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Live Sette e Mezzo or Seven and a half or 7 e mezzo as it’s also known, is an Italian Card game, that looks similar to Blackjack, but is played to a different set of rules.
The Live Dealer version has been developed by Playtech for the Italian Market and will be available at all Playtech Live Casinos at some point.
If I was to try and describe Sette e Mezzo, I’d say it was a mix of Baccarat and Blackjack. Baccarat, because there are pre-set rules for the automatic drawing of cards, and Blackjack because you have a choice of whether to take additional cards or stand.
Playtech Live Sette e Mezzo has been adapted for play with a live dealer.
Live dealer Sette e Mezzo has one player hand that an unlimited number of players can play against the dealer.
The objective of Sette e Mezzo is to beat the dealer with greater hand value, but not going over a total hand value of Seven and a half points.
Before you start playing, it’s important to understand the game rules, especially if you’re used to playing regular live dealer card games.
Sette e Mezzo is a bit different from your usual card games. While the concepts are familiar, some aspects, like changes with the card suits, and the face values of the cards can take a bit of getting used to.
The card deck is made up of 4 Neapolitan playing card suits:
Each card suit contains ten cards, giving a total of forty cards in the deck.
Within each suit the following card ranks are assigned:
The King of Coins is a Wild Card and can be used as any whole number card 1 – 7.
A Sette e Mezzo Royal is a two-card combination making a hand total of seven and a half, with one of the cards being the King of Coins.
The objective of Sette e Mezzo is to beat the dealer, by getting a higher hand value up to a maximum hand value of seven and a half. The player hand can also win if the dealer hand busts.
There are some predefined playing rules that play out automatically when a game round starts.
The game round starts with a freshly shuffled deck of 40 cards.
Before any cards are dealt, the player is required to make an initial bet. This can consist of a bet for the main hand and two optional side bets (Partial Perfetta and Mano di Poker)
The dealer starts the game round, by dealing one card face up to the players’ position and one face up to the dealer position.
As explained above, if the players’ card is less than the dealer’s card, an additional card is automatically dealt to the player. This is repeated until the players’ hand value is more than the value of the dealer’s first card.
At this point the player has two choices:
Once the player has completed their actions, the dealer will draw more cards if the total value of their hand is below 5, and will keep going until they have reached 5 or more, or the hand busts.
If the player position beats the dealer’s hand, a payout of even money 1:1 is made to the player.
When the hands tie on 5 and a half or above, the game round is tied and the bets are “pushed” and returned to the player.
If the Player is dealt a Sette e Mezzo Royal, which is a two-card combination making seven and a half with the King of Coins card, the payout is 3:2.
| Sette e Mezzo Payouts | |
|---|---|
| 7 e Mezzo Royal | 3:2 |
| Winning Hand | 1:1 |
| Tie on 5 Points | Lose |
| Tie on 5.5 or more points | Push |
RTP is 99.31%.
Two optional Side bets can be played alongside the main Sette e mezzo hand.
This is a bet on whether the players and dealer’s first cards will form a pair.
A pair of 7’s give the highest payout of 55:1, while a pair of face cards pays 10:1 and any numbered pair pays 5:1.
RTP is 96.15%.
| Partita Perfetta | |
|---|---|
| Pair of 7’s | 55:1 |
| Pair of Face Cards | 10:1 |
| Pair 1 – 6 | 5:1 |
A bet on the players’ first two cards and the dealers’ first card being a poker ranked hand.
The highest is a Royal Flush paying 150:1 and the lowest is a straight paying 5:1.
RTP is 96.32%.
| Mano DI Poker | |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 150:1 |
| Straight Flush | 75:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 50:1 |
| Flush | 6:1 |
| Straight | 5:1 |
Having a playing strategy or an approach for playing Sette e Mezzo will enhance your enjoyment of the game.
Unlike Blackjack, there is no Basic Strategy available to help you make playing decisions based on the cards you and the dealer have been dealt.
The game has some inbuilt playing rules that have to be followed. From there you’re on your own!
I’m not going to advise you to do one thing or another. If there was a playing strategy available, I’d tell you about it and we’d move on.
My best advice is:
Taking additional cards is a gamble, however, there are more low cards in the deck than there are higher cards, so the odd’s and the probability of drawing a low card is higher.
You have to draw cards until you have a higher hand value than the dealer’s first card. If that initial number is low, you should keep drawing until you’re above 5. The chance of you being able to stand on 5 and above are improved if you start from a low hand value. The opposite is true if your starting position is 4 or more.
If the dealer is holding a high card, 5 and above, there is no point in standing. You have to take more cards until you beat the dealer’s hand value or you go bust.
The dealer has to take a second card if his first is below 5. If’ it’s 5 or more he has to stand.
If the players’ first card is higher than the dealer’s first card the player is under no obligation to take another card.
Sette e mezzo has an RTP of 99.31% for the main game. The RTP for Partita is 96.15% and Mano Di Poker is 96.32%.
In case you don’t like reading lots of words, I’ve produced a review video, where I discuss how to play Sette E Mezzo.
I demonstrate playing a few hands and also chat a bit about playing strategies.
It’s a rather long video, so skip around to find the bits you like.
If you like it, please subscribe to my Youtube Channel or leave a comment.
When I first saw the game I didn’t know what to make of it.
I could see that it was a cross between Baccarat and Blackjack and I immediately started looking online for a playing strategy and guidance on how to play. Unfortunately not much came back.
I started playing and had no clue what was going on. The cards look different and were unfamiliar – I found it difficult to see the values they represented and to distinguish between the card suits.
However, once you get over these initial metal blockages, you soon get used to what you’re looking at. Recognising the cards becomes easier and you can throw yourself into the game.
As an alternative to Blackjack, it’s great.
You have to keep your wits about you and follow what the dealer is doing. Only when the dealer has completed the predefined playing rules can you act.
Use the totals produced by the computer, watch the decisions other players are making before you act.
Remember a dealer bust is as good as a player win.
Although the game is presented in Italian that’s no reason not to play. The gentle music in the background helps add a nice atmosphere to the game, which I think you’ll enjoy.
The RTP is not too bad at all. Play the side bets for a bit more excitement.
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