I’m a blackjack fanatic. Blackjack offers some of the best odds in the casino. Land-based casinos often limit blackjack bets because they know that good blackjack players can actually turn the tables on the house and make blackjack a positive expectation game, especially if you can do a little card-counting.
Online blackjack takes card-counting totally out of the equation, which is fine by me since I’m not a card-counter to begin with. But Playtech’s variety of blackjack games is what drew me to Playtech to begin with.
Here’s a brief look at each of Playtech’s blackjack variants currently available
Playtech’s Classic Blackjack
This is a 6-deck standard game of blackjack. This is the simplest of all of Playtech’s blackjack offerings, with standard rules familiar to anyone who has ever played blackjack in the casino.
Playtech’s 21 Duel Blackjack
This is a brand-new blackjack variant available at some Playtech casinos. It uses 6 decks, like Playtech’s standard blackjack game, but that’s where the similarities end. In this version, all hands with point values that total 21 are equal to one another, meaning an Ace with a face card is no more valuable than holding two 9s and a 3. This game is actually tipped in the casino’s favor, and though it has some interesting side bet options, I generally stay away from it, since blackjack pays out at 1:1.
Playtech’s Progressive Blackjack
This is essentially the same as Playtech’s classic blackjack game, using 6 decks and paying out 3:2 for blackjack. The difference is that you can place a $1 side bet on each hand that pays into a progressive jackpot. Each hand that you bet the extra $1 could result in a payoff of tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the size of the progressive jackpot at the time that you win it. I’m not really into progressive jackpots, but I sometimes play this game when I’m in the mood to really gamble and chase a big payday.
Playtech’s Blackjack Switch
This is another 6-deck Playtech blackjack game with a few rule variations that make it a totally different game. In Blackjack Switch, you actually play two hands at once. The word “switch” comes from the fact that you can swap cards between your two hands to build better sets against the dealer. Playtech’s version of Switch also involves a $1 side bet with a progressive jackpot, though side bets like that are usually not something I’m into. I do like the excitement of being able to swap cards between two hands running at once, and I’ve had the most success with Playtech blackjack playing this particular variant.
Playtech’s Pontoon Blackjack
Pontoon is actually an old British card game with rules similar to American blackjack. Playtech’s version uses 8 decks and pays out 2:1 for blackjack. The rules are almost the exact same as classic blackjack, but you have to read the game rules (which Playtech provides right there on the game interface) to really get into the minor differences between Pontoon and standard American blackjack.
I will probably be a lifelong Playtech customer because of their variety of blackjack games. Even though some of the variants of blackjack, particularly 21 Duel, are not titles I’d ever go anywhere near, I like having a lot of options in case I do choose to change up my gaming style.