When it comes to progressive games, most of them take the form of slots but there are a few titles that exist outside this unwritten rules. One such is Playtech’s Progressive Blackjack, which offers a substantial jackpot to those willing to claim it. Though the format is unusual, the progressive jackpot feels right at home as a side bet. In all other aspects, Progressive Blackjack is a normal blackjack variation, played with six decks where the dealer stands on all 17s. As far as RTP is concerned, Progressive Blackjack pays out on average 99.53% of all bets taken.
Basic Rules and Payouts
Playing Progressive Blackjack is not unlike most other blackjack variations. At its core, the game remains the same. Your goal is to beat the dealer’s hand without exceeding 21. An Ace and 10-value card form a blackjack, for which you are rewarded with the standard payout of 3:2. All other winning hands will pay even money or, in other words, 1:1.
The progressive jackpot is available via a side bet placed alongside the main one. The side bet is completely optional and you can take it whenever you please. There are several win conditions to this side bet, each offering a different payout. If you are first dealt two Aces of any suit, you will receive a payout of 25:1. Receiving two suited Aces, on the other hand, will pay 100:1. Of course, it does not end there, as getting three and four Aces of any suit will pay 250:1 and 2,500:1, respectively. If you are lucky enough to receive 3 suited Aces, the game will pay a whopping 5,000:1. As for winning the lump jackpot sum, you need to get two suited Aces on your opening hand and split them. If you are dealt two more Aces of the same suit, you win the progressive jackpot, which comes at a minimum value of $50,000.
Insurance
Insurance is another side bet that you can take when you are at risk of a dealer’s blackjack. It is offered whenever the dealer draws an Ace as their opening card and you can put down half of your original bet for Insurance. If the dealer does form a blackjack, the side bet will pay 2:1, basically refunding your original bet and keeping your net bankroll the same. Though it may sound like a good proposition, you should seriously consider the odds of this bet being successful.
Double Down
Double Down is an action the use of which will directly influence the state of your bankroll. When you choose to Double Down, you increase the size of your bet by x2 as well as the potential winnings from the hand. Doing so at the right time will greatly increase your winnings but at an added risk. However, this action is only allowed during particular circumstances. For example, you can only Double on your opening hand if it totals 9, 10, or 11. Similarly, you can also Double after splitting a hand.
Splitting
Whenever you are dealt a hand of the same cards, you will be given the option to split the hand into two separate ones. Choosing to so will require that you put down an additional bet for the extra hand. Splitting is only limited to one time, for a maximum of two hands at once<. Further splits are not allowed even if your new hand is also identical.
Surrender
Surrender is available in Progressive Blackjack, allowing you to make the best out of a bad situation. If you feel like your hand will not stack up well against that of the dealer, then you can choose the Surrender option. It will give you back half of your bet and you forfeit the other half. Though losing half of your bet is not ideal, it is still better than losing all of it. The Surrender feature is quite useful and it is vital for proper bankroll management.
Progressive Blackjack House Edge and RTP
Naturally, we also need to take a look at the average payout percentages and the house edge featured in Progressive Blackjack. The base gameplay is within the realms of the normal and as such, the RTP is in-line with blackjack standards. More specifically, Progressive Blackjack has an RTP of 99.53% and a house edge of 0.47%. However, the progressive side bet does not feature the same values. Instead, it has a theoretical RTP of 94.85%, which makes for a house edge of 5.15%.