The name gives it away with this one.
It is a classic blackjack variation that comes with a side bet known as Noble Diamonds, although it can pay out even if no diamond suited cards are dealt.
Switch Studios are the developers behind this variation, and their typical stripped back aesthetics are apparent here, so it’s an uncomplicated setup.
It is an RNG based game with standard payouts for the main game but the ability to pay up to 2000:1 for the side bet. This does not damage the RTP of the base game since both bets are independent of each other.
Playing the Game
It’s a very simple interface with everything coming as standard, so you can expect to see different chips worth different amounts which you can use to place the bet you feel comfortable with, and the buttons such as ‘hit’, ‘insurance’ etc will pop up as required.
When it comes to the basic game rules, they are as follows:
- 6 decks used
- Dealer stands on all 17s
- No dealer peak
- Only one card to dealer
- Doubling allowed only on hard 9, 10 and 11
- No doubling after splitting
- Can only split once
- No BJ after split
- 10 value cards must be identical to split
Nothing too drastic here, but do take note that in the initial deal, the dealer will not receive a second card until the player has completed their turn. This just means that the the fourth card in the shoe won’t necessarily go to the dealer.
Once cards are dealt your hand total will be displayed alongside, and you can take as much time as you want to decide what to do.
Noble Diamonds
This side bet requires a separate stake in order to play, but there is no obligation to place the side bet on every game. However, you will need to place a bet on the base game in order to unlock the opportunity to play the Noble Diamonds side bet.
The bet takes into account your two cards, and then the first of the dealer’s cards.
The bet pays out in the following scenarios:
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| 3 King Diamonds | 2000:1 |
| J,Q,K Diamonds | 500:1 |
| J,Q,K Suited | 150:1 |
| Any 3 Suited Royals | 50:1 |
| J,Q,K Unsuited | 25:1 |
| Any 3 Unsuited Royals | 15:1 |
| Any 2 Suited Royals | 9:1 |
| Any 2 Unsuited Royals | 3:1 |
The bet will be over (and will pay out if you win) as soon as the initial deal is over, as the outcome is defined by those three cards alone and the rest of the base game has no impact on the side bet.
RTP
The slightly tighter rules, such as on doubling for example, make the theoretical return to player percentage for the base game 99.44%, which is a shade lower than normal.
However, the Noble Diamonds side bet has its own RTP of 94.43%, so the opportunity to win larger amounts comes at a considerable cost.