Lucky 13s Blackjack

Introduction

The rules of Lucky 13s Blackjack are straightforward. This variant features an additional set of cards: four 11s, 12s, and 13s in each deck, while retaining most of the standard blackjack rules.

You can engage in Lucky 13s at these casinos:

• Grosvenor G Casino, Manchester, UK.
• Grosvenor Casino, Northampton, UK.
• Royal Caribbean cruise liners (from March 2015 onwards).

Rules

The rules are the same as standard blackjack , except as noted.

1. Each deck consists of 64 cards, combining the standard 52 with four 11s, 12s, and 13s.
2. An ace can be valued at either one or eleven points, while any card with an 11 value always counts as eleven.
3. The dealer must stand when their total is a hard 16 or higher and on a soft 17 or above.
4. The dealer does not receive a hole card. If a player doubles or splits their cards and the dealer reveals a blackjack, the player loses their bet (though a tie with a blackjack results in a push).
5. Players are permitted to double down on any of their initial two cards and post-split scenarios.
6. Players may re-split their pairs, including aces.
7. No surrender.
8. If a player receives a pair of 11s, 12s, or 13s, their options are to either split them or go bust.
9. There are also two additional side bets available — the Protection Bet and Pairs Bet, the rules of which are explained further below.

Strategy

Feel free to refer to my basic strategy chart provided below.

Analysis

With assumptions of an infinite number of decks and unlimited re-splitting opportunities, the house edge I calculated is 1.32%.

As per the calculations from the game's creator, the house edge slightly increases with a limited number of decks. When compared to an infinite deck, it is reported to be 0.02% higher with eight decks, 0.03% higher with six decks, and 0.04% more with four decks.

Protection Bet

The Protection Bet safeguards players against exceeding 21 points with their first two cards. It offers a payout of 5 to 1 for totals between 22 and 25, and 40 to 1 for a total of 26. In this context, aces always count as one point. Also, any winning payout is multiplied by five if the dealer's exposed card is a 13. The following table presents my findings based on four decks, revealing a house edge of 8.45%.

A reader inquired about the frequency of being dealt an unplayable hand totaling 22 to 25 points that cannot be split. The answer is that this occurs 9.4% of the time.

up to

The Pairs Bet pays out 12 to 1 when the initial two cards form a pair. Similar to the Protection Bet, the winnings are multiplied by five if the dealer is showing a 13. The following return table is also based on four decks, showing a house edge of 5.88%.

Play

Check out my video interview with Vinny Sandhu, the mind behind Lucky 13s Blackjack.

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