How to Play Speed Blackjack by Pragmatic Play

Speed Blackjack is a popular casino-banked game where players compete against the house rather than each other. The game allows for up to 7 seats to be occupied at the table.

The Dealer will deal 2 face up cards to each player and two cards to themselves, one face up and another face down (the hole card). The core difference with Classic Blackjack is that all players make decisions right after the hidden card has been dealt with by the Dealer and will get their cards depending on the speed of making a decision.

The objective is to get closer to a total of 21 than the Dealer by taking additional cards if needed but without exceeding 21 (Too Many). Any hand that goes over 21 automatically loses to the Dealer, regardless of the Dealer’s own hand. But if you get a total of 21 from your initial two cards, it is known as a “Blackjack”, and nothing can stop you from winning the game round unless the Dealer also has a Blackjack.

To start playing, take a seat at the table, select your bet amount and place it in the highlighted box spot by clicking on it. The betting time starts, allowing you to place any additional bets or modify your original bet. If another player has initiated the game round, you may participate in it and place your bets while the message “PLEASE PLACE YOUR BETS” is shown on the screen.

Your total bet will be displayed in the “Total Bet” window.

You may place bets during the betting time until the Dealer announces: “BETS CLOSED”.

After the betting time is over, the Dealer will start dealing the cards, starting with the player immediately to their left, and to each player in turn, with the Dealer themselves last. A second card is then dealt in the same manner, face up to each player, with the Dealer receiving a hidden card face down.

Once all the cards have been dealt, players must select the options on their hands (Hit, Stand, Double or Split) at the same time which is opposite original rules where the game starts from the 1st player on the Dealer’s left hand and to the last in the clockwise order. Additional cards are to be dealt with in the order of selecting options by players.

After all players have made their decisions, the Dealer will open their hidden card and will deal additional cards following the rule indicated on the table surface: “Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17’s”. This simply means that if the Dealer has a total of 16 or less, they will draw more cards.

If the Dealer’s opened card is an Ace, an Insurance option will be offered to all participating players before the options mentioned above. After the time for placing Insurance bets is over, the Dealer’s hand will be checked for a possible Blackjack combination. If the Dealer has a Blackjack, the game round will move to the Result stage. If it is not a Blackjack, the game round will move to Blackjack Options stage.

When the Dealer finishes dealing cards to their own hand according to the rule above, the game round will move to the Result stage when Dealer’s hand will be compared with the hands of each player participating in the game round, and the winner(s) will be determined.

Once the game round is finished, the Dealer will collect all the cards on the table, place them in the discard stack and open bets for the next game round.

CARD VALUES

Speed Blackjack is played with 8 decks of 52 cards and each card has a value. The total value of the cards in a player’s hand is called “hand points” and determines whether a Player’s hand or the Dealer’s hand wins.

• Cards from 2 to 10 are worth their face value.
• 10, Jack, Queen, and King all have a value of 10.
• An Ace can have a value of either 1 or 11, chosen by the player. It is generally the combination of cards that dictates which value is chosen and this can change during a game round, depending on the value of any extra cards received.

Example combinations:

7♣ + 4♦ = 11, 5♣ + 10♠ = 15, K♥ + Q♣ = 20, A♣ + 5♥ = 6 or 16 and A♥ + 10♠ = BJ.

Any Ace + 10, J, Q or K combination is the best combination in the game and is called Blackjack.

A combination of an Ace and any card with a value between 2 and 9 is called a “soft hand” since the value of an Ace in such a combination can be 1 or 11. For example, A♣ + 5♥ = 6 or 16.

The suit of the cards is irrelevant in the main Blackjack game.

TAKING YOUR SEAT

To take a seat at the table, please select a free seat (box) marked with a “SIT HERE” icon and click/tap on it. You may occupy a free seat at any stage of the game.

As soon as you occupy a seat, it will change to an occupied box view, as shown below.

Your nickname under the box will be the identification for ”your” seat and it will be of a yellow colour.

Above the box, there will be an X button. Clicking it allows you to leave the seat. You cannot leave the seat during an active game round if you have placed a main bet.

PLACING BETS

When placing bets, please pay attention to the screen elements below to make sure your bets are placed on time and successfully validated.

The Table Name indicates the table you are currently playing at and the Table Limits show the minimum and maximum stakes allowed at the table. When clicking on this area, the Bet Limits & Payouts window will be opened, showing minimum and maximum limits for each bet type as well as the payout odds.

The Game Information Indicator in the middle of the screen will inform you of the game round status, the status of your bets, and will display guidance messages about actions you need to take.

