Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Live Review, Strategy and How to Play

Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Live Casinos

Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack is an exciting new variant of Live Blackjack from Playtech. The base game is standard Vegas Rules Blackjack, with optional side bets.

The main attraction is the side game Mega Fire Blaze Bonus, which can be entered for an additional wager. The bonus round is triggered when certain playing conditions occur during the main blackjack game. When activated, players with an active bet on the Bonus can receive a multiplier payout on their bet between 1x to 1000x!

The bonus mechanic is the same as Mega Fire Blaze Roulette, where fireballs containing multipliers cascade down into a bonus grid. Those that stick add to the multiplier total until all “spins” have been completed.

A unique feature of the game is the two-player hands, and the dealer’s hand all contribute to qualifying for the Bonus round. All you need to do is have an active bet.

Think of the Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Bonus round as another side bet, and you can’t go wrong.

Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Live is a game in two parts. The main game round of Blackjack plays as the classic game, with optional side bets of Perfect Pairs and 21+3.

There are two-player hands, which an unlimited number of players can play. You can play either or both. The choice is yours.

The second part of the game is the Mega Fire Blaze Bonus round, which can be entered for an additional bet. The amount you bet is your decision. It is this amount that receives the multiplier payouts. Qualification for entry in the bonus round occurs from the cards dealt to the dealer and two player hands.

If the qualification criteria are met, you enter the Bonus round, regardless of the result of your blackjack hand.

A points system where specific hand values and cards receive points is used for qualification. A minimum of 5 points is needed from all hands to start the first Bonus round.

The more points you get in qualification, the bigger the bonus grid and multipliers will be.

Payouts increase significantly when a bonus segment is completed and an additional multiplier or Star Multiplier is applied.

The bonus rounds range from Minor, Mini, Major, Grand and Mega.

An Auto-shuffler is used and filled with eight decks of 52 Playing Cards, which delivers a freshly shuffled shoe for each game round.

Betting Time

The game starts with 15 seconds of beating time. You can bet on either or both of the two Player hands. There are also two optional side bets and the Mega Fire Blaze Bonus bet.

Place all the bets you want and sit back.

Dealer Deals The Cards

The dealer deals two cards face up to each player’s position and two cards to his position, with the second card facing down.

Players on Hand 1 play first. The objective is to beat the dealer’s hand by either scoring more than the dealer without going over 21 or beating the dealer with an active hand when he gets more than 21 and Busts. The player’s options are:

• Stand – Take no more cards
• Hit – Take another card
• Spilt – if there is Pair, the hand can be split into two hands.
• Double – Double the bet and take one extra card.

Read my article on how to play Blackjack if you’re new to the game.

Once all the players have completed their hand, the hand for Player 2 is played similarly.

On completion of the player’s hands, the dealer plays his hand, taking cards until his hand contains seventeen or more.

The dealer’s hand is compared with each player’s hands, and all bets are settled according to the standard blackjack payout rules.

• Player Win pays even money 1:1.
• Player Blackjack pays 3:2.
• Dealer wins – all lose.
• Dealer matches players hand – Push – players bet is returned.

Note: If the dealer deals cards that trigger Bonus points, you’ll see the points highlighted on the Fire Blaze scale. The Mega Fire Bonus points are checked at the end of the game. If the points are five or over, the bonus round is initiated.

Two optional side-bets can be played alongside each blackjack hand.

21+3 is a Poker themed side bet, which uses the player’s first two cards and the dealer’s upcard to make a 3-card poker hand. Payouts are pretty generous:

• Flush pays 5:1 for three cards of the same suit.
• Straight pays 10:1 for a run of three cards of any suit.
• Three Of A Kind pays 30:1 for three of the same card value.
• Straight Flush pays 40:1 for a run of three cards in the same suit.
• Suited Three of a Kind pays 100:1 for three cards of the same value in the same suit.

