Realtime Gaming Blackjack

Realtime Gaming (aka) RTG blackjack is known for being one of
the fastest games on the Internet. If you’re interested in
getting in a lot of hands per hour, then RTG software is going
to make you quite happy. They offer both instant play and
downloadable versions of all their games.

The differences between the no download and downloadable
versions of their casino games are negligible. We’ve seen some
reviewers claim that the downloaded software offers better
graphics and sound effects, but we can’t really see much of a
difference.

Realtime Gaming is known for being one of the most USA
friendly software providers. When software companies like
Microgaming and Playtech were abandoning ship after UIGEA, RTG
“double down” and continued to power USA friendly online
casinos.

We provide a bit of information about Realtime Gaming
immediately below. The rest of this page compares the games
available at Realtime Gaming casinos. It also provides some
recommended RTG casinos at which to play and some strategy
advice for players with real money accounts at these casinos.

About RTG

From an operator’s perspective, Realtime Gaming has a lot to
offer. The cost of leasing their software is significantly less
than that of leasing Microgaming or Playtech. They also offer
operators the opportunity to “configure” their games.

Here’s what that means:

With most casino software providers, the payout percentage
and the rules are the same at all the casinos powered by their
software. But at Realtime Gaming, the casinos can change the
settings. For example, one RTG casino might have their blackjack
game set to use 8 decks, while another might have the same game
set to use only 4 decks.

It’s unrelated to the software, but most Realtime Gaming
casino operators offer large signup bonuses. Unfortunately for
blackjack players, these deals always have strict restrictions
about how much wagering must be done before you can cash out. At
most (if not all) of these casinos, blackjack doesn’t even count
toward fulfilling these requirements.

Here’s why:

The house edge on blackjack is so low that a smart player
could figure out a way to get an edge over the casino. Let’s say
you sign up at an RTG casino which offers a 200% matching bonus
of up to $2000. You deposit $1000, and you now have a bankroll
of $3000.

Let’s suppose this casino requires you to wager 45 times your
deposit plus bonus before being able to cash out. That means you
have to place $135,000 in wagers before cashing out.

If you’re playing the best possible game at RTG with the best
possible strategy, you’re facing a house edge of 0.34%. So your
expected loss on $135,000 in wagers is only $459.

Standard deviation will mean that your results will vary a
bit, but you’d still be almost able to guarantee yourself a
profit. $3000 – $459 is $2541, which is a profit of $1541 on
your initial deposit of $1000.

If you can find an online casino which counts blackjack
toward your wagering requirement, chances are good that they’ll
only count 10% of your blackjack wagers toward meeting those
wagering requirements. Suddenly that expected loss of $459
becomes an expected loss of $4590, which means that
mathematically, the casino expects a profit.

Sure, you could defy the odds. Players win every day. But the
casino makes its money by making sure that their mathematical
expectation says they’ll win in the long run.

Games Available

Realtime Gaming offers the following blackjack games:

Blackjack

Their standard blackjack game (#1 on the list) has the
following rules: The dealer hits a soft 17. You’re allowed to
double down on any 2 first cards, and you’re allowed to double
after splitting. You’re allowed to split twice, so you can have
up to 3 hands in play. You’re not allowed to re-split aces,
though. You only lose your original bet if the dealer has a
natural. Some RTG casinos offer late surrender, but most don’t.

The house edge for this game varies based on how many decks
are in play. Here are the house edge figures based on the
various configurations:

If Surrender Is Allowed:

Amount of Decks	Percentage
2 Decks	0.34%
4 Decks	0.49%
6 Decks	0.54%

If Surrender Is Not Allowed:

Amount of Decks	Percentage
2 Decks	0.40%
4 Decks	0.58%
6 Decks	0.63%

Face Up 21

Face Up 21 has the following rules:

• A natural only pays eve money.
• The dealer hits on a soft 17.
• You can only double down on a total of 9, 10, or 11
• You cannot re-split aces.
• Surrender is not an option.
• The house edge is 0.75%.

