This RNG based game from popular developer Playtech is essentially bog standard blackjack with a few additional side bets based on being dealt pairs.
Players can choose to play up to five hands at a time, with or without side bets, and the rules are fairly standard with the ability to split, double, take insurance etc all remaining in place.
The maximum payout per bet in this game is 25:1 for ‘Perfect Pairs’, but the side bet RTP is much lower than that of the base game. Players can choose between 3 different table limit ranges; 10p-£100, £2-£300, and £10-£1,000.
The Table
The table will look a little different as betting areas for the side bets have been added; it’s not too confusing though.
Bets on the regular game are placed in the area highlighted in white in the image above.
Bets on the dealer’s hand being a pair are placed on the area highlighted in red in the image below, and bets on the player’s hand being a pair are placed in the area highlighted in yellow.
The rules to Perfect Blackjack shouldn’t contain any surprises for anyone:
- Dealer stands on all 17s.
- Cards shuffled after each hand.
- Player can only split once, and only one more card dealt to split Aces.
- No Blackjack after a split, only 21.
- Doubling after splitting allowed.
- Dealer does not check for Blackjack.
- If dealer shows an Ace and the player doubles, then the dealer gets Blackjack, player loses both bets.
- If dealer shows 10 value card and the player doubles, then the dealer gets Blackjack, player only loses original bet.
- Blackjack beats 21.
The 10 Card Charlie rule is also active in this game, so if the player draws 10 cards without going bust they automatically win, except if the dealer has blackjack.
Side Bets
The side bets are all about pairs in this game, which is where the name comes from, as the biggest payout comes from Perfect Pairs.
Players can bet on the dealer’s hand, their own hand, or both, but they must also have a bet on the base game to be able to make a side bet.
The same is not true the other way around though, so it is possible to play a standard game of blackjack with out placing a side bet.
Only the first two cards dealt to any hand will count for the side bet, so those dealt in the initial deal.
The payouts for the various side bets are as follows:
| Outcome | Payout |
|---|---|
| Red/Black Pair | 6:1 |
| Coloured Pair | 12:1 |
| Perfect Pairs | 25:1 |
A Red/Black pair is two cards of the same value but from different coloured suits, so the 6 of hearts and the 6 of spades for example.
A Coloured pair is two cards of the same value from different suits of the same colour, so the 9 of hearts and the 9 of diamonds for example.
Perfect Pairs is two cards of the same value and from the same suit, so the Jack of clubs and the Jack of clubs for example.
RTP
The theoretical return to player percentage of Perfect Blackjack is actually favourable at 99.58% when played with perfect strategy.
This is 0.8% higher than the regular 99.5%, giving the game a house edge of just 0.42% instead of 0.5%.
They are obviously hoping to claim back that slight house edge giveaway by enticing players with the pairs side bets, which carry a much lower RTP of just 93.89%.