Playtech Deal or No Deal The Big Draw is a live dealer game show that is a marriage between Bingo and the widely known TV Program and Board Game Deal or No Deal.
The objective of the game, just like on the TV Show, is to win a cash prize by either taking the Banker’s cash offer for the briefcase holding an unknown sum of money or by opting to take the prize hidden in the briefcase you’ve been given at the start of the game round.
To participate in the game, you purchase a ticket for the Big Draw at whatever stake you want to play. The prizes offered are proportionate to the value of the ticket you’ve purchased.
A bingo machine is used to select numbered balls, which are used to reduce the number of briefcases and prizes by matching them with corresponding numbered briefcases.
The game is played in phases, the first is to qualify for the Deal or No deal offer, which is achieved when 7 numbered briefcases have been removed from the game after being matched to numbered balls drawn from a bingo-style machine.
The banker then makes an offer for your briefcase, based on the value of the prizes remaining. You can either accept the offer or continue to claim the hidden cash prize in your briefcase.
Playing options exist to increase the cash prizes in the briefcases before the game round commences. The player is also able to purchase more balls if the qualification process hasn’t been achieved during the first 20 balls drawn. More balls can also be purchased if the player wants the chance to multiply his potential winnings up to 25 times the values shown.
An additional side bet can be played alongside the main game, where you can purchase up to 20 nine numbered bingo cards. The game plays during the first 20 balls drawn. Cash prizes are awarded based on the number of complete lines on each card.
Before starting, you need to remember this is a gambling game. So your chances of exiting the game regularly with a profit are relatively small. However, that does not mean you can’t play the game sensibly and with a strategy.
To play the game you need to purchase a ticket. The price of the ticket determines the value of the cash prizes you’ll get.
The higher the ticket price the higher the value of the prizes.
The table shows you how the prizes are calculated based on the price of the ticket you purchase.
Prize Number | Prize/Ticket Price Multiplier | £1 Ticket | £5 Ticket | £10 Ticket | £25 Ticket | £100 Ticket |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prize 1 | 0.1 | £0.10 | £0.50 | £1.00 | £2.50 | £10.00 |
Prize 2 | 0.2 | £0.20 | £1.00 | £2.00 | £5.00 | £20.00 |
Prize 3 | 0.3 | £0.30 | £1.50 | £3.00 | £7.50 | £30.00 |
Prize 4 | 0.4 | £0.40 | £2.00 | £4.00 | £10.00 | £40.00 |
Prize 5 | 0.5 | £0.50 | £2.50 | £5.00 | £12.50 | £50.00 |
Prize 6 | 0.6 | £0.60 | £3.00 | £6.00 | £15.00 | £60.00 |
Prize 7 | 0.7 | £0.70 | £3.50 | £7.00 | £17.50 | £70.00 |
Prize 8 | 0.8 | £0.80 | £4.00 | £8.00 | £20.00 | £80.00 |
Prize 9 | 0.9 | £0.90 | £4.50 | £9.00 | £22.50 | £90.00 |
Prize 10 | 1 | £1.00 | £5.00 | £10.00 | £25.00 | £100 |
Prize 11 | 1.5 | £1.50 | £7.50 | £15.00 | £37.50 | £150 |
Prize 12 | 2 | £2.00 | £10.00 | £20.00 | £50.00 | £200 |
Prize 13 | 2.5 | £2.50 | £12.50 | £25.00 | £62.50 | £250 |
Prize 14 | 3 | £3.00 | £15.00 | £30.00 | £75.00 | £300 |
Prize 15 | 5 | £5.00 | £25.00 | £500 | £125 | £500 |
Prize 16 | 20 | £20.00 | £100 | £200 | £500 | £2000 |
Once you’ve purchased your ticket you can boost one, a few, or all of the prizes by paying a small amount and then picking a gold briefcase from a selection to reveal the boost value that will be applied to the prize.
For example, if you buy a ticket at £1, the boost fee per boost is 0.10. The possible values of the prize boost are 0.50, 1.00, 3.00, 5.00, 10.00.