Face Up 21 is also sometimes called “Double Exposure
Blackjack”. The main rules variation is that both of the
dealer’s cards are exposed instead of just one.

Match Play 21

Match Play 21 has the following rules:

• The dealer hits a soft 17.
• You can double down on any 2 cards.
• Re-splitting aces and surrendering are both allowed.

This is the same game as Spanish 21, only with a different
name. You get a bonus payout of 40 to 1 if you get 3 suited 7s
against a dealer 7. One of the main differences between this
game and a standard game is the configuration of the deck—the
10s are removed. (Not the face cards, which are also worth 10,
just the actual 10s.)

The game offers several bonus payouts. For example, a 5 card
21 pays 3 to 2, but a 6 card 21 pays 2 to 1. A 7 card 21 pays 3
to 1. These bonuses are not available after doubling down or
splitting.

A 678 or 777 of different suits also pays off at 3 to 2, just
like a traditional natural. If they’re of the same suit, the
payout improves to 2 to 1, and if that suit is spades, it
improves further to 3 to 1.

It’s a fun game, but the house edge is about 0.8%, which
makes it inferior to the standard blackjack game, at least
mathematically.

Perfect Pairs

Perfect Pairs has the same rules as the standard blackjack
game. The only difference is the optional side bet. The house
edge on that side bet is way too high to make it a realistic
bet, but if you decide to go for it, you should know that the
house edge on that bet varies from 4.1% to 22.3%.

The side bet is a bet on whether or not you’ll get 2 cards of
the same rank. Payouts vary based on whether or not they’re of
the same color or suit. You can read more about Perfect Pairs
Blackjack on our page devoted entirely to that variation.

Pontoon

Pontoon pays out 2 to 1 on a blackjack. The dealer hits a
soft 17, and the player is allowed to double down on any 2 cards
and is also allowed to re-split aces. Surrender is not an
option. The house edge is 0.65% on this game.

The game has a large number of rules that are different from
standard blackjack. Instead of referring to a blackjack as a
blackjack or a natural, it’s called a “pontoon”, although it’s
really the same thing. The 2nd best hand in the game is a 5 card
trick, which is any 5 card hand that hasn’t busted. All 5 card
tricks are considered the same in value regardless of the point
value of the hand. (This is a major difference.) the 3rd best
hand is any hand of 4 cards or fewer that hasn’t busted. Points
matter in these hands—the more points, the better. And of
course, any hand with 22 points or more is considered a bust.

The game has other rules variations, too. You can find more
details about those variations on our page devoted to Pontoon.

Super 21

Super 21 is the same thing that the land-based casinos called
“Super Fun 21”. It’s popular in Las Vegas, but the game has a
high house edge compared to all the other blackjack games
available at Realtime Gaming, 1.42%.

Blackjack only pays even money, and the dealer hits on soft
17. You can double down on any 2 cards, but you cannot re-split
aces. Surrender is available. In land-based casinos, you can
find Super Fun 21 played with 2 decks, but at RTG casinos, it
seems like 6 decks is the best you can do. Of course, the house
edge would be lower with only 2 decks in play.

If you get a hand of 20 or less with 6 cards or more, you
automatically win. A 5 card hand with a total of exactly 21 is
also an automatic winner and pays out at 2 to 1. Player
blackjacks always win, even if the dealer has a blackjack. And
if you get a blackjack where both cards are diamonds, you get a
2 to 1 payout.

The big drawback to this game is that regular blackjacks only
pay even money. This might seem minor, but it’s devastating to
your mathematical expectation on the game.

RTG Casinos

At least 70 different online casinos use Realtime Gaming
software to power their games. Not all of these casinos are on
the up and up, though. RTG doesn’t provide a lot of oversight to
its licensees in the way that Microgaming or Playtech do.

But many of the properties using Realtime Gaming are
excellent. We’ve included some recommended properties below:

Bovada Casino

Slots.lv

Las Vegas USA

Strategy Advice & Tips for Realtime Gaming Blackjack

A lot of people confuse strategy with tactics. A strategy is
an overall approach. Tactics refer more to individual decisions.

