An interesting blackjack game that is offered at GSR in Reno

What up everyone. Been a wild few months of table games! Anyway recently I came across a game at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno that I found interesting. Its singledeck blackjack that pays 3 to 2, and there is an option to double up to 5X your bet after you see your first card. The only thing is you pay 20% commission on whatever you double, UP FRONT. So lets say you wagered 50 and your first card is a King and you double. So you pay the dealer 10$ immediately which never gets refunded regardless of the outcome of that wager. And you dont get to see the dealers upcard, you are doubling up to 5X based off your first card only.

My first reaction to this is was an absolutely atrocious option but then I realized this should theoretically be exploited if card counting when the deck is 10 rich. Anyone have any idea at what point it would be a good idea to use this double option, for example +3 or more, in order to offset the commission? Or maybe this is never a good idea at all? Although I definitely suspect that if counting cards this game could be absolutely destroyed.

It does depend on other rules for the base game but I imagine it's worth doing if your first card is an Ace (assuming if you get a winning BJ they pay $75 not $50). However if the base game is worse than 1% then it might not be worth playing the game unless counting.

Quote: Nimadamus

What up everyone. Been a wild few months of table games! Anyway recently I came across a game at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno that I found interesting. Its singledeck blackjack that pays 3 to 2, and there is an option to double up to 5X your bet after you see your first card. The only thing is you pay 20% commission on whatever you double, UP FRONT. So lets say you wagered 50 and your first card is a King and you double. So you pay the dealer 10$ immediately which never gets refunded regardless of the outcome of that wager. And you dont get to see the dealers upcard, you are doubling up to 5X based off your first card only.

My first reaction to this is was an absolutely atrocious option but then I realized this should theoretically be exploited if card counting when the deck is 10 rich. Anyone have any idea at what point it would be a good idea to use this double option, for example +3 or more, in order to offset the commission? Or maybe this is never a good idea at all? Although I definitely suspect that if counting cards this game could be absolutely destroyed.

Nimadamus,

I don't understand the rules. What do you mean by the phrase "an option to double up to 5X your bet"? By "double", do you mean that you receive only one more card?

I also don't see why when you use the option that you'd want to add anything less than the maximum: if the option is +EV, then you want to bet all you can.

Dog Hand

^ I had assumed it was a normal Blackjack game (albeit single deck with some additional rules to bring the base House Edge up). There is then an option to Double Up (similar to Triple Attack Blackjack) but if you do then you have to pay 20% extra fee to the house. I guess it's just worth doing it with an Ace but the 20% fee ensures the added bonus doesn't overcome the base House Edge.

The confusion may be that the example given assumed a $50 bet, where the fee would be $10 and the "Double Up" $50 (which just happens to be 5x the fee).