PLEASE PLACE YOUR BETS is shown to tell you when you may start placing your bets. The indicator bar will show the remaining time in green, which will decrease to the left. “LAST BETS” is shown when only 5 seconds of the betting time remain. This indicator will be coloured orange.

“BETS CLOSED” means that there is no more time to place bets and all betting areas will become inactive.

After the betting time is over, you will receive a “BETS ACCEPTED” message indicating that your bets have been accepted and will participate in the game round. Otherwise you will receive a message stating “NOT ALL BETS ACCEPTED” or “BETS REJECTED” in cases described in the “Game Inconveniences” section of this guide.

The “DEALING” message will be shown when the Dealer is dealing initial cards and at the end of the game round when they deal cards to their own hand.

The “PLEASE, TAKE A SEAT” message will appear on the screen when you join the table and there is an available seat(s) for you to occupy.

The message “WAIT FOR NEXT GAME” is shown if you have no bets placed in the current game round. After this game round is over, you may place your bets during the next betting time.

A “LOW BALANCE” message on the status bar means that your balance is too low to cover the minimum bet amount allowed at the table. You will need to add funds to your balance to be able to participate in the game round.

A “GAME PAUSED” message will appear if the game round is temporarily suspended due to Dealer failure, equipment failure, or other unforeseen circumstances.

A “GAME CANCELLED” message will appear on the status bar if the game round is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances and immediate resolution is not possible. For more information about “Game Cancelled” cases, please refer to the “Game Inconveniences” section of this guide.

The DEAL NOW feature will enable you to end the betting time if you have finished placing your bets, and to ask the Dealer to start dealing the cards. This button will be available during the betting time only if 1 or a maximum of 2 players are sitting at the table. If one player is occupying 2 or more seats, this will count as one player.

The Deal Now button will appear under the Game Information Indicator on desktop or next to the virtual seat on mobile devices.

After you click on the Deal Now button and the betting time has finished, you will not be able to change or undo your bets.

If there is another player at the table, you may be asked to wait until they have finished placing their bets.

The Chip Display allows you to select the value of the chips you wish to bet with. To see all available chip values, click on the chip in the lower part of the screen under the Rebet, Double and Undo buttons. Only chip values that can be used with your current Balance will be available.

The Re-bet button allows you to repeat the same bets from the previous game round. Once you have clicked/tapped the Re-bet button, the Double and Undo buttons are enabled

The Double button doubles all your placed bets. Every click/tap doubles your bets up to the maximum limit.

The Undo button removes the last bet you placed. This button is available only during the betting time. Once bets are closed, you will not be able to undo or change your bets. Clicking/tapping the Undo button repeatedly removes bets one by one, with the most recent bet removed first.

The Balance indicator shows your available funds and the currency. It is always displayed in the bottom of the game window on desktop and mobile devices.

Please make sure that your balance is sufficient to cover your bets before you start playing.

If your balance is not updated after placing bets or after you see a win message, please try refreshing your game window in the browser or click the F5 key on your keyboard.

The Cashier button will open the Cashier window for deposits and withdrawals. On mobile devices the Cashier button is available inside the game Menu.

The Total Bet indicator shows the total value of all bets placed in the current game round.

BLACKJACK OPTIONS

Above the boxes where the cards were dealt the hand points value will be shown in the small box. Your box when a turn is to select an option will be evidenced with a yellow colour.

If your first two cards are an Ace and a Ten, Jack, Queen or King, your hand constitutes a natural Blackjack. You do not have to select a betting option as this is the best possible hand in the game.

All players at the table who received initial cards will be asked to select one of the options described below.

The Stand option means passing directly to the next stage of the game round – Result – without asking for additional cards or investing any more funds. Players usually select this option when they are happy with their hand points. If you do not select an option during the options time, the Stand option will be selected automatically.

Selecting the Hit option means making an attempt to improve your hand points by adding one more card to your initial two. After the Hit option is selected, the Dealer will draw one new card from the shoe and deal it to your hand. This option can be selected several times until you decide to select Stand or until your hand points are equal to 21. If you reach 22 or more (Too Many) you automatically lose your stake on the hand.

Doubling Down is a one-off move that can be statistically favourable, depending on your first two cards. It involves doubling your stake in return for being dealt one additional card. After doubling down, no further options will be offered on the hand and the game round either moves to the next player, or the Dealer takes their turn.

In cases when the Double Down fails and is cancelled, the decision will revert to a Hit.

