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Blackjack Block Bonus

Introduction

The Block Bonus, also known as the Blackjack Block Bonus, is a side wager that relies on the two starting cards dealt to the player and the dealer’s visible card. A win occurs when the suit of the dealer's card matches that of at least one player card, provided that player card has a higher rank than the dealer's card. The specifics of the winning are determined by the details of the matching player card.

I've heard that the Blackjack Block Bonus is offered in various casinos across Egypt, Ireland, and parts of Eastern Europe.

It's essential not to confuse this wager with others. Block Pro Blackjack .

Rules

  1. This game can accommodate any number of decks, all comprising 52 cards.
  2. The ranking of cards follows the same hierarchy as in poker, but here, aces are counted only as high.
  3. All winning scenarios are based on the player's initial two cards in conjunction with the dealer's up card.
  4. Following are the ways to win:
    • Ultimate Block — This occurs when all three cards belong to the same suit, the player cards are of equal rank, and that rank is superior to the dealer's.
    • Pair Block — This is when the player cards share the same rank but differ in suit, the dealer's card matches one of the suits, and the rank of the player’s matching card exceeds that of the dealer.
    • Flush Block — Involves three cards all of the same suit, with the player cards having different ranks and at least one of these cards being higher than the dealer's rank.
    • Normal Block — Occurs when the player cards differ in both rank and suit, but one of the player suits matches the dealer's and the rank of the matching card surpasses the dealer's.
  5. If any one of the player cards matches the dealer's both in rank and suit, resulting in no win with the other card (if it exists), then the result is a push.
  6. The outcomes depend on the number of decks being utilized, as outlined in the pay table below.

The following section displays the pay table, which varies based on the quantity of decks used. All payouts are on a 'to one' basis. Please note, achieving an Ultimate Block is impossible with just one deck.

Pay Table

Event One
Deck
Two
Decks
Four
Decks
5-8
Decks
Ultimate Block n/a 60 40 35
Pair Block 15 10 10 10
Flush Block 5 5 5 5
Normal Block 2 2 2 2

Here is another approach to clarifying the different winning scenarios:

  • Ultimate Block — This occurs when all three cards belong to the same suit, the player cards are of equal rank, and that rank is superior to the dealer's.
  • Normal Block — Occurs when the player cards differ in both rank and suit, but one of the player suits matches the dealer's and the rank of the matching card surpasses the dealer's.
  • Flush Block — This mirrors a Normal Block, except both of the player cards share the same suit.
  • Pair Block — Similar to a Normal Block, but here the player's cards match in rank.
  • Ultimate Block — Identical to a Normal Block but with the player cards matching in both suit and rank.

Let’s examine a few scenarios and understand how they are scored.

Examples

Player Cards Dealer Up Card Score
Js, Qc 5d Loss
Js, Qs 5d Loss
Js, Qc Ks Loss
Js, Qs Ks Loss
Js, Js Ks Loss
Js, Qs Qs Push
Js, Qc Qc Push
Js, Js Js Push
Js, Qc 5c Normal Block
Js, Qs Js Flush Block
Js, Ks Qs Flush Block
Js, Jc 5s Pair Block
Js, Js 5s Ultimate Block

Analysis

Here’s my analysis using eight decks. The lower right cell indicates a house edge of 4.96%.

Eight Decks

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Ultimate Block 35 69,888 0.001956 0.068448
Pair Block 10 479,232 0.013410 0.134102
Flush Block 5 1,311,232 0.036692 0.183458
Normal Block 2 5,750,784 0.160922 0.321844
Push 0 1,057,056 0.029579 0.000000
All other -1 27,068,288 0.757441 -0.757441
Total   35,736,480 1.000000 -0.049590

Here’s my analysis using six decks. The lower right cell indicates a house edge of 5.32%.

Six Decks

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Ultimate Block 35 28,080 0.001867 0.065346
Pair Block 10 202,176 0.013443 0.134426
Flush Block 5 550,368 0.036594 0.182969
Normal Block 2 2,426,112 0.161311 0.322622
Push 0 424,320 0.028213 0.000000
All other -1 11,408,904 0.758573 -0.758573
Total   15,039,960 1.000000 -0.053210

Here’s my analysis using four decks. The lower right cell indicates a house edge of 5.21%.

Four Decks

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Ultimate Block 40 7,488 0.001688 0.067539
Pair Block 10 59,904 0.013508 0.135078
Flush Block 5 161,408 0.036396 0.181980
Normal Block 2 718,848 0.162094 0.324187
Push 0 112,944 0.025468 0.000000
All other -1 3,374,176 0.760846 -0.760846
Total   4,434,768 1.000000 -0.052061

Here’s my analysis using two decks. The lower right cell indicates a house edge of 5.43%.

Two Decks

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Ultimate Block 60 624 0.001142 0.068532
Pair Block 10 7,488 0.013706 0.137065
Flush Block 5 19,552 0.035789 0.178945
Normal Block 2 89,856 0.164477 0.328955
Push 0 9,360 0.017133 0.000000
All other -1 419,432 0.767752 -0.767752
Total   546,312 1.000000 -0.054255

Here’s my analysis using one deck. The lower right cell indicates a house edge of 5.88%.

One Deck

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Pair Block 15 936 0.014118 0.211765
Flush Block 5 2,288 0.034510 0.172549
Normal Block 2 11,232 0.169412 0.338824
Push 0 - 0.000000 0.000000
All other -1 51,844 0.781961 -0.781961
Total   66,300 1.000000 -0.058824

Internal Links

Full list of blackjack side bets .