Perfect Pairs Blackjack
Perfect Pairs Blackjack Information & Game Rules
In Perfect Pairs Blackjack, the object of the game is to beat the dealer by having a hand that totals 21 (without going over) or is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand. The game features an optional side-bet, where you win if the first two cards dealt to a hand are a pair.
Rules
- 6 decks of cards, re-shuffled after each round
- Dealer must draw to 16
- Dealer stands on soft 17
- Blackjack pays 3:2
- Insurance pays 2:1
- Even Money pays 1:1
- Double Down on any two cards
- Double Down on Splits
- No re-splits
- Split Aces, 1 extra card - If you split two Aces, only one more card will be dealt to each hand.
Betting
- Click on the chip stack to select the desired bet amount.
-
Click on between 1 and 5 of the regular bet areas to place your initial bet(s). To remove the last chip bet, hold the Shift key and click the chip. Undo will undo your last action, whether it was adding a chip or removing it.
For convenience, the value of the last chip clicked on the chip stack is held in memory and can be repeated without returning to the chip stack. Each click on the same bet area will increase your bet by 1 chip.
Higher credit denominations: 1K=1000, 1M=1 000 000, 1B=1 000 000 000. - After placing a regular bet, you can click on the Perfect Pairs bet area above the regular bet area to place an optional Perfect Pairs bet. The amount of the Perfect Pairs bet must be between the minimum bet for the table and 20% of the table maximum. Mouse over the table card to see the betting limits and payouts for the table.
- Click on Deal.
When playing multiple hands or splitting hands, the cards for the hand currently in play will appear larger.
Card Values:
Hard 9 / Soft 19
Aces can be used as either 1 or 11. Any hand that includes an Ace has two values, a soft value and a hard value. E.g., if the hand is 8 + Ace, the hard value is 9 and the soft value is 19. This hand would be able to play as a 9 or 19.
The King, Queen, Jack and ten are 10 points each. All other cards are worth their face values.
Blackjack: If your first two cards total 21 it's a natural Blackjack. Blackjack is the highest hand. Note: If you split a hand and the first two cards of the split hand total 21, the hand is not a Blackjack. If it does not push it will pay 1:1.
Playing
You and the dealer are dealt two cards each. Both of your cards are dealt face up. The dealer's first card is dealt face down, the second card face up.
If the Dealer's upcard is a 10 or an Ace, the following 3 dealer actions take place:
1) Upcard is 10: Checking for Blackjack
If the dealer has a 10 showing, he will check for Blackjack by "peeking" at his downcard. If the dealer does not have blackjack, the hand continues. If the dealer has Blackjack and you don't, you lose the hand without continuing. In cases where both the dealer and you have Blackjack, the hand is a push.
2) Upcard is Ace: Offer Insurance
When the dealer's upcard is an Ace, and you do not have blackjack, you are offered insurance. Taking insurance means you make a second bet (value is half the original bet) that the dealer has Blackjack. If the dealer has Blackjack, you lose your initial bet but are paid 2 to 1 on the insurance bet. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and the hand is played out as normal.
3) Upcard is Ace: Offer Even Money
If the dealer's upcard is an Ace and you have Blackjack, you are offered even money. Taking even money means you believe the dealer also has Blackjack.
When taking even money, you are instantly paid 1 - 1, and play on the hand ends. You give up the normal 3 - 2 payoff, whether the dealer has blackjack or not.
For hands that continue after the dealer actions, the following options may be presented:
- Hit and Stand - On any hands where you don't have Blackjack, you may stand (refuse any further cards), or hit (accept another card). You can hit as often as desired until you select stand or you bust (exceed 21). When you bust, you immediately lose your bet regardless of the dealer's hand result.
- Double Down (player hands only) - You are betting that your hand can be won with one more card.
Double downs cannot be applied to a Blackjack hand. You can only double down on your first two cards. When you double down, the original bet is automatically doubled (a second chip appears) and you receive one more card.
Note: You can also double down after splitting a pair.
- Split (player hands only) - if you are dealt two cards of the same value (such as two 8s or a Jack and Queen), the hand can be split into two separate hands.