You select the prize you want to boost and open a briefcase to reveal the value that will be added.
You can repeat this process as many times as you like to the same or different prizes.
The Playtech Deal or No Deal Side bet can be played by selecting the option on the Ticket Purchasing page.
The game is a standard bingo game with 3×3 lines per bingo card. The aim is to complete lines on the cards—the more lines, the higher the cash prize.
The top prize is for six lines.
The minimum price per card is the value of the ticket price you paid to enter the original game.
You can select a value higher but not lower.
It’s possible to purchase 20 cards, 12 cards, 8 or 4 cards.
Only the first 20 Balls drawn for the main game are used for the side bet. After the twentieth ball has been drawn, the side bet game ends.
Payouts for your ticket value are displayed in the game panel, but you can expect the following:
The side bet has a return to the player value of 95.38%, which for a live game, is not that great.
The Big Draw starts with the player being allocated 16 briefcases. fifteen of them have numbers displayed on them. The sixteenth is reseverd for the player and is set to one side.
Twenty numbered balls are then randomly drawn from a selection of 60 from the bingo machine.
If you have a numbered briefcase that matches the number of a ball drawn, the briefcase is opened, the prize is revealed and then removed from the prize wall.
You need 7 Briefcases open from the 15 you’ve been allocated before you qualify for the Bankers Question of, Deal or No deal?
If you have 7 cases open at the end of the first 20 Balls you’ll be offered the chance to Deal. If not, you’ll be offered the chance to end the game or purchase an additional 5 balls.
If you haven’t completed the qualification process you’ll have the opportunity to end the game or purchase an extra 5 balls.
A few points to consider when you’re at this point:
If the math adds up then you should buy the additional balls. If not, it’s time to leave the game and suck up your loss.
After the successive five balls have been drawn, you’ll receive the bankers’ offer if you have qualified or the option to buy another five balls.
In this example, I completed the qualification process and added a 2x multiplier.
The offer from the banker is £10.22, while my total stake is £7.93. You can see I also have two prize options above $10 left.
The options I have are to:
In this example, I chose to Deal and take my profit.
The optimal Return to Player for the Live Draw is 95.28%.
The side bet is better, with an RTP of 95.38%.
Both are relatively poor when you compare them to other live casino game RTP’s.
I should start by saying that this isn’t a game that I would play regularly.
While there is an element of player participation, I never get the feeling that I’m in control of what is happening or that I have a chance of getting a big win.
The most sensible way to play Playtech Live Deal or No Deal is to take the banker’s offer when it is above the amount you have staked. You’ll walk away with a profit, which is the whole purpose of the game.
However, when you do this it feels like you’re bailing out — which is the real beauty of the game and the thing it wants to stop you doing the most.
The canny player won’t, but the true gambler in us will and that is where Playtech will make their money.
The Return to Player is the clue, it’s quite poor, there are better games out there to win money on.
As for entertainment, there is a lot going on, including the side bet (which actually has a better RTP than the main game!).
The studio is great, the colours are great and the live dealer presenters are very good indeed.
I think it’s one of those games you have to try yourself, but please read my strategy tips before so you know what to expect.
You may think Playtech Deal or No Deal Live looks familiar, and it is. Evolution Gaming released a version in 2019 that I didn’t like. The Playtech version is better in my opinion.
Take the banker’s offer if it is more than the money you have staked in the game. You’ll walk away with a profit if you do this. If you play the game as designed, you will lose in the long term.
Several strategic decisions you can make while playing Deal or No Deal will help maximise your opportunities to win. You will have to make some tough decisions, though. That’s the beauty of gambling!
Playtech Live Deal or No Deal The Big Draw can be played at any online casino with Playtech Live Casino Software.
Each game takes approximately 3 minutes to run. It can be shorter or longer, depending on how you play. Betting time spans from one to two minutes.
The game is available 24×7, 365 days a year.
Here’s a list of other entertainment games you might enjoy playing.