| Updated: October 1, 2024Perfect Blackjack is an industry-first live variation of 21, which Swedish supplier NetEnt unveiled in April 2019 after signing an exclusive deal with the UK-based gambling company The Rank Group. The new live product is aimed at gamblers looking to play in accordance with perfect basic strategy. This effectively cuts the casino edge down 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 out of a shoe containing 8 decks. The friendly live dealer starts their hand with one card only and pulls out the second one after everyone else at the table makes their playing decisions.
The dealer is required to draw to 16 and stands on soft 17. Blackjacks offer the standard payout of 3 to 2. It is our understanding here one cannot insure their hands against the dealer’s Ace as this is in stark violation of 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 like 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 here. 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 would automatically complete your hand, making the correct hitting and standing decisions based on your total and the value of their first card. You can also choose whether or not to automatically double down and split pairs.
The automatic basic strategy decisions significantly improve the speed of the gameplay since there is no need for players to ponder over the correct playing decisions. Perfect Blackjack also comes with an autoplay feature. The software would 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 a game mainly suitable for players who insist on speed and dynamics in terms of gameplay. The live dealer rarely offers any explanations regarding basic strategy which hinders beginners from actually learning the correct playing decisions.