In this game review, we take closer look at Evolution Gaming’s new blackjack game called Lightning Blackjack. If you have played Lightning Roulette before, then you will be familiar with what lightning stands for. The lightning means that win multipliers are added to the gameplay for possible enhanced payouts. Therefore, you can now play live blackjack with enhanced winning odds. If in regular blackjack the maximum payout for blackjack is 3:2, then here you can land a payout of up to 25x your bet. Let’s take a closer look at the gameplay and how they implemented the new elements of multipliers into the game. Read on to find out more about Lightning Blackjack.
Where Can I Play Lightning Blackjack?
Check out Lightning Blackjack at one of the top casino sites below.
How to Play Lightning Blackjack?
So the base gameplay of blackjack remains the same in Lightning Blackjack. This is great because if you know how to play blackjack this will be easy for you. And the formula for classic blackjack is not a classic for no reason. If you are new to blackjack, then have a look at our Live Blackjack page. There you will find information on how to play blackjack, the basic rules, and also the basic Blackjack strategy chart.
- The game starts with a betting round that lasts 15 seconds, pick a coin value and place your bet.
- The multipliers for the round are assigned, this is done by RNG.
- Blackjack round starts, 2 cards for each player and 2 cards for the dealer are drawn.
- If the dealer gets an ace, insurance is offered to the player.
- Now it’s time to make 1 of 4 choices:
Hit – take another card.
Stand – stay on the cards you have.
Split – split a pair into 2 hands.
Double – double the main bet and take 1 more card.
If you do not pick an option the game makes an automatic decision. If the value of the hand is less than or equal to 11 it hits, and if 12 and above it will stand. - The dealer will draw cards until they hit 17 or above.
If your hand is equal to the dealer’s it’s a push and the main bet is returned.
And if the hand is lower in value than the dealer’s it’s a losing hand.
Finally, if the hand value is higher than the dealer, then you win.
Lightning Blackjack Game Rules
Lightning blackjack is an expected lightning version from Evolution Gaming. Let’s have a look at how it compares and also the differences with regular blackjack.
Lightning Blackjack features a shoe with 8 decks of cards. So being a lightning version the obvious difference is the multipliers that get assigned at each game round. As this multiplier is added you have an automatic lightning fee that is calculated on your main bet for every round. This lightning fee is equal to 100% of your main bet. Therefore, the lightning fee can be seen as a side bet. There are no other side bets in this blackjack version. If you win the hand, then your assigned winning multiplier is carried over to the next round. So, in reality you need to win consecutive hands in order to benefit from the win multipliers.
Other than this Lightning Blackjack plays like a normal blackjack game. Depending on the value of your winning hand you will get a different multiplier. The value of the multiplier is set with RNG and range from 2x to 25x. Higher value hands always have better multipliers. In comparison to other blackjack games, all players on the table play the same hand. Therefore, even if you stand others may still take an extra card, which leads to different final hands for players.
Lightning Multiplier
The multiplier is applied at the beginning of the round, right after the betting is done. The lightning multiplier varies from 2x to 25x and this is also based on the winning hand from the last round. Multipliers are assigned for hands with values 4-17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and BJ. The multiplier only covers the bet you bet on with the lightning fee from the first hand. So if you plan to bet small on the first hand and big on the next, then your win multiplier only counts for the smaller of the two fees.
In case of a split hand and both are winning hands the multiplier will then be applied to the highest-scoring hand. There is no extra lightning fee for a split or a double down. You can leave the table if you want and your multiplier will be available for up to 90 days after you received it.
Payout Table
The official RTP for Lightning Blackjack is 99,56%. Do keep in mind that the calculated RTP is only based on the first hand and not with the multipliers calculated into the mix.
- A winning hand pays 1:1
- Blackjack pays out 3:2
- Insurance is 2:1
- And for the multiplier, it is 2x up to 25x
If you look around on the internet you will find that the calculated RTP for this is lower than the officially reported one, with quite a high house edge. However, when you get into a winning streak, your wins start to add up quickly. When you are winning the multipliers will payout quite nicely. And these winning streaks are probably the only and biggest reason you would play a version of blackjack like this instead of the classic version.
Lightning Blackjack Betting Strategy
Evolution has actually made an “official” strategy for this game and it is a bit complicated. The recommended strategy for regular blackjack is not a recommended strategy for Lightning Blackjack. However, we do recommend learning the basic strategy over at our blackjack page to understand the game better, if you are new to the game. It will tell you when to hit or stay , and even double down and split. Our recommendation is that, do not start playing blackjack without this basic understanding of the game.
What we recommend is watching some game rounds of Infinity Blackjack and Lightning Blackjack. This way you will understand how the action unfolds. Unlike regular blackjack games, you’ll always stand on 17 and above, but in this game you will find players takin extra cards for a chance to land a higher total and therefore a better multiplier. Applying this high risk strategy will just cost you a lot of money, as most of the time your hand will bust. And this is what Evolution are banking on.
Since this game is all about the multipliers, we always recommend taking more cards if your hand is below 17. Normally when a dealer shows a 6 or a 5 you won’t take another card. But since other players are playing the same hand too, they can waste cards that in normal situations might cause the dealer to bust. Therefore, they can ruin your chances of winning a hand.
Expert Tip
Every time you play a hand, you basically paying double. One bet amount goes to your winning hand while another bet is a fee for the win multiplier. So if you win a hand, you are basically gettin your money back. Unless you have a blackjack which means your net win is half of your game bet. Therefore, if you are a solid blackjack basic strategy player, then we don’t recommend playing this game.
However, if you want to take risks then you should always aim for at least a 19 or higher. So, that you can lock in higher multipliers. If you are wondering why, then we’ll explain. To benefit from the multiplier win you need to win consecutive hands. So, if you only have a 2x multiplier, then you will only have a net win of your initial bet. Therefore, you are risking a lot for a small reward.
Example
Hand 1: You bet 2,000 Rs (1,000 bet + 1,000 Fee) – you win with 17. So you get 2,000 back.
Hand 2: You bet 2,000 Rs (1,000 bet + 1,000 Fee) – you win and receive a 2x multiplier. So, you get 3,000 back, but only 1,000 profit.
So in total you bet 4,000 Rs and got 5,000 Rs back, leaving you with only 1,000 in winnings. That is a lot of risk for a small reward. Of course, if you win the next hand you are guaranteed a multiplier too, but winning the next hand is not guaranteed.
Additionally, in order to land the max multiplier you need to land consecutive blackjacks, which is very hard.
Live Casino India’s View
At Live Casino India we always review all live games objectively. Initially, we thought Lightning Blackjack had good potential. But after thorough testing, we can conclude that the house has a massive edge here against players. So, you can potentially lose a lot of money quickly. If you go on a winning streak with some big multipliers then you can win a large amount of money. But you’ll need a lot of luck, as you can’t apply a solid strategy in this game. If you still feel like playing this game, choose one of our recommended casinos to play at and make sure you have a solid gambling bankroll at hand. If you want to try another type of blackjack from Evolution, check out Infinite Blackjack or Power Blackjack.
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