Jul 12, 2008  Blackjack and 21 are two different hands in the game of blackjack. Learn the difference between the two from a blackjack expert in this free video. Blackjack is a casino table game in which players try to make hands which score as close to 21 points without going over. In order to win, players must make a better hand than the dealer. While it may sound simple, blackjack is an exciting game of strategy, luck, odds and risks, which has made blackjack one of the most popular gambling games in.

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Introduction

Blackjack switch is a blackjack variant which allows the player to do what is normally considered a classic cheating manoeuver, trading cards between two hands. The player must make two bets of equal size and is allowed to switch the second card dealt to each hand. Of course, nothing good comes without a trade-off. In this case a dealer 22 results in a push against all non-busted hands and blackjacks pay even money.

The game goes by the name Blackjack Exchange at the Bregenz Casino in Austria.

Rules

• All rules are based on conventional blackjack unless otherwise noted.
• Six or eight decks are used.
• Dealer usually hits a soft 17. I hear in Ontario, Canada, the dealer stands on soft 17.
• The player must make two bets of equal size.
• Cards will be dealt face up.
• Dealer will peek for blackjack with an ace or ten up. If the dealer has a blackjack all player hands will immediately lose, except a player blackjack will push.
• The player may switch the second card dealt to each hand. For example, if one hand has 5,10 and the other has 10,6, the player may switch the 10 and 6 to have two hands of 11 and 20. The player may also switch cards to form a blackjack.
• If the player switches to a blackjack, it counts as 21 points.
• Player may double on any 2 cards.
• Player may double after a split.
• Player may resplit up to four hands.
• Winning player blackjacks pay even money.
• A dealer total of 22 will push against any player total of 21 or less. A player blackjack will still beat a dealer 22.

Russian Rules: Same as the rules above, except early surrender allowed (sometimes not against an ace), dealer does not take a hole card, and dealer stands on soft 17.

Playing Strategy

The following tables show the basic strategy under the 8-deck Las Vegas rules after the switch decision has been made. The reason for the differences compared to conventional blackjack strategy is the push on 22 rule.

If 6 decks are used the player should double 9 against a 5.

At this time I have not created a strategy for the Russian rules or Ontario rules.

Simple Switching Strategy

The following is the 'Cindy Liu Simple Switching Strategy,' appropriate under the Las Vegas rules. It is based on the following list of hands in order of strength:

1. 21
2. 20
3. 19
4. AA
5. 11
6. 10
7. 9
8. 18 or 8
9. 8,8 with 2-8 up

Following is how to use it.

1. Against a dealer 7 or 8, balance the hands, by making the weaker hand as high as possible, using the above scale of hands, if you can.

2. Against any other dealer up card, maximize the strength of the higher hand, using the scale above, if you can.

3. If you can't achieve one of the desired hands in the list, then make the strongest hand possible from the following list, in order of strength:

   • 7 or 17
   • any hand that should be split
   • any 12
   • any 13

4. Exceptions:

   • With A,A + 3,8 — keep the aces together.
   • With A,A + 2,9 — keep the aces together if the dealer has 2-6
   • With A,A + 2,8 — keep the aces together

The simple strategy, compared to optimal strategy, results in a cost of errors of 0.17%. It results in an error once every 18.6 hands, and an error with an expected value of more than 10% once every 82 hands.

Advanced Switching Strategy

The following is the 'Cindy Liu Advanced Switching Strategy,' appropriate under the Las Vegas rules. To use it, add up the points for each hand for both ways to play them, and play the one with the greater number of points. In the case of a tie, use the the simple strategy.

Let's look at an example. Suppose you have 8+4 and A+8 against a dealer 6, where the underlined card is the second one dealt. So you can play (1) 12 and soft 19, or (2) 8-8 and soft 15. Which pair of hands is better? According to the table, the 12 is worth 0 points and the soft 19 is worth 1, for a total of 1. For the alternative, 8-8 is worth 1 and the soft 15 is worth 1, also for a total of 2. So the odds favor switching to 8-8 and soft 15. Note that the simple strategy would incorrectly advise the player to not switch. My Blackjack Switch appendix 1 shows that the combined expected value of 12 + soft 19 is -0.2108+0.3634=0.1526, and 8-8 + soft 15 is higher at 0.1461+0.0365=0.1824.

The cost of mistakes in the advanced strategy, compared to optimal strategy, is 0.08% only. The player will make an incorrect decision once every 24.5 hands, and a mistake with an expected value over 10% once every 250 hands.

I also have a printer friendly version (PDF) of both switching strategies, as well as the basic strategy.

Arnold Snyder Switching Strategy

The Big Book of Blackjack by Arnold Synder contains an easy and intuitive switching strategy. Out of respect for copyright, I won't say more than that about how it works. According to Cindy Liu, the Sndyer strategy results in a cost of errors of about 0.2% compared to optimal strategy. Besides that, I highly recommend the book for breaking new ground in blackjack, which is not easy to do any more.

Switching Calculator

My Blackjack Switch calculator, courtesy of Jing Ding, will advise when to switch in any situation. The calculator is based on the Playtech rules and an infinite deck assumption.

House Edge

Under the standard Las Vegas rules, with six decks, the dealer hits a soft 17, and a switched blackjack counts as 21 points, the house edge is 0.58%, assuming optimal strategy. Follow are the effects on the house edge of some rule variations:

• Eight decks: +0.02%
• Switched blackjack automatically wins: -0.40%
• Blackjack automatic winner: -0.21%
• Dealer stands on soft 17: -0.30%

The house edge under the Russian rules is 0.20%, assuming early surrender against an ace is allowed.

Side Bet

There is also a Super Match side bet based on the player's initial four cards. The following table shows the paytable, probability, and return of each hand:

Super Match Side Bet

The lower right cell shows a house edge on the side bet of 2.55%.

