Lucky Seven 21 Rules and Reasonings

Warning: This tutorial on how to play Lucky 7 Blackjack with perfect strategy is a must-read before playing!

Lucky 7 Blackjack is a 21 variant developed by a company that was then known as Amaya Gaming. Since purchasing the world-renowned PokerStars platform, they’ve rebranded themselves as The Stars Group. Ownership and licensing aside, this is one blackjack game you need to know more about before you play it.

I’ll cut right to the chase here. Its title comes from its namesake Lucky 7 side bet. That side bet just happens to have the worst house edge I’ve ever seen on any side bet in the history of all side bets! You’ll learn more about that below.

Suffice it to say, if you’re going to play this game, don’t place the side bet.

How to Play Lucky 7 Blackjack

The base game is similar to classic blackjack, although the return to player (RTP) isn’t quite as nice as some, coming in at 99.51% (house edge 0.49%). That alone makes it unfavorable compared to other variants, and therefore not recommended by me. However, for the sake of this tutorial, here’s the run down…

Specific Rules of Play

• Decks: 8
• Soft 17: Dealer Stands
• Doubling: Yes, on any 2 cards
• Splitting: Yes, 1x only
• Double after Split: Yes
• Resplit Aces: No
• Draw to Split Aces: No
• Surrender: No
• Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
• Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2

Lucky 7 Side Bet

Let me reiterate – this is the worst side bet in all the blackjack loving world! Do not place it. You will face a horrendous 49.89% house edge. With that being said, here’s how it works.

The Lucky 7 side bet is a wager that the player will be dealt one, two, or three 7s, in a row, starting with the very first card dealt to the player. Only cards in the player’s hand count, not the dealer’s up-card. This means that if the player is dealt a pair of 7s, they are practically obligated to hit the total in hopes of being dealt a third 7.

Because the dealer peeks, it also means that if the dealer has blackjack, the player will never get to take that hit. Their hand will instantly lose. Fortunately, the player will at least receive the 25-to-1 payout for the first 7-7 in their hand.

The odds of winning anything on this bet are astronomical, as the pay table and probability chart below shows.

Strategy for Lucky 7

If you’ve been following along so far, you won’t be surprised when I tell you the best strategy for this game is not to play it at all. You can find far better live and online blackjack games, and the side bet is an absolute no-no.

To each their own, though. If you decide to play this game, the following three charts detail exactly how to respond in every situation, based on the dealer’s up card and whether your own hand consists of a hard total, soft total, or pairs.

How to Decide a Hard Hand

A hard total will not contain an Ace worth 11 points. When a hard total of 12 or more is hit, it can bust. Therefore, achieving the highest possible 99.51% RTP requires this relatively conservative strategy.

How to Decide a Soft Hand

A soft total will always contain an Ace worth 11 points. Since the Ace can drop to 1, soft hands cannot bust if hit.

Conditions for Splitting Pairs

To split or not to split? That is the question, and below is the answer. This last chart shows how to play Lucky 7 blackjack when dealt any pair.