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Blackjack Plus
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Introduction
Blackjack Plus is a variant I observed at the Queenstown casino in New Zealand during December 2014. It is also available at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. It was inquired about on my. Wizard of Vegas forum as early as December 2011.
This game builds upon traditional blackjack while incorporating some intriguing rules, including:
- Five-card Charlie – a five-card hand that hasn’t busted automatically secures a win.
- Any 21-point hand guarantees victory.
However, players face a payout trade-off, as they typically just push if the dealer shows a 22. Notably, a blackjack only pays out at even money.
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Rules
The rules governing Blackjack Plus mirror those of regular blackjack, except for these adjustments: blackjack Players are allowed to double on any hard total consisting of two cards.
New Zealand Rules
- Six 52-card decks.
- Dealer hits on soft 17.
- Any five-card hand that is not busted automatically wins, commonly referred to as a five-card Charlie.
- Player may double after splitting.
- Player may not re-split.
- Split aces get one card only.
- Achieving a total of 21 is an automatic win.
- Blackjack hands automatically win but pay out at even money.
- The dealer does not draw a hole card, and if the player totals 21 or has a five-card hand, they will be paid out even if the dealer has a potential blackjack.
- If a player stands with a non-blackjack hand and the dealer reveals a blackjack, they will lose an amount equivalent to their original bet, plus any additional bets lost through splitting or busting. This is known as the OBBO rule, which stands for Original and Busted Bets Only.
- I've received an unverified report indicating that the rules in Melbourne and Perth have significant differences, which are highlighted in uppercase letters.
Australian Rules
Players can double on ANY two or three-card total that is LESS THAN 21.
- Game is played with six 52 card decks.
- Dealer STANDS on soft 17.
- When splitting aces, only one card is dealt to each ace, and they cannot be resplit.
- Player may double after splitting.
- Player MAY RESPLIT ONCE ONLY.
- Non-busted five-card hands are always winners.
- Blackjack hands guarantee a win and PAY 3 TO 2.
- Blackjack hands automatically win but pay out at even money.
- If the dealer's hand totals 22, all remaining player hands result in a standoff (21s and Blackjacks have already been resolved).
- The dealer shall not take a hole card.
- I've received an unverified report indicating that the rules in Melbourne and Perth have significant differences, which are highlighted in uppercase letters.
- Upon my assessment, the house edge following the referenced basic strategy stands at 6.36%, which is quite substantial. This makes the 6-5 blackjack appears to be a much better wager comparatively. This represents the highest house edge I've encountered among blackjack variants, which generally remain below 1%.
Strategy
House Edge
— Consult the rule document found on the casino's website, starting from page 60. Online Blackjack — This site claims that the house edge is 5.5%, based on an alternate set of rules they assert are applied in Melbourne.
Links
- Crown Melbourne Rules (PDF) — This website also asserts that the house edge stands at 5.5%, referencing a different rule set they claim is in effect in Melbourne.
- Online Blackjack Players have rated Old Havana Casino with a score of 3 out of 5 Stars.
