Betsoft Gaming Blackjack

Betsoft blackjack is available, even though they’re most
well-known for their dazzling selection of video slots, which
are all 3D. These animated slot machine games are hugely popular
with gamblers, but even slots player sometimes like to play a
little bit of blackjack. This page is aimed at them.

We can’t really publish a page about Betsoft without pointing
out what a great job they do with their slot machine games. They
use the same kind of state-of-the-art animation techniques that
are used in animated movies at the theater these days. They’ve
recently started focusing on making games available specifically
for the mobile market, too.

We have tried all their table games, and they bring the same
level of 3D detail to the table games (including blackjack) that
they do their slots.

They offer several different versions of blackjack. The rest
of this page focuses on explaining which games they make
available, which ones are best for players, and what the best
strategies are for playing these games.

You should know ahead of time that the house edge quoted
assumes that you’re using basic strategy when you play. If
you’re ignoring basic strategy and just playing your hunches,
you can just ignore the house edge figure anyway. You’re giving
up such a large percentage (1% to 3%) by not using basic
strategy that it’s almost irrelevant what the house edge is.

Games Available

Here’s a list of the blackjack games available at Betsoft
powered properties:

21 Burn Blackjack

This game allows you the option of discarding (“burning”)
your 2nd card. In order to burn this card, though, you have to
make a side bet of half your original wager. It’s similar in
that respect to taking insurance. The house edge for this game
is 0.54%.

Single Deck Blackjack

Single Deck Blackjack has the dealer hitting a soft 17, but
you are allowed to double after splitting. You’re only allowed
to double on a 10 or 11. You can only split once. The dealer
does peek for blackjack. Surrender is not offered. As the name
of the game implies, only 1 deck is in use. The house edge for
this game is 0.38%.

Super 7 Blackjack

Super 7 Blackjack has the dealer standing on a soft 17.
You’re allowed to double on any 2 cards, and you’re allowed to
double after splitting. The game uses 6 decks, and the house
edge is 0.46%.

American Blackjack

This game also requires the dealer to stand on a soft 17.
You’re allowed to double after splitting, but doubling is only
allowed with a total of 10 or 11. The dealer peeks for
blackjack, and, as with all the other games from this company,
surrender is not an option. 6 decks are in play, and the house
edge is 0.65%.

This is how Betsoft’s American Blackjack looks online.

European VIP Blackjack

European VIP Blackjack is another game option where the
dealer stands on soft 17. Doubling after split is allowed, but
doubling is only allowed on a total of 9, 10, or 11. This is the
only blackjack game from Betsoft that doesn’t have the dealer
peeking for blackjack. Surrender is not allowed, and the game
uses 6 decks. The house edge is 0.66%.

Pontoon

Pontoon is an online game originally developed by Realtime
Gaming but which has since been adopted by several online casino
software companies, including Betsoft. A pontoon is the same
thing as a blackjack, but in this game, it pays 2 to 1 instead
of 3 to 2. Any 5 card hand also pays off at 2 to 1. As always
with these blackjack variations, they have several rules which
offset this seemingly generous rules variation. For example, you
don’t get to see the dealer’s up card, and the dealer wins all
ties. The house edge is around 0.38%.

Pirate 21 Blackjack

This is the same game that other casinos call Spanish 21. The
game uses 6 decks, but they remove all of the 10s (but not the
face cards) from each deck. The dealer hits a soft 17, and
you’re not allowed to re-double. The house edge for this game is
0.76%, making it one of the worst blackjack games available at
Betsoft casinos.

The best blackjack game is the Single Deck Blackjack, with
its 0.38% house edge. We cover the correct basic strategy
decisions for the game in this next section.

Betsoft Blackjack Strategy

The difference between a strategy and tactics is one of
scope, but in blackjack, we also often discuss a concept called
“basic strategy”. A strategy is an overall approach to an
endeavor. Tactics are individual decisions.

For example, your overall blackjack strategy might be to
memorize basic strategy and only play the game with the lowest
house edge. You might have further elements to that
strategy—maybe you always quit when you’re ahead by a certain
amount or if you’re behind by a certain amount.

We’ve seen some gambling math experts deride money management
strategies like loss limits and win goals. We understand their
point. You can’t improve your chances of winning or decrease
your chances of losing through those types of tactics.

But you can use such an approach to make sure you don’t waste
all the rent money gambling. You can also use such an approach
to occasionally go home a winner—not all gamblers are able to
quit while they’re ahead.

