21 Burn Blackjack Review — Side Bets That Bring a Dynamic Gaming Experience
It’s no wonder that blackjack is the most popular table game at online casinos. It has simple yet exciting rules, and by following a proper strategy, players can benefit from the lowest house edge in gambling. Still, despite being insignificant, the casino’s edge is always there.
But what if you could do something unorthodox, like having the option to change your starting cards? This is the basic premise of 21 Burn Blackjack online — an exciting release from Betsoft. In this review, we’ll discuss its rules and payouts and recommend gaming sites where you can try it today.
Play the Game at These Approved Operators
While many top operators license Betsoft products, they tend to prefer the developer’s slots. Specific Blackjack versions like the one we’re reviewing today are hard to come by, but our experts did the legwork and selected three excellent websites that have it in stock. Let’s check them out:
This iGaming establishment is suitable for blackjack players. It’s chock-full of Betsoft games and hosts blackjack and slot tournaments regularly. MyBookie is licensed in Curacao and accepts Bitcoin payments. Aside from featuring 21 Burn Blackjack by Betsoft, this venue offers many other top genres.
A massive virtual playground with around 3,000 games of chance from multiple software suppliers. Bettors will love PlayAmo’s fast payouts and the thrilling loyalty scheme that boasts fantastic rewards like a Ferrari 488 GT. The site is certified fair by the independent auditing laboratory iTech Labs.
The 21 Burn Blackjack Rules You Need to Know
Most of the 21 Burn Blackjack rules aren’t that different from the traditional versions we know and love. The game uses six standard 52-card decks that are shuffled in between bets. The house will stand on hard 17s and hit soft ones (2-card hands with an ace in them).
The peek rule is in effect when you play against an Ace or a 10-value card. This means that the dealer will check for a natural and reveal it if there is one. In other words, you’ll lose instantly, but at least you won’t have the option to risk more money with a double down. Doubling can happen on any 2-card hand, including splits.
In , you may split once per hand,but it’s possible to play with up to three hands against the dealer. If you divide aces in such a way, you’ll only get one additional card per hand; otherwise, you may hit splits as you please. Now, we’ll move on to the “burn side bet”, which is the defining feature of this release.
Burn Your Way to Victory
When you play this title for the first time, you’ll notice that an extra face-down card is dealt in the middle of the table. Additionally, a “burn” button will appear to the right of the regular hit/stand/split options. If you press it, the second card you received will disappear and get substituted by the one that’s face-down.
Our 21 Burn Blackjack review team noticed that the game charges you for this privilege. The special side bet costs 50% of your base wager and is not guaranteed to improve your point tally in any way since the face-down card can be of any value. However, if the burn card is an ace, you’ll receive a nice payout — 7:1 for the ace of spades and 2:1 for any other suit. We recommend using this feature sparingly, most often when your first card is an ace while the second has a value of 2-6.
A Simple Tutorial on How to Play for Free
The great thing about this release is that you can give it a try for free before deciding whether to stake real money. If you want to do it now, pick a casino off our list, find 21 Burn Blackjack online, and make sure to select practice or demo mode at the start. Then, follow the below steps:
- Once everything loads, turn your attention to the lower side of the screen and locate the chip selection area. Since you’re in a free-to-play mode, you can select any denomination.
- Click on “place bet” and press “deal”. You can also activate the second and third positions at a later point to see how they play out.
- When the cards are dealt, new buttons will appear above the widget with the playing chips. “Hit” requests an extra card, “Stand” concludes your turn, while “Split” becomes available when you have two cards of the same rank. Meanwhile, the 21 Burn Blackjack rules allow you to play the special side bet before you split or draw a third card.
- Usually, we advise our readers to follow a basic strategy chart for the best results. However, this game sort of hints at what the most sensible move is by displaying warning messages. Thus, an easy way of playing is to hit until you see one, then stand.
Aside from that, all the options and extra settings are situated at the bottom half of the screen. You can adjust the game speed from the “>>>>>>” buttons and mute/unmute or access the “Help” section through the icons at the bottom-left side.
What Are the RTP and Payouts of 21 Burn Blackjack by Betsoft?
We’ve reached a crucial point in our 21 Burn Blackjack review. It’s time to find out whether this title has superior return rates than a standard game of 21. Let’s start with the payouts:
- When you win without a natural, you’ll receive an even-money reward;
- Unfortunately, the same goes for 21-point wins from your first two cards. Regular blackjack pays 3:2 in such cases, but the payout in this one has been reduced to 1:1;
- Insurance costs 50% of your base wager and covers it only when the dealer reveals a natural. It’s not optimal to insure yourself, as the odds are far from good;
- Burning your card will cost the same as insurance, but you’ll only receive a payout when the face-down card turns out to be an ace.
When we also take the 21 Burn Blackjack rules into account, the RTP rate works out to be in the range of 99.45%-99.50%. This is more or less identical to regular blackjacks, meaning that the burn feature could have improved your odds if the payout for a natural weren’t lowered to 1:1.
To Summarize
While you can’t expect the special side bet of this Betsoft blackjack to reduce the overall house edge, it doesn’t increase it, either. We’ve been disappointed by many exotic games of 21 with seemingly favorable rules because the cost of playing them is higher than normal, so at least that’s not the case here.
If you already know how to play classic blackjack and are looking to shake things up, then 21 Burn Blackjack by Betsoft can be an excellent alternative for your entertainment. Play it today by visiting any of the approved online casinos on our list. Remember, if you still haven’t mastered basic strategy, you can always practice for free before wagering real cash.