Blackjack Switch is a casino gambling game invented by Geoff Hall and patented in 2009. 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. For the shedding-type card game sometimes called Black Jack, see Black Jack (Switch). For other uses, see Black Jack. Blackjack, formerly also Black Jack and Vingt-Un, is the American member of a global family of banking games known as Twenty-One, whose relatives include the British game of Pontoon and the European game, Vingt-et-Un.
- What Is Blackjack Switch Stand
- What Is Blackjack Switch Games
- What Is Blackjack Switch Fortnite
- What Is Blackjack Switch Lite
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Gamblers who've ever thought it would be nice to swap their cards around from one hand to the next should play 'blackjack switch'. In this game, the player is dealt two blackjack hands. After the deal, the gambler is allowed to switch the upcard between these two hands, increasing the strength of one or both hand combinations. This is a tremendous advantage to a blackjack player.
What Is Blackjack Switch Stand
As you might imagine, other rules are stipulated to mitigate that advantage. The house edge on this game can be as low as 0.20% (using the 'Russian' rules), so it's a solid version of twenty-one players should know about. As always when playing 21, know how the various rules affect the house edge or you could end up playing at an inferior table.
Basic Rules
- Blackjack Switch Review. 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.
- Blackjack Switch is yet another popular variation of the classic game of blackjack and Geoff Hall is considered its inventor. Although the game is based on the classic blackjack, there are some rules that make it different. In Blackjack Switch, two hands are dealt to each playing position.
- Blackjack Switch is the one of the exciting variations of Blackjack and also one of the most popular games you can play in casino. Basically, this game is quite similar to the traditional version. The table and the rules are the same with some minor changes and differences.
This Stack of Chips Was Won by a Blackjack Switch Player
Unless otherwise noted, all rules of switch are based on the classic blackjack rules. In most casinos, either 6 or 8 decks are used. Switching from six to eight decks increases the house edge by 0.02%. In most land-based gaming venues, the dealer hits on a soft 17, but you will occasionally hear of the dealer standing on a soft 17. Players' cards are dealt face up, while the dealer peaks for a blackjack if a ten or ace is showing. When the dealer holds a natural blackjack, all player hands lose automatically. If a player has a natural blackjack, then that hand is a push.
The player can double on any two cards. The player also may double after a split. Resplits can be performed up to four hands.
Dealer 22
To offset the advantageous rules of the game, any time a dealer holds a 22, this is a push if the player holds a 21 or less. If the player holds a natural twenty-one, then a dealer twenty-two still loses.
1:1 Payouts on Natural 21
Another rule in the favor of the house is the 1 to 1 payout on a natural twenty-one. In the classic version of the game, this is seen as the worst rule you could play under. In this variant, the rule only offsets advantages, so it's acceptable. Still, when considering strategy, understand that blackjacks pay much less.
Switching Rules
This Stack of Chips Was Won by a Blackjack Switch Player
Unless otherwise noted, all rules of switch are based on the classic blackjack rules. In most casinos, either 6 or 8 decks are used. Switching from six to eight decks increases the house edge by 0.02%. In most land-based gaming venues, the dealer hits on a soft 17, but you will occasionally hear of the dealer standing on a soft 17. Players' cards are dealt face up, while the dealer peaks for a blackjack if a ten or ace is showing. When the dealer holds a natural blackjack, all player hands lose automatically. If a player has a natural blackjack, then that hand is a push.
The player can double on any two cards. The player also may double after a split. Resplits can be performed up to four hands.
Dealer 22
To offset the advantageous rules of the game, any time a dealer holds a 22, this is a push if the player holds a 21 or less. If the player holds a natural twenty-one, then a dealer twenty-two still loses.
1:1 Payouts on Natural 21
Another rule in the favor of the house is the 1 to 1 payout on a natural twenty-one. In the classic version of the game, this is seen as the worst rule you could play under. In this variant, the rule only offsets advantages, so it's acceptable. Still, when considering strategy, understand that blackjacks pay much less.
Switching Rules
When the player switches cards to a combined twenty-one, this is considered a '21', but not a natural. In this scenario, a dealer 21 would beat this hand.
Switch Tip
One other deviation from the classic game rules is that players make two equal wagers in blackjack switch. This brings me to an important suggestion. Players must remember they must bet equally on both hands. If they neglect one hand to make the other unbeatable, they are still only breaking even. When switching cards, the player must try to build two strong hands.
Strategy Tips
Because of the dealer-22 rule, some hands you would stand on in convention twenty-one require you to hit. In other words, you have to be more aggressive, because the dealer isn't going to bust as often. Anytime the dealer is showing a 7 or higher, that's considered a strong hand and you'll need to play accordingly. If a 3 through 6 is showing, the dealer's hand looks weak. If the dealer is showing a 2, this isn't as weak as you'd expect, because 22 isn't a bust.
When you hold an 18 through 20 and your total beats the dealer's upcard total (assuming the other card is a 10), then you should place strong bets. For instance, if you hold a 19 and the dealer is showing 8, this is considered advantageous for you.
When to Stand
Stand anytime you have a hard 17 or higher. When you have a hard 12 through 16, hit when the dealer has a 7 through ace. Hit a hard 13 or 14 versus a 2. Hit a hard 12 versus a two, three, or four. Stand any other time you have a hard hand against a 2 through 5.
Stand on a soft 19 or 20. Always stand on a soft 18 when against a 2 through 8, but hit on a soft 18 versus a nine through ace. When you have a soft 17 or below, always hit before doubling. Double down when you have a 10 or an 11 against a 2 through 6. Double down on a 9 when against a dealer-6. If you have an ace-6 or ace-7, double down against a 5 or a 6. When you hold an ace-5, double against a dealer-6 only.
