Beginners Guide to Win Big at Progressive Blackjack

Finally, an article on how to win big at progressive blackjack!

This article is super useful for you if you are a beginner at progressive blackjack, but also for you experienced blackjack online player who is looking to perfect some skills.

Whoever you are or wherever your experience level is with online blackjack, some of the information contained in this short article might be mind-blowing to you and, perhaps, even life changing.   

Blackjack is one of the most popular games in the world with millions of fans from many different countries and nationalities. One of the reasons that contributes to blackjack popularity is, besides the immense adrenaline that the game provides, the fact that the game of blackjack is played relatively easily. The player's goal is simply to accumulate a higher card total than the dealer without going over 21. If the player goes over 21, the player “busts” or, in other words, loses the hand.

Quite simple, right?

If you want to make sure you are not missing out on any piece of information about the game and you would like to go through some of the online blackjack basics, check out the Blackjack Rules here, and the differences between the Popular Blackjack Games here.

However, if you are here only for the info and tips on how to win big at progressive blackjack, just make yourself comfortable and keep reading because you are in the right place.   

First things first – What is Progressive Blackjack?

Progressive blackjack is very similar to the traditional online blackjack game, with the rules and the goal remaining the same. 

So, what’s the big difference? 

It’s money!! More specifically, the money you can make while playing! 

Interested? Allow us to explain more… 

While the classic version of online blackjack allows regular players to earn a solid long-term income, its payouts of 3:2 at best are far from impressive, so one might need an extended period of time to earn more substantial profits. This is why many fans of the online blackjack game opt for the progressive blackjack version where they have the option to place a small side bet in addition to their main bet. The side bet gives you the chance to win a bigger amount of money or even hit the entire progressive jackpot.

Once a player wins the jackpot, it starts to roll over again. Normally a small fraction of each player's side bet goes towards the pot, while the rest of the sum contributes to the number of seeds in the pot. This way, if someone manages to win the entire pot, it would not have to start building from scratch. Instead, the jackpot is reset to a predetermined amount and starts to roll over from there. There is virtually no limit to how much the jackpot can reach.

How to play Progressive Blackjack?

As mentioned above, the goal of progressive blackjack is the same as the classic game. Online Blackjack is usually played with a standard deck containing 52 cards, but many online casinos have introduced progressive variants that use up to 8 decks with a total of 416 cards. However, in most cases, 6 regular decks are used. Both the player and the dealer are dealt two cards each, but only one of the dealer's cards is exposed. The dealer's second card is turned face down and is often called "the hole card." Since the goal is to collect a total of cards as close to 21 as possible without exceeding the number, players can choose to ”hit” and ask for another card or ”stand”, in which case they will not receive another card.

There are two more options for the player:

• Double down: this option allows players to double the amount of their initial bet in exchange for accepting a stand option after receiving one more card;
• Split:  this option, on the other hand, allows players to split their initial two cards into two separate hands, as long as the cards have the same value.

Payouts for main bets match those of land-based casinos. If the player beats the dealer with his total cards, the payout will be 1 to 1. If the player gets Natural Blackjack due to a hand consisting of an Ace and a Queen/Jack/King, the payout increases to 3 to 1. 

Note that in blackjack the values of Queens, Jacks and Kings are equal to ten. Ace, on the other hand, can count as 1 or 11.

One other thing to note – while players are allowed to opt for the split option in a progressive blackjack game, they are only allowed to split once.

Another progressive blackjack special rule is the fact that the virtual dealer is required to stand on a hand of soft 17. A "soft" hand consists of an Ace which is counted as 11, so if the dealer has an Ace and the value of his remaining cards is 6, he should stand. Of course, this rule may vary, depending on the progressive blackjack variant you choose. In the Playtech version, for example, the dealer is obliged to ask for cards up to 16 and to stand on all hands with a sum of 17, soft or not. 

A Blackjack Jackpot? YES!

The most fundamental difference between progressive and classic blackjack stems from the fact that players have the ability to place an optional side bet and participate in one of the jackpots. 

The side bet is quite humble in size and is usually equal to a single betting unit. There are usually multiple jackpots to be won. It all depends on the number of Ace cards the player collects in a single hand. If the Aces are of the same suit or color that also affects the payout of the hand. 

Many variations of progressive blackjack can be played in Multi-hand mode, in which players can place up to 5 bets and play with a range of one to five separate hands. It is possible to use chips with different denominations in each hand. Needless to say, the more hands played simultaneously, the better your chances of winning one of the pots. Please note that not all progressive blackjack variants allow side bets in Multi-hand mode. Players can play the game with multiple hands, but only main bets are accepted.

Progressive Side Bet

As mentioned above, what makes playing progressive blackjack special is the chance of placing a small side bet regardless of their main bet in order to participate in the jackpot. Note that in most progressive blackjack variants, placing the side bet is optional – you can place your main bet only, if this option suits you better. In most cases the side bet is equal to $1 or the equivalent in your currency. 

About 9% of each player's side bet automatically goes towards the progressive jackpot, which explains why and how the jackpot amount increases so quickly. The remaining 1% of all side bets is added 'to the seed amount', which is the default amount at which the jackpot prize starts to roll. In this way, if a lucky player wins the entire jackpot, the prize will not start accumulating from zero, but from a specific amount.

The Progressive Blackjack Pay Table

It is important to understand that progressive blackjack payouts can vary from one online casino to another. The variant you choose also plays a role in all of this. However, in most cases payouts are determined based on the number of Aces the player has in a single hand. Lucky players can either win the entire pot or win a percentage of the pot fund.

Let's start with the humbler prizes that players can win with their side bets. A single Ace will win an additional prize of $3 or $5, depending on which version you play. Two unsuited Aces pay 50 to 1, which means you can win $50 with a $1 side bet. If you come across three unsuited Aces, you'll collect $250 on a $1 bet as these cards pay 250 to 1. Four unsuited Aces will win you an impressive $2,500 on a $1 bet.

Suited Aces tend to offer more impressive payouts. For example, if a player picks up two suited Aces in a single hand, their payout will be 100 to 1. If the player picks up three suited Aces, the prize increases to $5,000 for a $1 side bet. Finally, lucky players can take down the entire bankroll, as long as their hand contains four suited Aces. We have already mentioned that the game uses six decks of cards (sometimes five or eight decks are used), allowing players to collect four suited Aces in a single hand.

Not infrequently the progressive jackpot for blackjack exceeds $100,000, but it all depends on when it was last won. Usually, the amount of the seeds is thousands of dollars, which explains why the jackpot adds up so quickly.

What are you waiting for?