Amaya (Cryptologic) Perfect Pairs Blackjack Game Rules & Strategy Card
Perfect Pairs Blackjack of Cryptologic online casinos is based on the hole-card version of Blackjack
with unique additional features designed to give online players a variety of new options.
Perfect Pairs Blackjack is very similar to the Atlantic City and Vegas
variants in the current suite with some small changes. There is an optional side-bet based on
the player's first 2 cards and the popular surrender option is also included.
The Perfect Pairs bet wins if the first 2 cards dealt to a hand are a pair (pays up to 25:1) and loses if they are not a pair.
You can play up to 5 hands at a time. You must choose a playing mode with bets from $5-$100 to $500-$5,000,
so the minimum bet is $5.
This blackjack version is played with 5 regular decks of 52 cards, re-shuffled after each hand.
In Cryptologic's Perfect Pairs Blackjack, you compete against the dealer.
The goal of the game is to get a hand higher than the dealer without going over 21. If the face value of
your first 2 cards is 21 (this is called Blackjack or "natural blackjack", for example Ace-10), or if the dealer's cards
are lower than yours - you wins! The dealer hits on all hands totaling 16 or less and
stands on ALL hands totaling 17 or more.
General Rules in Brief:
- 5 card decks
- Betting limits: $5 to $100 per hand
- The dealer stands on ALL 17 or higher
- Optional Perfect Pairs side bet
- Player's blackjack pays 3:2
- Winning insurance bet pays 2:1
- You may double down on any first 2 cards
- You may double down after split
- Split only once; one card to split Aces
- Late surrender is allowed
How to play Perfect Pairs Blackjack?
When starting the Perfect Pairs Blackjack game you have to place your coin(s)
on the table and click on the DEAL button. Once you have completed placing your initial bet(s)
you can place the Perfect Pairs side bet (from $1 to $50).
2 cards are dealt at each player position that has a bet and 2 cards
are given to the dealer, one of them face up.
Perfect Pair Side Bet Payouts
When the initial cards are dealt the outcome of your Perfect Pairs side bet is determined, provided that you have placed
one at the beginning of the game round. If the 2 player's cards form a pair your Perfect Pair bet will remain on the table
and the payout will be added to your balance at the end of the game. If no pair is formed by your cards,
the side bet will be automatically removed from the table. Payout table:
• Perfect Pair pays 25 to 1.
• Colored Pair pays 15 to 1.
• Mixed Pairs pays 5 to 1.
A "Perfect Pair" is 2 identical cards (like 2 Queens of spades). A "Colored Pair" is 2 cards of the same rank
and color (e.g King of hearts and King of diamonds). Mixed Black/Red Pair example: a King of diamonds and a King of spades.
Then, you are allowed to Hit or Stand, and when applicable you are
able to Split, Double, or buy Insurance or surrender.
Surrender
Before deciding to hit/stand/double/split, you may forfeit your hand and receive your original wager back. When the
dealer has an Ace or a 10-value card, the surrender option is available for you after the dealer checks for Blackjack
(only if no Blackjack occurs).
Peek Rule
Dealer always checks (peeks) for "Blackjack" before you act if he is showing an Ace or a 10-value card. If the Dealer has a
10 or an ace as the up card,
it is possible he has a Blackjack in which case all Player hands will lose except with another Blackjack. The dealer in Perfect Pairs game will check for Blackjack immediately after the cards are dealt to the player,
and will collect all losing bets if he does have a Blackjack.
Split
If you have 2 cards of the same value, the Split option is available.
You may split once for a total of two hands.
Like-value cards that are not identical may be split (e.g. K and J can be split).
If you Split aces you will receive only one card on each ace.
The player may not re-split aces.
Note: An ace and a 10-value card following a split does not constitute Blackjack.
Double
The 'Double' option is available on any first 2 cards. Doubling will double your original bet.
You will only receive exactly one more card to complete your hand.
Double down after Split is allowed, except after splitting Aces.
Insurance
If the Dealer's up-card is an Ace, you have the option to take insurance if you think the dealer may have a
Blackjack. The insurance bet is a half of your original bet and pays
out 2:1 if the dealer does have a blackjack. If you purchase Insurance and then Double
your hand, only the initial bet is doubled. Insurance is not
recommended in Perfect Pairs blackjack as in most other blackjack games if you want to get the best odds.
Insurance on a Player's Blackjack
If you have Blackjack and the dealer is showing an Ace, you may select the 'even money' bet option. This will
immediately pay you 1:1 odds on your Blackjack, regardless of the
dealer's hand. Since the result of insuring a Blackjack does not depend on the outcome, the money
is paid right away and game round is over.
Perfect Pairs Blackjack Strategy Card
The optimal basic strategy for these rules that can decrease the house edge for the base game
to approximately 0.47%. But this does not include the side bet odds. The strategy is pretty similar to the optimal
strategy for the Vegas Blackjack game types:
The Blackjack strategy is printed as table with the dealer's up card
the first row and player's 2 card combination in the second column. The entries in the table
instruct you whether you should Hit, Stand, Double Down or Split your hand depending on the combinations of
the dealer's and player's hands. Optimal Perfect Pairs Blackjack strategy
is shown above for the hard totals, soft totals, and player's pairs.
Perfect Pairs Side Bet Odds
Perfect Pairs side bet is, in fact, a separate game-in-a-game with its own fixed house edge of about
5.79%. You cannot
increase your long term payouts for side bets with a solid strategy, however you can use
a betting system to add the
fun and exciting action to your online blackjack gaming experience. As you will see a pair approximately on every 13,3 hands you can develop your own
positive or negative system.
Where to Play?
Cryptologic casinos offer 9 different blackjack games including single deck, single- and multi-player, multihand,
multi-split, Atlantic City, Vegas, European and progressive blackjack. Play blackjack at
Magic Red Casino (£/€/$200 table games welcome bonus).
You may also see reviews of the Perfect Pairs blackjack games from Microgaming or OddsOn/Vegas Technology software providers (move over menu links on the top of the page).
