Lucky 13s Blackjack

Quote: charliepatrick

(i) I don't have split 10s vs 12 or 13 (in the UK I think they may have to be a real pair).

I made a mistake, the player should stand on 10-10 vs. 12 or 13. I hope you didn't beat your head against the wall too much. My apologies for the error.

The correction of this error caused my house edge to go up to 1.32%.

No, I eventually got close to your figure (there's still a minor bug somewhere in my spreadsheet as I get 1.36%). At one time I got the splits for 13s wrong, for instance opposite a 10 it would be nice to split them but not actually receive a 2nd card! In this case the difference means you would have split them, whereas having to have a 2nd card means you just give in. An interesting exercise.

I finally got to play it for real at Northampton and also had a chat with the dealers/manager (he'll be at Coventry in May so I'll guess you'll catch up there). As you probably know they use 4 decks and deal it from a shoe - I did explain the countability issues this has. The strategy seemed counter-intuitive, especially doubling A7; but even after a couple of hours play I still had to consult my sheet on most occasions but was remembering the up cards where you stand on 12+.

The problems we had (dealer and me) were trying to add up the hand. Unlike regular Blackjack where pattern recognition gives most totals (i.e. you know the totals from the cards rather than adding them up) usually there was an 11+ card, so the total had to be manually added up. Also some dealers initially read a 1x card as a 10 (e.g. it took a while to realise A 13 wasn't a BJ). This seemed to make it harder for dealers as they had to think more.

I don't know how the game plays with other players or a full table as no-one else came over and played the game; so there was no tension when the dealer had a 13 with the expectancy of a bust. Also I'm not sure how regular players would take the 2-card busts (which obviously I accepted, but there seemed a fair few of them when I started).

It was a fun game to play and different - I was always consulting my strategy chart as I do with new games - but interesting that the 6-8s are good cards for the dealer. It's a shame that few people seem to have given it a go.

Hey Charlie,

Thanks for trying out the game and for the feedback. I think it's a bit slow in Northampton - it doesn't help that the table position is a bit out of the main pit I think so not sure how often it's been open. I'm glad you found it fun and different... Maybe it's a game pitched to those who find strategy interesting (which is hardly the majority)...

Feedback from Manchester has been a little more positive although understandably new games come with an unavoidable air or suspicion I guess...

Cruise ship patrons seem to be a bit more accepting as they're kind of looking for something exotic and a bit more open.

When I've trained Dealers they seem to get the hang of it within half an hour of practice or so... Tough things are standing on 16 (Hard) and reading totals with 11+ card in it (not hard just different!)


As far as 6-8s being a good cards for the dealer, it's a little more complex... They are good cards for NOT BUSTING, but not necessarily good cards for making strong totals like 20 or 21...

So the strategy is to draw against these cards as you're unlikely to win on a stiff hand... If you do make 19 or higher then you're in good shape.

Cheers again

Hi Charlie,

Will you be at Coventry in May?

I will be there showing 2 New Tale Games, a Blackjack and a Roulette Game.

Quote: MrCasinoGames

Will you be at Coventry in May?...

Hope to be, Saints (Southampton FC) are playing at Leicester that weekend as well.