Wizard Recommends Cards

  • Home ›
  • Next Step Blackjack

On this page

Next Step Blackjack

Introduction

Next Step Blackjack is a blackjack side bet that pays if the player or dealer gets a blackjack. There is a fixed win for a dealer blackjack while the roll of four dice determines the win for a player blackjack.

As of October, 2016, it can be found at Isle of Capri in Lula, MS and the Lady Luck in Vicksburg, MS.
 

Rules

  1. The player may make the Next Step Blackjack wager at the same time as his blackjack wager.
  2. If the dealer gets a blackjack, then the player shall win 3 to 1 on his side bet.
  3. If the player gets a blackjack, then the player shall be paid according to the shake of four dice and in some cases the type of blackjack. The table below shows the pays of two known pay tables.
  4. If both player and dealer get a blackjack, then the player shall win the sum of the wins for each blackjack.
 

Pay Tables

Dice Player
Blackjack		 Pay
Table 1		 Pay
Table 2
21 A/K in hearts 1,000 1,000
21 Suited 100 100
21 Non-suited 50 50
20 Any 40 30
19 Any 30 25
18 Any 20 15
17 Any 15 15
Other Any 10 10
 

Analysis

 

The following table shows my analysis of Pay Table 1 with six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 11.32%.

Pay Table 1 Analysis — Six Decks.

Player
Blackjack		 Dealer
Blackjack		 Dice
Total		 Pays Combinations Probability Return
AK in hearts Yes 21 1003 1,573,200 0.000001 0.000524  
AK in hearts No 21 1000 32,911,200 0.000011 0.010929  
Suited Yes 21 103 23,598,000 0.000008 0.000807  
Suited No 21 100 493,668,000 0.000164 0.016393  
Non-suited Yes 21 53 75,513,600 0.000025 0.001329  
Non-suited No 21 50 1,579,737,600 0.000525 0.026229  
Yes Yes 20 43 176,198,400 0.000059 0.002516  
Yes Yes 19 33 281,917,440 0.000094 0.003089  
Yes Yes 18 23 402,739,200 0.000134 0.003076  
Yes Yes 17 18 523,560,960 0.000174 0.003129  
Yes Yes Other 13 5,039,274,240 0.001673 0.021754  
Yes No 20 40 3,686,054,400 0.001224 0.048960  
Yes No 19 30 5,897,687,040 0.001958 0.058752  
Yes No 18 20 8,425,267,200 0.002798 0.055954  
Yes No 17 15 10,952,847,360 0.003637 0.054555  
Yes No Other 10 105,421,155,840 0.035006 0.350064  
No Yes Any 3 136,489,328,640 0.045323 0.135969  
No No Any -1 2,731,978,238,400 0.907188 -0.907188  
Total       3,011,481,270,720 1.000000 -0.113159  
 

The following table shows my analysis of Pay Table 1 with eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 11.39%.

Pay Table 1 Analysis — Eight Decks.

Player
Blackjack		 Dealer
Blackjack		 Dice
Total		 Pays Combinations Probability Return
AK in hearts Yes 21 1003 5,039,360 0.000001 0.000528  
AK in hearts No 21 1000 104,389,120 0.000011 0.010915  
Suited Yes 21 103 75,590,400 0.000008 0.000814  
Suited No 21 100 1,565,836,800 0.000164 0.016372  
Non-suited Yes 21 53 241,889,280 0.000025 0.001340  
Non-suited No 21 50 5,010,677,760 0.000524 0.026196  
Yes Yes 20 43 564,408,320 0.000059 0.002538  
Yes Yes 19 33 903,053,312 0.000094 0.003116  
Yes Yes 18 23 1,290,076,160 0.000135 0.003102  
Yes Yes 17 18 1,677,099,008 0.000175 0.003156  
Yes Yes Other 13 16,142,077,952 0.001688 0.021941  
Yes No 20 40 11,691,581,440 0.001222 0.048899  
Yes No 19 30 18,706,530,304 0.001956 0.058678  
Yes No 18 20 26,723,614,720 0.002794 0.055884  
Yes No 17 15 34,740,699,136 0.003632 0.054487  
Yes No Other 10 334,379,229,184 0.034962 0.349625  
No Yes Any 3 432,922,558,464 0.045266 0.135798  
No No Any -1 8,677,195,372,800 0.907283 -0.907283  
Total       9,563,939,723,520 1.000000 -0.113891  
 

The following table shows my analysis of Pay Table 2 with six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 15.09%.

