Free Bet Blackjack by Evolution: Our Review, How and Where to Play

Free Bet Blackjack Live is an online live dealer blackjack game with free, automatic Splitting and Doubling when available. Released by Evolution in 2022, it boasts an RTP of 99.29% with a minimum bet of $5 and a $5,000 maximum wager. The game is available on both desktop and mobile and allows you to make some moves for free at the price of a bigger house advantage.

Free Bet Blackjack is a relatively well-established variant of online live blackjack. Although not adored by advantage players, it offers an interesting set of rules that could be helpful for newbie players. Evolution has now started offering this table variant in a 7-seat format as well, further bolstering the already impressive blackjack portfolio.

United States

Excitement
Design & Sound
Streaming Quality
Interactivity
Win Potential
Rated :
4.0/5

Play Free Bet Blackjack Here

Mr Green

4.5/5

LeoVegas

4.6/5

Live Free Bet Blackjack Review

Game Specifications
Game name	Free Bet Blackjack by Evolution
Game provider	Evolution
Game type	Blackjack
Streaming from
RTP	99.29%
Bet range	€5,000 - €5
Max win	100:1
Side bets	Yes
Supported platforms
Supported OS
Languages	Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Chinese Croatian Czech +23 All supported languages Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Chinese Croatian Czech English Finnish French German Hebrew Hindi Indian Italian Japanese Latvian Lithuanian Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Vietnamese

Available after November 2022, this type of Evolution blackjack table is not an innovation per se. The original Free Bet Blackjack enjoyed the same rules, but was presented in a one-to-many format in which all the players at a single table shared the same hand. That version is still available as Infinite Free Bet Blackjack. In this review, we’ll instead talk about the recently-released 7-seat version.

In most practical terms, the two versions of Free Bet Blackjack are indistinguishable. Both have the same game rules, RTP, side bets, and so on. However, 7-seat Free Bet Blackjack only allows 7 players at one table at a time. There is an option to Bet Behind, but this means that the minimum bet is set higher at $5.

Effectively, this version is for those who play at higher stakes and want a more authentic live casino experience. Infinite Free Bet Blackjack is a great alternative if you’re playing on a budget and/or want rounds to go by faster.

Needless to say, this new Evolution Free Bet Blackjack has all the production qualities of the original. We won’t waste too much time pointing out the obvious high standard of professionalism for the dealers, either. Let’s get right into the rules, which are what makes this live blackjack variant feel different from most standard tables.

Mostly standard live casino blackjack gameplay with 7 seats per table

Free, automatic Splitting on all pairs except 10, J, Q, and K

Free, automatic Doubling on all hands of hard 9, 10, 11

Dealer hands of 22 result in a Push instead of the players winning

Standard Evolution Live Blackjack side betting options

Reduced overall RTP due to the adjusted Split/Double rules

How to Play Free Bet Blackjack

If you know how to play blackjack at a live casino, you’ll easily figure out how this one works.

Find an available Free Bet Blackjack table and take a spot. Once the next round starts and the dealer gets to you, you’ll receive two cards. The goal of blackjack is for your hand to be as close as 21 as possible without going over. If it’s closer than the dealer’s, you win. However, going over 21 immediately results in a loss.

Once it’s your turn, you have four options. Hitting means that the dealer will give you one more card. Standing means you don’t want any more cards. That much works as usual.

However, you cannot Double whenever you want. Instead, the game will automatically make that call for you whenever you have a hand total of 9, 10, or 11. After doubling, you’ll receive one more card and then stand. The good news is that Free Bet Blackjack does not require you to double your stake when Doubling. Any potential winnings are still doubled, of course.

Similarly, you can’t Split. Your hand will automatically Split all pairs except 10, J, Q and K. Again, this is completely free.

There’s a catch, though. In Free Bet Blackjack, the main bet pushes if the dealer draws a hand total of 22. This means your full stake is returned to you, but you don’t win anything as you would have in regular blackjack.

That covers most of the unique rules of Free Bet Blackjack. The others are the same as with standard Evolution Live Blackjack. Dealers draw to 17 and Blackjack pays 3:2. 8 decks are used per shoe, and the shoe is shuffled roughly ¾ of the way through.

