Playtech’s is easily our favorite progressive blackjack variation particularly in terms of visual presentation and gameplay. Its appeal is further boosted by the fact it yields an average progressive prize of more than $170,000. This is an S17 hole-card game which plays with six standard decks. Super 4 Progressive Jackpot: An optional bet can be made on the Super 4 Progressive Jackpot. A player may play this by placing an additional $5 bet on the table. If the player chooses to participate in the Progressive wager, they place a five dollar chip in the designated area of the table to indicate their choice to compete for the Super 4.

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You Can Play Progressive Blackjack in Many Casinos Now

Progressive blackjack is a form of twenty-one with a side bet involving a progressive jackpot. Everyone knows blackjack has great odds for gamblers, but card players sometimes complain that blackjack is a grinding style of gambling, because the payouts are 1-to-1 or 3-to-2, at best.

Progressive jackpots aren’t just limited to progressive slots games, though. The progressive jackpot has been adapted to most forms of casino gambling, after the designers of slot machines and video poker machines learned how popular they could be with the mass of gaming machine players. The idea of winning a lottery-sized jackpot is a major allure to many gamblers, because the windfall can change their economic situation in an instant. So it was only a matter of time before someone tried to combine blackjack with an accumulated pot.

Where to Play Online

These days, many land-based casinos offer progressive blackjack. Almost all of the major online casinos offer the game, especially if you’re playing with one of the brand name casino software companies, such as Microgaming, IGT, Net Ent, CryptoLogic, or Playtech. If you’re an American real money gambler looking for the game online, your options are more limited.

For instance, Realtime Gaming, which powers the most US-friendly websites, doesn’t offer progressive blackjack. If you want an accumulated jackpot combined with a card game at an RTG casino, you’ll need to play Let Em Ride (not “Let It Ride”), Caribbean Stud, Caribbean Holdem, or Caribbean Poker. Gaming networks like Rival Gaming, Merge Network, and TopGame Technology are competitors whose products you might continue to check out.

Progressive Betting Blackjack Chart

Main Bet

The main bet in this game looks just like classic blackjack. Natural blackjacks pay at 3:2, while all other winning hands pay out at 1:1. You’ll find a variety of rules variations, but as an example, I’ll use the “Triple Seven Blackjack” rules used by Microgaming (“Triple-7” being their version of progressive 21).

The rules used are the same as used in Microgaming’s multi-hand blackjack, which means it uses 5 decks and has 5 betting positions. Players are allowed to draw to split aces, but neither surrendering nor re-splitting is allowed. A player cannot double after splitting. Gamblers can double on a 9, 10, or 11 only. The full “no peek” rules are in effect, so you’ll lose your whole bet when a dealer blackjack occurs. The dealer stands when holding a soft 17, while insurance won’t be resolved until the end of the hand.

Using these rules, the house edge on the main bet is 0.57%. It goes without saying that the multi-hand option is not enabled in Progressive Blackjack, so you’ll only be able to play a single hand at a time. The only other variation in the rules is the stipulation that you must make a $1 wager on the side bet, which is what gives this game its unique character.

Progressive Side Bet

In the standard form of progressive blackjack, the side bet involves a wager of $1 in addition to your main wager. The pay table is based on receiving at least an ace or better. One ace pays out $3, while other payouts include a pair of non-suited aces, a pair of suited aces, 3 non-suited aces, 3 suited aces, 4 aces, and 4 aces of the same color. Therefore, if you receive 4 black aces or 4 red aces, you win the progressive jackpot prize. In many places, the jackpot starts at $25,000 or $30,000.

Players should be warned that they house edge on this game tends to be outrageous. In the pay schedule mentioned above, the pot would need to be over $200,000 for it to be an even-money wager. The jackpot won’t rise to that amount most of the time. In the lower ranges, the house edge sits at over 40%, which is about the house edge on buying a lottery ticket.

Combined House Edge

At the same time, the $1 expenditure is only a small part of the overall house edge when you combine the main bet with the side bet. In that context, you receive the usual 0.50% house edge of blackjack along with a chance at a jackpot which pays out five or six figures. That makes progressive blackjack a favorite game for many gamblers, who might not like the grinding style of low-dollar blackjack.

As an example, if you wager $10 a hand on blackjack and only $1 on the side bet, a house edge of 40% is more manageable–in the 3% to 4% range. If the jackpot has reached $75,000 or more, then your expected return gets into the respectable range. If you want to know what the expected return on the side bet is at any given time, start with a 47% (if the starting place is $25,000) and add an additional 2.6% for every $10,000 the pot has grown. This should give you a rough estimate of where you stand.

Average Jackpot

It’s been stated that the average jackpot on progressive blackjack sits between $124,000 and $125,000. Those interested in knowing should note that roughly 28% of your side bet goes into building the jackpot, but your bet contributes not just to the current side bet, but the next one, too.

Progressive Betting

Super 4 Progressive Blackjack

This game has nothing to do with the progressive betting systems advocated by many online writers who discuss card playing. Progressive betting methods like the Martingale, D’alembert, Labouchere, Fibonacci, and Paroli systems. These systems suggest you vary your bets according to past results, hoping to beat the house edge through clever mathematics.