Perfect Pairs pays when the layers hand contains a Pair. Different payouts are given depending on the type of Pair:

• Mixed Pair pays 6:1
• Coloured Pair pays 12:1 for a pair in the same colour.
• Perfect Pair pays 25:1 for a pair of the same card in the same suit.

During the blackjack game round, there are three ways points can be accumulated for the Mega Fire Blaze Bonus Round.

All three Blackjack hands contribute to the points. You don’t need to do anything. The points are automatically applied when the criteria are met.

1. The number of cards in the dealer’s hands
2. The number of Aces in the dealer’s hand
3. Points are awarded for the first two cards in the player’s hand, totalling 14.

Bonus Round Levels

The Bonus Round has five levels, offering higher and more multipliers. The level of Bonus you play is determined by the number of points accumulated during the blackjack game.

• Minor Fire Blaze Bonus requires 5 points.
• Mini Fire Blaze Bonus requires 10 points.
• Major Fire Blaze Bonus requires 15 points.
• Grand Fire Blaze Bonus requires 20 points.
• Mega Fire Blaze Bonus requires 25 points.

A Mega Fire Blaze Bonus round is initiated if a minimum of 5 points is achieved. If there are fewer than 5 points, there will be no bonus round, and the next round of Blackjack starts.

The bonus round uses the Mega Fire Blaze grid we’ve seen before in Mega Fire Blaze Roulette. A three-row grid is used for all the bonus levels. The Minor level has two columns, increasing to twelve for the Mega Bonus level. The more points accumulated during the qualification process, the more columns and squares in the grid.

The bonus round has three “Spins” or “Drops”, where multiplier orbs are dropped into the grid. If a multiplier sticks in one of the squares, the “spins” are reset to three. The drops continue until the grid is full of multipliers or the “Spins” have run out.

Before discussing strategies, you need to decide what you’re playing the game for, as there are several ways to play.

Thankfully, the main game of Blackjack follows the standard rules, so you should use the Basic Blackjack strategy, which is the best mathematical way to play.

Then you must decide whether to play the Mega Fire Blaze Bonus Round. The good thing is there is no set amount you need to wager, so you can manage the risk to your bankroll by varying the amount bet.

Treat the Bonus as a side bet, and expect to lose the bet 9 out of 10 times – maybe more. The long-term return for the Bonus is 97.47%, which isn’t too bad.

My strategy is to place a bet of about 25% of the amount I’d play on the Blackjack Ante. The minimum you’ll win is 1:1, while the Minor Bonus, which will be the most common, can pay up to 23:1.

The best Blackjack can pay 3:2, but it has an RTP of  99.55%, so that it will return a slight loss in the long term.

You can either bet Big on Blackjack and small on the Bonus or Bet Small on Blackjack and Big on the Bonus, hoping to get some significant multiplier wins. The problem with this is if you hit a losing streak, your bankroll will disappear before you know what happened.

The two most significant RTPs for this game are:

• Blackjack is 99.55%
• Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Bonus is 97.47%

Just going by the RTP, playing Blackjack only gives a better return. However, for a reduced RTP of 97.47%, it’s possible to get a maximum payout of 1000x. The more likely payout is likely to be in the region of 10x to 40x.

I keep away from side bets, but as this game is all about the Fire Blaze side bet, a wager of some sort should be made. Be careful with how much you bet, as the game is streaky, and you can have long-losing streaks trying to qualify for the Bonus round.

The Mega Fire Blaze bonus has been used in Mega Fire Blaze Roulette Live, so that’s an obvious choice if you like the Bonus round and want to try it with a different game.

Other variations of Blackjack with multipliers are:

• Lightning Blackjack from Evolution.
• Quantum Blackjack from Playtech.
• Super Stake Blackjack by Stakelogic.

These games all require a fee or have adjusted playing rules.

