The Blackjack Rules Part2
Most of these rule effects have been calculated by using data from Peter Griffin's Theory of Blackjack. Note that the last five rules show effects of 00.00% for basic strategy players. Also, when it comes to the "bonus" rules, such as 6,7,8 suited or 7,7,7 pays 2 to 1, the general rule is to never change your basic strategy to try for a bonus payout.
In some cases, when a specific dollar amount is awarded for the bonus hand, the value is dependent on the player's bet size. For instance, if 6,7,8 suited pays a $100 bonus, then the percentage will be quite different for a player who has a $2 bet and a player who has a $200 bet. The first player would receive a 50 to 1 payout on his hand, while the second player would receive only an extra half-bet. The $2 bettor would likely be right to hit his hand against any dealer upcard, if his hand contained two of the needed suited cards. The $200 bettor would usually be in error if he hit the hand in violation of his basic/count strategy.
The best source book for determining the value of weird bonuses, and how to adjust your strategy when appropriate, is Stanford Wong's Basic Blackjack. All players who travel frequently to foreign countries, where some of the more unusual rules are in play, should have this book in their libraries; it defines the esoteric rules at work around the world, and provides the strategies for playing them.
Returning to the chart, note the huge negative effect of "BJ Pays 6 to 5," a rule now common in many Las Vegas single-deck games. This rule is a killer, and it's worse yet when BJ pays 1 to 1 (even money), as is standard in all "Super Fun 21" games. All those other "good" rules that the "Super Fun" game allows do not make up for this single punitive one. Serious card counters should stick with the traditional "BJ Pays 3 to 2" games.
Effects in Percent
Common Rules 1-Deck 2-Deck Multi-Deck
Double on 10-11 only: -0.26 -0.21 -0.18
Double on 9-10-11 only: -0.13 -0.11 -0.09
Hits Soft 17: -0.19 -0.20 -0.21
No Re-splits: -0.02 -0.03 -0.04
Double After Splits: +0.14 +0.14 +0.14
Re-split Aces: +0.03 +0.05 +0.07
Draw to Split Aces: +0.14 +0.14 +0.14
Late Surrender: +0.02 +0.05 +0.08
Late Surrender (H softl7): +0.03 +0.06 +0.09
Less Common Rules
Double on 8-9-10-11 only: -0.13 -0.11 -0.09
Double on 11 only: -0.78 -0.69 -0.64
Double after Ace splits: +0.10 +0.10 +0.10
Double on 3+ cards: +0.24 +0.23 +0.23
No Ace Splits: -0.16 -0.17 -0.18
Early Surrender: +0.62 +0.62 +0.63
Early Surrender (H soft 17): +0.70 +0.71 +0.72
Early Surrender v. 10 only: +0.19 +0.21 +0.24
BJ Pays 6 to 5: -1.40 -1.37 -1.36
BJ Pays 1 to 1: -2.32 -2.28 -2.26
BJ Pays 2 to 1: +2.32 +2.28 +2.26
Suited BJ Pays 2 to 1: +0.58 +0.57 +0.56
21 Pushes Dir. 10-up BJ: +0.20 +0.20 +0.20
No Hole Card (European): -0.10 -0.11 -0.11
5-card21 Pays 2 to 1: +0.20 +0.20 +0.20
6-card21 Pays 2 to 1: +0.10 +0.10 +0.10
Suited 678 Pays 2 to 1: +0.01 +0.01 +0.01
7-7-7 Pays 3 to 2: +0.01 +0.01 +0.01
6 Cards Un-busted Wins: +0.10 +0.10 +0.10
No Insurance: 00.00 00.00 00.00
Multi-Action: 00.00 00.00 00.00
Over/Under: 00.00 00.00 00.00
Royal Match 00.00 00.00 00.00
Super 7s: 00.00 00.00 00.00
Let's walk through the "off the top" expectations in a more typical blackjack game. Consider a standard Atlantic City 8-deck game, which allows double after splits, but no re-splits. The basic strategy expectation is derived by adding together the effects of both the number of decks in play, and the rules being used (from the multi-deck column):
8 Decks: -0.57
Double After Splits: +0.14
No Re-splits: -0.04
House Advantage: -0.47%
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