Stadium Blackjack Rules – An Exciting New Way To Play

If you’ve never heard of stadium blackjack before, at first, you might confuse it with playing blackjack on an actual stadium in front of a crowd. Not that we underestimate your intelligence, don’t get us wrong. But it kind of sounds confusing, at least to us. So, what is this game about and are the stadium blackjack rules any different? In short, it’s the attempt of the land-based casinos to keep up with the online development of gambling, by offering the players an automated way of participating. But the rules are actually way more relaxed than you might think and here’s why.

How to Play Stadium Blackjack

Manufactured just a few years ago by Scientific Games Corporation, the Stadium Blackjack is an awesome new electronic way to play the game. It offers a totally different approach, as the revolutionary Fusion Hybrid system allows 44 players to connect to the same dealer at the same time. The live dealer is situated on a stage, while the actual set-up and the seats are given a chance alike, hence the name of the console.

Another difference compared to the traditional online blackjack is that you don’t actually interact with the croupier. You only see their hands when they deal the cards from the card shuffler. We’re not sure if this is a rather good or bad experience, but it definitely isn’t that revolutionary, since the electronic roulette stations have also been designed to operate the same way.

But that’s not all folks, as the Stadium Blackjack rules allow for customised amendments by the land-based casinos. However, at the core of the game, the same starting hand is dealt to all players, which makes it truly unique. While all participants get the same two cards, the dealer gets one and based on each player’s decision, the game changes. So, it’s kind of like a parallel reality, where everyone plays on the same sequence with the same card, however, they can make different choices, without influencing the game for the others.

After the initial draw of cards, each player gets 10 seconds to make their move. Now here’s where the fun begins. After each participant has made their choice, there’s a special card called “community card” which totally changes the outcome of the game. Whenever the player decides to hit or stay, this community card goes in a community pot which later becomes the dealer’s hand, but only after everyone has made their move.

Example

It sounds tricky, but in reality, everything is automated and made very simple for the gamblers. As a basic example to help you clear any confusion, imagine the following scenario: You and Bob are playing Stadium Blackjack. You get two cards, K and 7, and so does Bob. The dealer gets a 5. You decided to stand while Bob is extra greedy and hits for one more card.

The card is a Q, which means that Bob busts. However, on your screen, the dealer will now own this Q and his count will be 15 since that’s the way of the community pot. Now Bob is out of the game, but you’re given the chance once more to either Stay or Hit. Again, you’re very cautious and decide to stay while the 2nd community card will go directly to the dealer.

If you apply this to a larger scale of 44 players, it will become even more confusing, but as we said – leave the complicated calculations to the software.

Apart from the regular actions, you get 3 industry gold standard side bets as opposed to the traditional 2; King’s Bounty, Royal Match 21, and Bet the Set 21. They undoubtedly add value to the entertainment, however as you can guess, those side bets give a huge advantage to the house.

Stadium Blackjack in Vegas and Atlantic City

Currently, the new version of the beloved game is available exclusively in the US across land-based casinos. More precisely in California, Philadelphia, and of course Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Some of the land-based casinos where you can enjoy the revolutionary Fusion Hybrid machine are Mohegan Sun (4 casinos across US), Cache Creek Casino Resort (CA), Parx Casino and Racing (PA), and few others. But how popular is Stadium Blackjack in Vegas and Atlantic City?

Well, so far Venetian Las Vegas and Resorts Casino Atlantic City are the only gambling halls who offer you a chance to experience it. It’s unlikely that this version will overtake any of the classic blackjack games, though it surely brings a fresh new approach. So, if you’re willing to partake in Stadium Blackjack, you better pack up and prepare for a trip to the US. Until then, you’re always welcome to enjoy the best live dealer casinos on our website, that we’ve thoroughly reviewed for you.