New Game: Lucky 13s Blackjack

Hey guys,

I just exhibited my new blackjack variant at G2E Asia and things are now getting a bit interesting.

The concept is a bit out of the box but it's very simple.

The deck of 52 cards is expanded to include 11s, 12s and 13s in each suit (64 cards per deck)


I'd love for you to play the Flash demo at my website (www.lucky13s.com.au) and let me know what you think.


The rule set is flexible, but for the demo:

- 4 decks (in real life a CSM)
- Double on any first two cards, DAS
- European No Hole Card rule (but would be dealt with hole card in US)
- Split any pair (including 11s, 12s & 13s which you must "split or bust")
- One card only on Split Aces
- In addition to standing on 17 and above, Dealer also stands on Hard 16


Unlike standard blackjack, the bigger cards mean it's possible to bust on the initial deal... This is a bummer, so to guard against that, the player can make an optional "Protection" wager, which pays if the first two cards total 22 or more (Aces count as one)

Protection:
Pays 5-1 for Totals of 22-25
Pays 40-1 for Total of 26 ("Lucky 13s")

One last thing, if the Dealer's upcard is a 13, then all sidebets pay out 5 times as much as normal, so 22-25 pays 25-1 and Lucky 13s pays 200-1.

Bigger cards mean more Dealer busts which is a big feature.

Also, the Player gets to see a Dealer upcard of 12 or 13 which has a very high bust rate, so doubling and splitting is a good idea wherever you can.


That's about it... I've sorted my IP out so have a play and let me know what you think - I'd appreciate your feedback!

In the past, G2E Asia was not a popular forum for independent table game developers for various reasons. How was your experience in the show? many table game executives / buyers from casinos? generating any business leads? worthy of your money?

BUG REPORT
When playing, I was dealt 13-13, and split. I was dealt a K on the second hand, for hard 23. Instead of busting, it asked me if I wanted to split. I did so, and was dealt a 9 on the first 13, and it was totaled as hard 19. Somehow, the split 13 turned into a value of 10, which I am sure is unintended.

Hey Dween,

Yeah I know about this!

This is currently something that is being fixed and obviously it's a bug in the game... It will be fixed shortly.

On another matter, congrats on getting dealt 13-13! Hope you had the Protection sidebet!

Was I the only one who got a headache just reading the rules and side bet options ? Just asking.

I can understand why G2E Asia could be considered a risky proposition for the independent table game developer. Especially a non-baccarat table game developer! But still I thought it would be a cost effective way of meeting management from various areas of the Asia-Pacific at once (ie: not just Macau) and luckily this proved to be the case.

I had a lot of interest from areas that I wasn't even aware there were such significant markets (such as the Philippines), as well as online casinos and app developers.

There were a lot of buyers and game distributors from Europe too.

So my experience was good but I can see how it might not be the place for everyone. I just felt I had a product which I had been sitting on which was ready to go to market in the right places and it was time to test the water.

Long story short, I was confident that my product would sell itself, and this is how it played out. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that hasn't crossed their I's and dotted their T's though! You've got to know the questions that are going to be asked and demonstrate why it would make commercial sense for an operator to include your game.

I'm under no illusions that table game innovation is a pretty tough business but also I think that if you have a good understanding of what makes a successful game then you won't know if you don't try! Success or fail I knew it was going to be a great experience.

Of course the US would naturally be the place where there would be the most opportunities for blackjack variants to be successful, so this week has provided me with some clarity about where I'm at game and uncovered a few interested parties who are interested in taking the game in that direction.


Still, it's too early to know the full value of how things will play out after this week but at the moment I'm happy that it couldn't really have gone any better.

" Lucky 13s Blackjack can be explained in seconds, while staff are trained in minutes. "

I seriously doubt this statement !

I didn't actually write the paragraph but I think it can be rephrased in a simpler fashion.

