Switch Studios’ innovations for our favorite casino card game keep on coming, now with Classic Blackjack with Noble Diamonds. This new blackjack release follows the regular Switch Studios formula of featuring an elegant blackjack game with classic rules but with a few extra mechanics to play with. Mainly, Blackjack with Noble Diamonds has a side betting system where the player will be attempting to land specific combinations for amazing payouts.
The minimum and maximum bets are $1 and $500 respectively, while the maximum side bet is $100. As for the maximum possible win, it is 2000x the original wager. With the technical info out of the way, let us start this Classic Blackjack with Noble Diamonds review.
Before we get into the Noble Diamonds side bets, let us take a look at the various aspects of this Switch Studios release. The interface is an elegant purple velvety background with buttons at the bottom. As for the rules, Classic Blackjack with Noble Diamonds is played with 6 regular decks. The dealer traditionally must stand on all 17s with no dealer peak.
The doubling-down rules do not allow the player to double down on hard 9, 10, and 11 values. Additionally, you cannot double down after a split. Speaking of splitting, you are allowed to split once to make 2 hands. You can also split aces. Furthermore, a split ace and a 10-value card counts as 21 but is not considered blackjack. Splitting 10-value cards that do not have the same face is not allowed.
Now for the side bets. Noble Diamonds side bets work by paying you if your initial two cards and the dealer’s face-up card make up certain combinations. These combinations are as follows:
As you can see, some of the side bets revolve around the diamond cards, hence the name. The other ones focus on the royal cards. Overall, these side bets are an interesting way to spice up the regular blackjack experience.
Finally, an Insurance Bet option is also present in the game when the dealer’s first card is an ace.
As for the payouts, they are pretty standardized for the base game without Noble Diamond side bets. Winning against the dealer with grant you the standard 2:1 payout. Blackjacks familiarly pay 3:2 if you manage to score them. Just keep in mind that splitting an ace and getting a 10-value card on the split is not a blackjack, simply a win. Additionally, the Insurance bet payout is also the traditional 2:1.
With the base game payouts out of the way, let us now cover the Noble Diamond side bets. They offer amazing payouts that are highly varied based on the combination you receive. The more difficult the combination is to land, the higher the payout of course. The Noble Diamond side bet payouts are as follows.
The payouts are well-rounded for side bets in this game. Moreover, the neat thing is that you do not have to opt for a specific side bet. Simply placing any amount in the side betting section will give you a chance to win one of these options.
As this is a standard blackjack rules game, the best advice is to use blackjack strategies that already work. This includes the Blackjack strategy spreadsheet which outlines the most optimal moves for any Blackjack situation. Although this is not a perfect method for winning every time, it is a worthwhile way to start learning. Furthermore, there are also various card-counting strategies that you can try.
As for the side bets, they are infamously difficult to make use of. The Noble Diamonds ones are decent as you do not have to opt for specific ones. Simply betting on any gives you a chance for them all. That being said, we would advise against side betting as this is a highly volatile aspect of the game. The only arguably viable bet is the 2 Unsuited Royals which is not that uncommon.
Overall, Switch Studios has again provided us with another innovative way to play a classic blackjack game. The interface is as always elegant and relaxing. As for the bonus features, the Noble Diamonds side bets offer a varied selection of payouts that can reach quite high. Just be careful about managing your bankroll if you are going to engage in some heavy-duty side bets.