Evolution Live Blackjack
In January 2020, Evolution Gaming announced the launch of their new Live Blackjack game – Speed Blackjack.
With our new and improved Live Baccarat we’ve taken the thrill and suspense to a new high with a world-class, Macau-like gaming experience for every player type, from first-timers to the most experienced high rollers. Baccarat devotees can enjoy the ultimate in authentic Baccarat play. Numerous features across all game variants, plus the choice of Live Baccarat Squeeze, Live. Evolution Gaming is on the forefront for everything live casino, which is why there are loads to explore when it comes to the classic card game of blackjack. Evolution’s online blackjack. Evolution Gaming presents Live Speed Blackjack, a blackjack table where speed is essential! This game of Blackjack follows the rules of classic blackjack, with a revolutionary twist: after the.
The game was announced as a super-fast Blackjack variant where one feature was changed – the dealing order. According to Evolution’s representatives, with this game, they have changed the way Blackjack has been played for the last hundred years. Stay tuned to learn how to play Live Speed Blackjack and make the most of it.
Basic Rules and Gameplay
Speed Blackjack is an 8-deck card game accepting up to 7 players at the same time. It is played by standard Vegas rules, meaning that the dealer gets two cards and peeks for a Blackjack. When it comes to game rules, it shares most of them with standard Blackjack. The player can double down on the first two cards and split any pair. If they split Aces, they can get only one card. As for the dealer, they stand on all 17s, both soft and hard. A natural pays 3:2 while Insurance pays 2:1.
Now, on to crucial differences between the regular version of the game and the Evolution fast-paced take on it. Speed Blackjack is from 30% to 40% faster than the standard game, which translates in time for betting and making decision reduced by 7 seconds.
Initial two cards are dealt as usual, in the regular order, left to right. When the dealing of the first two cards is complete, players who have joined the table are offered to hit, stand, double down or split at the same time. The one who makes their decision first gets their next card first. Such a pattern is applied to all the players. Of course, those who decide to stand won’t get additional cards. The dealing order does not change the math of the game, though.
The game offers two new Autoplay features. If you have a hand worth more than 12 and you don’t make your decision in time, you will automatically stand. With a hand total less than 11, failing to make a decision within the given time will automatically result in hitting.
Speed Blackjack Side Bets
A round of Live Speed Blackjack starts with the players placing the main bet. If they wish so, they can also play one of the side bets available at the table:
- Perfect Pairs: This optional wager pays when the first two cards create a pair. A payout is determined by the type of a pair with a mixed coloured pair paying 6:1, a pair of the same colour paying 12:1 and the perfect pair consisting of the same suit paying 25:1.
- 21+3: Another standard side bet available at Evolution Blackjack tables requires a qualifying poker hand to pay a prize. A flush earns you the lowest payout of 5:1, a straight wins 10:1 while a trips and straight flush pay 30:1 and 40:1 respectively. A suited trips grant the top prize worth 100:1.
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Just like other Blackjack variants by the reputable provider, Speed Blackjack offers the Bet Behind option. Given that there are only 7 seats at the table, Bet Behind allows you to play the game by placing bets behind one or more of the players who have already joined it. You will see hot players as they have one or more gold medals next to their name. They indicate how many game rounds they have won so far. If you decide to make use of this option, you will be notified when one of the seats becomes free.
House Edge and RTP
This version of the game does not differ from other Blackjack games in Evolution’s portfolio when it comes to a house edge for the main bet or the side bets. When it comes to the main hand, a house edge sits at 0.71%, meaning that the expected return to player (RTP) is 99.29%.
As for the side bets, the Perfect Pairs side bet has a house margin of 4.1% and an RTP of 95.9% while the 21+3 bet has a house edge of 3.7% and an RTP of 96.3%.
How to Win at Live Speed Blackjack Table
There is no specific strategy you can use for this game variant. Since the math behind the game is the same as in the standard version, you should use the basic Blackjack strategy to play Speed Blackjack. Take your time and make decisions according to it or simply use a cheat sheet for the game where the dealer stands on all 17s. That will help you minimise the house edge to 0.71%, which is pretty low, we have to admit. Another useful piece of advice would be to manage your bankroll and stick to it without risking more than you can afford.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Playing Live Speed Blackjack
As you can see, when it comes to Speed Blackjack, it is all about the way additional cards are dealt. If you want to play Blackjack and you don’t want to wait for your turn, this game might be a perfect fit for you. This feature makes it ideal for seasoned players who are confident enough to make their decisions fast. As for other features, Speed Blackjack is an excellent variant with the rules favourable to the player, including the dealer standing on all 17s and a natural paying 3:2. A standard set of side bets makes it more attractive for those players who like to take risks for a chance to win bigger prizes.
Speaking of the disadvantages of playing the Evolution product, we have to mention that fast-paced gameplay may not be suitable for all players. Those who are new to the game of Blackjack may need more time to make decisions and the action at the table may confuse them. Keep in mind that if you don’t respond in time, the Autoplay feature may complete your moves in the way set by the developer.
Closing Thoughts
As the industry first, Speed Blackjack is a great addition to the Evolution portfolio that gives players more control over the action at the table. We expect that it will be highly popular with experienced players who prefer playing casino games at a faster pace. Make sure to follow the basic strategy in order to make the most of the time you spend at the table.
