Blackjack Switch

A friend of mine recently told me about Blackjack Switch.  My friends rarely tell me about a casino game that I don’t know about.  That sent me into research mode.  I had to find out what this game was all about.  I think I like what I found.

Explanation of Blackjack Switch.

  • The player makes two bets on two hands of blackjack.  The cards are all dealt face up.  The player is allowed to switch cards between those hands.  For example; if the player is dealt a 10-5 and A-5, the player can switch the hands to have 10-A and 5-5.
  • Blackjack is paid 1:1 instead of 3:2 like the normal game or even 6:5 like we’re seeing more often and dealers hit on soft 17.
  • If a player switches cards and get’s 21 it is not blackjack and will push against 21 or 22 by the dealer.
  • The dealer plays until 22.  If the dealer gets 22 then the hand is a push.
  • There is also a bonus bet.  The bonus bet pays anywhere from 1:1 for a pair all the way to 40:1 for four of a kind.

Blackjack Switch sounds like fun to me, but what seals the deal is the house advantage

Default House Advantage for Blackjack Switch is .58%.  That can be lower depending on the house rules.  The bonus bet has a house edge of 2.55%.  Normal blackjack has a house edge of approximately .63%, depending on the rules.

Blackjack switch seems a lot more fun then some of the other carnival type games that I’ve tried in the casinos.  I will give it a shot on my next trip to Vegas, but won’t likely go out of my way to play it.  No game really makes me do that.

Sources:
Wizard of odds: Blackjack switch

Wizard of odds: Blackjack

Wikipedia