Twin Blackjack

Introduction

Twin blackjack represents a unique twist on the traditional blackjack game. I encountered it during my visit to the Stardust in August 2001.

Rules

Each position features two betting places. If a player bets in both spots, they can play two hands against the dealer's exposed card. If the player ends up with two blackjacks (referred to as twin blackjacks), both will yield a payout of 2-1. If the player has two identical blackjacks (known as identical twin blackjacks), the payout increases to 4-1.

Analysis

This table outlines the benefits associated with this particular variation.

The bottom right cell of the table indicates that the twin blackjack rules add approximately 0.1133% to the player's overall return. However, typical of these unique games, the player usually gives more than they receive in return. In this situation, players are not allowed to double after splitting, and the maximum number of splits is reduced from 3 to 2. Normally, under the Stardust’s 6-deck rules, the house edge is at 0.4066%. With the current rules, excluding twin blackjack bonuses, the house edge rises to 0.5527%. Thus, the overall house edge averages 0.4394%, which is 0.0328% higher than traditional rules.

Written by: Michael Shackleford