OnAir Entertainment have a modest range of live blackjack tables. Understandable as they are still a young operation whose first tables went live in 2021.
Their live blackjack tables are presently (as at March 2023) housed in dealer studios in Malta and Riga, Latvia (main studio). But more studios are planned including on in Romania (30 tables) and Tbilisi Georgia (130 tables) so we can expect to see a rapid expansion in the number of available 7 seat blackjack tables during 2023.
Another point of note concerning OnAir Entertainment: the business was conceived and is now run largely by ex-Evolution talent. As a consequence, table stylings and user interface have a familiar look about them. They’re not the first provider to follow Evolution’s blue-print. They won’t be the last.
Look & Feel
House Rules & RTP
OnAir’s live blackjack table range consists of:
- classic 7 seat blackjack tables, and
- Eclipse Blackjack – a 1-to-many deal table
The house rules applying to both table types is actually the same. But the deal is quite different.
Classic 7 seat tables
Anyone who’s played casino blackjack will be in familiar territory here. Classic 7 seat blackjack. Take your seat (or seats…you can play multiple spots) and once all 7 seats are taken, new players must either bet behind (which is offered), wait for a seat to become vacant, or move on!
While limits vary from table to table, the house rules applying to all of OnAir’s classic 7 seat blackjack tables are identical, summarised as follows:
- The deal is from an 8 deck shoe, manually shuffled (cut card inserted mid-shoe)
- ‘US Style’ deal, ie Dealer draws 1 face up, 1 face down card on initial deal
- Dealer must draw to 16 & stands all 17s
- Double down allowed on any 2 initial cards
- Double down after split NOT allowed
- Double down dealt only 1 additional card
- Player can Split any 2 cards of equal value (including Aces)
- Only 1 Split per hand allowed (ie can’t re-split)
- You can’t hit split Aces (ie single card drawn to split Aces)
- Insurance is offered (pays 2:1)
- Blackjack pays 3:2
- Side bets offered (Pairs & ’21+3′)
- Bet behind is offered
- Theoretical return to player rate (assuming optimal play):
– Main game: 99.44%
– Pairs side bet: 95.90%
– 21+3 side bet: 96.30%
1-to-many deal table
Eclipse Blackjack
Rather than offering 7 seats, this table has only 1 player position (or ‘seat’). But you are always able to take a seat and play, regardless of how many other players are at the table. You are still playing your own blackjack hand. And the house rules that apply are identical to those above.
The only difference is the deal convention.
Physical cards that are dealt from the 8 deck shoe, are attributed to your hand based on your playing decision. For example, if you Stand, while other players Hit after the initial 2 cards are dealt, the dealer will deal another card to the Player position but this card won’t add to your total. To ease confusion, your hand will be presented clearly to you in virtual format.
House rules are identical to the 7 seat tables, and so therefore are theoretical returns.
- Main game: 99.44%
- Sidebets:
– Pairs side bet: 95.90%
– 21+3 side bet: 96.30%
– Lucky Lucky: 94.72%
– Buster Blackjack: 93.48%
– Royal Jacks: 89.88%
Eclipse Blackjack offers a few additional side bets to the 7 seat tables. You can read more about these in the house rules link below. The key read though, is that they return far less than the main game, and should be avoided – Royal Jacks especially…ouch!
Sample game recordings
Playing Valletta Blackjack…one of their classic 7 seat live blackjack tables.
Playing Eclipse Blackjack…where an unlimited number of players can take a seat at any given time.
Where to play & why?
OnAir are still busy knocking on doors and peddling their games to the big operators. No doubt the list of licensees will grow in time. But presently, your choice of where to play OnAir Entertainment’s live blackjack tables is limited to a handful of casinos, namely:
