Hi. I have just been sent an email about their new blackjack game.
It is quite interesting.
They say they are using a true RNG, so no worries there.
The rules are as follows:
single deck
no doubling (it would not make sense due to their approach).
dealer stands on all 17s, hits 16 or below
player can split pairs (10 is not treated as equal to J), only once
You can either hit or stand. You can only stand on 12 or above.
The bet is not determined until you choose to stand.
The bet is resolved on a spread betting basis, with points awarded for win/loss as follows:
loss - 0 points
push - 50 points
win - 100 points
If you stand you must bet the spread. For instance for 5,2,7 (14) against dealer 8 I am offered a spread of 20-25 to stand.
Obviously there is no chance of a push, so the dealer will either bust or beat you. The chance of a dealer busting with an 8 with no more information is 0.239. As this is a single deck game, then the 5, 2 and 7 will all affect this, in my view making the chance less likely. I would guess that the probability is calculated by the software, and will be somewhere between 0.22 and 0.23 (since it seems logical, and also because they would make most money that way).
My guess is that they calculate probabilities every deal, so there is no chance to beat them, and so the house advantage must always be at least 2%. So quite interesting, but a pretty poor bet by blackjack standards.
They do have a saving grace in that they pay back some of the HA in a blackjack bonus, which is based on the amount you have wagered since the last blackjack or bust (not sure why the bust would affect it, I guess this encourages you to bet more).
Anyway, they have a 20 bonus offer if you want to try it (they also offer 'cricket roulette' and darts and some other games), if you place 10 bets risking 5 or more (e.g., buying a spread of 93p at 20p risks 20 x 0.03). Not a bad bonus, even if the game doesn't look like it's worth playing.
It is quite interesting.
They say they are using a true RNG, so no worries there.
The rules are as follows:
single deck
no doubling (it would not make sense due to their approach).
dealer stands on all 17s, hits 16 or below
player can split pairs (10 is not treated as equal to J), only once
You can either hit or stand. You can only stand on 12 or above.
The bet is not determined until you choose to stand.
The bet is resolved on a spread betting basis, with points awarded for win/loss as follows:
loss - 0 points
push - 50 points
win - 100 points
If you stand you must bet the spread. For instance for 5,2,7 (14) against dealer 8 I am offered a spread of 20-25 to stand.
Obviously there is no chance of a push, so the dealer will either bust or beat you. The chance of a dealer busting with an 8 with no more information is 0.239. As this is a single deck game, then the 5, 2 and 7 will all affect this, in my view making the chance less likely. I would guess that the probability is calculated by the software, and will be somewhere between 0.22 and 0.23 (since it seems logical, and also because they would make most money that way).
My guess is that they calculate probabilities every deal, so there is no chance to beat them, and so the house advantage must always be at least 2%. So quite interesting, but a pretty poor bet by blackjack standards.
They do have a saving grace in that they pay back some of the HA in a blackjack bonus, which is based on the amount you have wagered since the last blackjack or bust (not sure why the bust would affect it, I guess this encourages you to bet more).
Anyway, they have a 20 bonus offer if you want to try it (they also offer 'cricket roulette' and darts and some other games), if you place 10 bets risking 5 or more (e.g., buying a spread of 93p at 20p risks 20 x 0.03). Not a bad bonus, even if the game doesn't look like it's worth playing.