A Split option will be offered if your initial two cards are of the same value including any two 10-point cards. By selecting Split you bet a stake equal to your main bet and your initial cards will be split into two individual hands. The Dealer will automatically give each new hand a second card. Then you may hit, double down or stand on either or both of your new hands.

When splitting Aces, each Ace gets only one additional card.

If you get a Ten-value card on top of a split Ace, then it counts as 21 points, not a Blackjack.

After you have selected the desired option for your hand, a mini-icon showing that option will appear next to your nickname.

In cases when the Split fails and is cancelled, the decision will revert to a Stand.

The Honest Decision feature becomes active, if you have not selected any option within the options time or in case of disconnection, and automatic selections will be done:

• Stand if the value of your hand is 12 or more and Hit if the value of your hand is 11 or less.
• If Insurance offer is missed, the No option will be automatically selected for your hands.

AUTO-DECISIONS

The Auto-Decisions feature enables you to make quicker decisions. It is available in Settings under the Auto-Decisions tab, where you can select to activate either Basic or Advanced Auto-Decisions.

BASIC AUTO-DECISIONS

The Basic Auto-Decisions let you configure Auto-Stand, Auto-Hit and Auto-Insurance options and set rules for when a Split or Double Down offer should be taken if you are using Auto-Decisions to adapt it to your game strategy.

When activated, Auto-Stand will instantly choose the Stand option if the value of your cards is equal to or higher than the selected value. To activate, turn the slider on and set the desired value for applying the option. The value cannot overlap with Auto-Hit.

Auto-Stand will not be applied when:

• Split offer is activated, and initial cards constitute a pair and are in the range set in the option.
• Double offer is activated, and initial cards are in the range, set in the option.
• Your hand is a “soft hand”.

If Auto-Stand is applied to your hand, a small icon of Auto-Stand will appear next to your seat.

When activated, Auto-Hit will instantly choose the Hit option if the value of your cards is equal to or lower than the selected value. To activate, turn the slider on and set the desired value for applying the option. The value cannot overlap with Auto-Stand.

Auto-Hit will not be applied when:

• Split offer is activated, and initial cards constitute a pair and are in the range set in the option.
• Double offer is activated, and initial cards are in the range, set in the option.
• Your hand is a “soft hand”.

If Auto-Hit is applied to your hand, a small icon of Auto-Hit will appear next to your seat.

When activated, Double and Split offer work as exceptions, compared to Auto-Stand and Auto-Hit options. The decisions will be made ordinarily based on the value of the hand. To activate, turn the slider on and set the desired value range for applying the option.

When Auto-Insurance is active, you can choose one of two options to follow:

• Always take Insurance offer (for all taken seats)
• Never take an Insurance offer (for all taken seats)

If Auto-Insurance with the selected option Always is applied to your hand, a small icon of Auto-Insurance will appear next to your seat.

Any Basic Auto-Decisions enabled in Settings will be automatically applied in the Advanced Strategy charts, where applicable.

Enabling Basic Auto-Decisions will automatically disable Advanced Auto-Decisions.

ADVANCED AUTO-DECISIONS

The Advanced Auto-Decisions allow you to configure a full set of customizable rules to cover all possible game scenarios. Once set, these rules enable automatic gameplay based on your preferred decisions.

You can modify the Advanced Auto-Decisions to suit your preferences using the buttons provided. Once you are finished customizing, switch the toggle to activate. Select the desired actions for each situation and set the values in the chart by simply clicking/tapping them.

Settings selected for Auto-Decisions during an active game round will be applied to the next game round in which you participate.

Enabling Advanced Auto-Decisions will automatically disable Basic Auto-Decisions.

INSURANCE

Insurance is a special bet that you will be able to place if the Dealer’s first card is an Ace, to insure your hand against a possible Blackjack for the Dealer. This insurance requires a stake of exactly half of the initial stake in your box and it wins at odds 2 to 1 if the Dealer’s second card has a value of ten.

Additional betting time will be offered to all players at the table to buy Insurance. Click on Yes if you want to do so for all your seats.

All insured hands will have an “Insured” icon displayed next to the nickname.

Click on No if you don’t want to buy Insurance for your hand. If you do not select Yes or No during the available time to buy Insurance, No will be selected by default.

After the Insurance time is over, the Dealer reveals whether it is a Blackjack or not. If the Dealer has a Blackjack, the game round is over. Insured hands get awarded a win.

If the Dealer does not have a Blackjack, the game round continues. In this case, you lose your Insurance bets, but you still can win the game round with your own hand.

