Extra Bet Blackjack

Introduction

It's hard to classify Extra Bet Blackjack strictly as a variation of blackjack or merely as a side bet. Regardless, it operates similarly to traditional blackjack with an added twist: players can place an extra wager, reminiscent of taking odds in craps following a pass line bet, provided their first card is a 10. However, players are required to pay a fee amounting to 20% of their additional wager due to the favorable odds associated with starting with a 10.

As far as I know, this variant made its debut at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno back in September 2017.

Rules

1. The Extra Bet option can be integrated into any standard blackjack game.
2. When a player draws a 10-point card as their first card, play pauses before any further cards are dealt, allowing players to place their \"Extra Bet.\"
3. Additionally, players must pay a non-refundable fee equivalent to 20% of the Extra Bet amount. If the player opts to split their tens, this fee does not need to be repaid.
4. At the Grand Sierra in Reno, players can only make an Extra Bet up to five times their initial wager.

Analysis

My analysis was grounded in the rules at the Grand Sierra, which state:

• Six decks
• Dealer hits a soft 17
• Double after split allowed
• Re-splitting aces allowed
• Surrender allowed
• Player may re-split to up to four hands.

According to these rules, the player's advantage when drawing a ten as their first card is 14.14%. Hence, the cost of the Extra Bet, at 20%, is considered overpriced. In general, many casino bets tend to carry a premium. I would calculate the house edge for the Extra Bet as (20%-14.14%)/1.2 = 4.88%.

Strategy

According to Blackjack in Color Thus, a player utilizing the Hi Lo counting system would need a true count of approximately +8 (when referencing the top chart) to ensure that the player advantage on the Extra Bet offsets the 20% fee.

External Links

• Aces Up Gaming — Official page by the game maker.
• Wizard of Vegas — Join the conversation about this game on my forum.

Written by: Michael Shackleford