By Ben Spencer.
If there’s a downside to blackjack (and roulette, baccarat, etc.), it’s that the rules are so well-established, so familiar, that they’re a difficult thing to break. This naturally limits what developers can do to the storied game. However, some of the wildest bouts of experimentation have emerged from studios like Playtech in just the past few years.
One key rule seems to unify all these blackjack variants, however. Don’t touch the original ruleset. Experimentation in blackjack is about addition, not change.
Multipliers
Increasingly, the developers of new blackjack games have been taking their cues from slots, especially concerning bonus rounds. Playtech’s Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack adds a special round – Mega Fire Blaze Bonus – triggered when certain events occur during each round (e.g., when the player’s first two cards add up to 14).
These Fire Blaze events stack, producing what fans might recognize as progressive jackpot tiers, i.e., Minor, Mini, Major, Grand, and Mega. Outside their traditional home in slots, they function differently.
The bonus round in Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack works a bit like a Hold & Win feature. While active, multipliers appear on a grid. Filling every square grants access to even bigger prize modifiers. This variant of blackjack online also introduces Star multipliers. These grow from 10x to 100x.
Of course, like many modern blackjack tables, Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack is a live dealer game. It’s played with two player hands, another quirk, with the player choosing to play with one or both.
Sweetheart 16
Side bets are where most variants get their uniqueness. In fact, Classic Blackjack with Sweetheart 16 (Switch Studios) is named after its novel side bet. Sweetheart 16 pays out 200:1 for a hand of 16. As an added flourish, players wager on Sweet 16 by placing their chips in a heart-shaped design on the table.
The Sweetheart 16 side bet has five tiers depending on which two cards make the hand. For instance, two 8s of hearts win at 200:1. Any hearts that make 16 win at 50:1. These extra levels make it one of the more accessible side bets, even if 16 isn’t the easiest hand to make in the first place.
Side bets are a simple way to provide added value to blackjack games. Switch Studio’s Classic Blackjack Side Bet Suite introduces four new side plays called Crimson Aces, Deal a Match, Pair 234, and Lucky for Sum.
As an example, Crimson Aces pays up to 99:1 for multiple red aces, while Deal a Match wins if both the player and dealer have the same totals. Classic Blackjack Side Bet Suite comes loaded with two ‘classic’ side bets, as well: 21+3 and Perfect Pairs.
Of course, there are plenty of cosmetic tweaks to the blackjack formula. Vegas Single Deck Blackjack Multihand features a pink table. Operators often make distinctions between different game locations, too – Vegas, Downtown Vegas, and Atlantic City.
It’s all in the name of providing a unique blackjack experience without committing a cardinal sin – changing the ruleset.
IMAGE CREDIT: Pexels.com
IMAGE CREDIT: Pexels.com