There is no more satisfying moment in the game of blackjack than when the dealer busts. The stress of the dealer’s 14 may be apparent, but when they draw a face card to go over, it’s time for the whole table to rejoice in unison; it’s one of the few times in this game when everyone can relax at once.
But what if there were additional reasons to rejoice when the dealer’s hand exceeded 21? Buster Blackjack, one of numerous similar games provided by NYX Gaming, is based on this concept. NYX has developed many variations of blackjack with the identical rules, but with varying side bets, giving each title its own distinct taste. You won’t know whether you’ve won the side bet until the very end of each hand, unlike in other games of this type: it all depends on whether the dealer busts and how many cards it takes them to do so.
A Guide to Buster If you’re acquainted with previous “Felt”-branded blackjack games developed by NYX, you can likely move forward to our description of the side bet below. Alternatively, if you are new to blackjack or just need a refresher on the rules of this particular variant, we will cover that here.
In this form of the traditional casino table game, all hands are dealt from a shoe containing six decks of playing cards (no jokers) that are “shuffled” after every hand. At the beginning of each round, the player must place a stake in the designated betting area; in this instance, you may play up to three hands simultaneously, each with its own wager. In addition, you may gamble on an optional side bet by putting chips slightly above the primary betting area; we’ll discuss this wager in the next section.
Each player receives two face-up cards at the beginning of each round, while the dealer receives one face-up and one face-down card (the “hole card”). The objective of the game is to beat the dealer by forming a hand closer to 21 without going over (also known as “busting”). Each card in your hand contributes to your total score. Face cards are worth 10 points each. An ace is an unusual card: it ordinarily counts as 11, but it may also count as a single point if it would otherwise lead the player to go broke.
The best hand imaginable is called a blackjack. To get this hand, you must begin with an ace and a ten-point card, for a total of “natural” 21. This hand is superior to all others, even those that might score 21, except for other blackjacks, which result in a tie.
Due of the significance of blackjacks, the dealer will check for one at the beginning of every hand in which it is feasible (in other words, whenever they are showing an ace or a ten). If the dealer reveals an ace, insurance will be offered to each player. This gamble costs half as much as the original wager and pays 2-1 if the dealer really has a blackjack.
Against the Odds
As with this whole series of NYX games, we are pleased to report that Buster Blackjack provides players exceptionally generous payouts. Assuming ideal basic strategy, the house advantage is a modest 0.37 percent, a very low percentage by online standards that would be difficult to match at live casinos.
Obviously, to get such a high rate of return, you will need to avoid strategic errors. If you want to maximize your winnings, you should reference a comprehensive basic strategy chart that accounts for every possible circumstance. No memory is necessary; just read the chart, play at your own speed, and be certain that you’re always making the mathematically right moves.
We are delighted to give a simplified approach that will keep you out of major problems if you wish to get right into the game with a few basic principles to follow. Such simple tactics are readily published online, with Michael Shackleford’s strategy for the Wizard of Odds maybe being the most well-known. Ours is comparable to these, but we’ve made a few small modifications to simplify the rules as much as possible and ensure that they are applicable to our game.