Playtech software review

Last update: Nov. 5, 2007

Playtech offers downloadable casino software. The graphics are very good and the interface is easy to understand. Both multi-player and single player are supported. Separate accounts are available for both real and play money. The multi-player feature is available in fun money mode.

There is a comp point system equivalent to 0.1% cash back.

Following are the games available with specific rules and comments.

Around the World

See my section on Around the World.

Baccarat

The standard rules are followed. I do not know the number of decks.

Blackjack

What I call the "original" blackjack rules are as follows:

• 6 decks
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Player may double on any first two cards
• Player may double after splitting
• Player may only split once
• There is a mixture of U.S. and European rules on what happens if the dealer gets a blackjack. Here is what happens if the dealer gets a blackjack according to the situation.
  • Dealer has ace up, player doubles and/or splits: entire bet lost.
  • Dealer has 10 up, player splits: entire bet lost.
  • Dealer has 10 up, player doubles: only original bet lost.
  • Dealer has 10 up, player splits and doubles: additional bets from splitting lost but doubling returned.
• No surrender
• Otherwise standard rules

The house edge under these rules is 0.52%. Blackjack surrender offers the same or better rules on all points. So there is no reason a player should play the regular blackjack game, except if the better games are excluded for bonus purpoes. Following is the basic strategy under these rules.

Single Deck Blackjack

The single-deck blackjack rules are as follows:

• 1 deck
• Dealer hits on soft 17
• Player may double on 10 and 11 only
• Player may not double after splitting
• Player may only split once
• Dealer peeks for blackjack with 10 or ace up
• No surrender
• Otherwise standard rules

The house edge under these rules is 0.48%. Following is the correct basic strategy under these rules.

Blackjack Surrender

Blackjack Surrender follows the same rules as the standard blackjack game except the player may surrender and the dealer always peeks for blackjack. Following are the specific rules.

• 6 decks
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Player may double on any first two cards
• Player may double after splitting
• Player may only split once
• Dealer always peeks for blackjack
• Late surrender available
• Otherwise standard rules

The house edge under these rules is 0.39%. Following is the correct basic strategy under these rules.

Blackjack Switch

Playtech uses six decks and otherwise follows the "Las Vegas rules" as described in my Blackjack Switch section, except the player may only split once per hand. The house edge is 0.17%.

Bonus Bowling

See my section on Bonus Bowling.

Caribbean Poker

The standard rules and pay table are used for a house edge of 5.22%. When I checked on May 12, 2002 at Casino Mapau, the progressive meter for the side bet was at $10,286 for a house edge of 60.75%. For the side bet to have no house edge the meter would need to reach $218,047.37. For any given meter the house edge on the side bet is 63.76% less 2.92% for each $10,000 in the meter.

Casino Hold 'Em

This is a poker based table game found in some casinos in Europe, Africa, and Asia. It can also be found online, including Playtech casinos. The rules and odds can be found in my section on Casino Hold 'Em. Playtech follows the Ante pay table number 3, with a house edge of 2.16%. The side bet follows version, with a house edge of 6.26%.

Casino War

The correct rules are followed with six decks. The player should always go to war, as opposed to surrender. The house edge is 2.88%.

Craps

The player may take 3 times odds on the pass and come bets. The multiple allowed on the don't pass and don't come is also 3 times and relative to the amount bet, not the amount the player can win. The combined house edge is 0.47% on the pass and come and 0.46% on the don't pass and don't come. Buy and lay bets are allowed and the 5% commission is charged on the winnings. The house edge on the buy and lay bets are as follows.

Derby Day Horse Racing

This is a very well done horse racing game. There are six horses in each race the player may make win, place, show, exacta, pick 4, and pick 5 bets. Statistics and reviews are available on each horse. Based on observations at the Acropolis casino, and assuming the house edge is the same on each bet, the house edge is 5.1%.

Dice Twister

Heads or Tails

See my section on Heads or Tails.

