All right, blackjack players, we have another blackjack variation on our hands. Or on our tables actually. So far this one seems to be limited to brick and mortar casinos, and has not made the jump to online blackjack…yet.
This new blackjack variation is called Blackjack Switch. And it sounds pretty much like it is.
In this variation players must lay down to bets of equal amounts. They then are dealt two hands of two cards each. The dealer then deals cards to himself and then checks to see if he has a natural blackjack. Once he has checked and he does not have one, then players are allowed to play out their hands.
Playing out your hands in Blackjack Switch is not quite ordinary. You first playing decision to make is whether or not to switch your cards. In this variation players can swap the second cards of each hand with each other.
This gives players a little relief in that if one of your hands is a hard hand, you could switch the second cards and possibly relieve yourself from having a stiff hand.
But what players need to keep in mind is that sometimes switching is not always needed. It takes careful thought on whether to make the swap or not.
Once a player decides whether to switch their second cards with each other, he then plays out his hands like any ordinary hands. You can still use basic strategy here. But there is not strategy for when to switch your cards and when not to. That is a judgment call on your part.
While I do not like variations as a rule, this one does not have side bets, which are usually the worst aspect of blackjack variations. But like any blackjack variations, there are downsides to this game.
For one thing you will run through your bankroll faster because you are playing two hands at once. And because there is no real strategy advantage to playing two hands at once, you are actually decreasing your blackjack odds because you are giving the house more opportunities to take your money.
On top of that, if you are dealt a natural blackjack you are only going to be paid even money. Sot that is another hit against your blackjack odds. You have already handed them the advantage by opening yourself up to losing money by playing more than one hand at a time. But now you have given up your 3-2 payout as well, which normally fives a nice boost to players.
Since this one does not have side bets, I would say to play it for a couple of rounds just to give it a try. But if you are wanting to make any money off of blackjack then you will want to stick to regular blackjack.
