All Bets Blackjack Live by Playtech offers an immersive live-dealer experience with endless seats for players. Played with eight standard decks of 52 cards, this game brings the thrill of a physical casino to your screen. Let’s explore the game flow, betting options, side bets, payouts, and rules in detail.
To join the game, wait for a round to conclude if one is already in progress. Place your bets by selecting chips and placing them on betting positions. Multiple bets can be placed simultaneously, and a visible timer indicates the remaining betting time. Once betting closes, the dealer initiates the round, and winnings are awarded at the end. You can repeat bets using the Rebet button or skip a turn by not placing any bets.
Players must first place a main bet before placing optional side bets. The dealer deals four cards: two to the player (both face-up) and two to themselves (one face-up, one face-down). If the dealer's visible card is an Ace, players can insure their hand against a potential Blackjack. Next, players choose to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split, with automatic standing if no action is taken. The dealer then draws cards, standing on any 17.
Displayed next to the table name, these limits apply to the main bet. Each side bet—like Dealer Pair, Player Pair, 21+3, Top 3, Buster Blackjack, and Lucky Lucky—has separate limits.
Side bets add excitement with potential rewards based on unique card combinations. These bets require a main bet to be valid.
This bet predicts a three-card poker hand from the player's first two cards and the dealer’s first card.
| Hand | Description |
|---|---|
| Suited Three of a Kind | Three identical cards of the same suit |
| Straight Flush | Three consecutive cards of the same suit |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same value |
| Straight | Three consecutive cards of mixed suits |
| Flush | Three non-consecutive cards of the same suit |
These bets predict that the first two cards dealt to the player or dealer will form one of these pairs:
| Pair Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Perfect Pair™ | Same rank and suit |
| Coloured Pair | Same rank and color, different suit |
| Red/Black Pair | Same rank but different colors |
This bet uses the player's first two cards and the dealer's first card to create premium poker hands like Three of a Kind, Straight Flush, or Suited Three of a Kind.
This bet wins when the dealer busts, with higher payouts for more bust cards and specific scenarios like a player Blackjack.
This bet depends on the sum of the player's first two cards and the dealer's first card. Winning combinations include 777, suited 678, and 21 totals.
| Bet Type | RTP (%) |
|---|---|
| Main Game | 99.46 |
| Player's Perfect Pair | 95.9 |
| Dealer's Perfect Pair | 95.9 |
| 21+3 | 96.3 |
| Top 3 | 91.0 |
| Lucky Lucky | 96.09 |
| Buster Blackjack | 93.87 |
| Winning Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Winning Hand | 1:1 |
| Insurance | 2:1 |
| Blackjack | 3:2 |
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Suited Three of a Kind | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 30:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 |
| Flush | 5:1 |
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Suited Three of a Kind | 270:1 |
| Straight Flush | 180:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 90:1 |
Eight pre-shuffled decks are used. Cards are replaced when a divider appears, ensuring fairness.
The goal is to beat the dealer by getting closer to 21 without exceeding it. Blackjack wins 3:2, while ties result in a push.
All Bets Blackjack Live by Playtech blends traditional Blackjack gameplay with innovative side bets and engaging live dealer interactions. With flexible betting options and detailed rules, it delivers a top-tier casino experience for both novices and seasoned players alike.
For players looking for an edge beyond basic strategy, card counting can be an invaluable tool. While card counting does not guarantee wins, it provides additional insights into the remaining high and low cards left in the shoe, helping you make more informed betting and playing decisions. It’s important to understand that All Bets Blackjack is played with eight decks, and the deck penetration tends to be around 4 to 4½ decks used before a shuffle. This ratio plays a significant role in how effective card counting can be.
It’s also worth noting that casinos (or online platforms emulating the casino environment) have rules and monitoring to discourage card counting, but many players still study these strategies as an intellectual exercise, and some even use them to adjust bet sizes during favorable conditions.
Card counting is a skill-based system used to monitor the ratio of high cards to low cards remaining in a shoe. High cards—10s, face cards, and Aces—tend to favor the player, especially when it comes to hitting a natural blackjack, which pays out at 3:2. Conversely, low cards (2 through 6) benefit the dealer by increasing the likelihood of the dealer going bust. By tracking the distribution of these cards, a card counter can adjust their bet size and strategy accordingly.
