Playtech Adds Popular 21+3 side Bet to Live Blackjack Games

Popular 21+3 side bet will appeal to both Poker and Blackjack players, Playtech’s head of Live Casino Innovation says

Leading cross-platform game developer Playtech have recently announced that they will launch the massively popular 21+3 side bet in their live Blackjack games. The new side bet will give all players a touch of Poker benefits into a Blackjack game.

The side bet was licensed by the game developers from Games Marketing, who hold the exclusive online rights, and it will be another “great addition” to their already successful live casino tables, that will put “the excitement of poker into every hand”, according to Kevin Kilminster, head of the Live Casino Innovation department at Playtech.

Blackjack Enhanced

The 21+3 side bets is one of the most popular Blackjack side bets in online casinos which gives the player lucrative returns with the right card combination. This popular bet takes the player’s two cards and the dealer’s up-card into consideration when calculating the winning combinations.

The Flush is the lowest paying combination with 5:1 odds, while the highest is the suited three-of-a-kind where the player can win 100x the original wager. The remaining combinations are as follows: straight (10:1 odds), three-of-a-kind (30:1 odds), and straight flush (40:1 odds).

The combinations and winning prospects of the 21+3 side bet, regardless of the hand’s outcome, creates a unique hybrid of a live game that will surely attract both Poker and Blackjack players. This, and the theoretically high 95.38% RTP (return-to-player percentage), is what made the 21+3 such a demanded feature in both regular and live Blackjack games.

Kilminster stated in their news update that the game will appeal to players of both card games, but also those who’ve never tried Blackjack, and that the company is “delighted” to provide their players with more winning prospects.

Innovators All the Way

Playtech have been on the forefront of the online casino industry for nearly two decades, ever since the company was established back in 1999. Their global operations now currently span over 13 countries and employ over 5,000 people.

One of their strongest assets is their live dealer games section, which simultaneously targets two of the world’s most profitable markets – Asia and Europe – through their studios in Philippines and Latvia. They currently offer more than 50 live tables, most of which are card games, which can be easily accessed across both static and mobile platforms.

However, one of their most creative features is the Live TV games which are webcast through their studios and offer access to large number of players at a time. The Live TV tables offer a number of casino games but with a twist of game show functionality, where players can wager using anything from computers to landlines, but without any interaction with the dealers.

Yet, part of their focus on introducing the bet in their Blackjack games doesn’t seem to be for innovation purposes only, as the feature will also appeal to Poker players who, according to their 2016 half-year report, have lost some of their interest and caused a 16% drop in Poker revenue.