Review of Playtech’s Game Perfect Blackjack

Perfect Blackjack is an interesting twist on Playtech’s standard blackjack game. It gives you the option to place side bets on whether or not your or the dealer’s first two cards will be a pair. On top of that, with the perfect strategy it could secure you a very high return-to-player percentage of 99.58%.

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• Overview
• Rules
• House Edge
• Strategy
• Bonuses

In this detailed review, we’ll take a closer look at the rules of Perfect Blackjack, which of them are advantageous or not for the player and how they affect the house edge. Then, we’ll present you a basic strategy chart for the game using which you can make sure you are always playing with the perfect strategy. But before all that, let’s have a quick overview of the basic rules of the game:

Rules, Table Layout and Game Options

In this section of our review, we’ll take a more detailed look at the rules and the layout of Playtech’s Perfect Blackjack. First of all, the layout of the table is pretty similar to the one of the standard multi-hand Playtech with the sole exception that there are additional betting areas for the side bets. There’s a Player’s Pair betting aria next to each of the five betting spots on the table. Then there’s one additional betting area next to the dealer’s spot.

Also, instead of only having information on the blackjack payout and whether of not the dealer stands on soft seventeen, on the table you have also the payouts for the side bets, which we’ll discuss in a separate section of this review. Another important feature of the layout is that it has five betting spots. Many players prefer having the option to play multiple hands at a time because this way you can see more cards. Their logic is that this way you can better predict what type of cards are left in the decks and possibly win some extra advantage. Of course, knowing 11 cards out of 6 decks isn’t that big of an advantage but I suppose it’s better than nothing.

So, now to the rules. The game begins after you’ve placed your bets and clicked on the ‘Deal’ button. As in any other blackjack game, you’ll receive two cards face up while the dealer will receive one up-card and one card facing down. The dealer won’t peek for blackjack, so immediately after you receive the cards it will be your turn. You’ll be able, as always, to stand if you like your hand, hit if you want to draw another card or double your bet and draw only one more card, if you think you have a solid chance to win. Note that, as opposed to other blackjack variations, you can double on any two cards you have, plus, you have the right to double after split. If your first two cards are a pair or two 10-valued cards, you’ll be able to split your hand. You cannot resplit your hand, though. If, on the other hand, the dealer has an ace, you’ll be also able to take insurance in case they have a blackjack.

A very interesting rule that Perfect Blackjack features and you rarely see in other blackjack variations is the 10-Card Charlie rule which makes any 10-card hand an automatic winner. Of course, such a hand occurs very rarely, so it actually has little to none impact on the house edge, but still it’s interesting to see. In fact, in my many years of playing blackjack, I’ve never seen one occur, so if you ever get a 10-Card Charlie, please, send me a screenshot!

As for the dealer rules, they are actually pretty standard. The dealer stands on all seventeens and doesn’t peek for blackjack. Furthermore, if the dealer’s face card is 10 and they reveal to have a blackjack, the player gets back the double bet.

Perfect Pair Side Bets

As I already mentioned, Perfect Blackjack follows the same rules as the standard Playtech. What makes the game unique are the Perfect Pair side bets which allow you to bet whether the dealer or any of the players will have a pair as their first two cards. If the person that you’ve bet on has a pair you’ll be paid 6:1. If this pair is a same-colour pair, then you’ll be paid 12:1 and if you have a Perfect pair, i.e. a pair of the same suit, you’ll be paid 25:1.

House Edge of the Main Game and the Side Bets

Perfect Blackjack’s main game, just like Playtech’s standard blackjack game, is set to have a house edge of 99.58% given that the player is using a perfect strategy. This means that the house edge is only 0.42% which is pretty low for a casino game. As far as the side bets go, things are not that advantageous. Considering the chance of getting a pair as your or the dealer’s first two card and the payouts, it can be calculated that the house edge is a little over 4%. Therefore, if you’re in it to win it, you should definitely avoid placing side bets.

Basic Strategy for Perfect Blackjack

Taking into account all the rules and specifics of Perfect Blackjack, you can achieve an RTP of 99.58% only with the perfect strategy. This perfect strategy is illustrated below, in the strategy card, which covers all possible situations. You can, of course, use other tricks for reducing the house edge, such as claiming a bonus or risk getting a bigger payout using a progressive betting system. If you’re going to adopt progressive betting, though, I would advise you to choose the Fibonacci Strategy instead of Martingale’s, as it implies less risk than the latter.

Suitable Bonus Offers for Playing Perfect Blackjack

Perfect Blackjack is an exclusive game developed by Playtech which can be found only at casinos that are using this software provider’s platform. At most casinos, this game contributes 20% toward the wagering requirements which means that if you wager your bonus on this particular game, you’ll have to wager it five times more than the standard wagering requirements. But given the fact that the game has such a low house edge, I would say it’s worth it. You can find the game at the following online casinos:

An Exciting Blackjack Variation Developed by Playtech

In conclusion, I can say that Perfect Blackjack is a game suitable for people who are tired of the same ol’ standard variations of blackjack. Yes, the side bets come with a bigger house edge, but the payouts are nothing like what you can see in the base blackjack game. After all, you cannot expect to win more if you don’t risk more. Overall, I can say that this is a very pleasant game to play and that if you’re smart about it, you can even end up with a win.