Mulligan 21 Opening
Quote: BuzzardI am just saying you have to compete against the WIN of other table games. In Switch, UTH , S21, etc., you gain an additional edge by people betting wrong. Here you just have the game edge plus normal BJ misplays. No too hard to figure out when to discard a JQK !
Buzz, take a look at the post at the top of the previous page and you'll see that you're not just talking about 'normal BJ misplays.' Players have to make some adjustments to basic blackjack strategy.
Quote: ParadigmThe most likely dealer error on the Push 17 Rule would be to forget that all hands push and start settling each remaining hand in the normal manner. Any player with a final count less than 17 is going to be screaming if the dealer tries to take their wagers. That circumstance won't happen on every 17, but should happen enough to provide reminders to the dealers that all hands push on 17. I am not too concerned at this first install, as I said, this deal staff is pretty good.
Michael - no. This is not the case or your worry. Your game is straightforward. You're okay with this.
If you drill the dealers to simply "push all 17's" - then they'll simply push all 17's. A dead main bet is simply that, and it's simple and not a worry.
I have five years experience with EZ Pai Gow training and its push mechanism, and once they "get" that all main bets push on dealer's hand 'X', then they just process the side bets and get to the next round of play. If they get pushing the hands, they'll include (and get) the total concept of a non-qualifying hand.
Just Drill (in this order, if I may say): You and Harry can reduce training to three steps.
1. 17 stays and pushes. Always. In fact, you should have on your layout "Dealer 17 stays and pushes." Done with. Bingo.
2. No face, No Mulligan. Or....Face Only gives you a Mulligan re-hit.
3. Players Blackjack = instant winner, even money.
Not hard. That simple. Train it that way. You have very clean game, Celebrate it. Don't go OC. KISS.
That's it. You have a very straightforward game to offer, to sell, and to train. Don't complicate it, Just the three items above.
It isn't hard, and your game is easier to train than you think, and should be a great success.
Really
Serious question : In demo's the Lucky stiff bet is always $5 also. Would it not be better to also show $1 bet on a hand as a hedge option ? I am assuming you can bet $1 or a $5 minimum table ? I say assume because neither rack card or demo gives me that information !
Exception training. Dealers know how to deal blackjack. Teaching the exceptions in the EZ manner described above is excellent advice.
Regarding the Mulligan rule, 'NO FACE, NO MULLIGAN' is an instruction that will stick. Regarding the Push 17 rule, '[ANY] DEALER 17 STAYS AND PUSHES' is an instruction that will also stick. And since the main and side bet win, lose or push in tandem at final resolution, then GAME OVER when the dealer has 17. Collect the cards and deal the next round.
KISS. I love it.
Quote: BuzzardSilly question : Will you have to submit the lower 7-1 payoff and 17 push to gaming for the Lucky Stiff sidebet, or is it rolled into and mandatory offering with Mulligan 21.
Serious question : In demo's the Lucky stiff bet is always $5 also. Would it not be better to also show $1 bet on a hand as a hedge option ? I am assuming you can bet $1 or a $5 minimum table ? I say assume because neither rack card or demo gives me that information !
Q1: Since the math for the Lucky Stiff side bet changed for M21 vs. regular BJ, all new documentation had to be submitted as an optional side bet to M21, along with that of the M21 main game with its attendant rules changes (Mulligan, Push 17, etc.).
Q2: The operator decides the table limits, which is why they do not appear on the rack card and why they are not specified in the demo. Lucky Stiff was designed to be more of a $5 minimum bet than a $1 minimum bet, but it all depends on the property and its clientele. For our installs in WA, a $1 or $2 minimum has been the general preference. At our installation in MS, the table limits are $5 - $500 for Lucky Stiff with $5 - $2,500 limits for the main blackjack game.
Of course the game will drive its own action, frequently you will see $3+ wagers on Match as it hits every 6.2 hands and as players experience that hit rate, they realize the bet is not a $ and a prayer type proposition.
