Following the success of games like Lightning Roulette and Lightning Dice, Evolution has launched a brand new blackjack game, Lightning Blackjack, which is traditional blackjack with a twist. The game is now available at several South African betting sites, and will soon be at all sites that offer Evolution games. For the moment you can enjoy playing Lighting Blackjack on Hollywoodbets.
The game of Lightning Blackjack has bonus multipliers that are activated each round, giving players the chance to boost their winnings depending on what their winning hand consists of. There are no side bets available and the RTP on Lightning Blackjack is 99.56%. In this guide, we are going to take a quick look at how the new game works, as well as how to play it.
How to play Lightning Blackjack
Lightning Blackjack uses a shared table, so you’ll be dealt the same cards as all other players. At the beginning of each round, you place your wager, which is subject to a 100% lightning fee. So a R100 bet would actually cost you R200, broken down into R100 for the wager and R100 for the lightning fee.
Once your bets are placed the round starts, and cards are dealt in the same fashion as traditional Blackjack. Players can choose to hit, stand, double down, or split their hand depending on the cards dealt. The goal of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible, go over 21 and you’ll bust, if the dealer ends with more cards than you then you’ll also lose.
The Lightning Blackjack Multiplier
The lightning multiplier is activated once you’ve won a round, and depends on the winning hand you hold. There are different multipliers for having a hand of 4-17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and Blackjack. The bonuses on these range from 2x up to 25x your stake. If you win a round with a hand of 19 then you will get a multiplier of 5x for the next round. If a player has a multiplier of 5x and wins with a bet of R10, the bet will be multiplied by 5x, resulting in a R50 payout. Additionally, the player will get back their original bet.
If you increase your bet in a round where you have qualified, the multiplier will only apply up to the bet amount of the qualifying round. If you lower your bet in a round where you have qualified, the multiplier will only apply up to the new bet amount. You may therefore not fully utilize the multiplier.
First Person Lightning Blackjack
The first person version of the game follows all the same rules and principles of the live game. The main differences are that the game is virtual, and that you play on your own table rather than a shared table. Which can make for a better experience than the live game as it allows you to play at your own pace.
Our Thoughts on Lightning Blackjack
Lightning Blackjack is a great twist on the traditional game of Blackjack, and the multipliers offer the chance of picking up some big wins if you manage to hit Blackjack or have a strong hand. There are some drawbacks though, particularly the 100% lightning fee which new players might not be aware of and could prove costly if you are not paying attention and don’t understand the rules. The pace of the game is also rather slow, similar to other shared table games like Free Bet Blackjack, which can also be frustrating. Overall we think that the game is interesting and will appeal to Blackjack players and fans of card games.
