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Australian Blackjack
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Rules
Australian blackjack is played similarly to the global norm. Like in Europe and Asia, Australian dealers do not take a hole card. If a player chooses to double or split and the dealer ends up with a blackjack, the outcome can vary based on the rules of the specific casino. There are four distinct possibilities for this hole-card ruling, which include:
OBO (Dealer takes original bets only) : In this scenario, regardless of further player actions, the dealer only accepts the player’s initial bet. Players can choose to split or double without the concern of exceeding their original wager. Statistically, this is akin to the American version where the dealer checks for a blackjack. main blackjack page is based on the U.S. rules.
ENHC (European No Hole Card) : With this rule, if the dealer draws a blackjack, they collect the total amount wagered by the player, which includes any bets made through doubling or splitting. European strategy page shows how to play under this rule.
BB+1 (Busted Bets Plus One) : In this case, the dealer will take all bets that have busted, plus an additional unit from any other bets made when the player doubles or splits.
OBBO (Original and Busted Bets Only) : According to this rule, the dealer collects any busted bets and one unit from each un-busted hand on the table. Essentially, players risk losing their additional bets from splitting, but this does not apply to doubling.
The following are the standardized blackjack rules throughout Australia:
Double allowed on 9 to 11 only
Double after split allowed
Surrender not allowed
Rules that can vary are as follows:
Number of decks
Dealer hits/stands on soft 17
Number of splits allowed
Re-splitting aces allowed
Hole card rule
During my visit to Star City in Sydney in August 2008, I noted the variable rules in effect there:
8 decks
Only one split allowed
BB+1 hole card rule
House edge of 0.59%.
The table below illustrates how different rule adjustments impact the player's potential expected return, particularly in relation to the rules at Star City Sydney. Applying multiple rule changes simultaneously may lead to interaction effects.
Rule Variation Effects
| Rule | Effect |
|---|---|
| The dealer accepts only the original wager if they hit a BJ (OBO) | 0.03% |
| The dealer takes both the original and busted wagers when obtaining a BJ (OBBO) | -0.02% |
| The dealer collects all bets if they achieve a BJ (ENHC) | -0.10% |
| 4 decks | 0.07% |
| 6 decks | 0.03% |
| Dealer hits soft 17 | -0.22% |
| Resplit 2-K to 3 hands | +0.05% |
| Resplit 2-A to 3 hands | +0.12% |
Strategy
The following outlines the basic strategy pertinent to the BB+1 rule, providing the dealer stands on a soft 17.
When splitting eights against a ten, players should stand on hands totaling 15 or higher, except in the case of the last hand being played, where all prior hands have busted.
The table below corresponds to the OBBO rule, where the dealer stands on a soft 17. Changes relative to the BB+1 strategy above are minimal: hit on 8,8 against 10, and hit A,A against A.
Melbourne Casino Hits Soft 17
During my trip to Australia in August 2008, every casino adhered to the rule of standing on soft 17. Nevertheless, the Crown Casino in Melbourne has modified its rules to hit on a soft 17, according to information from theage.com.au. This adjustment results in an increased house edge of 0.22%. this article I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to 'MGP' for their Blackjack Combinatorial Analyzer. While I normally utilize my own software for blackjack analysis, these programs do not accommodate the unique Australian BB+1 and OBBO rules. Employing MGP's tool has significantly saved me time.
Acknowledgments
Accurate mathematical strategies and insights for a variety of casino games such as blackjack, craps, roulette, and many others.
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