What these methods tend to do is provide a lot of small wins in the short term, while assuring that luck catches up to you in one really bad losing session. In the end, the house edge is the house edge, so progressive bets do not beat the casino. Whatever the case, while many articles you’ll find searching for “progressive blackjack” will discuss these concepts, don’t be fooled by their logical-sounding arguments, because they’re a waste of time.


Blackjack has been around since the early 1700’s when it is believed to have been introduced to casinos in France.

There are now too many versions to mention in casinos around the world, the aim of all, which is to get closer to a total of 21 than the Dealer without going over and going ‘Bust’.

One of the versions with the biggest potential payout is Progressive Blackjack. With the jackpot increasing until it is won and a chance to win a percentage of it as well as the full amount, Progressive Blackjack is well worth a go.

Progressive Blackjack Rules

Progressive Blackjack is a standard version of Blackjack that has an optional side bet, usually costing £1/€1/$1 depending on the currency you are using.

Whilst the important thing is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over, the same as standard Blackjack, the Progressive Jackpot side bet can give you a much bigger win than simply winning a hand against the Dealer.

The side bet focusses on Aces that you are dealt consecutively during the hand. The exact rules vary from casino to casino so the below isn’t set in stone and we recommend that you check the rules regarding the casino before you start playing to ensure you are getting the best deal possible.

If the first 2 cards that you are dealt with are both Aces, you win, the more Aces you are dealt the higher your reward. There is also a difference between suited Aces and non-suited Aces, as Progressive Blackjack is normally played with 6 decks of cards, you are looking to get as many Aces of the same suit as you can, up to a maximum of 4.

Remember, it only counts for your first cards, so the moment you are dealt a card other than an Ace, the Progressive Jackpot side of the hand is over and any payouts are made.

Mgm Blackjack Progressive Jackpot

Payout Chart

The following is a fairly standard payout chart, as mentioned though this does vary from casino to casino:

Blackjack Progressive Jackpot

2 Aces, Non-Suited: $25
2 Aces, Same Suit: $50
3 Aces, Non-Suited: $250
3 Aces, Same Suit: $2,500
4 Aces, Non-Suited: 10% of Progressive Jackpot
4 Aces, Same Suit: 100% of Progressive Jackpot

As you can see, even getting 2 Aces as your first 2 cards pay out considerably more than if you are simply playing Jackpot for a small stake, so when you find a Blackjack game that offers a Progressive jackpot it is worth having a go. The odds of winning are much lower than the standard game, but the much higher rewards on offer more than offset this.

Blackjack Progressive Jackpot

Above is an example of the layout for a Progressive Blackjack game, the slot in front of each position is where you need to place your bet for the Progressive Jackpot, as you can see, it is possible to play more than one hand and you don’t have to play the Progressive Jackpot side bet for each hand, only those you choose to play.

The Progressive Jackpot for this table is over $210,000 so if you are dealt 4 Aces of the same suit in the same hand, that amount is yours!

Progressive Blackjack Rules
RTP:99.53%
Blackjack Pays:3 to 2
Number of Decks:6
Dealer Rule:Stand on all 17’s
Dealer Peek:No
Insurance:Yes
Surrender:No
Split:Yes
Re-Split:No
Double:Yes
Double after Split:Yes
Hit Split Aces:Just Once
Side Game:Yes
Multiple Hands:Yes

Progressive Blackjack Strategy

There is no real strategy to the Progressive Jackpot side of the game as this is down to luck in being dealt Aces at the start of a specific hand.

However, as the hand also contains a standard game of Blackjack, we recommend you follow the Strategy outlined below and either play the side bet for each hand on top or reduce your stake for the game and play the side bet too if you want to be in with a chance of taking home a percentage of the jackpot.

Progressive Blackjack Tips

As the 6 decks of cards in Progressive Blackjack are shuffled after each hand, there is no use in trying to card count or remember how many Aces have been dealt and therefore what your chances are of getting the Progressive Jackpot as this resets after every hand.

If you want to play a standard game of Blackjack without the Progressive bet, we suggest you find a version that doesn’t include this bet as the house edge is lower than the usual game due to the extra amount that is added to the Progressive Jackpot.

If you are going to play the Progressive side bet which is the main reason for playing this version of Blackjack, remember to factor in the cost when determining how much to bet on the actual hand itself. Always ensure you play within your budget at all times.

As with any casino game, the main aim should be to have fun and this will only be done if you play within your means and don’t gamble with funds that you can’t afford to lose.

Don’t play when you are frustrated or angry – with the Progressive Jackpot often at life-changing amounts, it is understandable that if you get close and just miss out this can be frustrating. If you find yourself getting angry or upset at any time, walk away and calm down before playing as this will inevitably affect your decision making and could lead to higher losses than necessary.

Blackjack References:

Standard Blackjack Rules Strategy & Tips
Card Counting in Blackjack
Play Blackjack For Real Money


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