Free Bet Blackjack Strategy Tips

1
Free Bet Blackjack is mostly aimed at new players who don’t want to think about Doubling and Splitting.
2
The game automatically Doubles and Splits as per basic blackjack strategy. However, the free bets are still not worth the advantage the house has due to pushing on 23.
3
This means that Free Bet Blackjack has a higher house edge than most other blackjack tables.

Payouts

Despite the rule changes, most payouts remain industry-standard. That means most rounds can win you even money with a 3:2 blackjack. Bet Insurance is an option, paying 2:1. The same largely goes for the side bets.

The only thing you have to keep in mind is that your main bet pushes on a dealer 23.

Bet/Hand	Payout
Free Bet Blackjack Payouts
Regular Win	1:1
Blackjack	3:2
Blackjack Insurance	2:1
Perfect Pairs Side Bet
Mixed Pair	6:1
Colored Pair	12:1
Suited Pair	25:1
21+3 Side Bet
Suited Trips	100:1
Straight Flush	40:1
Three of a Kind	30:1
Straight	10:1
Flush	5:1

Free Bet Blackjack RTP sits at 99.29%, which is a noticeable decrease over the industry-standard 99.5%. It seems that getting Double and Split hands for free does not outweigh the fact that the dealer will lose fewer times.

As for the side bets, 21+3 and Perfect Pairs come with the usual RTP of 96.30% and 95.90%, respectively.

New to Live Blackjack?

Remember that LiveCasinos.com isn’t here just for live casino game reviews. We also handle guides and strategies, helping you get the best start possible. For instance, we’ve covered various online live blackjack guides. Start with this Live Blackjack strategy guide, and then check out our Live Blackjack tips and tricks.

Make sure to choose the game that suits your taste and budget. For more extensive guides on live blackjack basics, read this article.

Special Features

The set of features is also typical for most Evolution live casino tables. That means there’s a live chat, audio/video settings, and so on. As mentioned above, you can also opt to Bet Behind other players.

Side bets in Evolution’s Free Bet Blackjack are also typical for their tables. There are two options, and they may not be available at all tables/casinos.

21+3 wins if your initial two cards can be combined with the dealer’s up-card to form a 3-card poker hand. Payouts vary depending on the strength of the hand.
Perfect Pairs side bet wins if your first two cards are of the same rank. You stand to win more if the cards are also of the same color/suit.

Languages

Currently, only English-speaking tables are available for this game.
However, the UI changes to fit the settings you chose on the Casino you’re playing at. This means that the language of the text can be English, Albanian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, or Vietnamese.

Our Verdict

7-Seat Free Bet Blackjack is nothing all that new, so it’s not as exciting as some other Evolution releases. However, it’s also a decent enough game if you’re really new.

That said, we can’t recommend this version of 21 over others. Our reasoning is simple – the RTP is lower, which means you’ll lose more in the long run. Getting Splits and Doubles for free is nice, but it’s just not worth it.

Of course, Evolution was merely working with previously-established rules. When it comes down to it, the game achieves what it set out to do. The execution is once again flawless, so feel free to try the game out if the rules sound worth it.

Very Good

Play Free Bet Blackjack by Evolution Here

Mr Green

4.5/5

LeoVegas

4.6/5

FAQ

Is it worth playing free bet blackjack?

Not really, no. Free Bet rules in blackjack ultimately only increase the house advantage. Therefore, it’s not worth playing over other blackjack rule variants.

Is Push 22 blackjack the same as Free Bet Blackjack?

Yes, these two terms mean the same thing. The dealer pushes if they get a total of 22, but players get to Split and Double for free. That’s why the rules are called as they are.

Is push 22 blackjack good?

No, pushing on 22 is not a good bet for the player. It ultimately increases the house advantage more than the free bets decrease it.

What is a free bet in blackjack?

Some variants of live casino blackjack allow players to get Double and Split hands without requiring you to increase the stake. However, this is counterbalanced by the fact dealer hands of 22 push.