Jackpot Darts

Keno

The following table shows the expected return and hit frequency according to the number of picks. The highest return is the pick-8 at 92.75%.

Let Them Ride

The same thing as Let it Ride. The conventional rules are followed. The side bet follows the same pay table as the Lady Luck in downtown Las Vegas. I've seen lots of pay tables for the side bet in Let it Ride and this one has the lowest house edge at 13.77%.

Mahjong

Playtech has two different Mahjong games, Solo Mahjong, and Solo Mahjong Pro. Each can be played by WMF or Japanese rules. I tried this game once and had do idea what I was doing. Sorry, but you’re on your own with this one.

Mebaball

See my section on Mebaball.

Pai Gow Poker

The dealer is always the banker, resulting in a house edge of 2.85%. There is a house way button but if the player clicks it the hand will immediately be scored, not giving the player the option to accept or reject the house way.

Pachinko

Playtech has the only pachinko game I am aware of online, called Dolphin Paradise. Just click “play” and the game shoots balls at a rate of about one per second, until you click “stop.” Sometimes the game goes into a slot machine type of bonus. I’m not a pachinko expert, but it looks very nicely done. I do not know what return the game is set to.

Penalty Shootout

See my section on Penalty Shootout.

Poker Three

This is the same thing as Three Card Poker. Full pay rules are followed. I believe Playtech is the only software brand to feature the original and most generous pay table. The house edge is 2.32% on the Pairplus bet and 3.37% on the Ante bet.

Pontoon

This is the American Pontoon, in which the player gets paid 2 to 1 for a 5-card winning hand. It is not Australian Pontoon, which is what we call Spanish 21 in the U.S.. Playtech uses 8 decks, dealer hits a soft 17, and pays a pontoon after splitting aces 2 to 1. In other words the rules are the same as those at Cryptologic and Real Time Gaming. The house edge is 0.38%. For more informaiton please see my pontoon section.

Red Dog

The conventional rules are followed. I do not know the number of decks

Rock Paper Scissors

See my section on Rock Paper Scissors.

Roller Coaster Dice

See my section on Roller Coaster Dice.

Roulette

There are three roulette games to choose from: French, European, and American. The French and Europe have a single zero, for a house edge of 2.70% on all bets. The American wheel has two zeros for a house edge of 5.26% on all bets except the 0-00-1-2-3 combination, at 7.89%.

Sic Bo

Sic Bo payoffs are better than some and worse than others. See my Sic Bo online section for a comparison to other software brands. Of special note is that the single number bet pays 12-1 on a 3 of a kind, better than the usual 3-1 payoff. The following table shows the payoff and house edge for all bets.

The lowest house edge bets are on big and small bets at 2.78%.

Slot machines

Playtech has lots of slot machines. Carnival Casino used to publish monthly return percentage audits. The return for slots (not including video poker) for various months I checked are as follows.

Tequila Poker

In April 2006 Playtech introduced Tequila Poker. As far as I know Playtech is the only software to offer the game. As of this writing not all casinos offer it yet.

See a press release about the game.

See my Tequila Poker section.

Video poker

Playtech offers several different video poker games to choose from. Many are offered in single play and 4-play. There is also a double up, and half double up, feature available. The player may keep redoubling up to bets of $1000. Doubling also counts towards required play to earn a bonus. The following table displays the expected return of each game, assuming optimal player strategy.

In addition there is a 25 cent progressive "9/6" video poker game called Megajacks. On May 12, 2002, the meter at Casino Mapau was at $592.71. The meter needs to pass $1000 for the progressive game to be a better bet than the non-progressive jacks or better game. If the meter passes $1230.30 for the odds to switch to the player's advantage, assuming optimal 9/6 strategy with no adjustments for the higher pay on the royal flush (which video poker experts do make).

Following are the expected return tables for Playtech video poker.

See my casino index for a list of sites that use Playtech software. The URL for Playtech is www.playtech.com