blackjack switch

[jtleon]

what is the house edge for blackjack switch?
they have these rules
house 22 push
blackjack pays 1-1

i think this rule would make the house edge a lot higher~ so i never play it, juz want to know if my thinking is right....i would rather chose traditional BJ than BJ switch

[Sonny]

Here's Arnold Snyder's article:

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/...icstrategy.htm

He has a playing strategy and betting strategy for this game in his Big Book of BJ. It can be beaten but he doesn't give any win rates.

-Sonny-

[Automatic Monkey]

There are some erroneous basic strategies out there for Blackjack Switch. Play it just like you would a regular game- the push-on-22 rule cannot be compensated for by hitting on hands you would normally stand on. If the dealer is going to get a 22 nothing you can draw is going to help you.

The switch strategy is very complex and might require memorizing charts of win rates for various hands. I used to play a lot of BJ Switch online (back when Playtech was dealing it as a positive EV game!) and with practice I was guessing the correct pair of hands to play almost every time. For counting the card EOR's are going to be different due to the 1:1 BJ; use Zen or some similar count that properly weights the ace.

[jtleon]

Originally Posted by Sonny

Here's Arnold Snyder's article:

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/...icstrategy.htm

He has a playing strategy and betting strategy for this game in his Big Book of BJ. It can be beaten but he doesn't give any win rates.

-Sonny-

Thanks Sonny~

[KenSmith]

Originally Posted by Automatic Monkey

There are some erroneous basic strategies out there for Blackjack Switch. Play it just like you would a regular game- the push-on-22 rule cannot be compensated for by hitting on hands you would normally stand on. If the dealer is going to get a 22 nothing you can draw is going to help you.

This isn't accurate. Because of the push-on-22 rule, the dealer bust is less valuable than usual. That means that standing on stiffs is worth less than usual, which means that a more aggressive hitting strategy is appropriate.

[Automatic Monkey]

Originally Posted by KenSmith

This isn't accurate. Because of the push-on-22 rule, the dealer bust is less valuable than usual. That means that standing on stiffs is worth less than usual, which means that a more aggressive hitting strategy is appropriate.

On the other hand, catching a good hand or even a 21 is also less valuable, because if you catch a 21 and the dealer catches a 22, it's still a push. However if you bust your hand and the dealer catches 22, it's not a push, you lose. I don't see any kind of play that can compensate for this rule.

The illustration I like for the push-22 rule is imagine a sloppy dealer, who just forgets to pay you whenever he busts with a 22 and you have no opportunity to complain about it. That would be the equivalent of the push-22 rule. There's nothing you can do about this; deviating from Basic Strategy won't help you at all.

But I could be wrong- I'd like to see the math worked out to prove why a different basic strategy is called for.

[zengrifter]

Originally Posted by KenSmith

This isn't accurate. Because of the push-on-22 rule, the dealer bust is less valuable than usual. That means that standing on stiffs is worth less than usual, which means that a more aggressive hitting strategy is appropriate.

thats not apparent in the WOO BS below. zg

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Blackjack Switch BS from Wizard of Odds



...more info - http://wizardofodds.com/blackjackswitch

[Automatic Monkey]

Interesting, according to my first math on it the modified BS is right! I did an empirical simulation for the dealer outcome and probability using an infinite deck model of what happens when you draw one card to a 13.

H17 game, player has 13 vs. dealer 2-

Player advantage without push-22 rule-
Stand= -28.66%
Hit= -30.89%

Player advantage with push-22 rule-
Stand= -43.88%
Hit= -40.25%

So I guess it does work. But it's very counterintuitive, being that if the dealer is going to get a 22 there's nothing you can do to improve your hand, you can only make it worse.