It seems that days of casino classics are over, at least in their traditional form.

Live dealer games are getting more and more exciting thanks to different bonus features added to them. One of them is Quantum Blackjack brought to you by Playtech. If you follow the work of a reputable provider, you can easily guess what the latest Blackjack variant is all about.

Just like Quantum Roulette, Quantum Blackjack introduces multipliers that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to them, your payouts can get boosted up to 1,000x. If this sounds enticing enough, stay with us to learn how to play the game and what strategy to apply to make the most of it.

Quantum Blackjack Rules and Gameplay

Quantum Blackjack is yet another live dealer Blackjack variant launched by Playtech. While on the screen it looks like a game accepting a single player, the truth is that an unlimited number of players can join the table. Regardless of the total number of players, each of them will see only the gameplay for the moves they make. The game uses a shoe with 8 pre-shuffled decks and cards shuffled by the machine.

As for the rules, they are pretty standard. The dealer receives the first card face-up and stands on a soft 17. No surrender is allowed, double down can be used on any two cards and after a split, while splitting is allowed only once. Re-splitting is not permitted. Yet, there is a deviation from the standard rules. When the dealer busts with three cards, the round ends in a push.

The Playtech product comes with a twist in the form of so-called Quantum Multipliers. Between one and three cards are dealt from a separate, digital deck. Each of them receives a multiplier that can go up to 10x. In case you get a card that is the same as one of the randomly drawn multiplier cards and your hand wins, your payout gets increased by the respective multiplier. When it comes to side bets, just like other Playtech-powered Blackjack games, this one offers the Pairs and 21+3 optional wager. Unfortunately, Quantum Multipliers do not apply to them.

Quantum Multipliers Explained

As we have previously mentioned, each round can benefit from up to three multipliers cards. They can get assigned a multiplier between 3x and 10x. What’s great about the multipliers is that they combine provided you have two or more special cards in your hand, and you win. It means that in theory, your payout can be subject to a multiplier of up to 1,000x.

Let’s learn how Quantum Multipliers work in practice. If you place a $10 bet and your hand with a 5x multiplier wins, you will receive $40 plus your original $10 wager. Also, if a particular multiplier card appears more than once in your hand, the multiplier assigned to it is applied only once. To put it simply, if a 10 of hearts is drawn and gets a 5x multiplier, and you receive two 10s of hearts and beat the dealer’s hand, your payout will be subject to a 5x multiplier only.

Side Bets

Even though multipliers do not apply to side bets, they still add more excitement to the gameplay thanks to large payouts they can deliver. When it comes to the Pairs bet, it has an RTP of 95.90%, meaning that its house edge is 4.10%. If you place this side bet, you predict that the player’s or the dealer’s first two cards will create a perfect pair, colored pair or a red/black pair. The optional bet also wins when the player’s and dealer’s first two cards create one of these combos. Payouts range from 6:1 for a red/black pair to 25:1 for a perfect pair.

If you have played Blackjack before, you are familiar with the 21+3 side bet as well. It is based on the first two cards the player receives and the dealer’s face-up card. To win with this additional wager, you need to create a 3-card poker hand. It can be a suited three of a kind, straight flush, three of a kind, straight or a flush. A flush pays 5:1 while a suited three of a kind will earn you 100:1. The side bet has a house margin that sits at 6.70%, meaning that its RTP is 96.30%.

How to Play Quantum Blackjack

The game starts with the player placing their main bet and optional side bets if they wish so. The player has to complete the betting within 12 seconds. When all bets have been placed, up to three special cards are drawn from a deck of digital cards at random. Each of them gets a multiplier of 3x, 5x or 10x. After Quantum Multipliers are set, the dealer deals two cards to the player and themselves with their first card face-up.

In case the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace, the player is offered Insurance. This side bet pays 2:1 if the dealer has a natural. The player can make one of the moves that include Hit, Stand, Double or Split. If the player doesn’t make a move, they stand automatically. The player busts if their hand exceeds 21 and gets their original wager back when it is a push. A natural pays 3:2. If they receive any of Quantum Multiplier cards and beat the dealer’s hand, their payout gets boosted. The round ends in a push when the dealers bust with three cards, yet the player gets paid when their hand contains at least one special card with a multiplier.

Quantum Blackjack Strategy

According to the developer, the main game has an RTP of 99.47%, meaning that its house edge is low, at 0.53% only. However, you can rely on such a small house advantage only when you play the game following the optimal strategy. You can find it quite challenging, though. Due to tempting multipliers, once you get a card with a multiplier, you may want to keep it and risk by hitting when the strategy tells you to stand. Also, you may feel the urge to split more often than you should, and we cannot blame you for doing that. We have done the same while testing the game.

The truth is that multiplier cards are random, and while getting them may be a matter of luck, completing your hand should still be based on your skills. Use them and risk more than you would only when you have a good reason to do it. As for the side bets, play them only from time to time, just like in other Blackjack variants.

Closing Thoughts

This is the first time a provider has included multipliers in a live dealer Blackjack game. It is undeniable that they add more excitement to the gameplay. Still, we would like it if the overall atmosphere would be more entertaining, like in the Lightning editions by Evolution Gaming. If you are a Blackjack enthusiast who wants to try something new, give Quantum Blackjack a try. After all, you may end up with payouts boosted up to 1,000x provided you get lucky and make the right moves.