Lucky Cat Blackjack is a new variation of a blackjack game that is currently undergoing a field trial at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas. The game debuted on February 6 and will be live for at least 45 days. If the game is even partially successful, the trial period may be extended by the Golden Nugget for up to 180 days.
Playing Lucky Cat Blackjack
Lucky Cat Blackjack was created by the same person that brought you Bonus Bet Blackjack. The latter is one of the more popular blackjack variations that you can still find in some casinos around the country. Like Free Bat and other new blackjack games, the dealer busts on 22 in Lucky Cat blackjack.
The unique twist in this Lucky Cat Blackjack is that there’s a dice component to some hands. The dice come into play when the dealer busts with a 22. Once the dealer shows 22 they will roll four Lucky Cat dice to determine how much the player will win. There is only one Lucky Cat on each die. The player will be paid differently depending on the number of Lucky Cat symbols are rolled. The more cats, the larger the win.
There are different pay tables available for this game. A player will push the hand when zero Lucky Cats are rolled, they will win even money if one Lucky Cat is rolled, and will be paid 10-1 if three Lucky Cats are rolled in either game. The differences in the pay tables are when two or four Lucky Cats are rolled. Four Lucky Cats will pay either 50-1 or 100-1. Golden Nugget players will receive 50-1.
Limits to winning
Lucky Cat Blackjack at the Golden Nugget has some limits on how much a player can win. The casino will only pay out a maximum of $25,000 per hand. In this case, it wouldn’t be wise to play more than $500 per hand. Betting more has negative expected value since the max bonus is $25,000.
Good news: Lucky Cat Blackjack pays 3:2 when a player is dealt a natural blackjack. Since the player’s hand is over after blackjack, the player cannot participate in the Lucky Cat bonus should the dealer bust with a 22. While this makes sense, it’s a bit of a limitation to how much players can win.
The current rules may not be the rules if Lucky Cat Blackjack passes this field trial. The creator of the game is already working on some new ideas to tweak the rules of the game based on early feedback.
Give it a hit and roll
According to the Wizard of Odds, the house edge for Lucky Cat Blackjack at the Golden Nugget is less than 2%. This makes the house edge for Lucky Cat Blackjack similar to some games that pay 6:5 for a natural blackjack. The house edge is even better than the worst blackjack games in Las Vegas.
This doesn’t seem like a bad bet if you’re a recreational blackjack player looking for something different.
