Blackjack Switch

Players all over the world choose to play blackjack because it is one of the most challenging and enticing card games. It is a casino game that provokes heated discussions among professional players regarding its patterns, strategies and systems. Blackjack has grown significantly in popularity because it offers gamblers the chance to gain an advantage over the casino by using their skills and knowledge.

• Brief History
• Rules of Blackjack Switch
• Optional Side Bet
• Strategy for Blackjack Switch
• Pros & Cons of Blackjack Switch
• Conclusion

Over the years, many interesting variations have emerged, each with additional options and rules. Some of them have really appealed to the majority of blackjack fans. This is why a great number of casinos offer not only the classic game but also some of its most sought-after variations.

One very popular version of the game is called Blackjack Switch, which can be found in many brick-and-mortar casinos as well as online. The reason is that it is quite extraordinary, so many players opt for it. Some variations of blackjack introduce only minor changes to the main rules, such as an optional side bet, whereas this one provides players with a completely different way of playing.

Brief History of the Variation

Geoff Hall is the reason this popular variation exists, as he is its inventor and developer. Geoff Hall is undoubtedly one of the best-known names in the casino industry. He has been fascinated with card games from an early age, constantly looking for new ways to improve them or make them more dynamic.

After his first encounter with the game of 21 at a land-based casino in the late 1980s, Hall immediately developed an interest in blackjack and borrowed a book from a fellow player to study its peculiarities in greater detail.

He quickly developed his skills and became proficient in both shuffle tracking and card counting, two of the most profitable advantage-play techniques in blackjack. Blackjack Switch is arguably Hall’s best-known creation so far. In an interview, Hall recalls that he came up with the idea for this game in the late 1990s while he was playing two betting spots at a land-based casino.

He was dealt two weak hands that could have been improved drastically had he been able to switch the top cards between them. In an interview with mathematician and acclaimed gambling guru Michael Shackleford, Hall recalls that one of the hands was a hard 14 while the other was a hard 16. Both are terrible totals for a player.

Hall remembers thinking that his odds would have improved significantly had he been able to switch the cards to obtain a hard 10 and 20. He toyed with the idea for half a year until he finally developed Blackjack Switch.

His invention was eventually introduced at Harvey’s Casino (which now operates under the name Harrah’s) in the state of Iowa in 2001. Two years later, Hall decided to revise some of the rules and added the now notorious Push 22 rule.

In the winter of 2003, the improved version of Blackjack Switch debuted in Sin City’s Four Queens Casino on Fremont Street. It was not long before the game made its way onto the floors of many other North American gambling venues.

It spread like wildfire, so much so that gambling software provider Playtech asked for Hall’s permission to adapt it for online play. It eventually became one of the most popular online blackjack variations released by the Isle of Man-based software studio.

Blackjack Switch was patented in 2009 and, ever since, it has been extremely successful, appealing to players across the globe. The differing number of hands makes this variation particularly interesting and challenging, which is why it became so popular in such a short period.

Rules of Blackjack Switch

The main rules and moves of the game are the same as those in classic blackjack unless otherwise stated on the table in the casino. It is recommended that players familiarise themselves with them beforehand. The major difference is that instead of one hand, you have two, which allows you to switch the top cards to improve your totals. You play them in turn, starting with the right hand and proceeding to the left. Note that the top cards of the two hands can only be switched before you take any hits.

To play, you must place two equal bets, one for each hand, as they are treated as separate hands. Card counters should bear in mind that the number of decks can vary – four, six or eight are commonly used. The online version released by Playtech uses six decks that are randomly shuffled by the RNG after each round. Cards are dealt face-up to players, and the dealer receives a hole card.

The peek rule is also in place, requiring the dealer to check for naturals whenever their upcard is an ace or a ten-value card. Insurance is offered against the dealer’s ace and pays at the standard odds of 2 to 1. In this version, the payout for blackjack is not the usual 3 to 2; instead, players are paid even money.

In most cases, the dealer hits on soft 17. However, this rule may vary, so it is always best to double-check before you sit down to play. Another unique rule of Blackjack Switch is that the dealer pushes with non-busted player hands when holding a total of 22. Thus, if you do not bust and hold anything other than a blackjack, your original stake will be returned to you in a push.

Players may double down on any two cards and can also do so after they have split. Re-splitting is allowed up to three times, to a maximum of four hands. Most versions of the game do not allow hitting split aces.

Blackjack Switch has become so immensely popular that it has crossed the ocean to Europe. In Austria, the game is known as Blackjack Exchange. It has also found its way into some Russian casinos, where four or six full decks are used.

Russian dealers normally stand rather than hit soft totals of 17 and do not use hole cards (as is the case with many European blackjack variations). Perhaps the most attractive feature of the Russian version is the availability of early surrender.

This enables players to abandon underdog hands immediately after the initial deal when the dealer’s upcard is an ace. The bottom line is Blackjack Switch is available worldwide, so you had better ask the dealer or floor personnel about the particular ruleset before you start placing bets at a new table.

Optional Side Bet

As with other variations of the game, Blackjack Switch offers a group of optional side bets, collectively known as the Super Match wagers. If players take advantage of this option, they will be rewarded whenever they have two or more matching cards in their hands. The payout varies depending on the number of matches and the casino’s rules.

A side bet must be placed before any cards are dealt at the table. It is settled immediately after the initial deal, before you have switched your cards or taken any hits. Should you win, the dealer pays out right away. You then proceed to play your two main hands as you normally do.

