Half Back Blackjack
It's a fun spin on BJ where a player places two equal wagers, and on weak starting hands from 13-16 the player has the option of pulling back one of the two wagers, effectively taking "half back" on their weak hand...
Where did you see/learn of the game? It took second place at last year's (2015) cutting edge conference.
Quote: mrsuit31Half Back BJ rack card
It's a fun spin on BJ where a player places two equal wagers, and on weak starting hands from 13-16 the player has the option of pulling back one of the two wagers, effectively taking "half back" on their weak hand...
Where did you see/learn of the game? It took second place at last year's (2015) cutting edge conference.
Thank you for the link and the reply, Mr. Suit. I'm going to send you a personal message if you don't mind. Thanks.
-BB
any one main bet may be returned half on a dealer's 13 to 16 (helped with an even amount bet, or 50c pieces in the rack), and splits given the option for the main bet to be split in half also; splitting 8's against an Ace or ten, for example. This way, it's a single main bet game, and not an "ugg, I gotta play two units to play" game. Hmm. Might also be good as a $6 min or $10 min single bet game.
Kind of like "surrender AND free splits allowed," with free splits not increasing the amount to be won like in Free Bet, (as removing the dealer stiff card doesn't return as much as Geoff's Push-22 mechanism to do so).
Quote: bobbartopI wanted to learn something about Half Back Blackjack...
Hi bobbartop. I'm a co-inventor and developer of the game.
Mr. Suit's general description of the game is accurate, but the 'linked to' rack card on Paradigm's website is not updated to include the 'Upcard Bonus' side bet that offsets the compensating rule in the game: that the dealer replaces (one time) any upcard 3 through 6 with the next card in the shoe. The added side bet has a scaled paytable that essentially pays if the replaced upcard improves the player's hand (7 - A), with the highest pay being for a resulting dealer blackjack. Also, the rack card that I use has a simple strategy on the front and no full strategy on the back.
Currently, the only place to play Half Back Blackjack is at Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, CA, where it survived its trial and is doing well.
Quote: PaigowdanInteresting observation for Paradigm, and in looking at the game again, I see a single main bet variation of this:
any one main bet may be returned half on a dealer's 13 to 16 (helped with an even amount bet, or 50c pieces in the rack), and splits given the option for the main bet to be split in half also; splitting 8's against an Ace or ten, for example. This way, it's a single main bet game, and not an "ugg, I gotta play two units to play" game. Hmm. Might also be good as a $6 min or $10 min single bet game....
PG Dan: I'm not very active here, but since Paradigm's away on a one-week cruise, I'll respond on his behalf.
Yes, the game is designed as a $10 game to avoid a rack cluttered with silver. But $6 would indeed be appropriate for some 'locals' casinos, especially at certain times of the day and week.
Benefit-wise, the feature that I believe is most appealing to players is the feeling that they get to 'double down' on 19s, 20s and 21s, which is not technically correct, but is a perception since they get to pull down half on their 'crappiest' hands.
True, perception counts a great deal.
Good game design is a scenario of the "very best player view and sense" of the game play, and I think you guys nailed it down as is, and you guys make the call; just an observation here.
Quote: LuckyHi bobbartop. I'm a co-inventor and developer of the game.
Mr. Suit's general description of the game is accurate, but the 'linked to' rack card on Paradigm's website is not updated to include the 'Upcard Bonus' side bet that offsets the compensating rule in the game: that the dealer replaces (one time) any upcard 3 through 6 with the next card in the shoe. The added side bet has a scaled paytable that essentially pays if the replaced upcard improves the player's hand (7 - A), with the highest pay being for a resulting dealer blackjack. Also, the rack card that I use has a simple strategy on the front and no full strategy on the back.
Thank you for the reply, Lucky. I was hoping you could shine some light on house edge. I have not actually seen it in action yet but hear that it has been received well. Hope to give it a spin in a few days. Wish you and it success. Thanks.