"It's blackjack with 11, 12 and 13 cards in the deck. Apart from that it's exactly the same except the dealer stands on 16"

"Because you can go over 21 on the initial deal, there is a side bet which pays out if you get dealt 22 or higher with your first two cards"

(Pairs bet is a standard bet here and I included it just because it's wildly popular - no explanation required)


I think that's pretty succinct but accurate? In person, the game requires almost no explanation at all - even though most people wouldn't have seen a 12 of hearts before, they know that it would score as 12 so it's no biggie... In fact some people sit down and get dealt like an 11 and 4 and just say "Damn... 15" without actually noticing that they're actually looking at an 11 card!

Went to the demo and first hand id 5/11. Just what the average player wants . A BJ game that will give him more 16's ?

How many more 16's I am too dumb to calculate !

Just edited as I did not read prior post before posting this one. Was player thrilled at his 15 ?

Can you post a rack card on website ?

Don't understand why you don't think this is realistic?

That's how it's played out so far...

The base game needs very little explanation, and you normally only mention the Protection side bet the first time they bust on the initial deal (which happens about 1 in 10 hands)... Payouts are simple, only two tiers with a x5 multiplier if the Dealer card is 13.

What special skills does a dealer really need to learn except to spot totals over 21 and pay out the side bet?


I think it compares pretty favorably in simplicity terms to most new games?

At least now you can stand on that 16 and you might get a tie out of it! :)

Hey, dealers have a hard time remembering 22 is a push in Switch. LOL

Hey Miplet or any math guy, if I don't play side bets, how many more 12,13,14,15, and 16's will a player get ? How often will i get a push on my 16 ?

Haha fair point! I'm a big fan of Switch (the game and the man) by the way!

I ask this because many players will sit down at a new game and not play side bets till they see the game up close .

Quote: 13s

Haha fair point! I'm a big fan of Switch (the game and the man) by the way!

Well Geoff did not expect that to be a problem, but it has been. And having to play 2 side bets to lower the house edge to who knows what ? Was it HE for game as well as the almost forced side bets ?

I won't bother digging out the exact figures cos it's late here, but in general terms the "average" hand dealt jumps about 1 and a half points by memory.

But also meant being dealt more hands of 21,20,19,18,17 which are non-decisions...


Also, the higher dealer bust rate in this game means that player standing on stiff hands (against weak dealer upcards) get paid more often than in regular blackjack.

I should probably stress that the Pairs bet is not really integral to my game, but it is really played compulsively over here, so I would have been foolish to exclude it.

It could easily be played with just the primary blackjack bet and the Protection bet, and I imagine this could be the case in the US market.


In practice though, even with the two side betting options on the table, they are quickly resolved on the initial deal with simple paytable and they don't slow down the game too much. (Dealers pick up losers of both side bets right to left at the same time then pay winners accordingly - if there are any that is!)

UH OH I missed something in that quick explanation of the rules. Blackjack is defined here in the colonies as a total of 21 on the first 2 cards dealt to a player, So if you splits Aces and get a 10 on either, it is 21 and not Blackjack.

Now I sit at your game, get a 10 and an 11, 9 and 12, or 8 and 13. BLACKJACK YEAH pay me 3/2.

Feel free to get some sleep. I can continue this assault when you are more wide awake.

Hi 13s,
What is the House edge on this game? and If it is deal manually, is it countable?
I don't think 13 is a good number, as title of a game, because it has always been associated with bad luck.

Haha I'd expect nothing less! I wouldn't have entered the kitchen if I didn't want some heat!

But over here on the dark side of the world we call a blackjack an Ace and a ten-value card - that nice familiar hand you recognize and earn your 3 to 2 on... Otherwise it's just a total of twenty-one.

A player's blackjack beats a mere dealer 21, and vice versa.

No matter what sort of two-card 21 people are dealt, they're always happy to see it ;)



Goodnight!

Just one last thing. If a player is not doing any side bets, he can split 11's and hope to get a good hand. Sounds nice.

Gets a pair of 12s or 13s, he can either bust or split them and play 2 hand of 12 or 13. Twice the agony for average ploppy !

Hi Stephen,

The fact that 13 create emotion in any way is kind of what I'm playing on with the title. I think that if the title attracts ANY sort of attention to the game, then it's a positive not a negative. Once the game is played, people generally reverse their superstitions!

