All About Stadium Blackjack
There is a growing trend in the casino industry, that being the move away from land-based gaming and a narrower focus for on-demand, online and mobile casino games. It doesn’t take genius to figure out that online and mobile gaming is on the rise while land-based casinos are doing everything they can to hold onto those players who do still frequent the casino halls. Like the saying goes, necessity is the mother of all inventions and that seems to be the case with the type of casino games offered at leading land-based casinos in the US.
What I am talking about here is the introduction of Fusion Hybrid stadium games or more specifically Stadium Blackjack. If you haven’t yet had the chance to see the games for yourself, you are probably thinking that it all sounds a bit futuristic. Well, you would be right; the concept is somewhat radical for land-based casinos and seems to be borrowed from the online gaming industry. By now most of us are familiar with online live dealer casinos. Live dealer blackjack is a game where multiple players face off against a single dealer. In this case, each player is dealt a separate hand, following the rules regular blackjack.
Fusion of Electronic & Table Blackjack
Hybrid Fusion Stadium Blackjack is a game where the name almost speaks for itself. It is a complete fusion of electronic and land-based blackjack built into a stadium configuration. Confused? Well, let me make it easier for you. Picture a set of 44 electronic gaming terminals all set out in a stadium configuration. A live dealer stands at the front of the terminals and conducts the game. Large high definition screens are spread out through the terminals and at the front so that every player can see the dealer as he or she conducts the game.
If this is sounding very much like online live dealer blackjack, that’s because it kind of is. The biggest difference here is that with live dealer online blackjack, the table can only take up to a maximum of seven players. Anyone else who wants to get in on the action has to use the bet behind feature which is only offered at certain casinos. The rest must just wait their turn. With Stadium Blackjack, you are potentially playing with 43 others all looking at and playing the same hand. Just imagine the collective sigh when the dealer turns over his card and has blackjack!
44 People Playing the Same Hand
There is one very important difference to point out between live dealer blackjack and Fusion Hybrid Blackjack. With standard multi-player table blackjack or online live dealer blackjack, each player is dealt a separate blackjack hand which then competes against the dealer’s hand. With stadium blackjack, everyone plays the same hand. I am going to reiterate this point, every single one of the 44 players joining the game are playing the same blackjack hand! How they play the hand is completely up to them.
Some players will choose to hit, others to stick, some will surrender their hand while others will split their hand and increase their chances of winning. Now that you know the setup, let’s take a look at exactly how the game works. The electronic terminals are used for placing bets and making decisions during the game. Once you sit down at a terminal, you deposit money onto the machine via your cash card or whatever options are available. From there you can place your bet for the next round.
The Collective Player Advantage
To do this, you simply drag the virtual chips onto the designated betting area. If you want to place an optional side bet, these options are also available. A countdown times on the terminal shows how much time is left before the betting closes. Once the time reaches zero, the dealer will start the dealer for the round. At this point, the dealer will deal a common hand of two cards for every player in the room. How they play the hand is completely up to them. The dealer will also deal himself/herself two cards with one card facing up. All the same blackjack betting options are available including the ability to stick, hit, split or double down. Some casinos also offer the option to surrender your hand.
Winning in Stadium Blackjack
For players that choose to hit, community cards are drawn. The same goes for players who choose to split their hand or double down. As you can imagine whole pockets of players will all end up with exact same hand, either winning or losing based on their decisions. I foresee a lot of mutual groaning or celebration with at least half of the room jumping for joy when the dealer busts out. Once every player has gone through their list of betting options, the dealer will flip over his down facing card and take cards from the community deck. Like the online version of blackjack, the terminals will automatically determine if you have a winning hand and will deduct or credit you accordingly.