Live Blitz Blackjack
Live dealer Blitz Blackjack is a game produced by Net Entertainment. It allows tons of players to enjoy the same hand of blackjack no matter how they want to play it. This keeps the game coming along quickly without any hang-ups. A pair of the most popular side bets are also available for even more action.
Casinos with Live Blitz Blackjack
An Introduction to Live Blitz Blackjack
One of the downfalls of enjoying live dealer blackjack in general is that you sit around waiting on other players. This can happen quite a bit, and it slows things down compared to more traditional online blackjack games. Net Entertainment’s solution to this predicament is Live Blitz Blackjack.
One hand is played out by all players at the same time. This keeps you from having to wait on players to make decisions on individual hands. This means a faster style of play that’s more like the more typical online games.
Essentially, this format gives you the best of both worlds. You get the pros of the live dealer environment with fewer of the cons (eg: a faster play speed). Along with that, you get the pros of the regular online blackjack environment in terms of speed and quickness. However, you don’t have to deal with the lack of social activity that those games are known for.
The Basic Rules and Gameplay Procedure
We’re going to give an idea of how the game is played here first before we get into the particulars of what makes this game stand out compared to other styles of blackjack and what you might need to know from a strategic perspective.
Here’s how a typical hand would be played out:
- Players choose their bet sizes, and they have a timer to give them a window in which to do so.
- The players receive two cards, and the dealer receives a single card. No down card is dealt for the dealer.
- The various options for betting are played through by the players. If you stand, a third or fourth card will still be dealt for the players who chose to hit instead.
- These options include hitting for a single extra card or standing to decide on no more cards. Doubling adds exactly one new card in exchange for doubling the size of your bet. Splitting when you have two cards of the same rank splits them into two new hands. No surrender option is available.
- On paired hands, splitting rules are like normal blackjack except that you cannot re-split aces. No limit is placed on the number of times that you can split.
- After the betting is done, a second card is dealt to the dealer, and the bets are revolved.
- Any player winnings will be credited to your account, and the bet selection screen appears to start the process all over again.
What you avoid is multiple players taking their time to play multiple hands. As a result, the play comes a lot faster than it would in virtually any other live dealer blackjack game.
Advanced Rules and Variation-specifics
Each version of blackjack has particular changes to the rule set that can seem pretty small to many players. However, for advanced players who care a lot about the small nuances of strategy, these changes can be important. Along these lines, we’re going to list a few of the specifics here. If you aren’t interested in this level of strategic detail, feel free to skip over this.
- Live dealer Blitz Blackjack is played with eight total decks.
- The level of penetration in the shoe can vary a bit. However, there is no constant random shuffle used. This is important for card counters.
- Blackjack in this game pays at 3:2.
- The dealer will always stand on 17 regardless of whether it’s a hard or soft hand.
- You have the option to double on any two starting cards. You can also double after splitting with non-aces.
- There is no limit to the number of times you can split hands. However, you are not allowed to re-split aces.
Also, it’s important to realize that the dealer does not receive a down card (or hole card). This means that the game effectively plays under the no peek rule. As a result, the player needs to limit doubling and splitting when against a dealer showing a 10-point card or an ace.
Side Bets
To keep the action interesting and varied, players have access to two side bets here. In fact, they are two of the most popular side bets ever found in blackjack games. Net Entertainment has included them here, and we have to think that all players will be happy about that. Even if you don’t care for them, you don’t have to worry about them slowing down the game.
21+3 Side Bet
At the Live Blitz Blackjack table games, players are initially dealt two cards while the dealer is dealt one. These three initial cards make up the cards used in the 21+3 side bet.
This is essentially a side bet that plays almost like a hand of video poker. However, it uses these three cards to create poker-based hands instead of using five cards. There is also no drawing or changing the outcome of the hand for this side bet.
The pay table for this side bet is as follows:
- Three of a Kind (Suited) – 100x
- Straight Flush – 40x
- Three of a Kind (Off-suit) – 25x
- Straight – 10x
- Flush – 5x
Observant players will notice that a straight pays more than a flush here. Normally, in five-card poker, a flush would be a stronger hand than a straight. However, a straight is actually less likely to happen than a flush with only three cards. This is the reason for the difference in the 21+3 side bet’s pay table.
Perfect Pairs Side Bet
The dealer’s up card is not used in the Perfect Pairs side bet. Instead, only the player’s first two cards are used. The player will win on this side bet based on the first two starting cards being of the same rank.
Here is the pay table based on suit and color:
- Perfect Pair (Suited) – 30x
- Matching Color Only – 10x
- Different Colors – 5x
While this is a very straightforward side bet, it offers some pretty solid payouts. It also hits more often than the 21+3 while the latter gives the opportunities for bigger wins. As a result, the Perfect Pairs side bet has a lower volatility than the 21+3.
How to Win at Live Blitz Blackjack
There are two sides to strategy in this game. The first is the adjustments that you should make to your own basic strategic for blackjack. The second is the set of options you have for counting cards. We’ll briefly cover both of these in what follows.
Adjusting Your Basic Strategies
The main rule that players will need to adjust to, and a rule that’s easy to miss, is the rule about the dealer not receiving a hole card to start the hand. This means that the dealer cannot check for blackjack before you make your other decisions. Especially important is the fact that you could end up doubling or splitting when the dealer has a blackjack after showing an ace or ten.
This leads to two key adjustments:
- Never split or double when facing an ace. The no hole card rule makes the dealer’s hand entirely too strong for either of these.
- Be super conservative with doubling or splitting when up against a 10-point card. Doubling with a hard 11 and splitting a pair of eights are both good plays still. However, other options will be limited.
If you have a solid foundation in the basics of blackjack strategy, these two adjustments will be plenty.
Utilizing Card Counting
Several card counting systems have been developed, but we recommend using the Hi-Lo system here. It’s easier than most systems, and it’s actually super effective even when compared to the top systems out there. It also acts as a great springboard and training tool if you want to move into more complicated systems later.
The idea is pretty simple. When a new shoe is brought to the table, you start a count at zero. For each 2-6 dealt, you add one to the count. For each 10-point card or ace that’s dealt, you subtract one from the count. This process continues until a new shoe is brought, and in that case, you start over.
To use this strategically, at any given time, you can divide the count by the number of decks remaining. This value is called the true count. Once the true count gets bigger, you can increase the size of your bets. This is because a true count of about 4 or higher will mean you have an edge against the casino in the next hand.
Overview
The live dealer Blitz Blackjack tables by Net Entertainment have some serious edges over the competition. The speed of the games and not having to wait on other players is a big part of that. However, it’s also critical to remember the side bets, the great presentation and the ability to count cards.
Moreover, if you’re a strategic type of player, the look and visual appeal isn’t the only thing that you’ll like. This game’s rules allow for a number of serious strategic adjustments that make that type of play very fun.
FAQ
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