In some of the California Indian Casinos (Pechanga and Pala specifically) they offer a side bet called Buster Blackjack, I have seen posts on card counting that bet from www.ApHeat.com, but my question has to do with general strategy concerning this side bet. One thing I learned early in my blackjack playing days was that one of the reasons for the house advantage in blackjack is that the player has to make his decision before the house. So for example if the dealer shows a ten and you have a busting hand like a 14 you must draw before the dealer shows his hole card and since there are many cards that will bust a 14 you will more often than not lose the hand by busting before the dealer turns over his hole card whatever it is. If the dealer's hole card is a bust card (2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) and he busts you have still lost the bet and I was taught that this situation occurs often enough to contribute to the house edge in blackjack, if not being the reason in total for that edge.
If that is the case then the buster side bet offers an interesting twist. It provides a hedge against that situation, because if you bet 1/2 your bj bet on the buster side bet and the situation that I described above occurs you get at least your money back and maybe more depending on the number of cards the dealer busts with. Have any of you experts out there considered this aspect of the buster side bet? Please respond and let me know. Thank you.
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