Betsoft Software & 75 Online Casinos Reviewed

Introduction

Betsoft Gaming is a European online betting software developer that specializes in creating 3D video slots. These games have proven to be extremely popular among players, as the games have high production values and interactive features. Because of the success of the slots, it is sometimes lost that Betsoft Gaming puts out a full contingent of casino games, including table games, video poker, and keno.

Betsoft Casinos

Baccarat

Standard baccarat rules are followed. I always like to see Internet casinos charging less than 5% on the Banker commission or more than 8 to 1 on the tie. However, alas, they follow the standard land casino rules. Eight decks are used.

21 Burn Blackjack

21 Burn Blackjack is a blackjack variant where the player can burn his second card. However, the player has to make a very negative side bet, equal to half his original wager, on the replacement card to do so. All things considered, I get a house edge of 0.54%.

For more information, please see my page on 21 Burn Blackjack.

Blackjack

Betsoft has four different blackjack games to choose from plus various blackjack variants that are listed separately. This handy table shows you the rules and house edge.

I should add that the player may play up to three hands at once. Also, many help files incorrectly say that the player must buy insurance to force the dealer to check for blackjack. This isn't true. The dealer always peeks, except in the European game, whether the player takes insurance or not.

You may wonder about the Super 7 side bet in the Super 7 game. This is the same side bet as Super Sevens, which I've seen before. As my blackjack appendix 8 shows, the house edge is 12.61%. This does not consider the cost of having to hit some seven pairs when you would normally split, just to qualify for the three-card wins.

Some games offer the Super 7 side bet. BetSoft follows the 3-50-100-500-5000 pay table with six decks, for a house edge of 12.61%.

The bottom line is the best blackjack game is the single-deck table with a house edge of 0.38%.

In case you're wondering how I get the house edge figures, I go by the "realistic" house edge given by my blackjack house edge calculator and apply an adjustment for the rule that the cards are shuffled after every hand (which favors the player) from my blackjack appendix 10.

The following table shows the Blackjack games available in alphabetical order.

Here is the same list in returns range, choose your game wisely.

Casino War

Betsoft refers to Casino War as Top Card Trumps. They use six decks and follow the stingy "no bonus" rule for a tie after a tie. This results in a house edge of 2.88%.

Craps

The interface of the craps game is basic but easy to understand. The odds are typical of what you might find in the United States, meaning they are pretty stingy. I always appreciate seeing Internet casinos using the more liberal UK/Australian odds, but, alas, Betsoft disappoints in this respect. Here are some of the particular bets and odds:

• Pass/come odds: 3x on all points. This results in a combined house edge of 0.47% between the line bet and maximum odds.
• Don't pass/don't come odds: 3x on all points, relative to the amount bet. This results in a combined house edge of 0.45% between the line bet and maximum odds.
• Place bets: Standard odds of 7 to 6 on the 6 and 8, 7 to 5 on the 5 and 9, and 9 to 5 on the 4 and 10. House edge of 1.52% on the 6 and 8, 4.00% on the 5 and 9, and 6.67% on the 4 and 10.
• Buy bets: True odds less a 5% commission based on the bet amount subtracted after the win is calculated. This is equivalent to odds of 1.15 on the 6 and 8, 1.45 on the 5 and 9, and 1.95 on the 4 and 10. The house edge is 2.27% on the 6 and 8, 2.00% on the 5 and 9, and 1.67% on the 4 and 10.
• Lay bets: True odds less a 5% commission based on the win amount subtracted after the win is calculated. This is equivalent to odds of 19/40 on the 6 and 8, 19/30 on the 5 and 9, and 19/24 on the 4 and 10. The house edge is 2.27% on the 6 and 8, 2.00% on the 5 and 9, and 1.67% on the 4 and 10 (the same as buy bets).
• Big 6 & 8: These are the same thing as place/buy bets on the 6 and 8, except they pay even money only. The house edge is 9.09%! Why would anybody bet these when you can get 1.52% by placing the 6 and 8? Most casinos outside Vegas have the decency to not even offer these bets, but, sadly, Betsoft is not above taking a shot with these sucker bets.
• Hard Ways: The stingy American odds of 7 and 9 to 1 are offered. This results in a house edge of 9.09% on the 6 and 8, and 11.11% on the 4 and 10.
• Proposition Bets: Betsoft calls these the "one roll bets," a term I coined on my site, which I later changed to "proposition bets." Betsoft offers the stingy American odds, with a house edge ranging from 11.11% to 16.67%. My advice is to have nothing to do with them.

Draw Hi-Lo

This is a simple game of card prediction exclusive to Betsoft, as far as I know. Rather than explain it all here, please see my page Draw Hi Lo for more information. The bottom line is a house edge of 3.93%.

Let it Ride

Betsoft refers to Let it Ride as Ride 'Em Poker. The standard pay table is followed for a house edge of 3.51%. The player may play up to three spots. I'm sure using information from three hands can lower the house edge a bit, if done properly, but I'll leave that up to reader (don't you hate it when people say that?).

There is also a side bet with a 5-25-50-200-400-2000-20,000 pay table, on a "for one" basis. This results in a return of 74.47%, or a house edge of 25.53%, which I think is rather high for an Internet casino.

Caribbean Stud Poker

Standard Caribbean Stud Poker rules are followed, except a royal flush pays 200 instead of 100. This lowers the house edge from the usual 5.22% by 0.01% to 5.21%.

Oasis Poker

Oasis Poker is the same thing as Caribbean Stud Poker, except the player may switch one card for the price of the Ante. The standard 1-2-3-4-5-7-20-50-100 pay table is followed. With optimal strategy, the house edge is 1.04%.

