Has anyone heard of, played, or researched this game? https://wizardofodds.com/games/double-up-blackjack/ Being able to double your bet and stand when receiving high valued hands sounds very interesting... the push 16 caveat is my concern. Any thoughts?
It's garbage unfortunately. I know of a joint where they deal this sludge. The dealer getting 16 doesn't even have to be on the first two cards. It can be ANY combination that gives them a 16.
16 is already a common hand on the first two cards. With any combination to make a 16, including soft hands, it's way worse. And just to kick you while you're down, you can have a 20 and push when they get 16.
An abomination to be sure.
Interesting that you say it is garbage. Did you run sims to test if it was garbage? Or speaking strictly from actual play?
The Wizard of Odds house edge (with no counting) is only .32% for a 6 deck game. This is better than most 6 deck games these days. I would be interested in seeing a sim ran for the game with counting and different spreads.
Well, I don’t blame you for being curious, but personally I don’t need to sim. I just ask myself “What are the 3 main reasons why counting works in the first place?”
In no particular order:
1. Dealer has to hit to 17, so dealer busts more in high counts.
2. Player Blackjack pays 3 to 2, whereas dealer blackjack only loses 1 to 1 for player.
3. Double downs (and some splits that can lead to double downs).
The advantage with counting is thin as it is. If the casino monkeys with any of these advantages, players take a hit. Here are a few familiar rule variations:
1. Hitting soft 17, they attack advantage #1 (likely to make a better hand because 17 is a loser).
2. 6 to 5 blackjack, they wiped out advantage #2 (this seemingly tiny change alone makes the game unplayable)
3. No double down after split, advantage #3 takes a hit.
In this game, the dealer has taken advantage #1 for card counters and turned it against them in three ways:
1. Dealer just hits the brakes on 16, so they can’t bust.
2. Dealer gets MORE 16’s than player because dealer has to hit to 16 or higher.
3. You can’t beat dealer even when you have a higher score.
If you could still win on your hand when the dealer stops on 16, maybe this would be worth simming due to the free double down. But the fact that you can’t win on your hand either makes for a devastating one-two punch for the player. If you think about it, it's kind of like late surrender for the house, only it doesn’t have to be on the first two cards and the dealer does not pay you half your bet. The dealer "wins" with 16. They call it a push for illusions sake, but it's a win.
The frequency of 16’s is the crux of this game.
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