-BB
Quote: bobbartopThank you for the reply, Lucky. I was hoping you could shine some light on house edge. I have not actually seen it in action yet but hear that it has been received well. Hope to give it a spin in a few days. Wish you and it success. Thanks.
-BB
Sure BB. The house edge for the rules played at Eagle Mountain (normal HS17 rules) is 1.30%.
Please report back after your session, no matter what the outcome. Nothing more valuable than real player input.
Good luck! And thanks for trying the game.
I believe the game is being run at very low stakes $3/$3 or less so the perception is great as it has a $3 min sign on the table. Two bets is the way to go as the dealer simply pushes back one of the two bets as opposed to having to "make change".
Bob, from a strategy standpoint, if you pull back a bet on every hard 13-16 regardless of dealer's upcard and follow basic BJ strategy, the game is going to play very fairly. Split more often as it doesn't cost you more $$ and having two 6's with $3 on each hand as opposed to $6 on a 12 always makes sense.
I'll let Lucky give the specifics as I don't have them with me, but I believe the side bet has a HE of under 4%.
Finally, there is an iPhone App available for the base game, the Upcard Bonus update is coming in the next 30 days. Do a search on iPhone App store using "Halfback Blackjack" making sure HalfBack is one word. The App is free and no adds...enjoy!
Quote: Paradigm
I'll let Lucky give the specifics as I don't have them with me, but I believe the side bet has a HE of under 4%...
The side bet in play at Eagle Mountain has a house edge of 3.43% and offers a nice variance to complement the main game (SD=3.0).
Paradigm, I hope Jill doesn't catch you going off to view this site on your vacation.
Plus as you said it adds some more variance to a BJ variant that already allows players to bet up to 3 units on great hands and as few as one unit on bad hands...do you recall the SD on the base game vs. standard BJ's 1.15?
Quote: mrsuit31Half Back BJ rack card
It's a fun spin on BJ where a player places two equal wagers, and on weak starting hands from 13-16 the player has the option of pulling back one of the two wagers, effectively taking "half back" on their weak hand...
Where did you see/learn of the game? It took second place at last year's (2015) cutting edge conference.
How is that different from surrender, beside that fact you only get 25% of your wager instead of 50%?
Am I missing something?
You're not surrendering when you take 'half back.' You're merely reducing your bet by 1/2 its original amount. The remainder is still eligible to win - not taken by the house, unless of course the hand loses after it is played out.
Quote: billryanHow is that different from surrender, beside that fact you only get 25% of your wager instead of 50%?
Am I missing something?
As Lucky said, who is the obviously much more knowledgeable on the game than I, it's very different. You aren't forfeiting your hand/wagers, you are given the option/ability to decrease your bet size in the event you are dealt a weak starting hand of 13-16. That pull back option, along with the technical free spit option (as the side wager pays for the second hand) are some of the appealing features of the Half Back that make this highly distinctive from a simple surrender option.
Lucky and Paradigm are the developers of the game. They can answer any questions you may have....
P.S. in their game it's still 50% of your total bet, not 25% ;-). You place two equal sized wagers to start the hand, and have the option to pull back one of them.
Quote: Paradigm
.......... Plus as you said it adds some more variance to a BJ variant that already allows players to bet up to 3 units on great hands and as few as one unit on bad hands...do you recall the SD on the base game vs. standard BJ's 1.15?
No, I don't have the std deviation stat, but there's a lot of action with the player exercising the take back, double, or split options over 42% of the time, the breakout being roughly 33/6/3%, respectively.
If you decide to play, I would recommend 25-30% of your total Main/Half Back bet action be placed on the Upcard Bonus side bet. It hedges against the dealer upcard replacement rule and a dealer blackjack replacement hand paying 20-1 hits just under every 70 dealer hands...with the side bet action, you may find yourself rooting for a dealer BJ!
I am biased of course but I think Lucky and I have a good little BJ Variant there with a lot more action/juice than regular BJ. Time and play will be the judge & jury on that opinion.
