glfaholic said:

its an interesting concept.. i actually played there.. but blackjack doesnt pay 3:2 if you switch so it really ends up giving the house a bigger edge.

Actually the 'Switch' is very powerful for the player. If played correctly then the house edge is just 0.2%.

Of course you have to be able to 'switch' correctly to achieve this.

Grumpworth said:

What is the correct play?

You can find the correct strategy on www.blackjackswitch.com or www.wizardofodds.com

Blackjack pays even money and the real killer for the player if the dealer bust it pushes with hands 21 and lower blackjack gets paid even money.

Mighty Joe said:

They justify(?) even money on blackjack by saying that you will get more blackjacks now that you can switch cards around.

Although you play 'Blackjack Switch' with 2 hands, you will get a 'Blackjack' 15% of the time. So, each hand will get a 'Blackjack' 7.5% of the time.

In regular Blackjack you receive a 'Blackjack' a little under 5% of the time for each hand.

I think that even money certainly justifies this 50% increase in player 'Blackjacks'.

PhilTx said:

Geoff,

Please be careful when using statements like, "You will get a Blackjack 15% of the time".

A probability figure is never a guarantee of what WILL happen. That may sound picky, but the difference in wording is critical.

Also, when you say, "I think this certainly justifies a 50% increase ...". It really has nothing to do with "thinking" or "certainly". It either justifies it or it doesn't. Do the math, and you'll get your answer -- but be sure your asumptions are accurate (the 5% and 7.5%).

My point is simply to be careful of the wording you use when talking mathematics.

Thanks!

Hi PhilTx,
Not too sure of your exact point, however, I agree that although the mathematical content is correct it could have been worded more precisely.
I should have said that you would 'expect' to get 'Blackjacks' 15% of the time by playing 'BJ Switch' and that, on average, this would be divided over the 2 hands to expect 7.5% 'Blackjacks' on each hand.
Furthermore, you would expect to get roughly 5% 'Blackjacks' playing a regular Blackjack game.

Obviously, the more hands you play then the closer you get to the expected figures.

So, a player should expect to get roughly 50% more 'Blackjacks' playing BJ Switch.

Also, I agree with you that 'certainly' and 'think' do not fit correctly in the same sentence so I would restate by saying that "The even money on 'Blackjacks' is justified due to the additional 'Blackjacks' gained by switching cards".

Unlike 6/5 'Blackjack' where, in my opinion, the reduced payout is not justified.

If 'Blackjacks' were paid at 3/2, in BJ Switch, then the player would have an edge of around 7.5%. A very justifiable reason why casinos cannot offer those odds.

Of course, a version could be designed whereby 'Blackjacks' paid 3/2 but it would be at a cost of implementing other rules to claw this 7.5% back. I suppose that there would be players who would rather receive 3/2 on 'Blackjacks' even if it meant giving up other rules in the game, for example dealer pushing on 22 and 23.

I suppose that 6/5 'Blackjack' has given players reason to avoid games where 'Blackjacks' pay less than 3/2. I was stating that it was not the case with BJ Switch, more a necessity.

Best regards
Geoff