Cryptologic

Cryptologic Blackjack

Cryptologic is a software company
based in Toronto that provides downloadable online casino software
content. The company was founded in 1995, went live with their first
games and casino in 1996, and is known for being the first provider
of multiple player games in 1998. Cryptologic’s
software is also known for being based on Atlantic City style games,
rather than the standard Vegas game style.

Casinos that run Cryptologic games
(including Kenny Rogers Casino, VIP Casino, and Omni among many
others) tend to give great player benefits. Unfortunately, most of
them are Europe-based and it is questionable if they will accept
United States customers. Since this status is ever-changing, it
would be pointless to report the current state of
Cryptologic’s acceptance of bets from
the US — suffice to say, check before you decide to play. Here’s an
example from one player who regularly plays
Cryptologic games. This player mentions that after opening an
account with a Cryptologic casino, a
letter was sent to him via postal mail containing a PIN number as
well as an account number. Apparently, you will need the PIN to cash
out and the account number for any customer support needs, so this
information is vitally important.

Based on my admittedly small amount of experience playing them,
as I live in the United States, Cryptologic
casinos offer seriously professional support and customer service.
The playing experience was "realistic" as opposed to cartoonish. The
games offered features like realistic sound effects and real voice
narration, which took a little getting used to — you could always
mute the sound. Some users report problems with dropped connections
and a rather large number of strange and cryptic error message pop
ups with Cryptologic software — more
reviews mentioned this than did not.

A feature of Cryptologic casinos that
can’t be overlooked is their cashback program: cashback is paid
automatically based on the game you are playing. Obviously, as
cashback is awarded as a percentage of bets, higher bets bring
higher payback. The payback for blackjack
is 0.1%.

Here is a breakdown of Cryptologic’s
blackjack games:

Cryptologic Blackjack

Cryptologic’s standard blackjack
game is not the best they offer in terms of house edge, as is
typical with online blackjack. The game
played at Cryptologic is identical to
the game as it is played in Atlantic City, except that double
splitting is not allowed. This is an 8-deck game with open doubling
– that is, you can double on any two cards, and doubling after
splitting is allowed. The dealer peeks for
blackjack, and don’t look for any surrender options: there
aren’t any.

The lack of double splitting makes the house edge slightly better
than with traditional Atlantic City gaming: basic Cryptologic
blackjack has an edge of 0.49%.

Cryptologic Single-Deck Blackjack

This is the
game to play if you’re looking for an advantage over the house.
Identical to their "blackjack" game
except that it uses a single deck, this version of
blackjack offers the house a mere 0.07%
edge when played with perfect strategy.

Cryptologic Progressive Blackjack

A unique
offering of Cryptologic, progressive blackjack is their
standard 8-deck blackjack game offering
a house edge of 0.49%, but there is also a side bet available which is
progressive according to the number of consecutive aces a player
draws. The house edge on this side bet changes based on the size of
the progressive jackpot, but the standard edge is a hefty 44.28%.
But the game looks fun, and with side betting that should be what
counts.

Cryptologic Multihand Video Blackjack:

Another
less than traditional game, the Cryptologic multihand video
blackjack game allows a player to play 1, 3, or 5 hands against 3,
5, 10, or 50 dealer hands simultaneously. This is a fast and furious
traditional 8-deck blackjack game with
one odd rule alteration whereby if the player busts on any split
hand and the dealer has blackjack, the
player will not earn any return against the dealer’s
blackjack. It is a weird twist on the
dealer peek system that seemingly only serves to drive up the house
edge by half a percent, leaving the edge right at 0.45%