House edge on BJ is 1.3%, 1.2% if it were dealt with a hole card. Assuming basic strategy of course which I'll post shortly, but just wanted people to have a go without knowing the strategy... Kind of working it out for themselves.

Protection bet is 8% if played with 4 decks.


As far as being countable, the side bet is clearly very countable. My market is CSM dominated though and so it's not really a major issue.

If it was dealt out of a shoe, then you would put maximum payouts on the side bet so that if they bet above a certain amount, they wouldn't be getting the stated odds and make it pretty undesirable as a counting target.


As for the base game, counting's a bit more complicated than normal BJ, because there is a new dimension and more high cards in the deck will increase your chances of busting on the initial deal. I've looked into it a little bit, but am not spending too much time on it because I can't see it being dealt out of a shoe anyway. More for my own info should it go that way. I'd just get Eliot to give me a good answer should I need it because that's his thing!

Quite often when splitting 12s or 13s you get an even out (one win one lose)

Of course plenty of the time they'll bust both, but normally this is masked if they have played the side bet.


For the record (and I promised myself I wouldn't put the BS up straight away so people can just play blind for a while), statistically the only hands you would rather bust than split are

13,13 v 9,10,A
12,12 v A


Ok genuine goodnight now :) Cheers for checking out the game

Quote: 13s

Hi Stephen,

The fact that 13 create emotion in any way is kind of what I'm playing on with the title. I think that if the title attracts ANY sort of attention to the game, then it's a positive not a negative. Once the game is played, people generally reverse their superstitions!

House edge on BJ is 1.3%, 1.2% if it were dealt with a hole card. Assuming basic strategy of course which I'll post shortly, but just wanted people to have a go without knowing the strategy... Kind of working it out for themselves.

Protection bet is 8% if played with 4 decks.


As far as being countable, the side bet is clearly very countable. My market is CSM dominated though and so it's not really a major issue.

If it was dealt out of a shoe, then you would put maximum payouts on the side bet so that if they bet above a certain amount, they wouldn't be getting the stated odds and make it pretty undesirable as a counting target.


As for the base game, counting's a bit more complicated than normal BJ, because there is a new dimension and more high cards in the deck will increase your chances of busting on the initial deal. I've looked into it a little bit, but am not spending too much time on it because I can't see it being dealt out of a shoe anyway. More for my own info should it go that way. I'd just get Eliot to give me a good answer should I need it because that's his thing!

Thanks for the Replay.
Good Lucky with Lucky 13s Blackjack.

(Will post rack card when I get back home in a few days)

Cheers for the banter Buzz :)

Thanks Stephen, and I'm a big fan of your games. Wish for your success to continue :)

Quote: 13s

Don't understand why you don't think this is realistic?

That's how it's played out so far...

The base game needs very little explanation, and you normally only mention the Protection side bet the first time they bust on the initial deal (which happens about 1 in 10 hands)... Payouts are simple, only two tiers with a x5 multiplier if the Dealer card is 13.

What special skills does a dealer really need to learn except to spot totals over 21 and pay out the side bet?


I think it compares pretty favorably in simplicity terms to most new games?

Buzzard is the local "bad cop" when it comes to new game designers posting their ideas :). If you can't handle his criticism, you won't make it long as a game developer! He is a great voice of your average traditional casino patron, though. "What's this? An 11 of hearts? Where's the REAL blackjack table...."

I think the idea has merit, but my opinion is worth exactly what you're paying for it. Wishing you good luck.

I beg your pardon. I have only been complimentary so far. Any real criticism will begin later.

So I'm assuming you do a lot less doubling in this game than regular BJ? Cause you could bust when you double anything higher than a hard 8.

Expect a response about getting more 21's on your ten, and only twice as many 22 and 23's. Sorta like the response of average hand being raised 1and 1/2 points. More 19, 20 ,21 None guaranteed to win. More 22,23,24. All guaranteed to lose.

" - 4 decks (in real life a CSM) " Not in any future life in Colorado, that's for sure. Now you have to win more than the game you hope to replace, plus the fee for a CSM. Yeah, like that will ever happen !