GAME RESULT

After all the players and the Dealer have made their moves, the result will be calculated by the game server for each hand in the game round.

The total win amount in the game round will be shown in the win message.

All hands with more points than the Dealer win. If the Dealer has “Too Many”, all players at the table win apart from those who reached “Too Many” before the Dealer.

Please note: 21 with two cards (Blackjack) beats 21 on split Aces and 21 with 3 or more cards.

All winning hands (including split hands) have a “Win” icon displayed next to them.

Players holding a Blackjack in their hand automatically win, unless the Dealer also has a Blackjack. Then the game round is known as a push.

All hands with a value that equals the Dealer are Push hands. It means that you do not win or lose any money on that hand, and your bet is returned to your balance.

The hands with a value higher than 21 automatically lose and are labelled with a “Too Many” icon. This icon is not applied to the Dealer’s hand.

The hands with a value lower than the Dealer’s hand lose the game round, and the Dealer wins. Losing hands have a “No Win” icon displayed next to them.

SPEED BLACKJACK PAYOUTS

Winning and pushed hands are paid out as described below. This information is shown inside the Bet Limits & Payouts window.

• All winning hands with higher points scores than the Dealer receive the payout 1 to 1.
• Winning hands with a Blackjack receive the payout 3 to 2.
• Winning Insurance bets are paid receive the payout 2 to 1.
• In the event of a Push, your stake will be returned to your Balance.

SIDE BETS

With side bet options, you can enhance your enjoyment – and potentially your bankroll – even if you lose the main bet in the game round. Side bets are placed on outcomes other than the result of the hand.

The payouts on side bets are relatively high compared to regular Blackjack payouts and therefore the minimum and maximum betting limits are usually lower.

You may place side bets during the betting time but only after you have placed a main bet in the box.

Side bet payouts are available in the Bet Limits & Payouts window.

There are two different side bet options available at each Speed Blackjack table:

Perfect Pairs (PP) is a side bet that is placed prior to any cards being dealt. It gives you the opportunity to win additional money if your two initial cards constitute a pair. There are 3 different types of pairs:

• Perfect Pair — two identical cards (e.g., two Queens of Hearts)
• Coloured Pair — two cards of different suit but the same colour (e.g., 2 of Hearts and 2 of Diamonds)
• Mixed Pair — two cards of different suit and different colour (e.g., 2 of Spades + 2 of Diamonds)

To win with a Perfect Pair side bet, place your bet in the specially designated area, marked PP, before the cards are dealt.

Winning side bets are shown immediately after two initial cards are dealt to each seat, participating in the game round.

A winning PP hand is not affected by the Dealer’s hand.

The payout is calculated based on your bet multiplied by the odds of the combination type:

Combination	Payout
Perfect Pair	25 to 1
Coloured Pair	12 to 1
Mixed Pair	6 to 1

Twenty-One-Plus-Three (21+3) side bet is a 3-card combination, using the Dealer’s up-card and the two initial cards in your hand, much like that of a Poker hand. It gives you the chance to win if your first two cards plus the dealer’s up-card comprise any of the following winning combinations:

• Suited Trips — three cards of the same rank and suit (e.g., three Aces of Hearts)
• Straight Flush — three cards in sequence and of the same suit (e.g. 10, Jack and Queen of Spades)
• Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank(e.g., Queen of Hearts, Queen of Diamonds, and Queen of Clubs)
• Straight — three cards in sequence but of different suits(e.g., an Ace can be used to achieve an Ace, 2 and 3 Straight or Queen, King and Ace Straight)
• Flush — three cards of different ranks but of the same suit (e.g., 2, 6 and King of Clubs)

To win with a 21+3 side bet, place your bet in the specially designated area marked 21+3 before the cards are dealt.

Winning side bets are displayed immediately after two initial cards are dealt to each seat participating in the game round.

If your hand contains two winning combinations, only the one with a higher payout is paid out.

The payout is calculated based on your bet multiplied by the odds of the combination type:

Combination	Payout
Suited Trips	100 to 1
Straight Flush	40 to 1
Three of a Kind	30 to 1
Straight	10 to 1
Flush	5 to 1

NAVIGATION CONTROLS

The Lobby button can be clicked at any time from any game. It allows you to easily change table, select any other live game or simply leave the table. You will not be removed from your current table until you have selected the new table you wish to join, so the Lobby can be used to browse other games while remaining at the current table. Once on the lobby page, please click the Return to Game button in order to exit the lobby and return to your open table.

Clicking the Chat button opens the chat window so you can send messages to the Dealer and other players. Our Dealers communicate with you directly and answer any questions regarding the game.

