Video Review of Jack Jack
Jack Jack is a blackjack variation that pays as follows for a winning blackjack:
- Both cards red: 2
- Both cards black: 1.5
- Mixed colors: 1
Upon first glance this may seem to average to 1.5, what a blackjack is supposed to pay. However half of blackjacks are of mixed colors. In Jack Jack, the average blackjack pays (1/4)×2 + (1/4)×1.5 + (1/2)×1 = 11/8 = 1.375. This decrease, compared to 1.5, increases the house edge by 0.57%.
Jack Jack can be found at the Jack casinos in Cincinnati and Cleveland and soon at the Greektown casino in Detroit.
Mike: Hi, this is Mike Shackleford at the 2018 Cutting Edge Table game show at the Paris Casino in Las Vegas. I am joined by Julienne de Leon representing the blackjack game, Jack Jack. Hi Julienne.
Can you tell me more about it?
[00:00:38] Julienne: Sure. It's blackjack except two things changed, the name which is Jack Jack of course, it's very catchy and then the pay-outs. We have three different pay-outs for the players.
We have two black cards that equal blackjack. It doesn't matter the suite but as long as the player has two black cards, they get paid 2-1, with two red cards, they get paid 3-2 and with a mix of a red card and a black card, it's even money.
[00:01:07] Mike: All right.
Let me make sure I understand this:
This is regular blackjack except instead of normally a blackjack would pay 3-2 or 6-5, but in this case, if the blackjack is of mixed colors, it pays even money, if it's two black cards, it pays 2-1 and two red cards, it pays 3-2?
[00:01:25] Julienne: Correct.
[00:01:25] Mike: Doing the math off the top of my head, the average blackjack would be one and three-eighths which would equal to 1.375.
[00:01:38] Julienne: Yes, correct.
[00:01:39] Mike: Thank you. By the way, may I say that you look like one of my favorite celebrities, Danica McKellar who you may know as Winnie from TheWonder Years. Have you ever heard that before?
[00:01:52] Julienne: Quite a few times. Thank you. I'm like the Filipino version. [laughs]
[00:01:57] Mike: One thing I love about Danica is she was a math major from UCLA. I love any girl who loves math. I am besides my self right now.
[00:02:07] Julienne: Thank you.
[00:02:08] Mike: Let's play a few hands.
[00:02:11] Julienne: All right, [unintelligible 00:02:11] place your bets. Awesome. Good luck. [chuckles] Oh, nice, all blackjacks. Wow, what a coincidence.
[00:02:29] Mike: What are the odds?
[00:02:30] Julienne: All right, I'm going to pay you here. This is 2-1.
[00:02:34] Mike: Because it's all black.
[00:02:36] Julienne: Yes. Then this is mixed, you're going to get even money and these are two red cards, it's 3-2. Congratulations.
[00:02:48] Mike: Thank you.
[00:02:49] Julienne: That's that.
[00:02:50] Mike: Julienne, can you tell me where I might enjoy playing this for real money?
[00:02:55] Julienne: You could actually go to Ohio. We have it in a JACK Cincinnati and JACK Cleveland. First quarter of next year we're going to have it in Greektown.
[00:03:04] Mike: All right. Thank you very much for showing me. That was Jack Jack. Bye, everyone.
[00:03:10] Julienne: Bye.