The side bet paytable on the website under the practice game are wrong. (Says "Total of 22-25, others: 25:1," should be 5:1, right?)

And there is a glitch when you split big cards that someone else previously mentioned.

The biggest hindrance I can see for this game is the fact that you can bust without doing anything. Get dealt and 10-12 and you're done before you even begin. On an online practice game it's mildly annoying, in real life play it'd be INFURIATING.

You do realize you'll need to manufacture and re-approve shuffle machines that can handle and account for your special deck, yes? It's at least a software upgrade if not a physical change.

Just played 2nd hand. Got Q/4 against a 13 ? Oh yeah poppies will love playing against a 12 or 13 up card. Especially the ones who are always quoting basic strategy or " the book says " ! And if I stay on a 12.13.14.or 15
against a stiff up and dealer has hard 16 with any number of cards, I lose. How exciting !

Quote: ams288

The side bet paytable on the website under the practice game are wrong. (Says "Total of 22-25, others: 25:1," should be 5:1, right?)

And there is a glitch when you split big cards that someone else previously mentioned.

The biggest hindrance I can see for this game is the fact that you can bust without doing anything. Get dealt and 10-12 and you're done before you even begin. On an online practice game it's mildly annoying, in real life play it'd be INFURIATING.

Only the first time. Which would be the last time for most players !

Being a reasonable man I decided to play a third hand. I got a pair of 12's against an Ace. And was asked for insurance.
Welcome To Fruita.
I am not math strong , but let me try. I have 2 12's. Dealer has an Ace 64-3 =61 unknown cards.
Regular BJ game. I have 2 2's. Dealer has an Ace 52-3=49 unknown cards.

So regular BJ I can get 2 to 1 on a 33/16 bet.
In Lucky 13BJ I can get 2 to 1 on a 45/16 bet.

Well, insurance seems out of the question. I declined. Now demo says I can stand or split.

Basic strategy does not exactly help me here.

How high would the true count have to be, before an AP would ever insure a hand ? In a 4 deck shoe even, not a CSM

Hey thanks all for the feedback, both good and bad!

I'll just try and summarize a couple of points briefly:

INSURANCE: Never take it normally, so NEVER EVER take it in this game! Still, you watch while people insure their 20s. Casino "ka-ching". It's no different to Spanish 21 though, 25% of the cards are tens (4/16) just like that game (3/12)

BEING DEALT A BUSTING HAND: In my region, the side bet has almost overtaken the blackjack wager in popularity. Sad but true. For this reason, when players do bust on initial hand, they're only blaming themselves for not being "smart" enough to have placed the side wager. Also, effects of this are mitigated with an increased Dealer bust percentage when you don't bust out on your first two cards (90% of the time).

DEMO BUGS: Thanks for pointing out the bug about being able to split cards that you shouldn't be able to split. I was aware of this and will be fixed shortly. Also, you should be able to split tens (even though you shouldn't' actually do it), and for some reason if you run out of money, you reset to $4.6 billion. But it's in beta and so we're working out the bugs!

Payout table should read
26: 200-1 against D13, otherwise 40-1
22-25: 25-1 against D13, otherwise 5-1


DOUBLING: You get "double-able" totals less, but to counter that you have dealer upcards of 12 and 13, where you pretty much double anything you can. Also, soft totals are doubled more often than standard BJ because of the higher Dealer Bust %.



In practice, this game has the player "feeling" like they're winning more, because it has an 8% player advvantage.

"8% player advantage? That's crazy!" you ask?

Well yeah, as long as you don't bust your initial hand which happens 10% of the time.

So 90% of the time players play with a 108% Rate of Return...

And the 10% of the time they don't get to play their hand they win on side bet (I realise side bets are not everybody's cup of tea but in my market they're very popular)


Dealer's are not pulling 21s from where the sun don't shine off stiff hands as often because of bigger cards, and so players aren't feeling as unlucky.


One2Six shuffler can be told how many cards should be in there (eg: Spanish 21)... If dealt out of a shoe, there are certain ways to mitigate counting of the side bet.