If you need to speak with our Live Support team, please select the corresponding chat room by clicking the Support button and you will be assisted in a private chat.

Chat messages are monitored by dedicated Studio personnel at all times. Any chat messages may be deleted, and your chat feature may be blocked if you use inappropriate or rude language with the Dealers and/or other players at the table or flood the chat with unnecessary messages.

Clicking the Volume Control button opens a slider which lets you change the sound volume at your table. Clicking the Volume control button mutes the game – it will then turn into a “Muted” icon.

Clicking the History button opens a window showing details of your activity in our Live Casino. By default, it is opened on your history for Today. You can also see your history from previous days by selecting the Older tab.

Simply select a game round from the list to review it in detail, arranged by game round information and information about bets.

Clicking the Game Help button opens the Help window you are in right now.

Clicking the Settings button opens a Settings window allowing you to set your desired preferences. In the General tab the following options are available:

• Manage video quality
• Manage video sounds.
• Manage game sound effects.

By clicking the Classic View button, you can change the view of the game to Classic mode where the video is shown inside a small frame. Below the video, the virtual table with graphical cards displayed for each side will be available.

The game interface may also change automatically to Classic mode if your internet connection is slow or unstable. If this happens, the video is automatically set to Low video resolution.

Clicking the Full Screen button launches Full Screen mode and the game and/or Lobby fills the entire screen. To exit this mode, either click the button again or press the “Esc” key on your keyboard.

Subtitles

Subtitles may not be completely accurate. Please refer to the information from the in-game user interface as the primary source.

CARDS SHUFFLE AND CHANGE

Deck shuffling occurs once the cutting card is removed from the shoe and the game round has been completed.

When the cutting card appears during play, it will be removed, and the hand completed. The Dealer will announce “The last hand of the shoe”. Upon completion of this hand, no more cards should be dealt until the shoe change or shuffle procedure occurs.

Cards must be shuffled (mixed) by a Shuffler on the accessory table or by the Dealer at the gaming table, according to the established procedure.

The shoe change procedure can be initiated before the cutting card is removed at the sole discretion of the shift management.

The cards change procedure takes place at each card game table once every 24 hours. However, it shall also be done in the following cases:

• Table has been opened after a period of inactivity.
• Video stream was unavailable at the table.
• More than three cards fell on the floor during the game round.
• A card with a defective barcode is present in the shoe.

GAME INCONVENIENCES

You are personally responsible for the correct positioning of your bets on the Blackjack table.

In the event of any technical malfunction or human error, the instance is reported to the Shift Manager immediately.

If any error in the game procedure occurs, the game round is temporarily paused, and the Shift Manager is notified. You will be informed by an on-screen notification that the issue is being investigated.

If the Shift Manager can immediately resolve the error (e.g. by rescanning the cards, placing the cards in the correct positions, etc.) the game round continues as normal.

If immediate resolution is not possible,the game round will be cancelled, and initial bets will be refunded to all players who participated in the game round.

If the game round must be cancelled for any reason and you hold a correctly dealt Blackjack in your hand, you will be paid through Casino Customer Support, as long as the Dealer’s open card is not an Ace or a 10-value card.

If the game round must be cancelled and your side bets were confirmed as winning, the win amount will be credited to your account through Casino Customer Support.

If more than three cards fell to the floor, the Cards change procedure must be performed.

A bet may be rejected by the system after the betting time has finished due to not being placed in time, not meeting the minimum or maximum requirements, or to other transaction issues.

If you are the only player at the table, you will initiate the new game round by placing a valid main bet in the box. If your bet is lower than the permitted minimum bet limit specified in the Bet Limits & Payouts window, it will appear as an inactive chip. You will be informed about this via the small tooltip above your bet and in this case, the new game round will not be initiated.

Once the betting time is over, all bets lower than minimum permitted bet limit will be rejected.

If your bet exceeds any maximum bet limit, it will be adjusted automatically, and you will be informed about this via the small tooltip window above your bet.

If the game ends with what you consider to be a wrong result, or in the event of any other irregularities, please contact Casino Time Customer Support, providing them with details of the game in question including the the Game name and the exact time it occurred.

DISCONNECTION POLICY

Pragmatic Play Live Casino services are delivered over the Internet, and occasionally disconnections may occur.

After being disconnected, check your winnings in the History window. If you have any questions regarding the game outcomes, please contact Live Support within the game or Casino Customer Support, providing them with details of the game in question including the the game name and the exact time it occurred.