Online Blackjack

The switch decision

The correct decision regarding whether to switch is sometimes obvious, particularly when there is the largest difference in advantage. However, bordeline and counter-intuitive cases are relatively common, and switching strategy is hard to summarize. While an often-quoted rule of thumb is to choose the option that forms or preserves the best single hand, this is unreliable; sometimes it is even correct to break up a natural by switching, for instance in the case AT + T[3-8] vs. dealer 7, 8 or 9. The correct switching choice depends on the dealer card in a significant minority of cases. Near-optimal schemes which can be learnt have been developed by several authors: Arnold Snyder presents a protocol for switching decisions based on four categories of hand, “winner”, “push”, “loser” and “chance” ^[1] which he claims reduces the house edge to 0.25% under his ruleset. Cindy Liu presents a scheme based on assigning a point value to the dealt hands and those produced by switching^[2].

Basic strategy after the switch decision

Basic strategy for playing out blackjack switch hands, after the switching decision has been made, is tabulated below, for a game in which the dealer hits soft 17 and peeks for blackjack. Compared to traditional blackjack, in Blackjack Switch there are fewer occasions where doubling or splitting is rewarding, and more occasions where it is correct to hit at the risk of going bust. The differences originate from the push-on-dealer-22 rule.

Key:

S = Stand

H = Hit

D = Double

SP = Split

References

1. ^ Snyder, Arnold (2006). The Big Book of Blackjack. New York: Cardoza Publishing. pp. 229–45. ISBN 1-58042-155-5.
2. ^ Shackleton, Michael (May 2011). “Switching decision”. Retrieved May 8, 2011.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

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THE GOAL OF THE PROFESSIONAL PLAYER IS TO PUT IN AS MUCH QUALITY PLAYING TIME AS POSSIBLE; WIN OR LOSS AMOUNTS ARE SECONDARY. BY PLAYING AND BETTING CORRECTLY, THE $$$ WILL COME WITH TIME.

(Source: GameMaster)

Blackjack Switch is a variant of blackjack in which two hands are dealt to each playing position, and the player is initially allowed to exchange (“switch”) the top two cards between hands. For example, if the player is dealt 10-5 and 6-10, then the player may switch to transform the two hands into 10-10 and 6-5. Natural blackjacks are paid 1:1 instead of the standard 3:2, and a dealer hard 22 pushes all player hands except a natural. The initial bets on the two hands must be identical, although during playing out they may be doubled and split independently. The two wagers are resolved separately.

Side bet

Blackjack Switch tables typically allow a side bet, called Super Match, which rewards pairs, three-of-a-kind, two-pairs or four-of-a-kind among the four initial cards comprising the players two hands. For a 6-deck game, the Super Match bet pays out 1 to 1 if there a pair is present, 5 to 1 for three of a kind, 8 to 1 for two pairs and 40 to 1 for four of a kind. ^[1] This seems to mitigate the adverse effect on the player of the case where the two top or bottom cards are identical, which robs the player of a meaningful switching decision, although, like most side bets, playing it increases the house edge.

References

1. ^ “Blackjack Switch”. blackjackswitch.com. Retrieved 2011-04-28.

Links

• Wizard of Odds: Blackjack Switch
• Blackjack Switch Decision Calculator

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

I always stress the idea of ‘expectation’ as it applies to casino gaming because understanding the concept will help you stop gambling and hopefully turn you into an investor at the tables. By definition, an investor expects to make a profit so you cannot be an investor if you play at games where there is a negative expectation. If you bet $10 on the Pass line at craps, you’ll either win $10 or lose $10, but your ‘expectation’ is to lose 14 cents on every hand. That’s because the house has a built-in edge of 1.4% on that bet and if you play it frequently, your average loss will work out to be 14 cents per decision. In the short term you might win a lot of money, but play it long enough and the house edge will eventually have its effect. Since the average craps table produces about 60 decisions an hour, the cost per hour of betting $10 on the pass line will work out to be — in the long run — about 60 X 14 cents = $8.40.

Now let’s look at this concept from the point of view of a positive expectation situation like card counting at Blackjack. If your average bet is $12 and the average advantage you have over the house is 1.25%, your expectation is to win $12 X .0125 = $.15 per hand. Yes, that’s 15 cents per hand. At a rate of 60 hands an hour, you can expect to make — in the long run — about 60 X 15 cents = $9.00 an hour. But, if you can increase the number of hands you play per hour to, say, 80 hands, you’ve raised your expectation to 80 X 15 cents = $12.00 an hour. The only other way to make more money is to either raise the size of your average bet or increase your edge over the casino. The bet size is just a function of your bankroll (and your ability to continue ‘fooling’ the casino into believing you are just another gambler and not a card counter) and the advantage is mostly a function of the casino’s rules for their Blackjack game. I will address both these issues in future lessons, so for now let’s focus on increasing the number of hands you play in an hour.

(Source: GameMaster)