The Odds on Blackjack wild cards

A local Oklahoma casino has started a new special. Keep in mind that the casino charges a 50 cent ante for each hand played. They are offering 2 for 1 payouts on suited blackjacks AND they are putting 3 wild cards in each 6 deck shoe. When a dealer deals themselves a wild card it is a dead card and just put in the discard rack and it is replaced with the next card from the shoe. When a player gets the card as one of the first two cards dealt to them - the player gets to decide what they want that card to be. Any blackjacks created from this are automatically suited blackjacks and pay 2 for 1. If they get a 3 and a wild card - they can call it a 7 or 8 and double down. If it is a card dealt after the first two cards to the player they still decide what they want it to be.
My question is this - Does any one know what this does exactly to the house percentage of someone playing basic strategy?

Before it can be answered, other things must be known. I.E. Does a non-suited BJ pay 3:2? Does the dealer hit or stand on soft 17? What about doubling after splitting and re-splitting? What's the penetration before reshuffling?

But even without knowing those things, I'd venture to say this: Three jokers in a 6 deck shoe does not sway the odds much. Also, more players at the table means a lower chance of getting one of those jokers.

Last, the 50¢ ante is HUGE. Whatever advantage given with the joker and suited BJ is more than taken away with that ante.

To answer your questions - yes - non-suited blackjacks pay 3-2. The house stands on soft 17. Yes - you can resplit and double down on them (except they wont let you resplit face cards unless the are the same - J-J, Q-Q, etc - dont ask!)- andf they seem to deal around 4 aqnd a half decks into the 6 deck shoe - sometimes 5. The table limits are usually 5 min - 500 max. You can also find a table with one, two or no other players depending on the time of day.

Oh - one more thing - one day a week they are ante-free - on that day - all blackjacks pay regular 3-2 odds. But the blackjacks involving wild cards still pay 2-1.

Quote: amazed

Oh - one more thing - one day a week they are ante-free - on that day - all blackjacks pay regular 3-2 odds. But the blackjacks involving wild cards still pay 2-1.

That's the only day I would go.

Stanford Wong address jokers in blackjack in his book Basic Blackjack. There he says each joker per deck is worth 4.2% to the player. So half a joker per deck would be worth 2.1%. His book contains a strategy for what card to declare the joker as, according to your other card(s), and the dealer's up card.

Which casino is this?

Quote: Wizard

Stanford Wong address jokers in blackjack in his book Basic Blackjack. There he says each joker per deck is worth 4.2% to the player. So half a joker per deck would be worth 2.1%. His book contains a strategy for what card to declare the joker as, according to your other card(s), and the dealer's up card.

The question I have is, if you use the joker to construct a double down, are you stuck with that valuation? Let's say you double on 8-Joker and call it a 3--now you receive a 2--can you now call the Joker an Ace? And is it ever worth it to double down if that destroys the option to call the Joker whatever you want, as above?

Otherwise, it would seem that you could always make 21 with the Joker, so you would win, what, 92% of the time, and tie the other 8%---wait, no, if the dealer had a blackjack, you would either lose (if the other card was 2-9) or tie. So since the dealer gets a BJ about 5% of the time, you would still lose 8/13 of those hands...so I guess you would win with the Joker about 89% of the time.

Quote: mkl654321

The question I have is, if you use the joker to construct a double down, are you stuck with that valuation? Let's say you double on 8-Joker and call it a 3--now you receive a 2--can you now call the Joker an Ace? And is it ever worth it to double down if that destroys the option to call the Joker whatever you want, as above?

Otherwise, it would seem that you could always make 21 with the Joker, so you would win, what, 92% of the time, and tie the other 8%---wait, no, if the dealer had a blackjack, you would either lose (if the other card was 2-9) or tie. So since the dealer gets a BJ about 5% of the time, you would still lose 8/13 of those hands...so I guess you would win with the Joker about 89% of the time.

I seem to recall this coming up in an earlier thread. I think it is one of those "let the pit boss decide" rule modifications. Like the triple-down/quadruple down thing at Mohegan Sun. But yeah, if the PB lets you redeclare the joker after a double down, that would be a significant advantage, obviously. I think you would pretty much always double down with a joker in your hand...?

Quote: teddys

I seem to recall this coming up in an earlier thread. I think it is one of those "let the pit boss decide" rule modifications. Like the triple-down/quadruple down thing at Mohegan Sun. But yeah, if the PB lets you redeclare the joker after a double down, that would be a significant advantage, obviously. I think you would pretty much always double down with a joker in your hand...?

I would only double down with 7-Joker or higher, since with 6-Joker or lower I could conceivably be stuck with a 19 or worse, whereas by hitting rather than doubling, I have a certain 21.

Quote: mkl654321

The question I have is, if you use the joker to construct a double down, are you stuck with that valuation? Let's say you double on 8-Joker and call it a 3--now you receive a 2--can you now call the Joker an Ace? And is it ever worth it to double down if that destroys the option to call the Joker whatever you want, as above?

You have to declare the value of the joker when you get it. So if your first two cards were 8-joker you would have to declare the joker to a specific card, I'd imagine a 3 or an ace.

Quote: Wizard

You have to declare the value of the joker when you get it. So if your first two cards were 8-joker you would have to declare the joker to a specific card, I'd imagine a 3 or an ace.

Oh. That's CONSIDERABLY worse than "the joker is whatever you want it to be". Was that the way Wong assumed the rule was in his book?

Quote: mkl654321

Was that the way Wong assumed the rule was in his book?

Yes.