C4

The Casino Bregenz in Austria offers Blackjack Switch under the name Blackjack Exchange. They add a side bet called the C4, which is based on the poker value of the player's initial four cards. The table below shows a house edge of 14.32%, based on six decks.

C4 — Six Decks

With four decks, the house edge of the C4 is 18.02%. With eight decks it is 12.40%.

Other Switch Pages

• Printer friendly basic and switching strategies (PDF).
• Appendix 1: Expected value table for each initial hand, for purposes of making accurate switching decisions.

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Cindy Liu for both her simple and advanced switching strategies, Jing Ding for his switching calculator, and to Gabor for his mathematical contributions.

External Links

• German translation of this article.
• Interview with the inventor of Blackjack Switch Geoff Hall

What are the pros and cons of roulette versus the pros and cons of blackjack? How do these games differ, and how are they the same? Like all casino games, they have certain characteristics that hold true for every game you’ll play in a casino. But they also have significant differences, which I’ll analyze for you on this page.

Independent Events versus Deck Composition Strategies

The odds in roulette never change, no matter what happens on previous bets. If you bet on black, the odds are always either 18/38 or 18/37 that you’ll win. That’s because every spin of a roulette wheel is an independent event. Previous results don’t affect the odds on subsequent results.

This doesn’t mean that roulette gamblers understand this. Many of them stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the simple fact that it’s impossible to get an edge on roulette based on studying the results of previous spins. Martingale players take this to a systematic extreme by lowering and raising their wagers based on what happened on the last spin.

Imagine though a new roulette wheel, one in which certain numbers got filled in once they’d been hit. The odds would change with every spin of the wheel, right? For example, there are 18 black numbers, so the odds of winning a bet on black are 18/38. If you removed one of the black numbers after black hit, the odds of winning the same bet would be reduced to 17/38.

It doesn’t take a math genius to understand how you could use this information to your advantage.

But that’s exactly what happens with a blackjack deck. Once a card is dealt, it’s gone, and the composition of the deck has changed. This is how card counters make money. They use a heuristic system to estimate how favorable the deck is to the player.

Some might have trouble getting their head around this idea, but it becomes simpler if you think of it this way. You get paid out 3 to 2 if you hit a natural “21” right? All other bets pay out at even money, so getting a natural blackjack is where a blackjack player makes his money.

But what are your odds of being dealt a blackjack if all four of the aces in the deck have already been dealt? They become 0, right? If the deck has 0 aces in it, and you need an ace and a face or ten to get the 3 to 2 payout, then the house edge increases considerably.

The same holds true for the tens, but there are more of them in a deck. And the reverse of this is true. As the lower cards are dealt, the ratio of tens and aces becomes more favorable. So the card counter raises his bet sizes to take advantage of the higher chance of getting a bigger payout.

Strategy versus Pure Chance

Another aspect of blackjack that’s different from roulette is the ability for the player to affect the house edge by making smart decisions. (The house edge is the percentage of each wager that the casino expects to win over the long run.)

In roulette, the house edge is fixed, regardless of what decisions you make. On an American wheel, you face a house edge of 5.26%. On a European wheel, you face a house edge of 2.70%. No decisions that you make can change this number.

On the other hand, there are multiple decision points in a blackjack hand. You could increase the house edge to 100% by hitting every hand until you bust, for example. (Most players are smarter than that, though.)

Smart blackjack players use something called “basic strategy” to make their decisions. Basic strategy provides the mathematically best play in every situation that might come up. It’s generally easy to memorize.

The difference between using basic strategy and just playing your hunches is significant. Game conditions vary, but generally speaking, if you use correct basic strategy, you can reduce the house edge to between 0.5% and 1%. Players who don’t know basic strategy face a house edge of 4% to 5%.

If you like making decisions that affect your outcome, and you want to play a game where you can get edge by an advantage maneuver like counting cards, skip the roulette table. Play blackjack instead.

On the other hand, if that sounds like too much trouble, roulette can be a lot of fun. It’s not a sucker bet, no matter what anyone tells you–unless you buy into some loony roulette system or superstition.

Wagers per Hour

Another difference that has a practical effect on a player is how many wagers per hour happen at the table in the two games. You can estimate how much money you’ll expect to lose per hour if you multiply the size of your wager by the house edge and multiplying that by the number of wagers you make per hour.

Roulette is a relatively leisurely game. If you’re playing at a table with five other players, you’re only going to be seeing 35 spins per hour. If you only place a single wager per spin, you can easily estimate your average hourly loss.

Suppose you’re betting $5 a spin. The house edge is 5.26%. So you can expect to lose about 26.3 cents per spin. You can expect to lose a little over $9 per hour at that rate.

Of course, with fewer players at the roulette table, you can expect to see more wagers per hour. If it’s just you and the dealer, for example, you can expect to see 100 or so spins per hour, which will triple your expected hourly loss.

Blackjack is a faster-paced game. If you’re playing blackjack at a table with 5 other players, you can expect to see 60 hands per hour. If you’re playing with perfect basic strategy (1% house edge) at $5 per hand, you can expect to lose a nickel per hand. That’s just $3 per hour. Even though you’re putting almost twice the money into action per hour, your entertainment is costing you even less.

Does that make blackjack better than roulette? That depends on your personality. Do you like a leisurely, elegant game? Do you prefer not to have to think too much when gambling? Then roulette is better than roulette—for you.

Is Blackjack Better Than 21 Days

On the other hand, if you like card games and enjoy the challenge of making correct decisions, blackjack is more likely to be suited to your personality.

21 Blackjack Rules

The pros and cons of each game are all based on what you prefer as a gambler.