A live blackjack game played with 8 decks from game developer Playtech, Quantum Blackjack is one of the more complicated variations of the game.
Aside from the futuristic neon lit table and game studio, the game also randomly selects up to 3 cards per round that will be given multipliers, and these will apply to your stake should you win the round with a hand containing those specific cards.
There is the potential to hit 1000x on this game but it does come at a cost as you will see, and the game also contains the 21+3 and Player Pairs side bets.
Quantum Feature
The mechanics of betting on Quantum Blackjack are no different to what you will be used to; you simply choose your stake, make the bet, and then hit, stand, double and split as normal.
However, you will notice between 1 and 3 cards displayed on the right of the screen next to the dealer. These are randomly chosen by the game engine before the hand is dealt, and each one will be assigned a random multiplier too.
In our example on the right of the page we have the King of hearts and the 3 of hearts, with a 3x and 5x multiplier respectively.
The multiplier on each card can be:
- 3x
- 5x
- 10x
What’s more, since the game is played using 8 decks and an automatic shuffling machine, cards can be folded back into the shoe after each round so all 416 cards are always in the mix. That means you always have an equal chance of the multiplier cards being dealt.
It is also possible to end up with 3 cards that all have a 10x multiplier. Admittedly, the chances are slim, and you would also need to be dealt all three corresponding cards and then win the hand for this to come into effect, but if it did the multipliers would multiply each other, creating the 1000x return, because 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000.
This can happen with any other combination too, for example with 2 cards and a 3x multiplier, which has a higher probability, and would pay out at 9x because 3 x 3 = 9.
Game Rules
This extra opportunity to win much larger amounts than usual doesn’t come free.
One of the biggest changes to the standard rules in this game concerns the dealer going bust. Regardless of how strong your hand is, if the dealer goes bust on 3 cards the result is a push and you get your stake returned. This is bad news for the player but allows Playtech to balance the RTP considering the, albeit infrequent, larger payouts.
The only exception to this rule is if the player’s hand contains a multiplier card, in which case the player’s hand will win. If the dealer goes bust on 4 cards or more the player will win as normal, the rule only applies when the dealer busts with exactly 3 cards.
Other than this standard Vegas rules apply, and the side bets have the standard payouts too:
Player Pairs
Outcome | Payout |
---|---|
Any Pair | 3:1 |
Same Colour Pair | 12:1 |
Perfect Pair (same suite) | 25:1 |
21+3
Outcome | Payout |
---|---|
Flush | 5:1 |
Straight | 10:1 |
3 of a Kind | 30:1 |
Straight Flush | 40:1 |
Suited 3 of a Kind | 1000:1 |
RTP
Despite all the changes, the theoretical return to player percentage stands firm at 99.47%.
As mentioned, this accounts for the changes in the push rules when the dealer goes bust, so while the RTP might be in the right sort of place long term, over a small number of hands you might find it more difficult to build your balance.
The side bets come in at 95.90% for Player Pairs and 96.30% for the 21+3 side bet.