Pragmatic Live Speed Blackjack Review and Playing Strategy in 2025

What is Pragmatic Speed Blackjack?

Pragmatic Play has added Live Speed Blackjack tables to its live dealer Blackjack offering.

Players preferring the cut and thrust of a speedy game of Blackjack can now get their fix on these superfast tables.

Every aspect of the game has been tweaked to provide the quickest table game experience without sacrificing the quality and enjoyment of the game.

Key Features of Speed Blackjack

Key Features of Pragmatic Speed Blackjack Live include:

• Seven Seat Blackjack played to Vegas Rules using an 8 deck dealing shoe.
• Dealing with players on a first-come, first-served basis. The faster you act, the sooner you'll receive your cards.
• The players receive their Third cards in priority order, to the players that act the quickest after the dealer has received his second card.
• Players can pre-set decisions for splitting, doubling, standing and hitting.
• Should a player fail to make a decision, the game will automatically stand the hand if it's Twelve or over and hit if it's below Eleven.
• A Deal Now Button alerts the dealer that you're ready to receive cards. The button is only in play when 2 to 3 players are at the table.
• 30% quicker than a traditional game of seven-seat blackjack.
• Side Bets of 21+3 and Pairs plus the ability to Bet Behind when the table is full.
• RTP of 99.59%.

Full Screen Mode

Mixed Screen Mode

How to Play Pragmatic Speed Blackjack

Pragmatic Speed Blackjack plays like a regular game of Blackjack. The primary difference is the speed of dealing the player's 3^rd and subsequent cards.

Blackjack is about beating the dealer, with two ways a player can achieve this. Firstly, by having a higher hand value up to and including 21. The second way to win is for the dealer to Bust Out his hand while you still have a hand in play. Identical hands will be Pushed, with the player's bet returned to him when this happens. A Blackjack beats a Twenty-One.

In the regular game, the dealer usually deals the cards from left to right, but this is relatively slow, and the main reason Pragmatic created their version of Speed Blackjack.

Players are encouraged to use the pre-decision facility to keep the game flowing, which signals to the dealer the action the player wants to take on his hand.

The order in which players respond with their Pre-decisions dictates how the dealer deals the extra cards. You'll see the 3^rd cards given to the players in what appears to be a random order. The process repeats until all players stand or bust their hands.

The quicker a player decides, the sooner he'll receive the cards.

Playing Rules of Pragmatic Speed Blackjack Blackjack

Speed Blackjack follows Vegas rules, so the dealer can check for Blackjack when he has an Ace.

• Speed Blackjack uses eight decks of playing cards.
• The dealer takes two cards on the initial deal.
• The dealer stands on all 17's (Hard and Soft).
• Double down on the initial two cards only. Only one card is allowed.
• Split Hands where the first two cards form a pair.
• Only one card is allowed on each hand of Split Aces.
• No Double downs are allowed on split hands.
• Dealer checks for Blackjack when showing an Ace and offers insurance.
• Blackjack pays 3:2.
• Insurance pays 2:1.
• When the player and dealer's hands tie, the main bet is returned to the player as a push.

Pragmatic Speed Blackjack Side Bets

Optional Side Bets are available to play during Speed Blackjack. Once you've made your bets, no further action is required, as the playing interface handles the identification and payment of winning hands.

The 21+3 Side Bet uses the player's first two cards, and the dealer's up card to form a 3 card poker hand. If the hand forms a straight, flush, or 3 of a kind, the player will win and receive a payout per the pay table.

For The Perfect Pairs side bet, the player's first two cards must form a pair. Different payouts are given depending on the type of pair, i.e., same coloured pair, any pair, or a perfect pair where both cards are the same.

The game's computer system makes the payments automatically if there is a win.

21+3 Side Bet Payouts and Probabilities

The 21+3 side best has an RTP of 96.30%.

Perfect Pairs Side Bet

Perfect Pairs has an RTP of 95.90%.

Pre-Decision Game Settings

A new feature in this game is the ability to set pre-decisions on how to play the hand should certain events occur.

• Auto-Stand – will allow you to select a hand value of 12 to 20 to stand on automatically when it appears. A slider gives the ability to choose the value.
• Auto Hit – A slider allows setting the limit for when you want to take another card. The hand value must be in the range of 2 to 16.

If the Double or Split radio button is on, you get the opportunity to make the playing decision during the game. A sliding scale of hand values for doubles is between 7 – 16, while you can choose to split between 2 and 20.

• Auto Insurance – If the radio button is on, insurance is accepted when the dealer shows an Ace. If it's Off, no insurance is accepted.

Other game settings of note include the Bet Behind feature. You can set whether to follow when the Player doubles, takes insurance or Splits his cards.

Is There An Optimal Strategy For Playing Pragmatic Speed Blackjack?

The number one rule when playing Pragmatic Speed Blackjack is to use Blackjack Basic Strategy.

Basic strategy will ensure you play the hand at its optimum regardless of when you get the cards.

This strategy does not care about the order you receive your cards, so worrying about what happened before is pointless. The strategy focuses on your cards and the card the dealer is showing. All playing decisions are taken from that information and are mathematically proven to be the best way of playing.

Some players like and insist on sitting in certain positions on the blackjack table. They might want to get their cards first, in the middle, or even last.

In Speed Blackjack, that is all irrelevant. Speed Blackjack is not the game for you if you like the certainty of when you get your cards.

I advise using Basic Strategy and playing at the pace you like, even on the Speed Table.

Is Speed Blackjack Better than regular Blackjack?

The main difference between Speed and Regular Blackjack is speedier decisions and the order in which the players receive the cards.

These two elements are enough to speed up the game. Everything else is the same.

If you're not bothered when you get your cards, the Speed version is the best to play as the game keeps moving nicely. Generally, players on these tables want a quick game, so they act quickly.

In regular blackjack, everything is a bit slower and more chilled.

However, you will still get players that make strange decisions on both tables. Don't expect experts to be sitting next to you. Everyone has their playing style, and you'll see it all.

Pragmatic Play Speed Blackjack Video Review

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)?