
DraftKings knows casino fans love online blackjack and bingo. That’s why the popular online casino brand has created an entirely new innovative game with blackjack and bingo they’re calling Bingo Blackjack. Combining the components from the two games gives players a new way to play and a chance for larger payouts.
Bingo Blackjack combines the components of a standard blackjack game: splitting, doubling, insurance, and surrender, and builds on these with the addition of a “Bingo Activator”. In traditional blackjack, you’re aiming to beat the dealer, but in Bingo Blackjack, you also try to strike a goal number and win bingo to increase your gain.
How to Play
For starters, just like a normal game of blackjack, you’ll need to pick your stake for the hand. Although, when you make that bet, 20% of the wager goes towards your “Bingo Activator”. For example, if you place a $5 bet, you’re actually betting $6. Or for a bet of $25, you’re betting $30. This is to offset the extra money you stand to win.
Then, you receive two balls from the Bingo Activator- a win multiplier value and a target hand number. If you win the hand, and your hand value equals the target number, you’re paid out the multiplier rate on your win.
The target numbers you receive range from 12-21, and the multipliers you can receive range from 2x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, and 100x. This means you can win 100 times on your original wager if you get the 100x ball.
Let’s stick with the wager of $25 for the hand ($30) as an example. Let’s say I won the hand, and my hand equaled the target number of 14 with a 5x multiplier. I would be paid $150.
Seems simple enough, but the ramifications are complicated. This is where strategy comes in.
Let’s Talk Strategy
With the target hand values and major payouts, this will cause you to strategize Bingo Blakcjack a lot differently than a traditional game of blackjack. In the end, you’re still trying to win against the dealer but now you’re also thinking of all the possibilities with the target hand and the multiplier that goes with that hand.
The biggest differences you’ll encounter will include:
- When your hand is less than the target number, where you would normally stand, you might now hit since the upside is greater
- By the same token, when you could double, you’re more likely to double since you can hit the target number
- Both of these become more critical when the multiplier is higher
Do you attempt to hit the target number when in a normal game of blackjack you would stay? Or do you stay in hopes that the dealer busts? Many layers of decision-making go into DraftKings’ new Bingo Blackjack game.
For smaller multipliers, your strategy is similar to a normal game of blackjack. However, with large multipliers, you’ll find yourself doing things you would otherwise not do in a traditional game of blackjack. With a 100x multiplier, the Paytable says you should do anything you can to hit it. That may even mean hitting on 20 if your target number is 21.
Thankfully regulations require DraftKings to give players a perfect strategy in-game. If you’re not sure what the right move to make is, you can find the correct table and it tells you statistically the best play to make. To access this feature, click the Gear Wheel Icon, click Paytable, then scroll to find the table you need.
How to Play in Michigan
Bingo Blackjack went live the first week in January at DraftKings online casino in Michigan. For players in Michigan, this game is available to you at DraftKings Casino MI.
Your minimum bet can be a $1 main bet, which is a $0.20 Bingo Activator, and your maximum bet can be a $2,000 main bet equaling a $400 Bingo Activator.
Mac Daniel is a Michigan native and freelance writer for PlayOnlineCasino and PlayOnlineSportsBetting. He has experience writing about a wide variety of topics, including healthcare, tourism, non-profit organizations, and most recently casino and sportsbetting news. To check out more of his work, visit: playonlinemichigan.com