Blackjack Switch Vs Blackjack Odds

Insurance is available and pays 2/1. Blackjack pays 1/1 instead of the usual 3/2. When a player switches to create Blackjack, it only counts as 21. A dealer hand of 22 pushes against player hands. Blackjack Switch was invented in 2009, and it is one of the lowest house edge Blackjack variants. Blackjack has always been one of the most popular card games in the world. The game was first played back in the 17 th century and since then it has become an inseparable part of. House Edge – Blackjack Switch vs Blackjack Odds The different online casino software providers have different interpretations of what a ‘classic’ or ‘normal’ blackjack game is. If you look at NetEnt’s Blackjack, the theoretical return-to-player percentage is 99.75% while for Playtech’s Blackjack it is 99.53%.

Blackjack Switch is a casino gambling game invented by Geoff Hall and patented in 2009.^[1] It is based on blackjack, but differs in that two hands, rather than one, are dealt to each playing position, and the player is initially allowed to exchange ('switch') the top two cards between hands. Natural blackjacks are paid 1:1 instead of the standard 3:2, and a dealer hard 22 pushes all player hands except a natural.

History[edit]

Blackjack Switch Vs Blackjack Odds Poker

Blackjack Switch was conceived after Hall - who was a card counter at the time - became frustrated at being dealt 2 weak hands when playing Blackjack that could be improved dramatically if the top two cards were allowed to be switched. Hall then developed this idea and exhibited the game at the G2E conference in Las Vegas in October 2000. Blackjack Switch was installed in Harvey’s Casino in Iowa in February 2001. After this Hall modified the game to include the ‘Push on 22’ rule in 2003. This modification led to the game being installed in Four Queens in December 2003.^[2] The game has since become widely available in offline casinos in Las Vegas and around the world and is offered online only by Playtech casinos. Further games developed by Hall that are found in Las Vegas casinos include Free Bet Blackjack,Zombie Blackjack, and Zappit.^[3]

Play[edit]

Blackjack Switch is played with four, six or eight 52-card decks which are shuffled together. The shuffled cards are dealt from a dealing shoe or a shuffling machine.

A semicircular card table with a similar layout to blackjack is used. Each playing position has two betting boxes, rather than one, and the initial wagers in these two boxes must be identical. However, each corresponds to a separate hand; during play they may be doubled and split independently, and are resolved separately.

In the initial deal, the dealer puts one card face up on each box of each playing position starting from his left, deals a face-up card to himself, and then a further card to each box left to right. After resolving any side bet, the dealer then consults each player in turn, initially asking them whether they wish to 'switch' their top cards. 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. After a player has made a decision whether or not to switch, the dealer offers him the chance to hit, stand or double, firstly for the hand on the player's right-hand box, then for the one on the left. As in blackjack, a player hand which exceeds 21 is 'bust'; its cards are removed and its backing wager acquired by the house.

When all players have been consulted, the dealer plays out his hand according to blackjack-style drawing rules, with the difference that a dealer hand of 22 is not a bust but a push (a tie) against any surviving player hand; the only exception is a player blackjack which has not been obtained by switching or splitting.

The small variations in dealer drawing rules between casinos which are found in blackjack are also found in Blackjack Switch, such as whether the dealer must stand or hit on soft 17 (a hand totalling 17 but containing an ace counted as 11. A-6 or A-3-3, for example), whether even money/insurance is offered, whether a player may double after a split, and whether a player may hit split aces.

Strategy[edit]

The strategy of Blackjack Switch covers both the switch decision and the subsequent decisions of whether to stand, double, or draw a further card which are familiar from blackjack strategy.

The switch decision[edit]

The correct decision regarding whether to switch is sometimes obvious, particularly when there is the largest difference in advantage. However, borderline 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'^[4] 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.^[5]

Basic strategy after the switch decision[edit]

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

Side bet[edit]

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.^[6] 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.

Blackjack Switch Vs Blackjack Odds Against

References[edit]

1. ^Norm Wattenberger. 'Modern Blackjack'. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
2. ^ThePOGG (27 November 2012). 'ThePOGG Interviews – Geoff Hall – The creator of Blackjack Switch'.
3. ^Michael Shackleford. 'Blackjack Info Interview with Geoff Hall'. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
4. ^Snyder, Arnold (2006). The Big Book of Blackjack. New York: Cardoza Publishing. pp. 229–45. ISBN1-58042-155-5.
5. ^Shackleford, Michael (May 2011). 'Switching decision'. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
6. ^'Blackjack Switch'. blackjackswitch.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-28.

External links[edit]

Blackjack Switch is one of the most interesting variants of blackjack that you can play online. But even more than that, it’s also one of the best blackjack games when it comes to return-to-player (RTP) percentage. With a house edge of merely 0.13%, you will hardly find a real-money game online that gives you better odds.

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Basically, the biggest difference between the classic blackjack game and Blackjack Switch is the fact that the players can switch the top cards of the two hands they are dealt. This specific rule gives the players a huge advantage which is countered by two additional rules: a natural blackjack pays 1:1 instead of 3:2 and a dealer 22 is a push and not a bust against all hands except for a natural. The game was conceived by Geoff Hall who officially presented it at the Las VEgas G2E conference in 2000 (source: Wikipedia). On the Internet, this particular blackjack variation is offered exclusively by the software provider Playtech. Check a quick overview of the game in the table below:

• Basic Game Rules
• Return to Player: 99.87% Blackjack pays: 1 to 1
• Decks: 6
• Insurance: yes
• Multihand: yes
• Side bets: yes
• Surrender: no

• Split and Double Rules
• Split: any pair
• Resplit: Up to 3 hands
• Double: any two cards
• Double after split: yes
• Hit split aces: no

• Dealer Rules
• Hits: soft 17
• Peeks for Blackjack: yes
• Special Game Rules: Dealer 22 is a push except against a natural blackjack.