The side bets are settled according to the four initial cards that form your two starting hands. Your chips are placed in the smaller betting circle positioned between your two main betting spots. In Playtech’s online adaptation of Blackjack Switch, a single pair of any two matching cards offers an even-money payout (1 to 1).

A set of three matching cards earns you a payout of 5 to 1, whereas two pairs pay at odds of 8 to 1. The top earner in the game is the Four of a Kind, which returns 40 times your side bet. The limits for the main and side wagers are casino specific, though. Some Playtech-powered casinos accept wagers between £0.50 and £50, giving small-scale bettors a great chance to enjoy this bespoke blackjack game.

Before players make up their minds, they should bear in mind that most side bets heavily favour the casino. Moreover, if they want to make the most informed decision regarding the side bet, they need to familiarise themselves with all of its subtleties and possible pitfalls.

The payout structure described above produces a cumulative house edge of 2.55% for the Super Match group of side wagers. This is significantly higher than the house advantage of the main game, which is estimated at approximately 0.13%. The exact percentage might differ across online casinos. The expected returns of individual winning side bets are shown in the table below.

Strategy for Blackjack Switch

Playing Blackjack Switch optimally is more complex since there are two separate strategies you must learn and follow. After the starting totals are dealt, players must first decide whether to switch the top cards between the two hands. The simpler switch strategy below is suitable for the standard set of rules used in Nevada, and in Las Vegas in particular.

There are also free switching calculators online that tell you the correct plays in every possible situation. Feel free to use them until you learn the switching strategy by heart. You enter the values of the first and second cards of your two hands along with the dealer’s upcard value and the calculator computes the optimal play for you.

Once the player decides to decline or accept the switch option, they must revert to basic strategy to play out their hands. The chart below contains the plays for standard six-deck variations where the dealer hits soft 17.

The only basic-strategy discrepancy between six-deck and eight-deck games is that in the latter you hit your hard 9 against the dealer’s 5 instead of doubling down, as you would in the former. As for the switching part, many blackjack experts have created strategies for this, some simpler than others, including Arnold Snyder, Cindy Liu and Karel Janecek.

The strategy developed by Cindy Liu is by far the most widely used one. Blackjack Switch novices should start by learning Liu’s simpler version of the strategy and build up from there. Liu arranges the player’s hands, starting from the strongest to the weakest, as follows: 21, 20, 19, Ace-Ace, 11, 10, 9, 18/8, and 8-8 with 2 to 8 up.

Players must apply the ranking listed above to strengthen weak starting totals as much as possible against a dealer’s 8 or 7. When the dealer shows another upcard, the player should also try to improve higher totals, where possible, by switching.

If it is still impossible to form any of the above-listed hands, the player must attempt to form the highest possible hand from this alternative ranking: 7/17, any pair that calls for splitting against the respective upcard, 12, or 13. However, there are several exceptions to these rules as well.

When you hold a pair of aces while your other hand is 8-3, you should keep the aces as they are rather than switching cards. The same is true when you have 9-2 and aces against a dealer who shows low upcards of 2 through 6.

Aces should also be kept intact when you hold 8-2 and A-A. If you insist on accuracy, we suggest you check out Liu’s advanced strategy for switching. The monetary penalty incurred when using Liu’s simpler (and less accurate) strategy amounts to around 0.17%.

Pros & Cons of Blackjack Switch

On the one hand, Blackjack Switch is a variation that gives players quite decent chances of winning, as the house edge of the main game is one of the lowest you can find in blackjack, provided the rules aren’t altered by the casino.

However, players will benefit from this low house advantage only provided they stick to the perfect basic and switching strategies. In addition, Blackjack Switch players will experience milder variance. You will not see such massive short-term swings as those inherent in some conventional blackjack variations.

Apart from this, the game is highly interesting and challenging because you must make decisions for two hands. At the same time, you have the unique opportunity to exchange cards between them. Every gambler has, at least once, faced a situation where they wished they could switch a card to improve their hand.

As blackjack is a casino game that involves money, it is extremely important to make the best possible decisions to minimise your chances of incurring losses. This version of the game allows you to make unusual moves and experience different situations. Thanks to this, players will be able to put their skills and knowledge to the test and develop their ability to multitask. The game is guaranteed to appeal to anyone who enjoys greater dynamism and unconventional gameplay.

On the other hand, the fact that switching is allowed can be considered a major drawback because it requires an entirely new strategy and approach. You will have to learn the correct plays for switching along with the optimal basic strategy for the rule set of the main game.

It can be difficult to transition from conventional 21 to Blackjack Switch, as you will have to commit many new plays to memory. Additionally, in this variant you have no choice but to play two hands every single round. This may not appeal to players with very modest bankrolls.

One rule that does not favour players is that if the dealer’s cards total 22 and none of them is an ace, the dealer does not bust. Instead, they tie with all non-busted player hands except blackjacks, meaning players receive nothing on their initial wager.

Conclusion

Blackjack Switch is a very distinctive variation of the game because it allows players to switch cards, a move that is forbidden in conventional blackjack. Like every casino game, this version has both advantages and disadvantages, so players should take their time and decide for themselves whether or not to try it.

On the one hand, it is highly interesting and challenging because it allows you to play two hands and switch cards between them, thereby increasing your chances of improving them. On the other hand, this change directly affects your basic strategy. Before you start playing, you must adjust accordingly and learn a new strategy to determine when it is best to switch.