For those of us who love to play blackjack games online, variety is important. The core part of online blackjack, apart from the visual quality and the rules, are some interesting innovations that make the game feel new. We have identified some of the game elements that make modern online blackjack games look special and different from their land-based counterparts. Note that developers usually put the name of these mechanisms in the title so that users can easily identify them when browsing online blackjack games.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the fun online blackjack features.
Multi-hand option
One of the essential additions to online blackjack that makes it feel innovative is the addition of multiple hands for players to control. This basically gives the player more choices in decision making and allows more freedom. Multi-hand Blackjack games usually allow the user to play 3-5 hands simultaneously against a dealer. Each hand will be dealt individually and has its own cards and bets.
Usually this is a benefit to the player from a little point of view in gameplay. However, there are some drawbacks. The main factor is that with multiple hands comes multiple bets that must be placed. This is all well and good when you gamble with a dollar chip on each one but once you start betting at higher values things can get out of hand. When playing multi-hand blackjack, players must adjust their bets according to the number of hands available. Otherwise, the large number of hands played per hour can result in some serious losses that are overlooked.
Side bets
Blackjack side bets are an excellent way to introduce a bit of high-stakes spice and rewards into your game. However, the side bet is not for the enthusiast. Although they offer huge payouts, they are usually very rare. However, it is very fun to gamble from time to time.
The usual side bets in blackjack include pairing. This can be a bet on whether your hand will consist of two cards of the same color or the same values, or both. Another popular side bet is the 21+3 poker-inspired side bet. This option offers so many poker combinations in the mix that players need to land their card and the dealer’s card. These bets like Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, etc. usually have very high payouts as well.
Although the side bet is an interesting mechanic, be careful how much money you invest in it.
Return the deal
Some online blackjack games have implemented a replay feature. This feature has a couple of variations but is more or less focused on receiving a new deck of cards if the opening hand is poor. In some games, players can also use the Re-Deal feature to change the dealer’s hand or the last card they got.
This is certainly one of the most powerful online blackjack mechanics, but it comes at a cost. In these types of games, the option to return the deal is usually expensive. The price depends on the deck of cards you have and the dealer’s hand. If the dealer has a more powerful opening card such as an ace card or a card of 10, returning the deal is more expensive. However, some games offer the option to return the deal for free occasionally.
sequential gains
Another exciting feature is the winning streaks. Online blackjack developers sometimes apply additional bonuses when players collect wins together. Games like High Streak Blackjack will have the player place a regular bet and then a special consecutive bet. This winning streak bet will increase as the player continues to win and reward the player continuously for each successive win.
If the player loses, he loses the consecutive win bet as well. After a certain number of wins, usually 5 times, the winning streak bet returns to the player. This is a great feature that is always fun but can be played with. One of the tricky things you can do if you are a card counting player is to bet on your winning streak once you feel that the deck is rich in high-value cards that suit you. Overall, winning streaks are fun in all casino game formats and developers can never go wrong with their implementation.
Various special features
Finally, there are many smaller special features that you can encounter in online blackjack games. These features aren’t as big as multiple hands or re-dealing your cards, but they are nice little extra benefits.
An interesting example is the Free Bet feature in some games. For example, these allow the player to get a free double if he gets a 9, 10 or 11. In Evolution’s Free Bet Blackjack this feature is well implemented.
Another example is the features of surrender. These special mechanisms revolve around giving the player the option to surrender in various ways. Surrender cashback is one of the things we have seen a lot where a player can get an extra reward if they give up in certain situations.
Finally, and the least extravagant on our list, there are online blackjack games with a strategy. These online games implement a strategy scheme in the online game itself. Thus, the strategic plan can be reviewed within the game. Additionally, some games implement this feature by having a graph suggest optimal moves while playing. This is a great feature for novice players who need a little help while learning the game.
