Getting paid to tie? Take advantage

Ever heard of a casino that offers unique, somewhat odd rules to blackjack? They’re out there, and they’re legitimate additions to the game. If you’re a regular player, you should pay attention to the ones that both help and hurt your player advantage, but it’s definitely the ones that help that increase the attractiveness of the game, and thus require further investigation.

The rule I’ve noticed lately is a casino that actually pays the player 50% of the bet if both the player and the dealer hit blackjack, which is a major change from a standard “push” situation at most tables, and it certainly alters the player advantage. While you might not think something as insignificant as one rule could have that much of an impact, I would beg to differ.

Right away, having this option eliminates the need to take even money – ever. In fact, I didn’t research it, but I’d be surprised if the game even offered even money. It also allows the player to take profit from tying a 10-value card blackjack. Both of these are player advantages that might seem like a dream, and they’re significant adjustments to the rule set that alters the house odds enough to pay attention.

On the general estimate that blackjack occurs in the game about 4.76 percent of the time, the odds calculators out there might put the overall player advantage of this at 0.1 percent. One small percentage for man, but one giant advantage boost for blackjack player-kind.

See, these are the rules you have to seek out and find a way to take advantage of as a player. I know it’s difficult when the physical casino is nowhere near you, but every once in a while you’ll get lucky, and if you’re a regular player grinding out sessions to make money over the long haul, these are the angles you have to play to get ahead of the casino. Card counting, of course, when you can get away with it is the best equalizer a player can bring to the table, but when the rules shift to the player’s favor, even if you’re not counting, the benefit can be extreme enough to make or break the game for you.