins when the value of their final hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand or when the dealer busts.
• If the player’s hand value is the same as the dealer’s hand, the game round ends in a push and the player’s bet is returned.
• Blackjack is only possible using the two cards in the initial two-card deal.

If the sum of the player’s hand exceeds 21, the player busts and loses his/her bet on that hand.

INITIAL DECISION

Initial decision cuts waiting time by allowing players in seats 2 to 7 to make ‘Initial decision’ bets. In other words, players don’t have to wait for their turn — they can make their initial decision to Hit, Stand, Double Down or Split at the same time that player 1 is asked to make his or her initial betting decision.

BET BEHIND

Bet Behind* allows a virtually unlimited number of players to bet behind the main seven players seated at a Live Blackjack table. Players can bet behind while they wait for one of the seven main seats. Alternatively, a player in one of the main seats can choose to bet behind any other seat.

Hot players on a winning streak are highlighted with a gold medal next to their name in the Live Blackjack user interface. The number of game rounds a player has won is displayed on the medal.

All our regular Live Blackjack games feature Perfect Pairs and 21+3 optional side bets. A player may place side bets in combination with their main Blackjack bet. This gives them the chance to win on any side bet whether they later win or lose on their main Blackjack bet.

PERFECT PAIRS

Allows the player to bet on receiving any pair (e.g. two Queens, two Aces, two 7s etc) in the first two cards of his or her hand.

The level of payout depends on the probability of being dealt that pair. There are three types of winning pair combinations:

• Perfect Pair - same suit, e.g. 2x Ace of spades
• Coloured Pair - different suits of the same colour, e.g. 2 of diamonds (red) and 2 of hearts (red)
• Mixed Pair - different suits of different colours, e.g. 6 of clubs (black) and 6 of hearts (red).

21+3

Allows the player to bet on the combination of three cards: the first two cards in the player’s hand and the dealer’s up card.

Winning combinations (similar to Poker) are as follows, with payouts depending on the probability of the combination being dealt:

ENABLING/DISABLING SIDE BETS

Operators can configure each individual Blackjack table with or without the side bets. If an operator chooses to include side bets then these additional betting options will be available to players by default. Each player also has the ability to disable side bets by clicking on the ‘SIDE BETS’ button in the toolbar.