Pai Gow Poker

Standard pai gow poker rules are followed. I always like it when online casinos have a house way button, or at least sort the cards, but BetSoft does neither. At least it is impossible to foul your hand.

The dealer is always the banker. Assuming the player follows a house way strategy, the house edge is 2.72%.

Poker 3

Poker 3 — Heads Up Hold 'Em is an interesting poker-based game. It is based on a two-player game of Texas Hold 'Em. The opponent is the game itself. In other words, you're playing against a computer. The rules are as follows:

• Player decides on the bet amount per chip, for example $1.
• Player and opponent each ante one chip.
• Two hole cards are dealt to each player.
• Player may bet one chip or fold.
• If the player bets, then the opponent will either call or fold.
• The three-card flop is dealt.
• Player may bet one chip or fold.
• If the player bets, then the opponent will either call or fold.
• The turn card is dealt.
• Player may bet one chip or fold.
• If the player bets, then the opponent will either call or fold.
• The river card is dealt.
• Player may bet one chip or fold.
• If the player bets, then the opponent will either call or fold.
• High hand wins the pot. There is no rake.

In case you're wondering where the opponent's advantage is, it is that you must always act first. Position is important in poker, and you never have it in this game.

Without knowing how the opponent behavior is programmed, I can't do an analysis of the game.

My compliments to whomever did program this game.

Three Card Poker

Betsoft refers to their Three Card Poker game as Triple Edge Poker. The Ante Bonus follows the 1-4-5 pay table for a house edge of 3.37% on the Ante bet. The Pairplus pay table goes 1-4-6-30-40 for a house edge of 2.32%.

Pontoon

Pontoon was created by Real Time Gaming and in the usual tradition of keeping up with the competition, it has been adopted by Playtech, Microgaming, Galewind Software, Cryptologic, and now Gamesys as well. This is not to be confused with Australian pontoon, which is the same thing as Spanish 21 in the US.

Betsfot follows the usual rules of allowing drawing to split aces and the dealer hitting a soft 17. Eight decks are used. This results in a house edge of 0.38%. The Sweet 16 side bet has a house edge of 2.52%.

For more information, please see my page on Pontoon (RTG version).

Predictor

This is a simple game of luck in predicting the number and/or color of a random mining cart. For more information, please see my page on Predictor. The bottom line is a house edge of 4% on every bet.

Red Dog

The usual red dog rules are followed. Eight decks are used for a house edge of 2.75%.

Roulette

There are five roulette games to choose from. Following is an explanation of each of them:

• European: This is single-zero roulette with the French rule that the player loses half only on even money bets when the ball lands in zero. They refer to this as the "Hamburg variation" in their help file, which is a term for this rule I coined on my web site years ago, and since changed to the "French rules." Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say. The house edge is 1.35% on even money bets and 2.70% on all others.
• Zoom: This follows the same rules as the European game. The difference is in appearance only, where they zoom in on the wheel as it spins. The house edge is 1.35% on even money bets and 2.70% on all others.
• Common Draw: This is a multi-player game. The player has so-many seconds to make and confirm a bet. With any extra time, there is a chat box to kibitz with any other players. The rules are single-zero. Sorry, if the ball lands in zero, you lose everything on even money bets. The house edge is 2.70% on all bets.
• American: Boo! This is standard double-zero roulette. Why would anyone play this when the house edge is 74.3% less in the European and Zoom games (on even money bets)? The house edge is 7.89% on the dreaded five-number bet and 5.26% on all others.
• American VIP: This looks the same as the regular American game. Probably just for higher-limit players.

Slot machines

When it comes to slots, Betsoft really shines. Their graphics and animation are second to none. This is the kind of quality you would expect with the best land casino slot machines. I don't know what the odds are, but I have to say that they are fun to play.

Spanish 21

Betsoft calls their Spanish 21 game (or what is called Pontoon in Australia) "Pirate 21 Blackjack."

The rules are the same as what you would find in the U.S. In particular, they use six decks, hit a soft 17, and do not allow re-doubling. This results in a house edge of 0.76%.

They also offer the Match the Dealer side bet, with the usual pays of 4 and 9, resulting in a house edge of 3.06%.

Video Poker

BetSoft has 18 standard video poker games and 8 versions of an unusual game that I've never seen anywhere else called Pyramid Poker. Not counting Pyramid Poker, the returns range from 94.18% to 99.80%, as you can see from the table below.

The games themselves are simple, like what video poker looked like in a 1980's land casino. The multi-play games allow the player to choose between 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 hands and have a more modern feel than the single-line games. Given that the games are rudimentary, there is no auto-hold feature.

My biggest annoyance is being asked to double or half-double after every win. There should be a way to say "No, and don't ask again." An exception is Draw Five Poker, which as a different look to it, and doesn't offer a double feature. This game, by the way, has the same pay table as their Jacks or Better game. I don't know why they had to give it a different name.

Let me also address their progressive All American table. Our game summary indicates a house edge of 3.99%, which is based on a minimum 4000-coin win for a max 5-coin bet. Assuming optimal strategy for a 4000-coin royal, each additional 1,000 coins above 4,000 adds 0.455% to the return. The break-even point is a jackpot of 2,553.16 coins.

The following table shows my estimated returns for Pyramid Poker. The only one I feel confident about is Bonus Poker. The rest of them are estimates, which could be off by up to 3% or so.

The following table shows the Video Poker games available in alphabetical order.

Here is the same list in returns range, choose your game wisely.

Conclusion

Although you might not think of the name Betsoft Gaming when you think of developers who create a complete set of casino games, the company does an excellent job of crafting games that can fill up an online casino’s library. This, coupled with the fact that Betsoft has some beautiful 3D video slots makes the company one that is solid, especially for American players who may not see many other games with high production values.