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Blackjack X: Our Review, How and Where to Play

Pragmatic Play by Pragmatic Play

Blackjack X is an online blackjack game by Pragmatic Play that blends live multiplayer elements with classic RNG blackjack. It aims to mix the convenience of RNG with some of the authenticity of live dealer games, offering a unique alternative to both types of games. The game boasts an RTP of 99.23% with a $5 minimum bet on most tables, with wagers going up to $2,500. It’s available on both desktop and mobile on any online casino with Pragmatic Play software.

Blackjack X tables appear in multiple languages and with varying betting limits, giving them a lot of versatility. Of course, this comes at the cost of not having actual dealers or cards. It’s clear that it’s a rather niche product, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a good product. In either case, our review will examine it thoroughly to see how it compares to the rest of the industry.

Blackjack X
  • Excitement
  • Design & Sound
  • Streaming Quality
  • Interactivity
  • Win Potential

Blackjack X Review

Game Specifications
Game nameBlackjack X
Game providerPragmatic Play
Game typeBlackjack
Streaming from
RTP99.28%
Bet range€5 - €2,500
Max win100:1
Side betsYes
Supported platforms Desktop Mobile Tablet
Supported OS Android Apple Windows
Languages Arabic Arabic Belarusian Belarusian Bulgarian Bulgarian Chinese Chinese Czech Czech Dutch Dutch +26
All supported languages
  • Arabic Arabic
  • Belarusian Belarusian
  • Bulgarian Bulgarian
  • Chinese Chinese
  • Czech Czech
  • Dutch Dutch
  • English English
  • Finnish Finnish
  • French French
  • Georgian Georgian
  • German German
  • Greek Greek
  • Hindi Hindi
  • Hungarian Hungarian
  • Indonesian Indonesian
  • Italian Italian
  • Japanese Japanese
  • Korean Korean
  • Latvian Latvian
  • Lithuanian Lithuanian
  • Norwegian Norwegian
  • Persian Persian
  • Polish Polish
  • Portuguese Portuguese
  • Romanian Romanian
  • Russian Russian
  • Spanish Spanish
  • Swedish Swedish
  • Thai Thai
  • Turkish Turkish
  • Ukrainian Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese Vietnamese

Live casino blackjack tables come with a series of challenges and drawbacks. They’re much more complex than most live casino games and are much more expensive to maintain – especially classic tables with seven seats, in which dealers need to spend time on every individual player. That’s why the minimum bet is typically much higher than with other games, and rounds are much slower.

Blackjack X aims to tackle some of these problems by simply turning regular Pragmatic Play blackjack tables into RNG-based games. This means that there are no actual cards or dealers involved, and everything is handled by computer-based random number generation. It basically handles things the same way online slots or other non-live casino games do.

However, there are still some elements of live gaming in Blackjack X. For example, you still get to share tables with other players from around the world. You can talk to them using the chat function, too. Moreover, the game was made to look like a live studio even though it’s not. For reference, Evolution’s First Person series of games does things similarly.

That said, even a quick look at this game reveals some glaring issues. Namely, the minimum bet is still $5, the same as in the live version. The RTP is also not that great for a blackjack game, and the gameplay is only marginally faster than with a dealer.

The way we see it, Blackjack X just turns Pragmatic blackjack into a non-dealer game without offering any benefits for doing so. It’s a baffling decision, and we’re not really sure who the target audience is. If you don’t like live casino blackjack and prefer it with RNG, just play a standard non-live blackjack game.

That said, we still have a review to do. Who knows, maybe some other feature wows us instead.

Key Highlights

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Standard Pragmatic Play blackjack tables turned into RNG games
livecasinos
Blackjack X has no actual dealers or cards, but allows you to chat to other players at your table in real time
livecasinos
Fairly standard rules offering 99.28% RTP
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Two classic blackjack side bets available - 21+3 and Perfect Pairs
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Available 24/7 with more than 30 tables with varying betting limits
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Advanced graphics made to look like you're playing an actual live dealer game

How to Play Blackjack X

Blackjack X is a classic blackjack variant that uses 8 decks. The game follows the typical steps seen at blackjack tables. The only real difference you’ll notice is that things move along a bit quicker than usual.

The first thing you’ll need to do is find a table with available seats. There are currently 30 tables available, each with 7 available seats. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding an available spot. However, tables may offer different limits, so be careful while making your pick.