For comparison, Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack is the only Multiplier Blackjack game where the RNG Engine doesn’t manage the qualification process. A predefined set of rules, using the value and number of cards in the hands, is used for the qualification process. The other multiplier games use an RNG engine to “Choose” which cards are to be multiplier cards. There is a significant difference between the two – one is “controlled”, and the other is “Natural”. Once you get into the Bonus round, that is pure RNG, so there will be some control over the multipliers given, as the bonus round needs to meet its RTP.

Of All the multiplier Blackjack games, this is the best one to play.

The history of Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack is relatively short. Playtech first developed the Cascading Bonus for one of its slots.

Then in 2020, they developed a Live Roulette game with the Mega Fire Blaze Bonus mechanic. It’s become one of their most popular live Roulette games.

Following its success, Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack was developed and launched in January 2023.

The rest, as they say, is history!

Here I my list of advice that should help beginners and inexperienced players when they first join this game.

1. It’s Blackjack. Don’t get confused with what you see on screen. The central theme of the game is Blackjack.
2. Use Basic Blackjack Strategy, don’t stray from it.
3. You cannot influence the outcome of qualifying for the Bonus round. This is calculated automatically while the Blackjack hands are being played.
4. You don’t have to win a hand of Blackjack to enter the Bonus round. Accumulated points are the only way you’ll enter the game.
5. Treat the Bonus round as a side bet. You’d don’t have to understand the qualification process as that happens automatically, but it will help you enjoy the game more if you do.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How Often Are The Mega Fire Blaze Bonus Rounds Triggered?

That’s a great question I wish I had a precise answer for. The simple answer is not as often as you’d like. But seriously, the bonus rounds trigger, on average, about every 20 hands of Blackjack.

What is Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack?

This is a new game of Blackjack with an exciting side bet that can pay up to 1000x. The Cards and hand values from Blackjack are assigned points, which, when triggered, count towards the qualification process for the Bonus round, which uses a grid matrix and dropping multipliers to create the payouts.

What is the RTP of Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack?

The RTP is 99.55% for the main Blackjack hand and 97.47% for the Bonus Round.

How Can You Win?

Luck is the major contributing factor, having placed a bet on the Fire Blaze Bonus round. The payout is determined by the dropping multiplier orbs, controlled by an RNG engine responsible for delivering the published RTP.

Where Can I Play Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack?

You can play at any Playtech Live Casino. My current favourites include BetVictor and PlayOJO casinos.

Is there a Strategy for Winning on Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack?

There is no strategy for winning the Bonus Round. It’s all luck! For the Blackjack element, you should use Basic Blackjack Strategy.

What is the highest payout for Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack?

The Bonus round can pay a maximum of 1000x, available only in the Mega Fire Blaze phase.

Best Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Live Casinos

When I first saw Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack Live, I was confused. There is lots of information on the screen, and no clear explanation of what is happening, so I immediately felt this wasn’t a game for me. It just looked too confusing.

But, now I’ve played it and fully understand what’s happening, it’s an easy game to get to grips with, and for those who like playing side-bets on Blackjack, a game that will have them coming back for more.

The Studio presentation is horrible – the gaudy Orange gets my backup, which is a surprise as I generally like Orange.

I also have an aversion to Autoshufflers, so that is another reason for me not to like the game.

But, once you realise the Bonus Round is just a Side-bet, you can play it for the value you are comfortable with or not play it at all.

The payouts are reasonable, with a maximum of 1000x at the top. Qualification for the Bonus round is challenging, but I’ve seen them come along quickly and then had to wait for 50 hands before another one.

The most common bonus round is the Minor which has a maximum payout of 23:1, but don’t expect this all the time. The norm is more likely 5-10x.

This game is likely to appeal to players that like a more volatile game and are not so worried about building a balance to withdraw. The thrill is the bonus rounds, but that is at odds with the type of player who likes Blackjack, who are more steady and odds focused. It will be interesting to see how this fairs with live casino players.