Ultimate Blackjack
Ultimate Blackjack Featured A casino favorite, the classic game of blackjack. BLACKJACK QUIZ The first step to become a skillful player is to learn the basic blackjack playing strategy. Many players believe they know the basic strategy and how to play blackjack.It’s been.
There are only so many ways casinos can increase the house edge in a blackjack game before people stop playing. Gaming manufacturers understand this and continue to introduce new ways for casino operators to increase blackjack revenue.
Casino operators love side bets because they help increase revenue. These optional wagers often come with a higher house edge than the base blackjack game offered. The house edge on side bets is usually greater than the dreaded 6:5 blackjack games.
The majority of recreational gamblers aren’t concerned with the house edge. They’re just looking for the most fun casino experience in the casino. The chance to win big on a single bet is that kind of fun. These players are in the casino for a good time, not a long time.
Scientific Games is one of the most aggressive gaming manufacturers when it comes to creating new gambling experiences. They make slot machines, electronic table and stadium games, and a variety of products for traditional table games.
Gaining placement for completely new table games in a casino isn’t easy. Finding space in a casino for a new side bet isn’t as difficult between their new electronic blackjack games and existing traditional blackjack games. Here are a couple of new blackjack side bets you might soon find in a casino near you.
TriLux Blackjack
TriLux is an optional side bet for blackjack that uses the first two cards the player receives and the dealers up card. The resulting 3 Card Poker hand is paid according to the paytable used by the casino. There are different paytables so casinos could pay differently.
This bonus is similar to the 21+3 side bet you might have seen in casinos. What makes TriLux different is the added bonus if the dealer wins the main hand of blackjack. There are three versions of this side bet:
Wizard of Odds has a breakdown of the house edge for different TriLux blackjack games.
Lightning blackjack
Lightning Blackjack is the newest blackjack side bet from Scientific Games. If a player is dealt a natural blackjack the Lightning Blackjack bet activates a bonus game. The player is given a cup with three (3) dice. One side of each die has a white lightning bolt, another has a black lightning bolt and the others are blank.
Each combination has a different bonus payout that will be paid after the dice are revealed by the dealer. Payouts are as follows:
- 0 lightning bolts: 9-1
- 1 lightning bolt: 10-1
- 2 mixed color lightning bolts: 20-1
- 2 same color lightning bolts: 30-1
- 3 mixed color lightning bolts: 100-1
- 3 same color lightning bolts: 200-1
According to Wizard of Odds, the probability of being dealt a natural blackjack in a six deck shoe is 4.75%. You can see the math about ¼ down this page. He doesn’t have a house edge breakdown of this side bet on the site yet.
If you have been trying to learn blackjack by reading articles and online blogs, you must have observed some difference in what different sources say about playing a specific blackjack hand. For instance, I recently read in a book about a specific hand that should not be played, however, an online article that I read suggested to go ahead and hit that hand. Naturally, I got confused and so I started researching. This is what I found out.
The strategy for some blackjack hands may differ depending on the (mix of) playing rules and/or the number of decks used in that game. Let’s understand this with an example.
We will take the example of the following hands and learn how to play them in different conditions (and with different sets of rules).
A-8 VS. DEALER 6
Dealer 6 means this is a 6-deck game. A simple strategy for multi-deck games with h17 (dealer hitting soft 17) is to take a more aggressive approach and double down on soft 19. On the other hand, the best idea in a 6-deck game with s17 (dealer standing on soft 17) is to stand. The chances of the dealer busting are more when they hit soft 17 and so you can be aggressive.
Let’s now try another hand.
A-7 VS. DEALER 2
This is a double-deck game. If the dealer hits soft 17 (h17), the player can choose to double down on soft 18, same as the above example. The reason is also the same as before. The chances of the dealer busting are more with h17. Now, let’s try a totally different hand.
7-7 VS. DEALER 10
Ultimate Blackjack Strategy
Whereas in a six-deck or double-deck game (with h17), the best strategy is to hit, when you have a pair of 7s, however, when the game is single-deck, you should rather stand than hit. Here’s why.
When you already have two 7s in your hand, the probability of drawing a third 7 from the single-deck (to form a 21) to beat the dealer’s 20 is not much. This is why it is better to stand than hit such a hand. This is not true for a six-deck hand since there are too many 7s in the game and the probability of you drawing another from the deck is higher as compared to a single-deck hand. So, if you have the option of surrendering in a single-deck game when you have a pair of 7s, you should take it.
Let’s take another example of a different hand.
6-3 VS. DEALER 2
In a double-deck game, when you have 9, you should double it down against a dealer’s 2 (anything from 2 through 6 upcard). The idea is that since there are fewer decks of cards on the table, you should avoid drawing cards from your own hand and double down two small-value cards.
However, in a six-card game, you should double down on your 9 only if the dealer has a 3 through 6 upcard, otherwise, you should just hit 9.
6-5 VS. ACE
Ultimate Blackjack Eka
The rule says that you should double down your hand of 11 only if the dealer shows a 10 or less, otherwise you should simply hit. So, in a six-deck game with s17, you should hit against a dealer’s A.
However, if you are playing a double-deck game with s17 and have an 11 hand, you should definitely double down on it, no matter what the dealer shows. By doing so, you remove the two cards that you don’t want, which is not very viable in a six-card game.
Let’s try one more hand.
10-7 VS. ACE
A six-deck game with s17 always implies that you should stand on your hand 17. However, if the game is with h17, then the best step would be to surrender 17 against the ace of the dealer.
When the dealer has already hit a soft 17, the probability is that he/she would end up with a total more than 17. So, the best bet is to surrender your 17 to avoid the potential of losing. If you surrender, you can lose maximum 50% of your bet, as opposed to a stand which will certainly end up in you losing more than 50% of the bet.
Overall, the blackjack playing strategy depends a lot on the number of decks in the game as well as on the mix of game rules. Therefore, you should stick to a simple blackjack strategy for a specific number of decks and the playing rules in your favourite game.