This section of the page covers both strategic and tactical
considerations for Realtime Gaming customers.

The first piece of strategy advice we offer is the most
general, and it applies to other types of gambling besides
blackjack. Always have a budget. When you’re gambling online,
you can’t really get an edge over the casino. Since that’s the
case, you should always assume you’re going to lose. You won’t
always lose, because if that were the case, no one would ever
play. But you should always budget your money as if it were a
sure thing to lose it. This way, you’ll avoid accidentally
losing the rent money or something equally dire.

The second piece of advice we have is to set stop loss limits
and win goals. Gambling mathematicians sneer at money management
techniques like this because a lot of players make the mistaken
assumption that money management will improve your chances of
winning. That’s not the case, and that’s not why we’re making
this recommendation. The reason to set stop loss limits and win
goals is to give you a chance of going home a winner. If you
have no plan for when to quit, you’re likely to keep playing
until you’ve gone broke, every time.

Here’s an example:

You have a bankroll of $1000. You decide that you’re going to
play until you’ve either lost $500 or won $1000. In either of
those events, you’re going to quit.

In this particular example, if you want to maximize your
chances of winning that $1000, you’ll place the highest limit
bets you can. Your goal is to take advantage of standard
deviation and luck. The longer you play, the more likely it
becomes that your results will resemble the mathematical
expectation.

That isn’t a lot of fun for most gamblers, but it’s
mathematically the soundest strategy. You’ll have to balance
your desire for doubling your money with your need to stay in
action.

You should also always play the game with the lowest house
edge. In the case of Realtime Gaming, you’re looking at the
standard blackjack game there, which has a house edge of between
0.34% and 0.54%. There are few good reasons to play games with a
higher edge. You’ll just lose your money faster.

Finally, always use basic strategy. We’ve outlined the
appropriate decision for the game with the best house edge
below. It’s organized according to how you should play pairs,
hard hands, and soft hands.

Pairs

• Split 2s, 3s, and 7s if the dealer has a 7 or lower
  showing. Otherwise hit.
• Only split 4s if the dealer is showing a 5 or 6.
  Otherwise hit.
• Double down on a pair of 5s if the dealer has a 9 or
  less showing. Otherwise hit.
• Split 6s if the dealer has a 6 or less showing.
• Split 8s if the dealer has a 9 or less. Otherwise hit.
  (Notice that this is different from the standard advice of
  always splitting 8s. That’s because of the rules variations
  in play.)
• Split 9s unless the dealer has a 7, 10, or ace. In those
  cases, stand.
• Never split 10s. Always stand.
• Split aces unless the dealer has an ace. In that case,
  hit.

Soft hands

• Always hit any soft hand of 17 or less.
• Stand if you have a soft 18 versus a dealer 8 or less.
  Otherwise, hit.
• Always stand if you have a soft 19 or better.

Hard hands

• Always hit a hard 8 or less.
• Double down with a hard 9 versus a dealer 3-6.
  Otherwise, hit.
• Double down on a hard 10 or 11 unless the dealer has a
  10 or an ace. In either of those cases, hit.
• Stand with a hard 12 if the dealer has a 4, 5, or 6.
  Otherwise, hit.
• Stand on any 13, 14, 15, or 16 if the dealer has a 6 or
  less. Otherwise, hit.
• If you have a hard 17 or higher, stand.

Basic strategy for Realtime Gaming’s standard blackjack game
is pretty easy to remember.

Summary

Realtime Gaming offers the fastest and sleekest blackjack
online, and it’s an especially good choice for real money
players from the United States. Their games are configurable, so
the house edge varies from casino to casino, but the basic
strategy is more or less the same. In almost all cases, you
should stick with their basic blackjack variant, as it has the
lowest house edge of any of their blackjack games.

Finally, some RTG casinos are less desirable than others.
Stick with recommendations from a trustworthy site (like ours).