NetEnt Blackjack

The blackjack games created by NetEnt offer stunning graphics, great expected returns, and smooth gameplay but compared to the range of games by the studio’s competitors, they lack diversity. The majority of variations of Twenty-One follow the same rules and there are just a few slight changes that do not actually make any of the games stand out.

While this apparent dedication to the classic blackjack game is ideal for novices, many skilled and experienced players would probably look for something new and interesting. And this is where NetEnt’s Pontoon Professional Series comes in. The game is closely based on blackjack with a few notable exceptions – the hand of blackjack here is called pontoon and there are different terms for actions of requesting or refusing additional cards.

When players want another card, they Twist and if they feel their hand is strong enough to beat the dealer’s, they Stick and continue the round with the cards they have already been dealt. The option of doubling your bet is called Buying and players are allowed to Buy when they hold up to four cards in their hand. However, these are not the only differences from the classic game of blackjack.

In NetEnt’s Pontoon, the dealer draws two face-down cards and peeks at them at the beginning of each round. In case he holds a pontoon – an Ace and a 10-value card, the dealer automatically wins and all bets lose. The dealer is also required to draw or Twist cards until he has a 16 or a soft total of 17. If his hand is a hard 17, he must Stick. Another important rule in this game says that the player is also required to draw cards until he has a total of 15.

The strongest hand in this blackjack-related game is pontoon and it beats all other hands, paying 2:1. The second-best hand is the 5 Card Trick, also known as 5 Card Charlie, which also pays 2:1. This is a hand of five cards totaling 21 or less. If the player holds 5 cards but their total is more than 21, then the hand busts and the player loses instantly. In addition, the dealer wins all ties.

Players are allowed to Re-Split once to a total of three hands per round. This includes Aces, which can also be re-split. Moreover, the game allows playing with up to three hands against the dealer. Players can double their bet with the Buy option once per round and only if their hand is formed by 4 cards or less. When they choose to Buy, their bet is doubled and an additional card is dealt to their hand. Unlike in traditional blackjack, players can draw more cards after the bet has been doubled. Under these rules, the house edge is only 0.33%.