Lucky Cat Blackjack -- 2/8/2019

Firstly, I want to express my regrets to anyone who took my advice on the Super Bowl prop bets. Unfortunately, they didn’t perform well at all. My predictions were based on an estimated total score of 56.5 points, but to my surprise, the final score only reached 16 points. While I would have taken credit if they had fared better, I must also accept responsibility for their disappointing outcome. So, I sincerely apologize.

In this week's newsletter, we delve into an exciting new game currently in trial at the Golden Nugget called Lucky Cat Blackjack . This game was created by Geoff Hall , the mind behind the innovative 'push 22' game series, which includes popular titles like Blackjack Switch, Free Bet Blackjack, Zappit, and Zombie Blackjack. I had the opportunity to interview Geoff for our affiliated site Blackjackinfo.com, which can be found here: Interview with Geoff Hall .

Lucky Cat Blackjack stands out in Geoff's game lineup as it resembles traditional blackjack the most. The gameplay follows the standard blackjack rules, but in a unique twist, if the dealer busts with a total of 22, four special Lucky Cat dice are rolled to determine the winnings for any remaining bets. These dice feature a Lucky Cat symbol on one side and blanks on the other five sides. The payout structure when the dealer reveals a 22 is outlined as follows:

Lucky Cats	Pays
4	50 to 1
3	10 to 1
2	2 to 1
1	1 to 1
0	Push

Upon calculating the numbers, I found that the average payout when the dealer busts with a 22 amounts to 0.81, which is, of course, lower than the standard guaranteed 1 to 1 payout seen in traditional blackjack. This adjustment increases the house edge by 1.44% compared to what it is in blackjack played under the same rules.

Here are the complete rules for the game at the Golden Nugget:

• Six decks
• Blackjack pays 3 to 2
• Dealer hits soft 17
• Double after split allowed
• Re-splitting aces allowed
• Cut card shuffle

In a standard blackjack game, the house edge typically stands at 0.57%. However, with the additional 1.44% from Lucky Cat, it raises the house edge to a total of 2.01%.

It's worth mentioning that there is a more favorable Lucky Cat paytable available, which we hope to see in other casinos, though there is concern that the blackjack payouts may be reduced to 6 to 5.

While I can't advocate for savvy players to engage with this game, at least concerning the Golden Nugget's 1-2-10-50 Lucky Cat pay table, I genuinely wish Geoff all the best with its launch. Many table game managers have reported that the standard 3 to 2 blackjack is not as lucrative, suggesting that games like Lucky Cat may represent the future of casino offerings.

I plan to have an in-depth analysis of Lucky Cat Blackjack published soon on Wizard of Odds.

Written by: Michael Shackleford