As the name suggests, the base game is a classic blackjack variation, with the addition of a single simple side bet to make tricky hands of 16 a bit more interesting.
This is another game by Switch Studios, who have released a lot of new game variations into the market, and appearance wise it has their trademark crisp graphics and smooth animations.
The minimum bet is £1 with a maximum of £500, and the side bet carries the same minimum but a maximum of £100. This is because it has the potential to pay out up to 200:1.
How to Play the Game
There is nothing new to get your head around in the base game, as it plays like any other classic blackjack version would, although there is a slightly romantic theme underpinning the whole thing.
Bet amounts can be managed by selecting different value chips, and clicking on the various betting areas will place chips at the current selected value.
The specific game rules are as follows:
- Dealer stands on all 17s
- No peaking for blackjack
- Only one card dealt to dealer
- Doubling allowed on hard 9, 10 and 11
- No doubling after splits
- Splitting only allowed once
- Can hit split Aces
Once the ‘Deal’ button is hit, cards will be chosen by the RNG and dealt to you and the dealer.
So as not to overcrowd the interface, the different game buttons such as insurance, hit, stand, etc., only appear when they are relevant, so there is no chance of hitting something by mistake.
Sweetheart 16 Side Bet
Since 16 is a difficult hand in blackjack, the Sweetheart 16 side bet could be a way to improve your mood if it comes up.
You must place a bet on the main game before you can bet on the Sweetheart 16 side bet – which is placed into a heart shaped area rather than the typical circle – and the bet will be decided based on the player’s first two cards.
If those first two cards create a hand of 16 the bet is a winner, but the payouts depend on the exact combination of the cards:
| Outcome | Payout |
|---|---|
| Pair of 8s Hearts | 200:1 |
| Hearts Total of 16 | 50:1 |
| Suited Total of 16 | 16:1 |
| Coloured Total of 16 | 9:1 |
| Mixed total of 16 | 5:1 |
This bet does not impact the base game in any way, and will be over as soon as the first two cards are dealt.
RTP
The theoretical return to player percentage of this game is 99.44%, thanks to the way the game rules are set up.
However, the Sweetheart 16 side bet has a different RTP of 95.65%.
This is obviously much lower than the base game, as all side bets are, and that is because of the chance to win much larger payouts from this bet.