I expect Lucky Stiff, with its hit rate of 1 in 5.8 hands, will follow a similar path both for regular BJ & inside the Mulligan 21 game.
Quote: PaigowdanMichael - no. This is not the case or your worry. Your game is straightforward. You're okay with this.
If you drill the dealers to simply "push all 17's" - then they'll simply push all 17's. A dead main bet is simply that, and it's simple and not a worry.
I have five years experience with EZ Pai Gow training and its push mechanism, and once they "get" that all main bets push on dealer's hand 'X', then they just process the side bets and get to the next round of play. If they get pushing the hands, they'll include (and get) the total concept of a non-qualifying hand.
Just Drill (in this order, if I may say): You and Harry can reduce training to three steps.
1. 17 stays and pushes. Always. In fact, you should have on your layout "Dealer 17 stays and pushes." Done with. Bingo.
2. No face, No Mulligan. Or....Face Only gives you a Mulligan re-hit.
3. Players Blackjack = instant winner, even money.
Not hard. That simple. Train it that way. You have very clean game, Celebrate it. Don't go OC. KISS.
That's it. You have a very straightforward game to offer, to sell, and to train. Don't complicate it, Just the three items above.
It isn't hard, and your game is easier to train than you think, and should be a great success.
Really
Thanks Dan! All good comments and Lucky and I will consider them all carefully as we move forward.
Day 1 of the trial went well with both players & dealers working through the initial familiarization of the game. We had several hours of a full table, but on Day 1, that doesn't tell you much about staying power (everyone wants to try the new game). Biggest item for dealers to remember was Push 17 Rule as suspected. 10 Pip card vs. Mulligan Face Card was never an issue for the dealers.
As with Switch & Free Bet's Push 22 Mechanism, the dealers will need to become familiar with remembering Push on all 17's. Had no examples on day one of a dealer failing to remember Push 17 after being corrected. That bodes well for the future.
Anyway, if anyone has the EORs or an example count system handy, I'm sure it will be apheat.net or discountgambling.net.
Quote: AcesAndEightsI'm sure you guys did a counting vulnerability analysis, but it seems like with the even money on blackjacks rule, it would be harder to get an edge on this game than it would on traditional BJ. I know to beat Spanish 21 you have to employ a huge spread.
Anyway, if anyone has the EORs or an example count system handy, I'm sure it will be apheat.net or discountgambling.net.
Yes, we had an AP analysis done by Charles Mousseau, and his conclusions were that Mulligan 21 was less vulnerable than traditional Blackjack.
Quote: LuckyYes, we had an AP analysis done by Charles Mousseau, and his conclusions were that Mulligan 21 was less vulnerable than traditional Blackjack.
That is correct for the two reasons described above, though I think the majority of the credit lies with the even money blackjack.
In addition, the curve is really flat -- you rarely get those monumental edges that you get at higher counts in blackjack, again because of the lack of 3:2 payout for a natural. Rarely did the edge approach 2%, only the top 0.6% of hands had an edge above 2.6%, on a 5.0 / 6.0 simulation.
Take a Mulligan when …
• you draw a face card that busts your hand.
• you draw a face card when hitting or doubling down on a hard 4 - 7, or a hard 8 against a dealer 9 or ten.
• you draw a face card when hitting or doubling down on a soft total of 12 - 18, except a soft 18 against a dealer 8.
Make these adjustments to basic blackjack strategy to increase your odds …
When your Mulligan IS available:
• Always hit hard 12, unless splitting 6s, except double vs. a dealer 6.
• Always stand on hard 16, unless splitting 8s, except hit vs. a dealer Ace.
• Always stand on hard 13 - 15 vs. a dealer 7.
• Generally, be more aggressive doubling and splitting vs. a dealer 3 - 7.
When your Mulligan is NOT available:
• Never risk busting your hand unless you have hard 12 or 13 against a dealer 8 or higher.
You can now play Mulligan 21 at the Angel of the Winds Casino in Arlington, WA.
