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Magic Jacks
Introduction
Magic Jacks, also known as Jack Magic, is a blackjack side bet that has had two known placements in California. The bet pays according to the number of jacks, in particular one-eyed jacks, between the player's initial two cards and the dealer's up card.
Rules
- The side bet is based on the player's initial two cards and the dealer's up card.
- Of the four jacks in each deck, two of them, the spade and the heart, the jack is shown in profile mode, with one eye only showing.
- There are two known pay tables as shown below.
The following are the two known pay tables. Wins are on a "to one" basis.
Pay Table — Version 1
| Event | Pays |
|---|---|
| Three one-eyed jacks | 500 |
| Three jacks | 100 |
| Two one-eyed jacks | 30 |
| Two jacks | 10 |
| One one-eyed jack | 2 |
| One jack | 1 |
Pay Table — Version 2
| Event | Pays |
|---|---|
| Three one-eyed jacks | 500 |
| Three jacks | 100 |
| Two one-eyed jacks | 40 |
| Two jacks, one with one eye | 12 |
| Two jacks | 8 |
| One one-eyed jack | 3 |
| One jack | 1 |
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis for version 1 with six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 19.68% (ouch!).
Version 1 Return Table — Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three one-eyed jacks | 500 | 220 | 0.000044 | 0.021942 |
| Three jacks | 100 | 1,804 | 0.000360 | 0.035984 |
| Two one-eyed jacks | 30 | 19,008 | 0.003791 | 0.113745 |
| Two jacks | 10 | 60,480 | 0.012064 | 0.120639 |
| One one-eyed jack | 2 | 495,936 | 0.098924 | 0.197847 |
| One jack | 1 | 495,936 | 0.098924 | 0.098924 |
| Zero jacks | -1 | 3,939,936 | 0.785894 | -0.785894 |
| Total | 5,013,320 | 1.000000 | -0.196813 |
The following table shows the house edge under the version 1 rules for various numbers of decks.
House Edge — Version 1
| Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 3 | 21.56% |
| 4 | 20.63% |
| 5 | 20.06% |
| 6 | 19.68% |
| 8 | 19.20% |
The following table shows my analysis for version 2 with six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 5.10%.
Version 2 Return Table — Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three one-eyed jacks | 500 | 220 | 0.000044 | 0.021942 |
| Three jacks | 100 | 1,804 | 0.000360 | 0.035984 |
| Two one-eyed jacks | 40 | 19,008 | 0.003791 | 0.151660 |
| Two jacks, one with one eye | 12 | 41,472 | 0.008272 | 0.099268 |
| Two jacks | 8 | 19,008 | 0.003791 | 0.030332 |
| One one-eyed jack | 3 | 495,936 | 0.098924 | 0.296771 |
| One jack | 1 | 495,936 | 0.098924 | 0.098924 |
| Zero jacks | -1 | 3,939,936 | 0.785894 | -0.785894 |
| Total | 5,013,320 | 1.000000 | -0.051013 |
The following table shows the house edge under the version 2 rules for various numbers of decks.
House Edge — Version 2
| Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 3 | 7.15% |
| 4 | 6.13% |
| 5 | 5.51% |
| 6 | 5.10% |
| 8 | 4.58% |
External Links
There is discussion of Magic Jacks in my forum at Wizard of Vegas, including the topic of card counting (shut up Wiz!).