Anyway I haven't jumped straight in to the US as a market because it has been designed to work under my own conditions in regions which I am familiar. As you guys would know there as many blackjack cultures as their are places that it's played. I have seen an opportunity and come up with a product that provides an incremental increase in HE while giving the player more of a winning feeling, which is what I think is the selling point of the game.


Anyway thanks again and your feedback is much appreciated! I'll post the Basic Strategy in a couple of days. House advantage of 1.3% for primary wager is a pretty fair bet I think... Half of single zero roulette. It's not blackjack 0.5% or so but that's the point. A fun, low-denomination game where more dealer busts and an easy side bet create a better atmosphere at the table.

Quote: 13s

... and for some reason if you run out of money, you reset to $4.6 billion.

That would probably be an integer overflow of some kind...

Pairs

Hand	Ways	Pays	Probability	Return
Pair with Dealer 13	30480	60	0.003676470588	0.2205882353
Other Pairs	457200	12	0.05514705882	0.6617647059
Loser	7802880	-1	0.9411764706	-0.9411764706
Total	8290560		1	-0.05882352941

Protection

Hand	Ways	Pays	Probability	Return
Pair of 13s with dealer 13	200	3360	0.0002026401112	0.04052802223
Pair of 13s, others	40	57600	0.003473830477	0.1389532191
Total of 22-25 with dealer 13	25	102400	0.006175698626	0.1543924656
Total of 22-25, others	5	1580096	0.09529488961	0.476474448
Loser	-1	14837664	0.8948529412	-0.8948529412
Total		16581120	1	-0.08450478617

" Hey thanks all for the feedback, both good and bad!" All feedback is GOOD ! Even ones with obscenities.

Aw miplet, I came up with those same numbers. What's HE if I don't want to play side bets. Even if I knew what the strategy is, I think
the HE would really suck ? ? ?

The Protection side bet is highly countable. Seeing just 10 cards (A to 9) makes it +ev for the player.

That's a big problem, cause this game will not be dealt with a CSM in most US jurisdictions.

HE of base bet is 1.26%, about 0.1% less than that if being dealt with hole card.

Side bet is obviously countable, but counting can be mitigated with maximum payouts set... eg: Max $5000 for 200-1 payout, $1000 for others... So that betting over $25 you're not going to get the full value of the bet. Will be interested to see what AP desirability index is if the game gets that far and take steps to avoid the game getting blitzed like Over/Under 13!

As I said a bit earlier, the game has principally designed for the blackjack market where I come from where the dynamics seem a little different to the US, but it's been great getting the feedback from you guys. And I agree that all feedback is good.

I guess for me one of the big difficulties was realising that although I'm a "smart" player who takes into account HE, optimal play and all those things when I play, the vast majority of players where I come from are not. They're recreational, and don't care about strategy. With up to three bets per box allowed (including side bets) you have quite a few people who will just come and play side bet on all boxes.

I've been playing the game a bit with basic strategy (a lot less labor intensive than dealing to myself like I have been) and it seems to have the feel and flow of regular BJ, just that the Dealer doesn't seem to be getting "lucky" as often.

Another good feature at a live table is that when there are big payouts on the side bet, players often get them together (eg: Dealer has 13 card, all side bets pay x5).

This gets the mood going and there's a bit less jealousy!

13s, the game is interesting but does have some AP weakness on the Protection side bet that I believe needs to be fixed, likely with just a higher HE as opposed to a CSM. Make a pair of player 13's pay 50-1 and any other bust hand regardless of dealer up card pay 5-1. I think your HE goes to over 20% and AP problem should be largely solved. With an insurance type bet, no one is going to care about the high HE, players just want to make sure they don't lose $$ right after the initial deal and by making a 5-1 ratio of main bet to protection bet, they can opt to solve that problem for a price and have a shot at 50-1 every 275 hands.

As far as the main game is concerned, I played the demo with $10 main and $1 protection bet just to get a feel for how I would normally experience the game. Was hitting the hint button to help learn how to play correctly after deciding what I would intuitively do. I was wrong more than I expected on wanting to hit when I should stand.