Pay Table 2 Analysis — Six Decks.

Player
Blackjack		 Dealer
Blackjack		 Dice
Total		 Pays Combinations Probability Return
AK in hearts Yes 21 1003 1,573,200 0.000001 0.000524  
AK in hearts No 21 1000 32,911,200 0.000011 0.010929  
Suited Yes 21 103 23,598,000 0.000008 0.000807  
Suited No 21 100 493,668,000 0.000164 0.016393  
Non-suited Yes 21 53 75,513,600 0.000025 0.001329  
Non-suited No 21 50 1,579,737,600 0.000525 0.026229  
Yes Yes 20 33 176,198,400 0.000059 0.001931  
Yes Yes 19 28 281,917,440 0.000094 0.002621  
Yes Yes 18 18 402,739,200 0.000134 0.002407  
Yes Yes 17 18 523,560,960 0.000174 0.003129  
Yes Yes Other 13 5,039,274,240 0.001673 0.021754  
Yes No 20 30 3,686,054,400 0.001224 0.036720  
Yes No 19 25 5,897,687,040 0.001958 0.048960  
Yes No 18 15 8,425,267,200 0.002798 0.041966  
Yes No 17 15 10,952,847,360 0.003637 0.054555  
Yes No Other 10 105,421,155,840 0.035006 0.350064  
No Yes Any 3 136,489,328,640 0.045323 0.135969  
No No Any -1 2,731,978,238,400 0.907188 -0.907188  
Total       3,011,481,270,720 1.000000 -0.150901  
 

The following table shows my analysis of Pay Table 2 with eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 15.16%.

Pay Table 1 Analysis — Eight Decks.

Dice Player
Blackjack		 Pay
Table 1		 Pay
Table 2
AK in hearts Yes 21 1003 5,039,360 0.000001 0.000528  
AK in hearts No 21 1000 104,389,120 0.000011 0.010915  
Suited Yes 21 103 75,590,400 0.000008 0.000814  
Suited No 21 100 1,565,836,800 0.000164 0.016372  
Non-suited Yes 21 53 241,889,280 0.000025 0.001340  
Non-suited No 21 50 5,010,677,760 0.000524 0.026196  
Yes Yes 20 33 564,408,320 0.000059 0.001947  
Yes Yes 19 28 903,053,312 0.000094 0.002644  
Yes Yes 18 18 1,290,076,160 0.000135 0.002428  
Yes Yes 17 18 1,677,099,008 0.000175 0.003156  
Yes Yes Other 13 16,142,077,952 0.001688 0.021941  
Yes No 20 30 11,691,581,440 0.001222 0.036674  
Yes No 19 25 18,706,530,304 0.001956 0.048899  
Yes No 18 15 26,723,614,720 0.002794 0.041913  
Yes No 17 15 34,740,699,136 0.003632 0.054487  
Yes No Other 10 334,379,229,184 0.034962 0.349625  
No Yes Any 3 432,922,558,464 0.045266 0.135798  
No No Any -1 8,677,195,372,800 0.907283 -0.907283  
Total       9,563,939,723,520 1.000000 -0.151603  
 

Disclaimer

 

I spoke with the makers of Next Step Blackjack at the 2016 Global Gaming Expo and they quoted to me house edge figures different that what I show above. I have tried to reach them to resolve our differences in the math, but have been unsuccessful. However, I did seek a second opinion, which agreed with my analysis above.


Written by: Michael Shackleford