Blackjack Exchange

Geoff Hall demonstrated a cool game at G2E called Blackjack Exchange.

If you have two cards of the same color, you can double the ante and get a different second card. You can split or double after exchanging but you cannot exchange after splitting.

To give house edge back to the casino, it's a Push 22 game.

You can play it here on my website

Please let me know if you have any issues. I bet the strategy will be very interesting - rumors are this game will appear pretty soon in Vegas.

I recently played the Pot of Gold side bet for Free Bet BJ in a major casino and found it worth playing, but this game is still not listed on your website. It’s a push 22 blackjack variant too. Just let you know.

Quote: aceside

I recently played the Pot of Gold side bet for Free Bet BJ in a major casino and found it worth playing, but this game is still not listed on your website. It’s a push 22 blackjack variant too. Just let you know.
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Yeah that's because Free Bet Blackjack is owned by Light & Wonder who told me not to put their game on my website...

I talked with someone who helped create it. He gave me the strategy (huge excel chart). I fixed a couple glitches on my website and renamed it to Xchange Blackjack - here is the new link to play.

Not to be confused with Blackjack X-Change

As a first cut I would assume the strategy once you've not elected to to exchange would be the same as any other Push 22 game (except for the very slightly influence from the additional information that the exchanged card is not in the deck).

I know it's not Push 22, but looking at https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/9/6dh17r4/ you can, for instance, compare the 2-card starting hand with the single card. Obviously you have to use Push 22 figures rather than these ones, but as an example of the idea, the one I did was when the dealer has an Ace, compare not exchanging hence hitting A7 (-0.1604..) to starting with an Ace (which is about the same as hitting 7-4 (+0.1079..)). This would suggest to only keep the Ace with A7.

I'd therefore guess you'd also exchange most 10-?'s unless you have 18+ vs 7 etc. and similarly for many 9-?s etc. Against some dealer up-cards, you may even do it with something like 52 since you have a chance of 54,55 or 5,6.

btw I assume if you exchange and Ax, 21 is not a Blackjack, I can't see a reason why you wouldn't usually exchange most Ax's, especially as AA or AT are great results!

If the inventors are okay with it I can publish the strategy on my website

Quote: charliepatrick

As a first cut I would assume the strategy once you've not elected to to exchange would be the same as any other Push 22 game (except for the very slightly influence from the additional information that the exchanged card is not in the deck).

I know it's not Push 22, but looking at https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/9/6dh17r4/ you can, for instance, compare the 2-card starting hand with the single card. Obviously you have to use Push 22 figures rather than these ones, but as an example of the idea, the one I did was when the dealer has an Ace, compare not exchanging hence hitting A7 (-0.1604..) to starting with an Ace (which is about the same as hitting 7-4 (+0.1079..)). This would suggest to only keep the Ace with A7.

I'd therefore guess you'd also exchange most 10-?'s unless you have 18+ vs 7 etc. and similarly for many 9-?s etc. Against some dealer up-cards, you may even do it with something like 52 since you have a chance of 54,55 or 5,6.

btw I assume if you exchange and Ax, 21 is not a Blackjack, I can't see a reason why you wouldn't usually exchange most Ax's, especially as AA or AT are great results!
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I've also been thinking about BJ Exchange.

1. I think if you have a suitably colored T6 or T5 vs 2-T you should generally exchange because almost any other rank would improve your hand's EV.

2. Similarly with a 97 or 96 against a dealer 2-9.

3. In general, I think you don't want to exchange a Ten card, such as 6T vs 5.

I think you would have to evaluate/consider the exchange decision for Ax when x = 2-5, especially against a Dealer 2-6. I would never break up an A-9 or A-8 (although I haven't done the math.) Note: a 21 after an exchange just pays 1:1 if it wins. BJ payout onlky on the first two cards.

With low hands I think that the most tempting targets for an exchange are 24 or 23 against a dealer 2-9. The only stiff hand you'll make on the exchange is a 12 (2-T).

I think that doubling your wager for an exchange versus a Dealer T or A is likely to result in a -EV hand. Dealer A and Ten are just too strong especially with Push22.