Switching to a Stronger Winner
When switching, it's sometimes good to switch to a stronger winning hand. For instance, let's say you hold an 18 and a 14, but you have a chance to switch to a 19 and 13. This second combination is considered better. Nineteen is a much stronger hand than eighteen. At the same time, 13 and 14 are virtually identical hands, because in either case, you're probably hoping for the dealer to bust out.
House Edge
Blackjack switch is a game any jaded classic twenty-one players should try. Not only do the switching rules add a whole other dimension to the game, but the house edge is lower than classic 21, if the rules are the same. You'll find it a challenge to learn a whole other set of dealer rules. Players will come to hate the dealer twenty-two rule, because it's going to break your heart several times a session. Players at land-based casinos and online casinos should be able to find the game. Microgaming, Playtech, and most other major online casino software companies have their own version of the game.
Suppose you are playing blackjack and you are dealt a King and a 6 while you neighbor has a 4 and an Ace. Wouldn't it be nice if you could switch your 6 with his Ace so you would have a blackjack? Of course, you wouldn't try to switch these cards in a casino, because if you were caught, you would be in a heap of trouble (switching cards is a cheating maneuver). But, there is a new blackjack game in town that is causing a stir amongst players because it allows you to do just that: switch your cards.
The game is appropriately called Blackjack Switch and it's currently being offered in several casinos in Vegas and on Internet casinos. But interest in the game is high with players, and if it continues, it won't be long before the game will be offered in other casinos across the country.
The appeal of the game is it allows players to legally do what is now illegal, namely switch cards. In Blackjack Switch, you must play two hands per round with equal bets but you have the option to switch the second card dealt to each hand. This playing option gives players a big advantage because you could switch one or two bad hands into two very good hands. Here's an example of what I mean.
I was playing Blackjack Switch recently at the Four Queens in Las Vegas to get a feel for the game when the dealer gave me a 7-5 on one hand and a 6-4 on the other. She was showing an 8 upcard. I had a fairly decent play on my 6-4 hand, namely to double down on my 10 against the dealer's 8. But my other hand, a 12 against the 8, was a loser. However, I had the option to switch the second card on each hand (the 5 and 4), and when I did, I wound up with two very nice hands, a 7-4 and 6-5. Of course, I doubled down on both 11's, got picture cards on both hands for 21's, and won both hands.
The Blackjack Switch game at the Four Queens used six decks of cards, dealer hit soft 17, the cards were dealt face up, you could double down on any two cards and also after pair splitting, and you were allowed to resplit up to four hands. In the event the dealer showed an Ace, she peeked at her downcard and if she had a blackjack, all player bets lost (i.e., you won't have a chance to switch cards even if your switch would have resulted in a blackjack). To compensate for the player favorable switch rule, there are two negative rules: a winning blackjack hand is only paid at even money, and if the dealer gets a 22, all player hands of 21 or less push.
You are probably wondering what the house edge in this game especially with those two negative rules. Before I tell you, let me discuss two more important things you need to know if you want to play this game: the basic playing strategy and the strategy for switching your cards.
Because of the dealer 22 push rule, the basic strategy is different than the conventional basic strategy. (basically you will be doubling and pair splitting less). You will find the basic playing strategy for Blackjack Switch at these two sites: www.wizardofodds.com and www.blackjackswitch.com. The bottom line is you shouldn't be using the conventional basic strategy when you play this game; instead you need to follow the basic strategy that is specific to Blackjack Switch. It's not any more complicated, just slightly different.
The more difficult strategy to master is the switching decisions. For example, would you switch the second card in each of these hands?
What Is Blackjack Switch Games
Hand 1: 2-8
Hand 2: 10-9
Dealer shows a 3.
For the moment you have a 10 and a 19 against a dealer's 3 upcard. If you switch the second card in each hand you would have these hands:
Hand 1: 2-9
Hand 2: 10-8
So the question facing you is this: is it better to keep the 10 and 19 against the dealer's 3, or switch and play the 11 and 18 hands? So, how would you play it?
The best strategy is to keep the original hands (10 and 19) and not switch. How do I know? You've got to go to the Switching Tables at either of the above two web sites to look up each of the hand's expectation against the dealer 3 upcard, add them up for each hand, and then compare the expectation of the two original hands to the two new hands created by switching, and the one with the higher expectation determines whether or not you should switch.
I told you the switching strategy was more complicated. But the reality is that that the decision to switch is pretty straight forward on the majority of hands. What I did when I played is bring the table of expectation with me when I played and quickly referred to it the few times when it wasn't so obvious whether or not to switch. If you want to play the game, bring along the switching table!
You can download a play version of Blackjack Switch by going to www.blackjackswitch.com and click on Download. You can then play the game on your computer for fun to get a feel for how it plays especially the switching moves.
You will also find a switching calculator on the Blackjack Switch page on www.wizardofodds.com. You just key in the cards in both hands, click the 'Switch?' button, and presto it will tell you whether or not to switch.
What Is Blackjack Switch Fortnite
Blackjack Switch is currently being offered in Nevada casinos. If player interest remains high and the game gets approved in other gaming jurisdictions, it could begin to show up in a casino near you.
What Is Blackjack Switch Lite
So what's the house edge for Blackjack Switch? If you learn the Blackjack Switch playing strategy and know when to switch, the house edge is a reasonable two tenths of one percent. But you'll only achieve this low house edge if you know the playing and switching strategies for the game. Do not, however, even think about playing without first learning these strategies.
