Progressive Blackjack – Play for a Chance at Winning a Huge Jackpot

In all of the blackjack games, the main objective is to score a blackjack and beat the dealer’s hand. There are many game variations with certain modifications that make them unique compared to the other games. The same can be said about Progressive Blackjack, a game that offers a massive jackpot, something that cannot be found in any other blackjack variation. Played with six decks of 52 cards, in this game the players try to beat the dealer, but even more, they want to hit any of the jackpot winning combinations.

Check out the rest of this review for more information about the specific rules of Progressive Blackjack and tip on how you can secure yourself better chances at winning.

Try Progressive Blackjack for Free

As in any other game, it is best to try Progressive Blackjack in demo play mode before you bet real cash on it. Below you can try the embedded trial version of the game which will help you familiarise yourself with the specific rules of the game. Unfortunately, the progressive jackpot feature is not active in demo play. You can place the additional bet for progressive jackpots

Instant play

How to play

This game variation shares the rules of most other blackjack games. What all of the players try to do is score a blackjack and beat the dealer’s hand. The blackjack pays 3:2, while hands whose amount is bigger than 21 are called a bust and with them, the player loses his bet. If the dealer and the player have the same card score, the player gets his bet back. A total amount of 21 is considered to be weaker than a blackjack.

Usually, when playing Progressive Blackjack players cannot surrender and the dealer stands on soft 17. The players can double after splitting; however, it is not allowed to split an already split hand. Furthermore, only one card can be drawn to split Aces. If the players double while the dealer shows an Ace and gets a blackjack, the player loses everything. Nevertheless, if the dealer has a 10 and gets a blackjack the player will get back the double bet amount and lose only the blackjack bet.

In any case, the most important rules and payout rates are those of the progressive jackpot side bet. The progressive jackpot bet can be placed only before the cards are dealt. After the player places £1 side bet, a percentage of that amount is added to the jackpot right away. The payouts are as follows: one ace 5x the bet, two aces 50x the bet, two suited aces 100x the bet, three aces 250x the bet, four aces 2,500x the bet, three suited aces 5,000x the bet and four suited aces equals the whole jackpot amount.

The Game’s House Edge

Progressive Blackjack at some casinos is played with six decks of cards, while at others with eight decks of cards. Additionally, casinos have the peek or no peek rule and all of these modifications affect the house edge. With all the modifications taken into account, the house edge of the game can vary from 0.46% to 0.49%. The mostly played six decks variation where the dealer doesn’t peek for a blackjack and the player can double after splitting, but cannot surrender, has a house edge of 0.47%.

It’s All About the Side Bets

Even though the side bets are usually considered to be a bad option because they increase the house edge, this game is all about the side bets. Besides the possibility of placing an insurance bet once the player sees the dealer’s face-up card, the player can also place an additional jackpot side bet. Depending on the casino, certain percentage automatically is added to the jackpot amount which grows with every jackpot bet made by any of the players. Most common minimum jackpot bet amount is £1 and it can win the player £25, £100, £250, £1,500, £2,500 or amazing £10,000+ jackpot prize.

Progressive Blackjack Betting Strategy

As a result of the rules modifications that can be found in this variation, there is no single game strategy. Nevertheless, the most commonly played Progressive Blackjack variation is the one with six decks of cards, where the dealer does not peek for a blackjack and the player can double after splitting. The following strategy is optimal for playing a game with these rules. You can try these useful tips at Ladbrokes Casino, where you can find this many other variations of this game.

The player should stand on hard 12+, soft 8, 9, 10 and a pair of tens regardless the dealer’s card. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, hence hitting on soft 12-16 when the dealer has 7-10 or Ace is highly recommended. Additionally, soft 8 across dealer’s 9, 10 or Ace should result in a hit. However, 9-9 should not be split and the player is advised to stand when the dealer shows 7, 10 and Ace.

Hard 4-11 is always a sign to hit, no matter the card the dealer has. Furthermore, soft hand from 3-7 is another situation in which the player should hit without even caring about the dealer’s card. A pair of twos, threes, four, fives, sixes, and sevens, when the dealer has 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace is a good position for the player to hit. Some exceptions and additions were explained in the text above, so pay close attention to them.

Finally, when the dealer receives a card from 1-10 and the player was given a pair of twos, threes, fours, sixes, sevens, eights, nines and Aces it is advisable to split. Exceptions are 4-4 across dealer’s 2, 3 or 4 which should trigger hit instead of a split. Additionally, the player should hit on 4-4, 6-6 and 7-7 if the dealer shows 8 or 9. A pair of fives is always a chance to double unless the dealer has 10 or Ace. Hard 10 and 11 are other doubling opportunities when the dealer holds 1-10. When it comes to the soft hands, the player should double on soft 3-8 if he sees 5 or 6 as the dealer‘s face up card.

Overview – Should You Go Progressive?

Every player who wants to try something new and yet not to change his favourite table game should try Progressive Blackjack at Winner Casino, which also has an exclusive bonus offer for our readers. It is a game that keeps the basic blackjack rules, so is easy to play it right away. However, the possibility to place jackpot side bets most definitely adds to the excitement. The progressive jackpot amount keeps growing and the bigger the prize is the more players decide to give it a try; hence the jackpot grows even more. Furthermore, this variation has an average house edge, so the players shouldn’t be worried that this particular blackjack variation is more favourable towards the house than the other blackjack games.