Like I said, I've been thinking but not math-ing.

I haven't checked this at all and have ignored the option of splitting instead! However I suspect it doesn't matter whether you, for instance, split 9s or pay double to play the first one (except for the variance).
There are two types of exchanges, one where you have a total of 12 or more and are looking to toss one of the cards away. Typically this will either be where you have a low card and a stiff (e.g. 5T) or you're better off starting with a high card than a low total (T7). The other is with two small cards where starting with a lower total gives you a slightly better chance. This only happens when you have some 3s or 2s vs 7,6,5 or some 4s vs 6.
Obviously you don't exchange with hands like 83, so 8:17 or less means 17 thru 12!
Note: Most the time you will exchange if the first card is an Ace and you don't have a very good total. I suspect it's best not to split Aces as, rather than having $10 on each Ace after splitting, you can have $20 on an Ace and then hit or double afterwards.

Second note: I've just realised I hadn't taken into account whether you would be allowed to split after an exchange, so there may be more times where you do exchange than shown here. So this is more of an idea rather than a totally accurate strategy. My gut feeling is this might only affect some of the close low two-card decisions rather than the higher ones.

When playing the demo game for BJ Exchange, I am indeed allowed to double or split after choosing an exchange.

Yes you can split after exchanging but not exchange after splitting

Quote: harris

If the inventors are okay with it I can publish the strategy on my website
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I decided to just send it to the two people who commented here which is probably why the thread is now silent.

Maybe we are entering a new era of secrecy in the casino mathematics world where only the inventors and mathematicians themselves get to know the strategies and house edges.

Because of people copying games, I understand why inventors might not want to talk in a completely open, public forum anymore.

Quote: harris

Quote: harris

If the inventors are okay with it I can publish the strategy on my website
link to original post

I decided to just send it to the two people who commented here which is probably why the thread is now silent.

Maybe we are entering a new era of secrecy in the casino mathematics world where only the inventors and mathematicians themselves get to know the strategies and house edges.

Because of people copying games, I understand why inventors might not want to talk in a completely open, public forum anymore.
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I don't think this is the case. Once a game is public, players should know how to play the game well, and hopefully it is intuitive enough without learning the strategy (which most players won't) otherwise players won't win often enough to come back. Most new games provider rack cards where strategy is usually present, I have gone as far as putting strategy on a layout before (which was probably a bad sign that it wasn't intuitive enough...)

In the case of blackjack games, I think that designers usually release the optimal strategy, as in the case of Double Down Blackjack, Double 4 More, and some other new games. Probably because blackjack players seem to care about basic strategy, some get upset if the person next to them "plays wrong", and even others will ask the dealer for the "house way".

While inventors want players to know the strategy, I've never really seen a non-blackjack game published with a strategy guide (though I've read that Wild 5 Poker has a pamphlet with a strategy that's an entire 1% above the real house edge). I'm sure Galaxy Gaming, AGS, and L&W would be releasing the house way if it mattered so much to them. Well, maybe they were collaborating with the Wizard himself to get the strategy out there, but definitely not for many games, since the members of this forum figured out many of the strategies on the site.

Yes thanks as I have now seen the spreadsheet but at this stage am trying not to peep at it until I have finally worked out the exchange strategy for myself. Personally my plan is only to use infinite decks rather than finite decks which the designer obviously has to use to prove their stated House Edge. At the moment I must have a small mistake in my spreadsheet as, apart from A-A, I would expect the value of an exchange to be similar to the split.

As you have probably realised there are a few of us on the site who have done these types of analysis, running simulations and on occasions countability. Obviously one observes any confidentially agreements.

I have met Geoff a couple of times and was there when he first introduced Free-Bet Blackjack to a UK casino. I also remember his Blackjack Switch and recall that some casinos did not allow you to switch out of a Blackjack! There used to be an annual games show at that casino, which allowed designers from around the world to demonstrate their games. I wrote up some of these for this forum, but sadly this ended years ago. I still have the pack of cards which had added cards valued at 13,12 and 11 in each suit for a Blackjack variant.