VIP Blackjack 5 Review
In 2010 and 2011, a high-limit player named Don Johnson 💰 sat down at 3 Atlantic City casinos and bet $100,000 a hand. He'd talked each house into a 20% rebate on his losses first, and that discount quietly tipped the math in his favor.
My own negotiating tops out at asking for a bigger coffee ☕, but a table with a $1,000 minimum is where that kind of haggling starts to make sense, because the size of the bet sets the terms.
VIP Blackjack 5 from Pragmatic Play Live is a live 🎥 blackjack table with a $1,000 minimum bet and up to $21,500 per seat, which is a long way from Johnson's $100,000 hands but still not pocket change.
Gameplay
The studio is a dark red room with octagonal panels edged in glowing orange, which makes it look like a very expensive vault, and the table has burgundy felt with a tan padded rim and clear acrylic card shoes on both sides.
The dealer wears a white shirt, black bow tie, and a gray vest with black lapels.
The table has 7 seats, and you're allowed to fill all 7 of them yourself.
The dealer draws to 16 and stands on every 17. Wins pay 1:1, a blackjack pays 3:2, and a push gives your bet back. Insurance costs half your bet when the dealer shows an Ace and pays 2:1.
Each hand gets Hit, Stand, Double, or Split, and there's a Cash Out offer too, with a return of 98%.
The RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.
RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate. is 99.59%, the volatility is low, the max multiplier is 126x, and the max win is $236,500 per seat.
Bets run from $1,000 to $21,500 per seat with side bets included, and the game isn't available in Japanese yen.
Features
PERFECT PAIRS:
Perfect Pairs pays when your first 2 cards form a pair, whether or not the main hand wins, as long as a main bet is down first. The return is 95.90% and the max bet is $1,000.
A Mixed Pair (different suit and color) pays 6:1, a Colored Pair (same color, different suit) pays 12:1, and a Perfect Pair (2 identical cards) pays 25:1.
SIDE BET 21+3:
Your first 2 cards and the dealer's upcard make a 3-card poker hand, and only the highest combination pays. The return is 96.30% and the max bet is $500.
A Flush pays 5:1, a Straight 10:1, Three of a Kind 30:1, a Straight Flush 40:1, and Suited Trips 100:1.
BET BEHIND:
Bet Behind lets you back another player's hand and share its outcome at the same payouts as the main bet, though the seated player makes every decision. The max bet is $200.
Any number of players can back the same seat, and you get your bet back if that player sits the round out. If that player cashes out, you get a share of the cash-out value sized to your bet.
By default your Bet Behind follows the seated player's Double Downs and Splits and pulls the extra funds from your balance, so check Settings if you'd rather it didn't.
Performance
I sat through a long run of hands on this game, and the stream never froze, never dropped, and never made me wait on a card.
Maximum Win
The max win is $236,500 per seat, and the max multiplier is 126x with a top bet of $21,500 per seat.
The smallest main bet you can place is $1,000.
Conclusion
The game's money comes from the side bets, because Perfect Pairs and 21+3 pay fixed odds far above the 1:1 of a plain win, and the main hand only ever pays 1:1 or 3:2.
The best 21+3 hand, the best Perfect Pairs hand and a winning main hand add up to exactly 126 times a bet when all 3 bets are the same size, so the max multiplier is one perfect round, which makes it a lottery ticket and not a plan.
The side bet limits sit far below the main bet limit, so a big bettor can't stack all 3 at the same size, and the full multiplier is out of reach at the table's top limits.
The RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.
RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate. makes for longer sessions, because the game keeps under 1% of what you wager over time. A 126x max multiplier is the size of prize a low volatility game should carry, which you don't always see.
There's no Ante BetAn Ante Bet is an option that costs a percentage of your bet but increases your chances of landing triggering symbols that initiate a feature. or Buy Bonus to weigh, and Perfect Pairs and 21+3 are extras to add only if you want the bigger payouts, because both return less than the main hand.
Bet Behind suits players who'd rather back someone else's decisions than make their own.
Low-risk, high-limit players who want long blackjack sessions at near-even odds are the target, and slot players chasing Free Spins or a bonus round should pass.
Slot Details
Game Provider: Pragmatic Play Live
Game Type: Video Slots
PaylinesPaylines are preset lines that run across the reels, and when you land matching symbols on them, that will result in a payout. The more paylines, the more ways you can win, but also the higher your bet per spin.: N/A
RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.
RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate.: 99.59%
Volatility RateSlot games can have low, medium, high, or extremely high volatility rates (or a combination thereof).
The less volatile the game, the more often it should pay out, but the lower the amount, the less the payout, as this is in keeping with the risk you’re taking. Volatility rate should be considered in conjunction with a game’s RTP.: Low
Bonus Round: No
Progressive: No
Free Rounds: N/A
Max Multiplier: 126x
Max Win: $236,500
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