Blackjack Switch
Have you ever played two hands of blackjack simultaneously, only to think to yourself, it would great if I could switch a card from this hand with a card from that hand, to make two great blackjack hands.
Yeah, you have. We all have.
Fortunately for us there is now a game around this idea. It’s called Blackjack Switch. Players make two bets, and are dealt two playable hands. You’re able to switch the second card in each hand to attempt to make a better blackjack hand.
For example, say you were dealt the following two hands.
- 7-6
- 5-4
You can switch the second card around to make the following hands:
- 7-4
- 5-6
The second set of hands look much better to me than the first set of hands.
What about you?
Blackjack Switch Rules
Blackjack Switch obviously favors the players. So much so that the rules of the game had to be tweaked in order to have some balance. In other words, so that the casinos could offer the game and make money from it.
Here are the rules:
- 6-8 decks are used
- Players must make two bets of the same size.
- Dealer hands valued at 22 points push with any player 21 point hand. This doesn’t include natural blackjacks, which still beats a dealer’s 22 point hand.
- Natural blackjack pays 1:1.
- Players can double down on any two cards.
- Players can double down on split hands.
- Players can split up to 3 times making 4 playable hands.
- Dealer (usually) stands on soft 17.
- Dealer will check for blackjack. Dealer blackjacks push against player blackjacks.
Super Match Side Bet
The Super Match side bet rewards players for pairs, 3-of-a-kinds, two pairs and 4-of-a-kinds. This is for the first 4 (hole) cards only. In a 6-deck game the bet pays out 1:1 for pairs, 5:1 for 3-of-a-kinds, 8:1 for two pair and 40:1 for 4-of-a-kind. It has an edge of 2.55%.
Blackjack Switch History and Information
Blackjack Switch was patented in 2009 by Geoff Hall. The idea came to him after playing two hands simultaneously and realizing that the hands could be improved if only he were allowed to switch the top two cards.
You see… we weren’t the only ones thinking about it.
Geoff showed the game at the G2E conference in 10-2000. This is a globally recognized casino gaming exhibit and conference. It was apparently well-received, as Blackjack Switch made it’s first appearance in Harvey’s Casino (in Iowa) in 2001 and at the Four Queens in 2003. Blackjack Switch is now available in Las Vegas casinos, as well as online from (only) casinos that run on Playtech software.
Blackjack Switch Edge and Strategy
The house edge for Blackjack Switch is only .58%, assuming 6 decks are being used, dealer hits a soft 17 and switched blackjacks count as 21 points. This is according to the Wizard of Odds. This assumes you use optimal strategy, too, which includes both what hands you switch and how you play the hands once you’ve already made the switch.
There is an optimal strategy for choosing what cards to switch. I recommend reading the page created by the Wizard of Odds, as he shares the strategy shared by Cindy Liu.