The 3 Best Real Money Online Blackjack Variations
Posted by Harry Kane on Wednesday, June 1, 2016
A big part of being a successful blackjack player is to choose the right variant of the game. There are many variations available online, each one giving you different rules and options, amounting to a different house edge which might range from 0.13% up to 1-2%. Ideally, the game that you’ll choose to play will be with a very low house edge, created by a famous and reputable software house, featuring many interesting options and offered at a trustworthy online casino. And that’s exactly what we offer you in our shortlist of the best real money blackjack games that you can play online.
3. Blackjack Perfect Pairs by Realistic Games
One of the best blackjack variations that you can find at a reputable British casino site is Perfect Pairs Blackjack which is created by Realistic Games. This is a very exciting multi-hand variation of the game that features a pretty standard house edge of 0.41%. But what truly sets this variant apart is the fact that it gives you the option to place two of the most popular side bets in blackjack – Perfect Pairs and 21 + 3 which can offer you payouts that are way higher than the ones offered by the more classic blackjack variations reaching up to 100 times your bet!
Another very positive thing about Perfect Pairs Blackjack is that the game has an excellent interface. It also has some interesting options which help you customise the game, such as the option to automatically stand on 17, 18, 19 and 20. There’s also the option to change the table colour and even to make the card symbols bigger which can be really useful for the players which have problems with their sight. As far as the more standard options, in this game, you can double down on any two cards and even after split, as long it’s not an Ace split. The dealer must stand on all 17s and you are allowed to split only once. There is insurance and the game is played with 6 decks. The game has an expected RTP of 99.59%.
2. Blackjack Switch by Playtech
This is one of the most innovative blackjack variations which is offered at online casinos exclusively by the biggest software company in the gambling industry – Playtech. What’s so special about this game is that the player is always dealt two hands instead of one and that they have the option to switch the top cards of the two hands. This option is very advantageous for the player and that’s why this game is so popular. You can play Blackjack Switch at any Playtech-powered websites, the best one being Ladbrokes Casino.
As the option to switch cards between the two hands gives the players a huge advantage, there are some rules that reduce the theoretical return-to-player percentage, to balance thing out. For example, in this game, a natural blackjack pays 1:1 instead of 3:2, the dealer can hit soft 17 and a dealer’s 22 is a push instead of a win. On the other hand, there are some other rules that are advantageous for the player – you can split any pair, you can re-split up to 3 hands, you can double after split and you can double on any two cards. This all makes for a house edge of merely 0.16% – one of the lowest house advantages offered by any real money blackjack game online.
1. Classic Blackjack by Microgaming
Don’t be fooled by how this game looks. It’s actually the best online blackjack variation as far as house edge goes. On top of that, it’s powered by Microgaming which is one of the oldest and most experienced companies in the industry. The true professionals know very well that this is the game to play. Take their strategy as an example and pick this convenient variation. You can play Microgaming’s Classic Blackjack at Betvictor – one of the biggest names on the UK gambling market.
Now let’s take a closer look at the rules of the game and see why they are so advantageous. First of all, we should note this game is played with only one deck of cards which alone increases the chances of the player quite a lot. The dealer must stand on all 17s, including soft ones. The player can double down only on hard hands with a value of 8, 10 or 11. You can split any two cards that have the same value and you can take insurance. This all makes for a house edge of merely 0.13% – a number unmatched by any other blackjack game.