Lightning Blackjack

Another twist on an old classic by Evolution Gaming, Lightning Blackjack utilizes the Lightning multiplier mechanic, made popular in Evolution’s Lightning Roulette game.

Lightning Blackjack was published in October 2021, after long anticipation from players in the live casino world. Evolution did a great job maintaining the core rules of Blackjack while also adding the multiplier twist in this variation of the game, resulting in a refreshing take and a fun mechanic. This means that even moderately seasoned blackjack players will be able to grasp the game with ease, with a short learning curve on how the multipliers work and their implications.

This review will look at the core characteristics of the game, the bet types and payouts and explain how the multipliers work in Lightning Blackjack.

Lightning Blackjack at a glance

Lightning Blackjack has the following characteristics:

• Played with 8 decks
• Dealer stands on 17 and above
• You can Double on any two initial cards
• When the dealer gets an Ace on the upcard, they check for Blackjack
• You can Split if your two first cards are of equal value
• You can only Split once per hand
• Split Aces are only dealt one additional card
• You cannot Double after you Split
• Insurance becomes available if the dealer’s upcard is an Ace
• Blackjack on the initial two-card hand beats a 21 on a split pair
• Ties are settled in a Push

Lightning Blackjack uses the unlimited players feature seen in Infinite Blackjack. This means that you will be playing alongside other people, sharing the same initial two-card hand. However, what happens next is up to you since you can decide to Hit, Stand, Split or Double your bet, if your hand allows for it.

A note here is that like in all blackjack tables with multiple players, other people’s decisions do impact your own gameplay. Where you might have taken a decision to stand, other players may decide to hit. This changes who gets the following cards, affecting the subsequent hands of everyone at the table.

A round of Lightning Blackjack would go something like this:

1. Betting: Players get 15 seconds to place their bets, where a mandatory 100% Lightning Fee is added automatically, giving you a chance to win a multiplier for the following round. This means that in order to actually benefit from the multipliers, you have to win 2 rounds in a row, but more on this below.
2. Multipliers Assignment: After bets are closed, a multiplier between x5 and x25 is assigned to each of these ranges: 4-17, 18, 19, 20, 21, Blackjack (Ace and ten-card combination).
3. Card Dealing: The dealer deals two face-up cards to each player and one face-up card (upcard) and one face-down card (hole card) to themselves.
   • Insurance: If the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, players will be offered Insurance. Once players make their decisions, the dealer checks for Blackjack, and if indeed they do have one, the round ends, payments are made at 2:1 to those who took Insurance, and the Lightning Fee as well as any active multipliers are lost.
   • If the dealer’s upcard is not an Ace, the game continues to step 4 - player decisions.
4. Players Decide: All players decide how to proceed simultaneously. An unlimited number of players can join each table, so this step may take some time. Players can choose to:
   • Hit: Take another card.
   • Stand: Keep their current hand.
   • Double: Double the bet and receive one final card. In Lightning Blackjack, doubling is allowed regardless of the initial cards, unlike other versions where it is restricted to a total of 9, 10, or 11.
   • Split: Split the initial two cards into two separate hands, if they form a pair.
5. Dealer Plays: After all players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals their second card. The dealer must hit if the total is 16 or less and stand on a soft 17 or more.
6. Determining the Round: Winners are announced and payouts are made for both main and side bets.
   • Tie: In the event of a tie, your bet amount is returned to you - but the Lightning Fee and any active multipliers are gone.
   • Dealer wins: All bets are lost, including Lightning Fees and multipliers.
   • Player’s hand is better: You receive a payout of 1:1 (unless you have a multiplier from the previous round or Blackjack) and a multiplier that will apply in the next game round.
   • Player Blackjack: if you get an Ace and a ten-card, you get a payout of 3:2 if there is no multiplier active. Winning also gets you a multiplier for your next bet.

How multipliers work

In each round, before the cards are dealt, a Random Number Generator will apply multipliers between x5 and x25 to the following predetermined ranges of hand totals:

• 4-17 (x2 - x15)
• 18 (x2 - x15)
• 19 (x2 - x15)
• 20 (x2 - x15)
• 21 (x6 - x25)

If you win, the total of your hand will determine your multiplier for the next round - the first winning round pays like normal Blackjack.

In the event that you do win, the multiplier you got will be displayed next to your betting area until the next time you place a bet.

You don’t have to place your next bet in the next game round, so you can take a break if you want, and the multiplier will be there waiting for your next bet, up to 180 days after you receive it.

The multiplier that you will receive only covers your bet for the amount of the Lightning Fee that you were charged in the round in which you got this multiplier. This means that if you increase your bet, the multiplier will not apply to any excess amount - those will pay out according to the regular blackjack rules (1:1 or 3:2, depending on the hand).

Lightning Blackjack doesn’t offer any kind of side bets like other Evolution Blackjack games do. The payouts are as follows:

• Blackjack pays 3:2 - 25:1
• Winning hand pays 1-25:1
• Insurance pays 2:1

The optimal theoretical payout based on the first hand in the shoe is 99.56%.

Although it can be nice to play, we are not excited about how Evolution handles multipliers in this Lightning Blackjack. The Lightning Fee feels steep at 100%, especially for a game that doesn’t give you a multiplier payout on your first win.

The stated RTP only applies for the first hand in the shoe, and it doesn't feel like it corresponds to the game as it is experienced by players.

To conclude, if you really like Blackjack, maybe give it a go, but we feel that there are many other Blackjack games out there that have a higher fun factor. Just use our lists to search for the best crypto gambling games of blackjack - our filters make it easy and quick.