New Game: Poker Jack

In my quest for any innovative game to play, consider this, game designers:

Poker Jack

First, a regular hand of Blackjack is played out normally.

Then, your hand and the dealer hand becomes a poker hand (no matter the outcome of the BJ hand). If it is only 4 cards, your fifth card is wild. (That should be an incentive for sub-optimal play.) Otherwise, you make the best five card poker hand out of the cards available between you and the dealer and are paid according to a paytable.

There, two sentences and more interesting than all the pair suited matching sidebets combined. I would take 97% on this. So, go ahead and patent and market this. If you make it big, feel free to treat me to a steak dinner and/or 3.7% of your profits.

I believe some to this effect had already been done a while ago, called Pojak. A disaster that went nowhere.

With the exception of poker side bets like 21+3, Blackjack players have rejected main hand/main bet poker mixed into a Blackjack game.

make a habit of protecting your intellectual property, Sir. Yep, I know this didn't seem like much, but I've seen a lot of it stolen, so, well, I have to say something.

The worst offenders are upper level management claiming subordinate's ideas as their own, in my experience. Often the junior person thinks they got some of the credit. Wrong.

Hi Canyonero,

Below are two old games that are similar to your Poker Jack (Blackjack Side-Bet).

Derek Webb (inventor of Three card poker and 21+3) has the patent for combining players blackjack-hand with dealer's cards to make a 5-card poker hand.
United States Patent 6,863,274
Webb March 8, 2005

Method and apparatus for playing Blackjack with a five card Poker wager ("21+5")

Abstract

A card game combines the play of Blackjack ("21") with a 5-card Poker wager or side bet ("21+5"). Each player places a basic Blackjack wager for each of two hands and an optional side wager before the cards are dealt. Each player is then dealt a card for each hand with the dealer receiving a face-up card. Each player is dealt a second card for each hand. At this point, the outcome of each 5-card hand is determined, where a 5-card hand consists of the two 2-card hands dealt to that player and the dealer's face-up card. After settling the 5-card wagers, the game of Blackjack continues in a typical fashion. The invention advantageously retains all the features and advantages of Blackjack as well as provides the dynamics of a proposition game, without interfering with the card sequence, for enhanced player anticipation and enjoyment.
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Triple Shot.

Triple shot is a new table game I noticed at Harrah's in Las Vegas. It it three games in one. The player may play War, Blackjack, Poker, or any combination of these games. The three bets are independent so the player may bet any amount on each one, subject to table limits. The game is played with a single deck. The player's and dealer's first card determine the outcome of the War bet. Then the player gets another card and plays out his Blackjack hand. Then more cards are dealt to the player to complete a 6-card Poker hand. Finally the dealer plays out is Blackjack hand, settles the Blackjack wagers, and then then pays players according to the value of their 6-card poker hand. Following are the specific rules of each game.
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Three way Action .

Three way action is three games in one. The player may make any number and combination of them. There is also an optional blackjack side bet. The game is played with a single deck of cards that is shuffled after every hand. Following are the betting options:

•Blackjack: Normal single-deck blackjack rules except the player the player may only split aces and player automatically wins with a seven-card hand of 21 or less (7-card Charlie). Assuming the dealer hits a soft 17, double on any two cards, and double after a split the normal house edge would be 0.18%. Not splitting any pair except aces adds 0.35%. The 7-card Charlie rule helps almost nothing. So the overall house edge in the blackjack portion is 0.53%.

•Combat: Player's first card against Dealer's up card, highest card wins. A player win pays even money. Dealer wins half on a tie. House edge of 2.94%.

•Seven Card Showdown: Additional cards are added to player's and dealer's final blackjack hands to make seven each. The best poker hand wins. Dealer must have at least an ace high to qualify. If dealer doesn't qualify then the players wins 1/2 his bet, otherwise a win pays even money. Following are the possible outcomes of this bet according to a random simulation.

Thanks for pointing these out for me, they seem interesting. Are they to be found anywhere in Vegas these days?

Quote: MrCasinoGames

Method and apparatus for playing Blackjack with a five card Poker wager ("21+5")

Abstract

A card game combines the play of Blackjack ("21") with a 5-card Poker wager or side bet ("21+5"). Each player places a basic Blackjack wager for each of two hands and an optional side wager before the cards are dealt. Each player is then dealt a card for each hand with the dealer receiving a face-up card. Each player is dealt a second card for each hand. At this point, the outcome of each 5-card hand is determined, where a 5-card hand consists of the two 2-card hands dealt to that player and the dealer's face-up card. After settling the 5-card wagers, the game of Blackjack continues in a typical fashion. The invention advantageously retains all the features and advantages of Blackjack as well as provides the dynamics of a proposition game, without interfering with the card sequence, for enhanced player anticipation and enjoyment.

Looks like a perfect side bet for Blackjack Switch.

Quote: Canyonero

Thanks for pointing these out for me, they seem interesting. Are they to be found anywhere in Vegas these days?

I'm pretty sure they are all in the graveyard now.

Quote: mrclean

Looks like a perfect side bet for Blackjack Switch.

Yes, it is.
By the way Derek Webb (Three Card Poker), Me (Casino Hold'em®) and Geoff Hall (Blackjack Switch) are all from UK and has been very good friends for the last 30+ years.

A photo of Derek Webb (Three Card Poker & 21+3) and Me (Stephen Au-Yeung) at the World Gaming Congress and Expo in 2001, with my Casino Hold'em table.

Stephen I think the l key on your keyboard is too close to the m key. I know Geoff is pronounced JEFF here in the colonies.
But we do not pronounce Hall as Ham.

Quote: Buzzard

Stephen I think the l key on your keyboard is too close to the m key. I know Geoff is pronounced JEFF here in the colonies.
But we do not pronounce Hall as Ham.

Thanks Buzzard, is fix.