Perfect Blackjack is the industry’s first live variation of 21, unveiled by Swedish supplier NetEnt in April 2019 after the company signed an exclusive deal with the UK-based gambling operator The Rank Group. The new live product is aimed at gamblers who want to play according to perfect basic strategy. This strategy effectively reduces the house edge to half a percent, yielding a theoretical player return of 99.50%.
Rundown of the Rules and the Payouts
Perfect Blackjack offers fans of 21 a smooth gaming experience as well as the unique opportunity to take their blackjack play to the next level. The game is manually dealt from a shoe containing eight decks. The friendly live dealer starts with only one card and draws the second after everyone else at the table has made their decisions.
The dealer is required to draw to 16 and stand on soft 17. Blackjacks pay the standard 3 to 2. To the best of our knowledge, you cannot insure your hand against the dealer’s Ace, as this contradicts perfect basic strategy. You have ten seconds between rounds to place your next bet.
The live table can accommodate up to three main players and supports bets between $3 and $500. You can experiment with several optional side wagers such as Perfect Pairs, which pays 5 to 1 for mixed-color pairs, 10 to 1 for unsuited pairs of the same color, and 30 to 1 for suited pairs.
Wagers from the 21+3 category are also accepted. These pay when the player’s starting hand and the dealer’s first card form specific three-card poker hands. The top payout of 100 to 1 is awarded for three cards of the same rank and suit.
Gaming Interface and Remarkable Features
The cards in Perfect Blackjack are automatically dealt in accordance with basic strategy. This enables rookies to play optimally without having to resort to complex strategy charts. No interaction with the dealer is required once you have placed your bet.
The dealer will automatically complete your hand, making the correct hit-or-stand decisions based on your total and the value of the dealer’s first card. You can also choose whether or not to automatically double down and split pairs.
These automatic basic-strategy decisions significantly improve the speed of gameplay, as players no longer need to ponder the correct move. Perfect Blackjack also comes with an autoplay feature. The software will place your bets for you while you sit back, relax, and chat with your fellow players.
Closing Thoughts
Our final opinion of NetEnt’s Perfect Blackjack is that it is mainly suitable for players who insist on speed and dynamic gameplay. The live dealer rarely offers any explanations regarding basic strategy, hindering beginners from actually learning the correct plays.