When a hand is split, each card forms a new hand and is then played separately. The original bet amount is applied to the second hand automatically by doubling the chip amount in the bet circle.
NOTE: If you split two Aces, only one more card will be dealt to each hand.
A hand can only be split once. If your third card was the same as the first two, it could not be used to create a third hand.
A two-card 21 total on a split is not a natural blackjack. If the hand does not push it will pay even money.
Dealer Play
After your final actions, the dealer's down card is revealed. If the dealer's hand is 16 or less, the dealer must continue to hit until reaching 17 or more.
The dealer must stand on soft 17 and cannot take additional cards.
If the dealer exceeds 21 (busts), any of your hands that haven't busted are winning hands.
When the dealer stands on 17 or greater and has a higher count than you - the dealer wins. If you have the higher count, you win.
If you and the dealer have the same totals, it's a push (tie). Your bet is returned to you. If the dealer hand busts and your hand busts, your hand loses.
Payouts
| Winning Wager | Odds Payout |
|
Winning Hand |
1 - 1 |
|
Blackjack |
3 - 2 |
|
Insurance |
2 - 1 |
|
Even Money |
1 - 1 |
Perfect Pairs Play
In order to place a Perfect Pairs bet, you must first place a normal Blackjack bet. You cannot place a Perfect Pairs bet only.
Select a credit value by clicking on the appropriate chip in the chip stack, and then click on the Perfect Pairs bet area above your regular bet.
If the first two cards dealt to a hand are a pair, the bet wins. A pair is defined as being two cards with the same face value, not numeric value. For example, a K and a Q have the same numeric value, but not the same face value and therefore do not constitute a pair.
Only the first two cards are judged as a pair. If you get a third card that forms a pair with one of the first two, it isn't considered.
The type of pair affects the payout:
Perfect Pairs Payouts (per hand)
| Type of Pair | Definition | Payout |
| Mixed Pair | Two cards of the same value but different coloured suits, e.g., the 8 of Spades and the 8 of Diamonds. | 6 - 1 |
| Coloured Pair | The pair is matched in colour but different suits, e.g., two red cards, like the 3 of Diamonds and the 3 of Hearts. | 12 - 1 |
| Perfect Pair | The pair is identical, e.g., the Jack of Clubs with another Jack of Clubs. | 25 - 1 |
Perfect Pairs bets are collected/paid immediately. The result is included in the display at the end of the round in the Won or Lost totals.
Winning Perfect Pairs bets are paid regardless of the regular play outcome.
Basic Strategy
Often, players use the following strategy to assist them in deciding whether to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split.
This strategy does not guarantee that the player will win but is used to improve their percentage of winning.
| BASIC BLACKJACK STRATEGY | |||||||||||
|
PLAYER'S HAND |
DEALER'S UP CARD |
||||||||||
|
|
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
A |
|
|
Up to 8 |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
9 |
H |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
10 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
|
|
11 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
|
|
12 |
H |
H |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
13-14 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
15-16 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
17-18-19-20-21 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
|
|
A-2, A-3 |
H |
H |
H |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
A-4, A-5 |
H |
H |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
A-6 |
H |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
A-7 |
S |
D |
D |
D |
D |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
A-8, A-9 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
|
|
A & A |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
|
|
2 & 2 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
3 & 3 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
4 & 4 NS |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
5 & 5 NS |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
|
|
6 & 6 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
7 & 7 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
|
8 & 8 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
|
|
9 & 9 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
S |
S |
|
|
10 & 10 NS |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
|
Game Options:
Go to Main Menu - Options to bring up the following list:
Sound Effects: This turns the game sounds on and off.
Dealer Voice: This will turn the messages such as "Player wins" on and off.
Ambient Sound: This will turn on the sounds of a normal casino, such as people talking in the background. (These sounds are very quiet compared to the other sounds.)
High Quality Graphics: You can uncheck this if you are experiencing slowdowns in play because of your computer's processing abilities.
Full Animations: You can uncheck this to have the cards just appear in the final position without showing the animations.
Fit To Window: Check this to stretch the game to match the size of the window.
The long term, average expected RTP is 99.44% (93.89% on Perfect Pairs). System malfunction voids all pays and play.