After looking at the strategy card, it looks like you stand on your first two cards a lot in comparison to regular BJ. Curious to know about the percentage of initial hands in Lucky 13's vs. normal BJ that you would Hit, Stand, Double and Split. It would be helpful to understand the feel of the game as compared to BJ to get those stats. My guess is that you are standing on a higher percentage of your initial two card hands and that is a concern. Part of the player experience in BJ is taking a hit and the anticipation of what could happen with the right hit card. It is a different game if you just get dealt two cards and are supposed to watch more often to see if the dealer makes a hand that beats you.

I have to say, I am not a big fan of the dealer 13 being a multiplier of side bet odds. It makes everything more vulnerable AP-wise and you have to understand there are a lot of properties that are not going to want the only solution to the AP problem to be "use a CSM" or "reduce the max pays". Vulnerability means they have to be more careful about the game and no one wants to add one more exposure item to their floor to worry about.

On the customized deck, many have already stated the issues.....programming or changing CSM/Shufflers to be able to optically read the custom deck, operators needing to buy special decks for one game on the floor, players reaction to more cards and different cards in the deck (e.g. not knowing how that changes strategy), Players making big mistakes strategically due to more 10 & over valued cards in the deck and getting killed when trying out the game for the first time, etc. I think this will be tougher than you might imagine when it comes to a property implementing the game and players walking away after one attempt saying the game is a "house game" with huge odds against them. It isn't an impossible situation, but a really big hurdle.

Finally, I have to ask the question why should I play Lucky 13's BJ vs. regular BJ?

Don't say side bets, you can't justify a new game with a modified deck based on some high pay out side bet. High payout side bets are already out there for regular BJ, I don't need to play Lucky 13's to get that experience.

There has to be something fundamentally different that you are offering the BJ player in the main game for it to have a chance. Something they value whether that be switch cards between hands to improve their hands (Switch) or offering less volatility but the same pay outs on splits & doubles (Free Bet) or offering more ways to instantly win or have bonus pays on special BJ hands (Spanish 21). So what does Lucky 13's offer the player in the main game that is going to want them to play Lucky 13s over regular BJ?

That is a tough one, so think about it carefully and really believe in your answer.

That is all I have for now, wish you all the best and hope that the feedback was valuable.

Hey Paradigm,

Thanks very much for your valuable feedback.

I was aware of the advantage play issues when not being dealt with a CSM, and I thank you for your suggestions on that front.

With regards to the strategy, it is a little quirky but a lot of times if you hit when you should stand it's actually quite a close call EV-wise so it doesn't hurt the player too much if they want to go for those hits.

I understand the way people love to take a hit in blackjack (ie: it's the gamble) but also I've seen many players not hitting in situations where they should and this in a sense rewards those players.

To answer the excellent question of "why would somebody play this game instead of regular BJ"... Well three reasons come to mind.

1. The dealer busts more off stiff hands, gets less "lucky" so players feel they're getting what they deserve (ie. dealer busting when they should), plus there are certain situations against when the Dealer up card is a 12 or 13 that they can really attack.

2. If the player is playing both the BJ bet and the side bet, they will win at least one of them about 55% of the time... I think a lot of players are just interested in "not losing" - a bit like betting two dozens out of three in roulette mentality.

3 (and mainly). Perhaps unlike the US, many casinos down here are pushing up minimums at traditional BJ tables. Unless you want to pay $25 minimum, you already can't play regular blackjack. Instead, the lower limit tables are either one of the following variants:

Blackjack Plus - Instant payout for 21/BJ, 5 card charlie always wins, PUSH 22 RULE
Sydney Rules - Certain BJs pay higher (2/1 or 3/1 or something), DEALER WINS ALL TIES

So I guess the games I'm trying to beat for placements at the $5/$10 level are the above two, which I think are terrible games and really uninspiring.

Also, CSMs are omnipresent and unquestioned, and there are no longer side bet restrictions, so many people sit at blackjack tables just playing sidebets on other players' boxes... It's good business really to let them do that!


Anyway thanks again for taking the time to write an insightful and measured analysis of the game - it's much appreciated!

