Is it beatable?

[bjarg]

Hi all.
My local casino plays with the following rules:
8 decks
No surrender
No doubling after splits
Splitting only allowed with 10 and 11
No hole card
85-90% penetration
If you split aces and get a 10 it pays as if it was a BlackJack (3:2).
If you get a BlackJack and the dealer gets one too it pays 1:2.

It's a strange set of rules and I just wanted to ask you guys if that's a beatable game and if its worth for me to spend time counting at that casino.
Thanks a lot!

[Koz84]

Is it a H17 or S17 game? With the basic rule set a H17 game would be worth -0.97% and with S17, -0.74%. However, the fact you get paid 3:2 on split aces and 1:2 on BJ tie adds +0.19% and +0.11%, respectively. That extra +0.30% would make the H17 game a -0.67% game and the S17 version -0.47%. Not the best games in the world, but you did mention 85-90% penetration, which is excellent. It's beatable per se, but have you got other games available where you can DAS and double any two cards?

[sagefr0g]

Hi all.
My local casino plays with the following rules:
8 decks
No surrender
No doubling after splits
Splitting only allowed with 10 and 11
No hole card
85-90% penetration
If you split aces and get a 10 it pays as if it was a BlackJack (3:2).
If you get a BlackJack and the dealer gets one too it pays 1:2.

It's a strange set of rules and I just wanted to ask you guys if that's a beatable game and if its worth for me to spend time counting at that casino.
Thanks a lot!

is that Splitting only allowed with 10 and 11 a misprint, should mean maybe doubling only allowed with 10 & 11 ?
how many times is splitting allowed?

[bjarg]

Thanks a lot for your answers!
Yes, i mispelled... you can only double with 10 and 11.
It's a S17 game.
Another thing I forgot to mention is that despite the ENHC, they play with the OBO rule.
You can split up to 4 times.
Unfortunately this is the only casino within 300 miles of my hometown...
What do you guys think?
Is it worth playing there?
Thanks!

[jaygruden]

Splitting on 11 would mean you have the following cards dealt to you 5.5 & 5.5 - I'd rather double down on those 2 cards

[Gramazeka]

Spread?

[bjarg]

Spread?

Minimum bet: $20
Maximum bet: $100

[Koz84]

You should really Wong that game. No point trying to spread it when the max on the table is 5x the min.

[alwayssplitaces]

Just by the rules, it seems like the house edge is greater on low counts, but the player edge rises a lot more on high counts. That's when you're more likely to get a pair of aces and 2 tens when you split them, or a player and dealer blackjack, and less likely to get 9 or a soft hand. Wong only, because you can't beat it spreading only 1-5. Or save up for trips to Vegas or AC/Pennsylvania.

Do you get paid 3-2 if you split tens and get an ace (it's important because splitting tens is +EV at high counts)

[bjarg]

Just by the rules, it seems like the house edge is greater on low counts, but the player edge rises a lot more on high counts. That's when you're more likely to get a pair of aces and 2 tens when you split them, or a player and dealer blackjack, and less likely to get 9 or a soft hand. Wong only, because you can't beat it spreading only 1-5. Or save up for trips to Vegas or AC/Pennsylvania.

Do you get paid 3-2 if you split tens and get an ace (it's important because splitting tens is +EV at high counts)

So helpful, thanks!
Yes, you do get paid 3:2 if you split tens and get an ace.
Sory for my ignorance, but what do you mean when you say "Wong only"?
I used to live in a town where the rules were great and casinos had no heat whatsoever so I started counting as a hobbie, but I never studied much about the subject.
Thanks!

[BJFan]

bjarg,

I know the casino you're talking about. The spread isn't 5x but 30x and you can split up to 2 hands, not 4 hands. When you're told to wong only it means that due to the little spread of 5x the only way to overcome the house edge is to wait till the count is high to start playing, but with 8 decks it's a boring task!

[bjarg]

bjarg,

I know the casino you're talking about. The spread isn't 5x but 30x and you can split up to 2 hands, not 4 hands. When you're told to wong only it means that due to the little spread of 5x the only way to overcome the house edge is to wait till the count is high to start playing, but with 8 decks it's a boring task!

Thank you BJFAN!
Do you play at that casino?
Other than the fact that it might get boring due to the fact that they deal an 8 deck game, do you think its worth playing there?

[BJFan]

Provided that you have no other option you can play there and win some money.