• Bonus:Up to £50
• Bonus code:not required
• Wagering contribution:5%
• Software:Playtech
• Link:Try now betfair

Blackjack Switch Rules

As in any other blackjack game, your goal when playing Blackjack Switch is to get a higher hand than the dealer’s without going over 21, i.e. without going ‘bust’. As I already mentioned, the online version of the game is offered exclusively by Playtech and is played with 6 standard decks. The table layout featrues two betting boxes, as opposed to one, because of the fact that every game the player is dealt two hands. There’s also an additional betting box for the side bet ‘Super Match’ which we’ll discuss a little bit further down the page.

The game begins after you’ve placed your bets. Note that if you place for example a £1 bet on the first hand, another £1 will be automatically placed on the second hand. Once you’ve selected the amount you want to bet, press the ‘deal’ button. You’ll receive two pairs of cards facing up, while the dealer will receive one upcard and one card facing down. Then you’ll be able to choose between the following options: switch, hit (ask for another card), stand (accept your hand as it is), double (double the bet amount and get one and only one more card) or split in case you have a pair.

Another option available in blackjack switch is to take ‘insurance’ if the dealer’s upcard is an ace. After you’ve decided whether to pay the additional bet, the dealer will peek for blackjack and if they have one, you automatically loose the hand. If they have a blackjack and you’ve accepted the insurance though, you’ll get the value of your initial bet back. The dealer also peeks for blackjack if they have a 10-valued card, but in that case no insurance is offered.

When your turn to play is finished, i.e. you’ve pressed ‘stand’ or busted for both hands, it’s the dealer’s turn. As opposed to the player, the dealer doesn’t have the option to choose but rather acts on specific rules. They have to ‘hit’ until they get a hand valued at least 17 and then stand. As opposed to most blackjack variations, the dealer does have to hit a soft 17 (A and 6), i.e. a hand that can be counted as 7 or 17. Another specific rule in Blackjack Switch is that a dealer 22 hand is not a bust but a push (both parties receive back their bets) except against a natural blackjack, in which case the player wins. Otherwise, the hand with the higher count wins.

Side Bet – Super Match

The side bet featured in Blackjack Switch is called Super Match and rewards the following combinations with the following payouts: a pair – 1:1, three of a kind – 5:1, two pairs – 9:1 and four of a kind – 40:1. The side bet is not obligatory, i.e. you can decide whether or not to bet on a match and if you decide to do so, you’ll have to bet additional chips.

House Edge – Blackjack Switch vs Blackjack Odds

The different online casino software providers have different interpretations of what a ‘classic’ or ‘normal’ blackjack game is. If you look at NetEnt’s Blackjack, the theoretical return-to-player percentage is 99.75% while for Playtech’s Blackjack it is 99.53%. And still, that’s nowhere near the 99.87% of RTP offered by Blackjack Switch. That means that when you play this variation of the game with perfect strategy, the house edge is only 0.13%. In fact, as you can see in the chart below, Blackjack Switch is Playtech’s most advantageous blackjack game.

The only ‘classic’ variation of blackjack you can find online that offers an RTP percentage that high is Microgaming’s Classic Blackjack. In fact, the game has the same house edge as the one of Blackjack Switch – 0.13%. Therefore, if you prefer to play the normal version of the game rather than Blackjack Switch, you can pick any operator from our list of the best Microgaming casinos on the UK market and enjoy a more ‘classic’ blackjack with the same theoretical return.

Blackjack Switch Strategy

The optimal strategy for Blackjack Switch consists of two parts. The first is making the decision whether to switch the top cards of your two hands. This decision isn’t as simple as it may seem, because usually when you improve the value of one hand you decrease the value of the other. In most of the cases it’s not that easy to evaluate which is better – to switch or not, and this is why I would recommend you to use a switch calculator which will calculate the expected value of the hands with and without a switch. The second part of the strategy is to simply follow the Blackjack Switch chart that you can see below.

Only if you follow the above-presented strategy, you’ll be expected to have the lowest house edge of 0.13%. Then, you can lower it more or even overcome the rest of the house edge by taking advantage of the many bonus opportunities all Playtech-powered Casinos offer.

As you might have noticed, not one of the two parts of the Blackjack Switch strategy takes into account the side bet option that the game gives you. The reason for that is that the Super Match side bet has a house edge of over 2.5% which makes it very disadvantageous for the player. Thus, if you want to have the best odds possible when playing Blackjack Switch online, you should never take the Super Match bet.

Available Bonus Offers Clearable on Blackjack Switch

Blackjack Switch is a game that you will find in all major Playtech casinos, but not all of them offer bonuses that you can play the game with. For example, a casino might offer all its new users a nice welcome bonus of 100% up to £200 but if the wagering contribution of Blackjack Switch for that bonus is 0%, there’s no point in considering it. In the table below you can see a list of the top Playtech Casinos that allow you to wager their welcome bonuses on the game plus information about the playthrough requirements and the minimum deposit you have to make. Note that at all the below-mentioned casinos the wagering contribution of Blackjack Switch is 5%.

Conclusion

Blackjack Switch is one of the best blackjack variations you can choose to play online not only because of its low house edge but also because of the unique experience it offers. If you’re looking for something more than the standard blackjack version, we would definitely recommend you claim one of the bonuses we mentioned above and start playing right away!

FAQ

Can I play Blackjack Switch on iPhone or Android Smartphone?

Unfortunately, Playtech haven’t yet developed a mobile version of this particular blackjack variant. That said, considering the fact that mobile is going bigger and bigger by the minute, I personally wouldn’t be surprised if they soon launch more blackjack variations and why not even Blackjack Switch for mobile devices.