Playtech
Playtech Blackjack
Playtech is a small but powerful company, employing just over 300
people and operating major bingo, poker, and casino game sites.
Playtech casinos are certified as fair by BMM International (a major
auditing house in gambling centers worldwide). Playtech casinos
do not accept players from the USA for real money games.
Nearly 100 casinos online offer Playtech blackjack games. Outside
the United States, Playtech is also a leader in online slots.
Playtech has been providing a secure casino software platform for
more than fifty major worldwide casino brands for ten years now.
Part of Playtech’s popularity is due to their unique "unified
platform" system which means all of their online gaming activities
are easily grouped or left independent from one another.
Playtech claims to be dedicated to staying on top by continually
improving the performance and operation ease of their software, but
what company wouldn’t want to claim that. Playtech offers full
acounts for "play money" players — those of us who don’t want to
risk our livelihood on our meager blackjack skills — and while this
is not totally unique it does prove Playtech’s commitment to user
friendliness. Playtech is one of the only software providers who
allow multi-player blackjack play in the "fun money" mode.
Also, Playtech’s software offers an across the board 0.1% payback
system. This is a company that offers their customers all kinds of
bonuses and new options, as evidenced by the cash back program and
multiple functionality play money system.
Playtech Blackjack Games
Playtech offers a number of varieties of blackjack — not as many
as their rival Microgaming — but the differences are important to
note.
Playtech Blackjack
What you could consider Playtech’s "standard" blackjack game
involves six decks. Dealer stands on soft 17, players may double on
any two cards, players may also double after splitting — however,
Playtech’s standard blackjack game approaches dealer blackjacks
differently than most games. This gets a bit confusing: If the
dealer shows ace up and the player doubles and/or splits, the entire
bet is lost if the dealer draws blackjack. Similarly, if the dealer
shows 10 up and the player splits, the entire bet is lost. Now, if
the dealer shows 10 and the player doubles or splits and doubles,
just the original bet is lost. As confusing as it sounds, the rule
becomes second nature after repeated plays. The house edge for this
standard game is a relatively high 0.52%.
This is not the Playtech blackjack game you should play. In fact,
you should never play this game unless bonuses exclude the other
games.
Playtech Single Deck Blackjack
A smart player looks for single deck blackjack games anywhere he
goes — they usually offer a great advantage against the house. One
deck is used for the Playtech single deck blackjack game, hence the
name, and the dealer hits on a soft 17. The player may double on 10
and 11 only. Players may not double after splitting, and may only
split once. No surrender options available, and otherwise follow
standard rules. The single deck gives this game a slightly better
0.48%, but there’s an even better option for play.
Playtech Blackjack Surrender
Playtech Blackjack Surrender follows the same rules as the
standard blackjack game offered by Playtech except the player may
surrender and the dealer always peeks for blackjack, saving players
some occasional bet money. 6 decks are used, and the dealer stands
on soft 17. Also, unlike in single-deck, plays can double on any two
cards. The house edge under these rules is 0.39%.
Playtech Blackjack Switch
The best blackjack odds at Playtech casinos can be found in their
Blackjack Switch game, which offers a house edge of 0.17%. This is a
variant of blackjack in which payers are allowed to trade cards
between two different blackjack hands. You can find
detailed strategy advice for Blackjack Switch on the Wizard of Odds’
website.