Microgaming Blackjack

As mentioned above, Microgaming has a diverse collection of blackjack variations that should satisfy most type of players. Some of them are played with a single deck of cards, but most of them use multiple standard, 52-card decks. Below, we provide short discriptions of the most popular blackjack games by Microgaming and one of their best aspects is the published RTP percentage. In fact, Microgaming is one of the very few casino software studios that publish this tiny, but incredibly important piece of information, RTP, or Return-to-Player. It is also an alternative way to show the house edge in each game.

Single-Deck Classic Blackjack

This is one of the best blackjack variations offered by Microgaming but it is a bit harder to find, as it is available only in the downloadable software. Players who install it on their computers can enjoy quite a standard blackjack game which is played with only a single deck of cards and has an incredibly low house edge of just 0.13%. This is an European-style of blackjack game, which means that the dealer’s second card is not revealed until all players finalize their actions.

In addition, the dealer stands on soft 17 and surrender is not available. Players are allowed to draw to split Aces but splitting of any pairs is available only once. Doubling after splitting is not allowed. The game is available both in the standard and the Gold Series, with little differences in the betting limits.

There is another game by Microgaming under the same name, but it can be played in-browser and uses 5 decks of cards. Once again, this is European blackjack and the dealer cannot peek, but stands on soft 17. Players can split hands valued 9 to 11 just once and there is no surrender. The house edge here is 0.40% if the player executes a perfect strategy.

Vegas Strip Blackjack

The American-style, 4-deck Vegas Strip Blackjack by Microgaming is one of the best variations you can play online. It is based on the classic table game of the same name which can be found across brick-and-mortar casinos. The dealer peeks for blackjack and stands on soft 17, while players can double down on any two cards, including after splitting. They can split pairs up to 3 times to form four hands, except for Aces – they may be split just once and players cannot draw cards to split Aces. Surrender is no allowed.

The RTP rate in this game is 99.65%, which means that the house edge is only 0.35%. For those who look for even lower house advantage, Microgaming offers a blackjack variation, which is seems similar. It is called Vegas Single Deck and, as indicated by the title, it is played with just one deck of cards. There are several differences in the rules – the dealer hits on soft 17, and doubling down is allowed only on hands valued 9,10 or 11, but never after splitting. Also, players can split their hand just once and there is no surrender option. If played perfectly, the house edge in this game is just 0.31%.

Atlantic City Blackjack

Players who have tried many of Microgaming’s releases would probably know that there is one game that is almost identical to Vegas Strip Blackjack. This is yet another classic – Atlantic City Blackjack, which can be played in the downloadable Casino Client and in-browser. There are only two little differences between the Vegas Strip and Atlantic City variations, namely the decks of cards used and the surrender rule.

This version of the game is played with 8 standard decks of cards and the rare option to surrender is available. Even late surrender is allowed, which as a player-advantage rule, it compensates for the large number of decks and helps reduce the house edge to 0.35%. In addition, players are offered to play with up to five hands at a time.

Double Exposure

This version of the game is preferred by many players because it comes with one really favourable rule – the dealer’s both hands are dealt face-up, hence the name Double Exposure. Along with the obvious advantage of this rule, there is another little detail that favours players and this is the fact that a player blackjack is always a winner. In addition, the dealer hits on soft 17.

Other rules players should be aware of are that the game is played with 8 decks and doubling down is allowed only 9, 10, and 11. Re-splitting is allowed up to three times and players can double their bet on a split hand, as well. However, you cannot draw cards to split Aces, which is a standard rule for almost all blackjack games. The house edge is very low at 0.32%.

Double Exposure can be found in Micrograming’s standard format, but it is also included in the Gold Series where players can also opt for a multi-hand version, along with the classic, single-hand game. In the multi-hand blackjack variation, you can play with up to 5 hands.

Spanish Blackjack

Spanish 21 is a very popular game based on blackjack but Microgaming has decided to call it Spanish Blackjack. However, most players probably know well that it is so different from the classic game of 21, that we can hardly consider it blackjack. Still, it can be found in the blackjack collection of Microgaming.

The first significant difference with all standard blackjack games is that this version uses 8 Spanish decks, which means that the four 10 cards are removed. Instead of a deck consisting of 52 cards, the Spanish deck has only 48 cards. This dramatically changes the inner patterns and the mathematics of the game, so players need to adjust their strategy to these altered conditions. Microgaming’s version also requires the dealer to hit a soft 17. Surrender is allowed before you receive a third card and you can double on any hand and after splitting. Unlike in most blackjack games, re-splitting of Aces is also allowed.

Interestingly, when the player has a 21-value hand, whether that is blackjack or not, he or she wins, irrelevant of dealer’s cards. You can also surrender after doubling down and you will be given back your original bet. The most interesting thing about this game, however, is its paytable – the payouts are completely different from classic blackjack and there are bonus payouts for certain hands. For instance, you receive 3:2 payout when you have a 5-card 21 or a 7-card (or more) 21.

If you have a 6-card 21, you win 2:1. The hands 6-7-8 and 7-7-7 of mixed suits pay 3:2, but if the cards are of the same suit, the payout is 2:1. If they are spades, you are paid 3:1. An even better prize awaits players who get suited 777, while the dealer’s exposed card is a 7. In this case, the payout is 50:1. When it comes to the house edge, it is 0.42%, but only is the game is played with no mistakes and an optimal strategy.

Hi-Lo 13 European Blackjack

There are several European-style blackjack variations by Microgaming, including the quite standard European Blackjack which comes is a single and multi-hand format. There are also two types of European Gold games, as well as almost identical to them, the Hi-Lo 13 European Blackjack. It is played the same way and it follows the same rules but features 3 side bets. So, let us take a look at the basic rules all this games share among them.

They are all played with 2 standard decks of cards and the dealer stands on soft 17. You can double down on hands valued from 9 to 11 and you cannot double the bet after splitting. Only one split is allowed, but you can draw cards to split Aces. There is no option to surrender. Of course, you cannot re-split Aces, while the dealer cannot peek as in all European blackjack games. Players can see the dealer’s second card only after they have ended their moves.

The more interesting part in Microgaming’s Hi-Lo 13 European Blackjack is that you can place side bets. They are straightforward and easy-to-understand – you are betting on whether your initial hand would be lower than 13, higher than 13 or exactly 13. And this is where the title of the game comes from. It should be noted, however, that for the Hi-Lo count, Aces are always worth 1. You can place a chip on one, two or all three side bets, and if you guess correctly that your initial hand is below or above 13, you receive a payout of 1:1. But if you wager on the third option, that your hand would be exactly 13, and you win, the payout is 10:1. The house edge in this game is 0.40%, but it may increase depending on the side bets you place.