An example of a tactic might be to always split aces and 8s.
That tactical decision is a part of basic strategy, which is a
shorthand way of describing the correct way to play every
possible hand in a game of blackjack. The correct decisions are
based on the dealer’s up card and the total that you have.

Hard Hands

Hard hands are hands with only one possible value. Hands with
aces that can count as 1 or 11 are considered soft hands. But if
you have to count the ace as 1 in order to avoid busting, that’s
also considered a hard hand.

Hard hands are actually pretty easy to play.

• You’ll always hit any hard total of 9 or less, no matter
  what up card the dealer has.
• If you have a hard total of 10, you’ll usually double
  down. You’ll only hit if the dealer has a 10 or an ace
  showing, though. That’s because the chances of the dealer
  having a blackjack are much higher in that situation, so you
  don’t want to put more money into play.
• If you have a hard total of 11, you’ll always double
  down, regardless of what the dealer is showing.
• The only tricky hand is a hard 12. If you have a hard
  12, you’ll usually hit. But you’ll stand if the dealer has a
  4, 5, or 6 showing. Those are the 3 up cards that result in
  the highest likelihood of the dealer going bust.
• A hard 13 through hard 16 is played the same way. You’ll
  stand if the dealer shows a 6 or lower, and you’ll hit if
  the dealer shows a 7 or higher.
• You’ll always stand if you have a hard 17 or higher.

Soft Hands

• You’ll always hit any soft total of 17 or less.
• You’ll always stand on any soft total of 19 or more.
• The only tricky hand to play is a soft 18, and it”s not
  that tricky. You’ll stand on a soft 18 or less if the dealer
  has an 8 or less showing. If the dealer has a 9+ showing,
  you’ll hit.

Splitting Pairs

• One of the most common blackjack sayings is “you always
  split aces and 8s”. This is the correct strategy advice for
  this variation.
• Another common blackjack saying is “never split 4s, 5s,
  or 10s”. If you have any of those pairs, you just play them
  according to their hard totals.
• You’ll split 2s and 6s if the dealer has a 7 or
  less showing.
• You’ll split 3s and 7s if the dealer has an 8 or less
  showing.
• You’ll only split 4s if the dealer has a 4, 5, or 6
  showing.
• You’ll split 9s if the dealer has a 6 or less showing.
  You’ll also split against a dealer 8 or 9.

In all other cases, you’ll play the hand according to its
hard total.

Recommended Betsoft Casinos

Quite a few high quality casinos offer Betsoft games. We
review many of them on our site. Below we’ve included some
recommendations for reputable casinos offering Betsoft games
along with links to our reviews of them and a few notes about
each recommendation.

BetOnline

BetOnline is one of our favorite choices. Not only have they
been in business for over a decade, but they still accept real
money players from the United States. They also offer a number
of options for bettors besides casino games—you can also bet on
sports and play poker. They don’t offer bingo, though. They
offer a 25% bonus on all deposits, but there are wagering
requirements. And blackjack doesn’t count toward those wagering
requirements. The house edge is too low.

GTBets

GTBets is a relatively new Sportsbook which also offers
casino games. New players are eligible to get a 100% deposit
bonus of up to $250 on their first deposit. They don’t offer
poker, bingo, or any live dealer casino games—just sports
betting and casino games like slots and blackjack. Still, if
those are the betting activities you prefer, this is one site
worth checking out.

Slots.lv

Slots.lv only offers casino games and bingo games. They offer
a signup bonus of up to $5000. You won’t find any kind of sports
betting or poker here, but the slot machine games they offer are
top notch because of the Betsoft programming that they run.

TopBet

TopBet is mostly a sports betting site, but they also offer
casino games. New customers are eligible for a $250 signup
bonus. Besides the Betsoft games, they also make AceGaming games
available to their customers. They’ve been in business a
respectable period of time now, too—5 years.

Summary

Betsoft is one of our favorite casino game provider
companies, but they’re largely focused on slots. They do offer
several interesting blackjack variations, though, the best of
which is their “Single Deck Blackjack” game with its 0.38% house
edge. Keep in mind, though, that this house edge only applies if
you’re using basic strategy.

Most of the casinos using Betsoft are reputable, but we have
a few we particularly like. These include BetOnline, GTBets,
Slots.lv, and TopBet. If you’re looking for a place where you
can bet on both sports and blackjack, think about BetOnline or
GTBets. On the other hand, if you also like to play bingo,
consider Slots.lv.