If CSM's rule the day down under and that is your market, I would pass on making any changes for the AP issue. The CSM will handle that problem.

I can't get excited about 1. above in that I just don't think players will perceive a dealer getting less lucky. Further playing a game for a double down/attack once every 8 hands (e.g. with a dealer 12/13) is too infrequent to be a major motivator to play a new game with a strange deck. If that event occurred in 30% of hands, that would be a different story. But having a chance to risk more $$ in a +EV situation once out of every 8 hands isn't enough in my opinion.

I think the number of players that fall in the niche you describe in 2. is small and for those players roulette, as you indicated, as well as other games fill that niche already.

I do agree with you that BJ Plus & Sydney rules are really bad games, but by my quick calculation puts BJ Plus/Sydney Rules at a 5%-6% HE games without player errors. It is going to be tough for Lucky 13's to win more than those games for the casino at a 1.3% HE. So if you get a trial install and the property compares the game performance to either of those two games, Lucky 13's is going to likely lose the "this game is winning more for us than other games" threshold for keeping a new game on the floor.

In the US, a BJ variant with a 1.2 -1.3% HE would do quite nicely if the players accepted it and were playing it as much as regular BJ with anywhere from a .3% to .7% HE in various forms.

Have you done an analysis of optimal strategy to determine frequency of hitting, doubling & splitting vs regular BJ? These are all proactive decision points for a BJ player and BJ players like BJ because they get to make decisions that impact the outcome. If a player doesn't like making decisions, they play roulette or baccarat. So what impact does Lucky 13's have on the frequency and type of decisions a player makes vs. regular BJ?

Hey Paradigm,

Thanks again for your thoughts.

I haven't gone and worked out the percentage of stand/hits although there would be a higher proportion of stands versus hits which you can see in the basic strategy card.
(When I get a chance I'll actually work this out from the data)...

I take your point about the "players wanting to hit" for the reasons you outlined, but there are actually some other types of decisions which occur quite frequently albeit they're not hit/stand decisions...

Like:
Double/Hit Decisions
Whether to double or just hit a very low total against 12,13
Doubling soft totals vs just hitting (there's more doubleable soft totals because there's more cards that improve the hand than normal)
Doubling/Hitting/Standing A,7

Split/Bust Decisions which are unique... (eg: 12,12 v 10?)

And hit/stand decisions with stiff hands are actually really line-ball against a dealer 10 or 11 so even though they're technically stands, it's a close call...

Also, I think players like being dealt pat hands... There's a certain relief and confidence being dealt an 18,19,20,21... And there are more ways to do it with the bigger cards.


I guess my model is based on a couple of things:
- Many players are burned out already by these 5-6% games, so they simply won't play them - I wish to provide an alternative...
- With the Perfect Pairs bet being so popular (and profitable), I have replicated the characteristics in the Protection sidebet which doesn't slow the game down
(Many players don't even play BJ anymore on the table, they'll just play pairs on every box - there's no necessity to place a BJ bet and 3 wagers are allowed per box... I'm hoping these players will also splash out on the Protection bet hoping to win big)

So what I think will happen is that although the BJ house edge is smaller, it will be made up in side bets and errors (and hopefully popularity vs the rip off games)...


I don't think what really comes across in an online demo is how I've crafted it for live table play. The idea with the multiple of five being paid on side bets against a Dealer 13 is about multiple players winning big on the same hand... Creates a good atmosphere... As soon as the Dealer's 13 is revealed there is a spike in anticipation and an "ooooh" goes out... Suddenly 5-1 payouts are worth 25-1 and it's not uncommon to see two or three boxes win it...

Also the higher proportion of Dealer busts means that the table wins together as a team, granted assuming they haven't busted their hand!

Granted some players like to make decisions such as hit/stand, but there is also another breed or player that wants/likes to play BJ but who is a bit unsure of basic strategy in any game and will feel relief at being dealt a non-decision hand...

Anyway thanks for taking an interest and providing valuable feedback - I'll let you know how I get on... I've got the Australasian Gaming Expo next month - I hope it goes as well as it did in Macau. Now I'll probably stay up and do those frequencies!


Cheers :)