Key points when card counting in All Bets Blackjack include:
• Timing and Penetration: With deck penetration at around 4 to 4½ decks in an 8-deck shoe, a significant portion of the cards remain unseen. This requires consistency and precision in counting, as the effectiveness of your count depends on when the remaining cards are favorable. It's not favorable deck penetration at all.
• Bet Sizing: When the count indicates a surplus of high cards, wagering may be a good idea. When the count indicates a surplus of low cards, wagering may not necessarily be a good idea. The count can impact the decisions you make as well when you actually play a hand.
In All Bets Blackjack, you can swoop in at any time and just start betting. No other players are in your way to getting a seat and your presence is not necessarily obvious just hanging around.
The Hi-Lo system is by far the most popular card counting method due to its simplicity and effectiveness. It assigns a value to each card to simplify tracking:
• Low Cards (2 – 6) Count as: +1
• Neutral Cards (7 – 9) Count as: 0
• High Cards (10, J, Q, K, A) Count as: –1
How it works:
– As each card is dealt, the counter adds the designated value to a running count. When the count is significantly positive, it signals that there is a higher proportion of high cards remaining in the deck. This situation is favorable because it increases the probability of hitting a blackjack or a strong hand.
– Once the running count is calculated, the count is usually converted to a “true count” by dividing by the number of decks remaining to be dealt. For instance, if your running count is +8 and there are 4 decks left, your true count is +2—a measure of how favorable the remaining cards are.
Advantages:
– Easy to learn and implement.
– Provides a good balance between accuracy and simplicity.
– Works effectively in an 8-deck game when used in conjunction with deck penetration awareness.
The KO system is similar to Hi-Lo but eliminates the need to convert to a true count, making it somewhat more straightforward in practice:
• Low Cards (2 – 7) Count as: +1
• High Cards (8 – Ace) Count as: 0 or differently in variant systems (often the 10s and face cards are counted as -1)
Key Features:
– The KO system is “unbalanced,” meaning that the sum of the values in a full deck is not zero. Because of this, card counters do not have to adjust the running count by dividing by the decks remaining, which simplifies the counting process considerably.
– It still alerts players to when the deck becomes rich in high cards, but with a system that might feel more intuitive for some players.
Advantages:
– Simpler calculation due to the absence of true count conversion.
– Allows some players to maintain a continuous count from one shoe to the next.
– Particularly effective when used with predetermined betting strategies.
Betting Guidelines: In an 8-deck shoe with typical 4 to 4½ deck penetration, a running count of +3 or higher is generally considered a good point to either enter the game or raise your bets. Using the KO system in these conditions, a running count of +3 implies that there is a slightly higher proportion of high cards left, which elevates the chance of receiving favorable hands. When the running count reaches +5 or more, it is advisable to raise your bets significantly (as long as you’re comfortable with variations in bankroll).
The Omega II system is more advanced and slightly more complex than the Hi-Lo or KO systems. It employs a multi-level approach with different values assigned to different cards:
• Cards are given values that are not confined to a simple +1 or –1. For example, low cards might be assigned a value of +1, while 4s and 5s might be counted as +2. High cards still carry negative values.
• The system is considered “balanced” (meaning the total sum of the card values in a full deck equates to zero), so it does require conversion to a true count, similar to the Hi-Lo system.
Advantages:
– Increased precision in counting, as it accounts for the differing effects that various low cards have on the outcome.
– Some players believe that the nuanced approach of the Omega II provides a more accurate reflection of the upcoming deck composition.
Disadvantages:
– More complex to learn and requires higher concentration and rapid mental calculation.
Betting Guidelines: With the Omega II system, the optimal time to increase your bets is when the true count reaches +2. In scenarios where the true count climbs to +3 or higher (after calculating with the 4 to 4½ decks penetration), the advantage becomes significant, and increasing your wager dramatically may help to capitalize on the favorable deck composition. Despite the system’s complexity, these absolute numbers can serve as an effective baseline.
Why you may not necessarily like All Bets Blackjack as a card-counter...
Why you may like All Bets Blackjack as a card-counter...