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Extra Bet Blackjack
Introduction
I'm not sure whether to call Extra Bet Blackjack a blackjack variation or just side bet. Either way, it plays like regular blackjack except the player can make an additional wager, like taking the odds in craps after a pass line bet, if his first card is a 10. The player must pay a fee equal to 20% of the additional wager, since the odds are in his favor with a 10 as a starting card.
The made it first appearance that I'm aware of at the Grand Sierra in Reno in September, 2017.
Rules
- The Extra Bet feature can be added to any conventional blackjack game.
- If the player's first card is any 10-point card, before any other cards are dealt, play will stop to give players the opportunity to make an "Extra Bet."
- In addition, the player must pay a non-refundable fee in the 20% of the amount of the Extra Bet. The player does not have to re-pay the fee if he chooses to split tens.
- At the Grand Sierra in Reno, the amount of the Extra Bet is limited to five times the amount of the initial wager.
Analysis
I based on my analysis on the rules at the Grand Sierra, which are:
- 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.
Under these rules, the player advantage with a ten as his first card is 14.14%. So, the Extra Bet is overpriced at 20%. Of course, almost every bet in the casino is overpriced. I would define the house advantage of the Extra Bet as (20%-14.14%)/1.2 = 4.88%.
Strategy
According to Blackjack in Color, the player using the Hi Lo count would need a true count of about +8 (eyeballing the top chart) for player's advantage on the Extra Bet to equal the 20% fee.
External Links
- Aces Up Gaming — Official page by the game maker.
- Wizard of Vegas — Discussion about the game in my forum.