Playtech Review
It would be impossible to review the best online slots available to players today and avoid including a healthy selection from Playtech. Iron Man, Gladiator slot and Beach Life are just three titles that routinely draw massive swathes of the online slot playing community to their reels, and represent just a handful of the Playtech-powered games that deliver the goods at the best online casinos, all day, every day.
Founded in 1999 by one Teddy Sagi, it took over two years for Playtech to finally break into the online casino software game (at the time dominated by the download software of Cryptologic and Microgaming), but it soon proved itself an agile operator quickly winning approval from players and operators alike for the quality of its products. Although our focus on this site is very much on online slots, Playtech’s prowess with online gaming software extends to all facets of online betting entertainment, and its company strapline – Source of Success – is pretty hard to argue with.
Floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2006 for over half a billion pounds, Playtech has robustly weathered the vagaries of online casino gaming in the intervening years (notably the 2006 change in US remote gambling law that hammered online casino industry profits) and looks set to remain one of the key suppliers of games that players want to play.
Many of the best online casinos use Playtech software to power their games, indeed Playtech has historically struck deals with some of the biggest UK mixed betting sites to give them exclusivity under the ‘casino’ sections. This helps explain why sites such as William Hill and Betfair somewhat confusingly feature plenty of online slots and other classic casino games such as Roulette and Blackjack but under a ‘games’ rather than ‘casino’ tab – casino games sourced from suppliers other than Playtech can’t live under the ‘casino’ tab reserved for Playtech games!
Playtech Slots
Playtech’s popularity with online slots players has arguably been driven by a couple of factors beyond the inherent quality of its software. The first of these is, due to its prominence in the industry, the size of the network of slots it has online is absolutely huge and so its progressive jackpot slots can also rack up correspondingly huge prizes. Playtech progressive jackpot slots routinely create millionaire players, serving to increase their popularity and maintain their legends as must-play machines for big game hunters.
Today Playtech can currently boast a roster of over 500 gaming products, and we anticipate that will only grow as it continues its tradition of bringing scores of new and exciting online slots to market every year.
Playtech Blackjack Games
Playtech has a solid variety of Blackjack games, most of which are variants popularized in Nevada and New Jersey casinos, including recently ones like Blackjack switch. The bet sizes range from casino to casino, but you can wager anything from $1 to $300 at most online operators. In short, the following are only some of the Playtech Blackjack games available today:
21 Duel Blackjack Multi-Hand – This is an interesting mix between Multi-Hand Blackjack and Texas Hold’Em that really puts a different perspective on the game. At 21 Duel MH Blackjack, you can put up to 3 bets from the start and get dealt 3 separate hands. You then decide whether to stand or hit with one of the two community cards on whatever hand you want. You proceed as usual after the first move and hitting will have you double your bet on your selected hand.
Blackjack Switch – The new and popular Blackjack variant where you get dealt two hands and you can switch the top cards between any hands before making your next move. Playtech’s take on Blackjack Switch comes with 6-decks and Super Match side bets with 1-5-8-40 payouts, while the dealer hits on Soft 17.
Double Attack Blackjack – Another popular variant swept up from Atlantic City and ported to the online world, Double Attack Blackjack is a variant with several rule changes. The biggest change is that you can double your bets after the dealer’s card is shown and before you are dealt any. This is also an 8-deck dame where the dealer stands on soft 17 and you can place several “Bust It” side bets on the dealer’s bust cards.
Blackjack Surrender – One of the top picks from Playtech, this is a standard game with late surrender, dealer stand on Soft 17, and doubling after splitting.
Perfect Blackjack – A standard rules game with the popular Perfect Pairs side bet.
Progressive Blackjack – As the name implies, this is a Blackjack variant with the popular Aces progressive side bet, while the rest is standard (6-decks, dealer stands on soft 17, doubling any 2 cards, and doubling after splitting). The biggest jackpot can be won by 4 aces of the same suit and there are other jackpots available for other ace combinations.
Playtech Live Blackjack – Playtech also have a great Live Blackjack offer with most standard variants and a number of stimulating side bets, like the 21+3 or the Perfect Pairs side bets. However, the exact variations or number of tables available will vary between casinos.
Verdict
Today Playtech can currently boast a roster of over 500 gaming products, and we anticipate that will only grow as it continues its tradition of bringing scores of new and exciting online slots to market every year.
Click ‘Play Games’ for the best Playtech online casino.
