Evolution Gaming’s Live Infinite Blackjack Rules

The ultimate guide to how to play Infinite Blackjack Live, the game of endless fun for everyone.

It’s amazing just how many blackjack variations have surfaced since the dawn of the world wide web. Land-based casinos are always looking for fresh games, but they are confined by the walls of their physical realm. The internet hosts no boundaries, giving online casinos the ability to present players with more ways to play 21 than previously imagined.

One of today’s most popular verticals are what we’ve come to know as live dealer blackjack, where real, professional dealers host genuine games, from real felted tables, using physical cards. Live dealer games are no different from land-based table games, except that the players aren’t seated at the tables. They participate in real-time from a desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet, thanks to the wonders of rapid video/audio web streaming technology.

It’s this very technology that brought us Live Infinite Blackjack, a studio broadcast variant of 21 available exclusively from Evolution Gaming (i.e. only live casinos that employ the Evolution platform offer it). What makes this game so unique is that there is absolutely no limit to the number of players that can participate at the table. Hence, the game accommodates an “infinite” number of players.

How to Play Infinite Blackjack Live

Aside from being a live casino game, there isn’t much that separates Infinite Blackjack from your classic game of 21. The rules are quite similar, except that this version offers players the 6-Card Charlie. That rule states that any player hand made up of 6 cards totaling 21 or below is an automatic winner, paying 1 to 1.

Evolution is able to accept an unlimited number of players at its Infinite Blackjack tables by requiring every player to participate in the same hand. Each player will start with the same two cards. What they do with those cards is up to them. Everyone makes their own decisions to stand, hit, double, split, or take insurance, where applicable.

Once a player stands, their total is held, whether other players continue to take cards or not. Once all players are done, the dealer’s hand is played out. Note that the dealer will peek for blackjack with an Ace showing, but not a 10. Be careful about doubling or splitting in these situations, as you will lose your total bet if the dealer has blackjack with a 10 showing.

Also note that the ability for other players to take cards once you’ve stood will effect the dealer’s future cards. This is one aspect players will have to accept. It’s no different than playing in a walk-in casino where the next player might make a less-than-strategic decision, wasting a card that may or may not have busted the dealer.

With that being said, here are the player/dealer rules of Live Infinite Blackjack. Evolution claims the house edge is 0.49% (RTP 99.51%), but my own rule-by-rule calculations, including the uncommon 6-Card Charlie, put the actual house edge at 0.45% (RTP 99.55%). I’m not the only one to come to this conclusion, but you’re welcome to believe who you want.

Specific Rules of Play

• Decks: 8
• Soft 17: Dealer Stands
• Doubling: Yes, on any 2 cards
• Splitting: Yes, 1x only
• Double after Split: No
• Resplit Aces: No
• Draw to Split Aces: No
• Surrender: No
• 6-Card Charlie: 6-card total of 21 or less wins 1 to 1
• Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes, only on Ace, not 10
• Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2

Infinite 21 Side Bets

Players are able to place up to four side bets while playing the base game. They are all optional. You can place none, one, two, three, or all four. The outcomes of each are irrespective of the base game, meaning you can win a side bet, but lose in the base game, or vice versa. Here’s how they work…

21+3 Side Bet

This is a simple bet on the combined rank of the first three cards dealt – the first two cards of the player’s hand and the first card of the dealer’s hand. Hand ranks judged are the same as Three Card Poker, paying out according to the chart below.

Player’s 2 Cards + Dealer’s Up-Card	Pays
3 of a Kind, Same Suits	100 to 1
Straight Flush	40 to 1
3 of a Kind	30 to 1
Straight	10 to 1
Flush	5 to 1
House Edge = 3.70%

Any Pair Side Bet

Also known as the Pair Square side bet, Any Pair is a wager that the player’s first two cards will be a pair. Any pair is worth 8 to 1, while a suited pair pays 25 to 1.

Player’s 2 Cards are Paired	Pays
Pair, Suited	25 to 1
Pair, Unsuited	8 to 1
House Edge = 4.10%

Bust It Side Bet

This is a very basic side bet that the dealer will bust. If the dealer does not bust, the bet is lost. If the dealer does bust, the payout increases by the number of cards it took to bust out.

Dealer Busts with…	Pays
8 or more cards	250 to 1
7 cards	100 to 1
6 cards	50 to 1
5 cards	9 to 1
4 cards	2 to 1
3 cards	1 to 1
House Edge = 6.18%

Hot 3 Side Bet

This is another side bet based on the combined value of the player’s first two cards, plus the dealer’s up-card. Cards rank the same as in blackjack, where Face Cards are 10 and an Ace can be 1 or 11. To win, the 3-card total must equal 19, 20, or 21. Higher payouts are available for a Suited 21 or Three 7s.

Player’s 2 Cards + Dealer’s Up-Card	Pays
Total 21, Three 7s	100 to 1
Total 21, Same Suits	20 to 1
Total 21	4 to 1
Total 20	2 to 1
Total 19	1 to 1
House Edge = 3.70%

Strategy for Infinite 21 Live

As usual, the side bets are all sucker bets, therefore strategy tells us to ignore them altogether. The strategy for the base game is pretty straight forward. The following three charts, categorized by whether the player has a hard hand, soft hand, or paired hand, detail how to react in any and all situations, dependent on the dealer’s up-card.

How to Decide a Hard Hand

A hard hand is one where no Ace can be counted as 11.

Hard Total	Correct Action by Situation
8 & Under	Hit
9	Double against Dealer’s 3-6; otherwise Hit
10	Double against Dealer’s 2-9; otherwise Hit
11	Double against Dealer’s 2-10; otherwise Hit
12	Stand against Dealer’s 4-6; otherwise Hit
13-16	Stand against Dealer’s 2-6; otherwise Hit
17-21	Stand

How to Decide a Soft Hand

A soft hand is one where an 11-point Ace is present. Hitting this hand cannot result in a bust.

Soft Total	Correct Action by Situation
12 & Under	Hit
13-14	Double on dealer’s 5-6, otherwise Hit
15-16	Double on dealer’s 4-6, otherwise Hit
17	Double on dealer’s 3-6; Stand on 7; otherwise Hit
18	Double on dealer’s 3-6; Hit on 9-A; otherwise Stand
19-21	Stand

Conditions for Splitting Pairs

This chart teaches you how to play Infinite Blackjack Live when initially dealt a pair. Remember that you may split only once per hand. If you have already split and are dealt a second pair, refer to the hard/soft hand charts above for the correct action.

Pair	Correct Action by Situation
Ace-Ace	Split
2-2	Split on dealer’s 4-7, otherwise Hit
3-3	Split on dealer’s 4-7, otherwise Hit
4-4	Hit
5-5	Double on dealer’s 2-9, otherwise Hit
6-6	Split on dealer’s 3-6, otherwise Hit
7-7	Split on dealer’s 2-7, otherwise Hit
8-8	Split on dealer’s 2-9, otherwise Hit
9-9	Split on dealer’s 2-6 or 8-9, otherwise Stand
10-10	Stand