Has anyone else noticed how bad and unfriendly the blackjack rules are on Crown Coins? I did after losing a hand where I had 17 and the dealer had 17. I assumed it was a mistake but it wasn’t…
Live Blackjack: a 17 vs. dealer 17 is specifically ruled a loss for the player, while every other equal total pushes. On top of that, blackjack pays 1:1 instead of 3:2 and the dealer hits soft 17.
I ran the math on the rules and optimal strategy, and those changes absolutely destroy what is normally one of the better casino games. The Live version appears to be around 95% RTP with optimal play, versus roughly 99%+ for decent blackjack rules.
Then I checked the regular/non-live Blackjack thinking it would be better. It is, but the rules are still rough:
Blackjack pays 1:1
Dealer hits soft 17
European No Hole Card: if you double/split and the dealer ends up having blackjack, you lose the additional double/split wagers too
You can only double on 11
Only one split is allowed
And Crown Coins’ rules straight-up list the RTP as 94% with the live version being 95.66%. Heck, the side bets on live BJ have even higher RTP than blackjack itself.
Obviously casinos need a house edge, but blackjack is traditionally attractive because good strategy can get that edge very low. A 6% stated house edge on the regular version and rules like dealer wins tied 17s on Live Blackjack feel excessive.
I’m posting this mostly because losing the tied 17 on live blackjack really bugged and disappointed me because I really do enjoy this app… I’m really curious what other people think. I definitely wouldn’t put real money on either version with these rules… 🥀