The dealer deals two cards to the player and two cards to their own hand, with one dealer card face-down. Each player gets their own turn, as indicated by the interface.

Players have the usual options to Hit, Stand, Double Down, or Split if they have a pair. It’s important to note that doubling down is not allowed on splits, and players can only double down on the first two cards. When splitting Aces, players can only receive one additional card.

Betting time is limited to 12 seconds, providing enough time to make a wager. To improve their chances of winning, players can use game statistics and consider the pre-decisions of other players. The game also features an Auto-Stand function that automatically stops dealing cards when a specific hand total is reached.

The dealer must stand on both soft and hard 17s and must draw to 16. Additionally, the game’s table and studio design incorporate a mix of purple and gold to create an atmosphere of luxury and opulence.

The standard blackjack options of Bet Insurance and Bet Behind are also available.

Side Bets

Besides the main bet and other standard options, Pragmatic Play Blackjack X also offers two side bets. Any seasoned blackjack player will be familiar with these, as will most newbies. After all, these are some of the most common blackjack side bets in the industry.

  • Perfect Pairs: Betting on Perfect Pairs refers to wagering on the chances of receiving a pair in your initial hand. Depending on the combination (Mix/Color/Perfect), you can get one of three payouts. Check our payout table above to see the full payout list for Perfect Pairs side bet. Perfect Pairs has a 95.90% RTP, which is substantially lower than the main bet.
  • 21+3: This side bet us about creating a poker hand out of the first three visible cards (2 player and one dealer card). Depending on the poker hand in question, the payout can be from 5:1 to 100:1. The side bet offers a theoretical RTP of 96.30%.

You can place any of these side wagers in any round, including while betting behind.

    Strategy Tips
    • 1
      Live or not, all blackjack games should be played with basic strategy. Refer to a blackjack chart if you want to know the best possible play in every potential situation.
    • 2
      Statistically, only ever playing the main bet is the best way to play any blackjack game. The side bets are fun but sub-optimal, while the Insurance should always be avoided.

    Payouts & RTP

    As noted above, Blackjack X betting limits are fairly standard for 7-seat live casino blackjack. The minimum bet can be either $5 or $10, depending on the table. Similarly, maximums range from $1,000 to $2,500.

    The problem with this is that this is not live casino blackjack. Having such a high minimum bet partially defeats the purpose of turning the game into RNG.

    That said, the remaining payouts and prizes are industry standard.

    Bet/ResultPayout
    Blackjack X
    Main Hand Win1:1
    Blackjack3:2
    Insurance2:1
    Perfect Pairs Side Bet
    Perfect Pair25:1
    Colored Pair12:1
    Mixed Pair6:1
    21+3 Side Bet
    Suited100:1
    Straight Flush40:1
    Three-of-a-kind30:1
    Straight10:1
    Flush5:1

    Blackjack X RTP is 99.28%, which is the same as with other tables by Pragmatic Play. Sadly, though, this rate is still below average for the industry, highlighting some better options you can find on our main blackjack page.

    The side bets have different RTP rates at 95.90% RTP for Perfect Pairs and 96.30% for 21+3. Side bets in blackjack are always statistically inferior to the main bet, but they can be a nice way to add some excitement to the game.

    LiveCasinos

    New to Live Blackjack?

    Our Verdict

    Our time with Blackjack X didn’t really change our first impressions of it, which were not very positive. Try as we might, we still can’t figure out who this game is made for and what are its benefits.

    It seems like Pragmatic simply removed the dealer with no tangible benefits for doing so. What we’re left with is an RNG game with no dealers, high betting limits, and a relatively slow game pace. Even the RTP is a bit sub-par.

    So if you want to play Pragmatic Play blackjack live, you may as well play something like Blackjack ONE. It has the same general features but real cards and dealers, offering a much more authentic experience while also accepting bets as low as $1 and boasting more side bets. If you want a classic 7-seat setup, you can just go with a classic Pragmatic Play table. And that’s only if you insist on playing a blackjack game made by Pragmatic, which is not an ideal pick to begin with.

    Lastly, if you simply don’t want to play live casino blackjack, there are still thousands of better options. RNG blackjack games with no dealers accept bets as low as $0.1, let you completely control the pace of the game, and often have better rules and RTP than Blackjack X.

    To sum up, we see no real reason to play Blackjack X in light of better options. Sure, it works okay and looks great, but the idea behind it is pointless and underdeveloped.

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