Online casinos are developing unmatched popularity among casino players. And live casino games, a bigger part of online play, have become a bigger part of that development as they demand more attention from software providers. Just offering the same old casino games is no longer enough. To attract the players, the casinos need to bring something new to the table! This mind-set has served many operators and game providers well as they created many cool new games and fun variants. Online Blackjack is not a game that is all too easy to get into. New players often comment that it takes a while to learn all its intricacies. This has led to software providers trying to figure out the best way to teach new punters. Today, we shall dive deep into the latest release, called Majority Rules Speed Blackjack.
Majority Rules Speed Blackjack is played following European Blackjack rules. The dealer will draw only one card when dealing with the cards. You can split on any pair, and you will be offered an insurance bet when the dealer’s up card is an ace. If you split aces, you will only receive one card. Players can double down on any two cards. You have eight decks total in the dealing shoe on this table. When half of the shoe is dealt, a reshuffle occurs. This is done to prevent card counting, so we advise against trying to do so. You have two side bets available in the form of Perfect Pairs and 21+3. These offer a way to win bigger prizes at the cost of decreasing the RTP.
Now that we have covered how everything works, join us as we go through a typical round of Majority Rules Speed Blackjack. For this example, we will say there are enough players for voting to be active. Upon first launching the game, you will be prompted if you want to automatically double and split. Turning these options off means you will have to manually approve these in case the majority votes for such moves. You can also turn off the left position entirely, allowing you to play only the right hand.
You will then be prompted to place a bet. You have to choose your coin value, and place it on the main bet. Side bets are also available in both hands if you want to play them. After betting ends, the dealer will draw one card for themselves and two for both your hands. At this point, you will be asked to make a choice.
Players can hit, stand or double on any hand. Splits are only available if you have a pair in your hand. Select the option you want to play. This casts one vote for that decision. You can see how everyone else is voting by looking at the meters next to the active hand. Once all players have voted, the decision with the most support will be played. This happens even if you voted for something else. At that point, the dealer will reveal her remaining card and results will be tallied. Blackjack wins pay 3:2, while insurance wins pay 2:1. All other standard wins pay 1:1, identical to regular Blackjack tables. For bigger wins, you will need to make use of this game’s side bets.
If you want to play side bets, you have two available options: Perfect Pairs and 21+3. In perfect pairs, you receive a cash prize for scoring a pair. The better the pair, the stronger the payout. The RTP for this side bet is 95.90%.
21+3 uses your first two cards and the dealers face-up card to form a three-card poker hand. How much this side bet pays depends on the strength of the hand. The better it is, the more you will receive. The RTP for this side bet is 96.25%.
What sets Majority Rules Speed Blackjack apart is that all players have a say in how it is played. This is a shared table where an unlimited number of players play a single hand. This is not a new concept, either. On this specific table, we have two positions. You can choose to play one or the other, or both at the same time. Each one comes with a separate main and side bets, as well. After placing a wager, you will be able to vote on how the hand will be played. Each punter gets a single vote and can choose to hit, stand, double or split. After the timer runs out, the most popular decision will be carried out. Experienced players will be attracted to the speed aspect of this table. It takes a much shorter time to complete around here compared to standard live Blackjack. New punters will be able to see what the majority is picking, and slowly pick up the rules that way. It is not a perfect balance, as inexperienced Blackjack players may appreciate more time to process the round.
When you launch the game for the first time, you will see that much of it is pretty standard. All players share a single spot on the table, close to how Infinite Blackjack works. All will see the same cards and decide based on what they have drawn. The only thing about this title, however, is that you cannot make your own decisions. Instead, what you choose is only one vote. Each player takes their own decision, and the option with the most votes wins. That is how the Majority Rules Speed Blackjack gets its name! More than half of the players must agree to hit, stand, double or split before that option is played. Of course, not everyone is going to be equally satisfied with this change. If you’re an accomplished Blackjack player, there’s no need to play this game. That said, the developers do offer an attractive reward by making each round go faster. This makes it much more appealing for experienced punters to join. Makes it far less likely that a group of newbies will make the wrong choices and make everybody lose out!
If there are not enough players for Majority Rules to be played, the game swaps to guided play. The exact number when it swaps from one to the other is uncertain. However, it prevents malicious hijacks of a table, which is considered positive. Furthermore, it plays following a basic Blackjack strategy. There is a market for this release where you get the benefits of Blackjack without learning it. Due to Majority Rules Speed Blackjack being able to host an infinite number of players, guided gameplay is rare. If the majority of the dealer decides to split and double, you have to spend extra money on that wager. You can go into settings and make it so the title automatically makes the extra bet. If you do not do this, you will be asked whether you want to follow along with each round or not. Ultimately, what you decide depends on your preference and how much money you plan to spend per round. However, this must be kept in mind that this does not occur in case no decision goes over 50%.In case players voted 40% hit, 35% stand and 25% split, the dealer will follow the majority vote and play the hit.
Majority Rules Speed Blackjack is far from the first time the developers tried their luck at making something new. The idea of adding multipliers to Blackjack is not new but few of the developers have pulled it off successfully. Through them, they were able to add one thing this Blackjack always lacked which is a chance to get your hands on something big.
People at first assume that voting would slow the game down, nullifying the effect of speeding up each round. But steps are taken to make sure that does not happen. The rounds go by incredibly quickly. A touch too quickly for new punters trying to get their bearings. If you hope to learn from this title, we are not certain you will be able to. Fortunately, players who know what they are doing can make up for less experienced punters. If you want the benefits of Blackjack without learning the detailed strategy, this is a good way to do it. It offers a benefit for all parties involved. We have no doubt this will be a successful table. One more aspect that is good is the introduction of guided gameplay at times. In case of ties or not having enough people, the table keeps going. These systems also help prevent malicious players from voting for the worst possible decisions. The minimum amount of punters needed before voting is turned on can be raised though. However, the current arrangement is satisfactory as well. The game offers a different way to play that will appeal to all kinds of punters. Both new players and existing Blackjack veterans have a reason for checking it out. You can try it out if you find it right down your aisle!
Name: A Brief Guide to Majority Rules Speed Blackjack
Posted On: 29/07/2020
Author: Cameron Riddell