Playtech is one of the main providers of online casino games in the world and this company has come up with hundreds of titles over the years, both in the virtual and live dealer format. The Playtech Live Casino includes a number of excellent games and none more so than Royale Blackjack. This version of Live Blackjack was first released in early 2017 as an update to the previous format. As per Playtech standards, Royale Blackjack is played with eight decks and the dealer stands on soft 17s. The RTP percentage for Royale Blackjack is calculated at 99.51%. Moreover, this table is targeted towards the VIP player base and often features wide betting limits.
Basic Rules and Payout
The rules of playing Royale Blackjack are not too different than any other particular blackjack variation. As we have mentioned, Royale Blackjack is played with eight standard 52-card decks and the American dealing style is used. This means that the dealer gains their second card directly after dealing the first two cards to players. Speaking of players, there are multiple seats available at this table, much like other live blackjack titles and you will all play from the same shoe.
Royale Blackjack comes with all of the standard payouts. Hitting a blackjack will net you 3:2 of your original bet while making a successful Insurance wager will provide you with a 2:1 payout. Insurance is offered whenever the dealer’s first card happens to be an Ace, so as to protect yourself against a blackjack.
Royale Blackjack also comes with several well-known side bets that you may be interested in. For example, you can put down money on 21+3 and Perfect Pairs, each of which has a different win condition. 21+3 allows you to form poker-style hands with your initial two cards and the dealer’s face up card, for a maximum payout of 100:1. On the other hand, the Perfect Pairs side bet can be won by forming a hand with identical cards, with the highest paying being a same-suit pair at 25:1. These side bets are not mandatory and can only be placed after you have put down your standard wager.
Double Down
Doubling down is quite possible in Royale Blackjack and something that you should do whenever the right opportunity presents itself. When you do so you will increase the size of your main bet twofold and after that, you will be dealt one more card and stand. You can do this on any hand regardless of its value. Moreover, doubling is also available after you have split a hand.
Splitting
Splitting is an essential part of good blackjack gameplay and it opens up the opportunity for you to make so great plays. In short, whenever you are dealt two cards of the same value, you can separate them into two different hands. Of course, you would need to put down another bet equal to your original one. From this point, the two hands become completely independent from each other and you can take separate action towards each.
When you split a hand in Royale Blackjack, there are certain things that you can do and some that you are not allowed to. For instance, you can double down on most split hands. The exception to this rule is when you split a pair of Aces, in which case, you are dealt one card to each hand and then you stand. You can only split one hand and further identical hands cannot be resplit.
Surrender
Surrender is a great option to have in case you are dealt a bad hand. It gives you the opportunity to forfeit half of your bet to save the other half. Unfortunately, this move is not available in Royale Blackjack and you will have to make do without it.
House Edge and RTP
Another important factor that we have to take into account is the house edge and the return-to-player percentage of this game. It is the indicator of how fair a given casino game is and if you should pay it. In the case of Royale Blackjack, we find that the game comes with a house edge of approximately 0.49%, which results in an RTP percentage of 99.51%. These are some of the best odds that you will find in the casino world and they are even good by blackjack standards. As a result, we feel that Royale Blackjack is a great game and that you should certainly give it a shot if it meets your requirements.