Click here to visit Evolution Gaming-powered live casinos and give Speed Blackjack a try!
When it comes to playing live dealer blackjack games there are two software providers that are the absolute best in my personal opinion. These are the Playtech live blackjack games and the Evolution Gaming Live blackjack games so I thought I would make this blog post where I compare the two and reveal their strong sides and their weaknesses.
Evolution Live Roulette
Live Blackjack Software
Playtech -The Playtech live blackjack software is available both as a downloadable version (that is a bit more stable) and a instant play flash version for Mac and Linux users. I prefer the downloadable version as it offers a couple of extra features that are not available in the instant play version but since I am a Mac user I have to stick with the instant play version when playing at a Playtech powered live casino.
Evolution Gaming – Ever since trying out the Evolution Gaming software for the first time I am been completely in love with this live gaming platform. It’s simply the best one out there when it comes to stability and you hardly ever have any problems while playing at casinos that are powered by Evolution Gaming. The Evolution Gaming software is only available as an instant play version which is great if you are on a Mac or at an internet cafe. They really don’t have to develop a downloadable version as the instant play one is so solid.
The great thing with Evolution Gaming blackjack games is that the video stream quality is automatically adjusted according to what your connection can handle so instead of having the games lagging behind when you connection is slow the video quality will go down a bit but you will still be able to see the cards.
The Blackjack Dealers
Playtech -The people at Playtech seem to have a thing for Asians as the majority of the blackjack dealers at any Playtech powered casino will be Asian. I personally don’t really care where the dealers are from and how they look (but it doesn’t hurt if they are pretty), I’m just there to try and win money. What I find good about the blackjack dealers at a Playtech live casino is that they are always extremely friendly and they are more than happy to interact with the players.
Evolution Gaming – If the people behind Playtech seem to have a thing for Asians you could definitely say that Evolution Gaming have a thing for women from Eastern Europe. At Evolution powered live casinos you will find female dealers from all the Eastern European countries. These dealers always speak proper English (but with a Eastern European accent) and they are very friendly when they interact with the players at the blackjack tables. But after countless hours at live blackjack tables I have found that their fuse is a bit shorter than the Asian dealers and they are a bit more outspoken when it comes to handling the idiots at the tables asking to see their boobs and all other idiotic stuff that is completely inappropriate.
Tipping Dealers at the Blackjack Tables
Playtech -For as long as I can remember you have been able to tip the blackjack dealers at any Playtech powered live casino which is probably a great thing for the dealers. It also gives them an extra incentive to be friendly to the players so I’m all for this function even though I don’t use it very often.
Evolution Gaming – Evolution Gaming currently do not have an option for tipping the dealers at the tables. This doesn’t affect you as a player in any way but it would be nice for us to have a way of tipping the dealers after a great session to show our appreciation. And it sure would be nice for the dealers to have that extra bump in their paycheck every month when the tips are being split up amongst the crew.
The Pace of Play at the Live Blackjack Tables
Playtech -This is actually the thing that is bugging me the most with the games at any Playtech powered live online casino. between every hand of blackjack you have 30 seconds to place your bet which means there is some wait in between the hands. I don’t see how anyone could need 30 seconds to place their bets and click the confirm bet button. If it was up to me I would like to see it changed to a maximum of 10 seconds and this way we would be able to play a lot more hands every hour. It might only be the action junkie in me talking but I really can’t stand sitting around waiting for that next hand to start.
Evolution Gaming – At the live blackjack tables at Evolution Gaming the wait between hands is 8 seconds at the fast paced tables which means there is literally no wait at all in between hands. They also don’t have the annoying confirm bet button that I always forget to click at a Playtech powered casino which speeds up the game even more.
Disconnection Policy at the Blackjack Tables
Playtech -This is one place where I have to give Playtech credit. Their disconnection policy is awesome and even though I hardly ever have to use it it’s a great comfort knowing that if my Internet connection should go down I will still be able to finish the hand later.
The way it works is that if you get disconnected from the game for any reason whatsoever you will be taken to a Random Number Generated mode the next time you open the blackjack table and in that RNG mode you will be able to complete your hand. It’s not optimal but it sure beats having to stay on 11 against the dealers 6 only to have her draw to a 5 card 17 to have you beat.
Evolution Gaming – This is the only major downside with the Evolution Gaming platform, they are not offering any kind of disconnection protection for their players. Should you lose your connection in the middle of a hand at a Evolution Gaming live casino you are out of luck (or at least at the mercy of the gambling gods) as the hand will keep on playing without you having any option to make a move. I’m sure the people at Evolution are working on some kind of solution for this as their team of people are simply amazing when it comes to making the player experience the best possible.
Summary
If it’s not obvious by now have to tell you that I am a huge fan of the Evolution Gaming blackjack games and it’s very rare that I play live online blackjack on any other platform. Don’t get me wrong, the Playtech platform is still great and it’s a very good option for playing live blackjack games but there is just something about Evolution that I love.
The only reason I would choose to play at a Playtech casino rather than at Evolution Gaming is if I found myself sitting on a terrible connection where I am likely to use their disconnection protection policy to finish the hand at a later time.
I hope you found this post helpful and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the live blackjack games at these two platforms. Just leave your questions in the comment form below and I will make sure to answer them for you.
