When Is An Ace 11 In Blackjack
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Face cards such as kings, queens and jacks are of a 10-point value; the Ace, on the other hand, is a special case as its value can be either 1 or 11, so respectively the Ace can also be a high-value card. What makes the Ace special is that players are allowed to determine its value, depending on the situation – they can either use it as a 1 or 11. For instance, if the player has been dealt an Ace, a 6 and a 10, they should count the Ace as 1 because otherwise the total value of the hand. Every time the player decides to hit, a new card is dealt from the deck and the score is updated. As mentioned before, an Ace can be counted as 1 or 11. A special piece of code converts Ace’s value from 11 to 1, in case the score exceeds 21. The player stands when he is satisfied with the current score. So for example, if you were dealt A 3, you might decide to treat the ace as an 11 and have a total count of 14. But if you hit and get a 10, your program would consider that a bust. In real blackjack, if you had A 3 10, you would actually only be at a 14 count still. No matter what every ace should be counted to sum value as 11, then when the total sum has reached over 21 subtract 10 from hand, but the thing is you must make sure you keep a count of how many times you subtract 10 and how many times you add 11( an ace), add 11 = subtract 10 -must always be satisfied. Alorithm example. If all the cards if you hand other than the Ace add up to 10 or less, then your Ace counts as an 11 (although it really doesn't matter if you have a 5 or less, since you'd need a dealer bust to win.
Introduction
I saw Blackjack 11's at the Grand Casino Brussels in Belgium on July 16, 2017. It is a 10 Euro bet that wins if the player gets 11 points in his first two cards, including a blackjack. The game uses some special equipment and has four progressive jackpots so read on to the rules for more information.Rules
When Is An Ace 11 In Blackjack First
- The game is played with six decks of cards.
- The bet amount, at least at the Grand Casino Brussels, is 10€
- One of the six ace of spades is marked with the word 'Jackpot.' I shall refer to this as the Jackpot Ace.
- Three dice are used. Each die has five blank sides and one side with an infinity symbol. I shall refer to these dice as Infinity Dice.
- If the player gets a suited 11, other than the types that qualify for the top two progressive jackpots, then then the three Infinity Dice shall be tossed about in a dome at the player's touch of a red button. The player will qualify for progressive jackpots if at least two dice land on the infinity symbol.
- The possible wins are as follows:
- Jackpot Ace and king of spades — Progressive (7,202€ on July 16, 2017)
- Jackpot Ace and any king not in spades — Progressive (1,318€ on July 16, 2017)
- Suited 11 and three infinities — Progressive (250€ on July 16, 2017)
- Suited 11 and two infinities — Progressive (165€ on July 16, 2017)
- Suited 11 and zero or one infinity — 15 for 1
- Colored 11 (cards in same color but different suits) — 10 for 1
- Mixed 11 (cards in opposite colors) — 3 for 1
- Mystery Jackpot — Progressive (3,900€ on July 16, 2017)
The Mystery Jackpot is awarded randomly, I presume by a random number generator. As usual, I have almost no idea the probability of winning. The odds must be pretty low given the high jackpot amount. I also have no idea about the seed amounts and progressive contribution rates of the jackpots based on the cards.
Analysis
The following table shows the probability and contribution to the return for each event. Since four of the awards are progressive and I don't know how much they are seeded or the rate of increase, I don't know their value. The bottom right cell shows us that the fixed awards return 70.97%.
Perfect 11's — General Case
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackpot ace and king of spades | ? | 1,296 | 0.000124 | ? |
| Jackpot ace and king not in spades | ? | 3,888 | 0.000371 | ? |
| Perfect 11 with three infinity dice | ? | 1,152 | 0.000110 | ? |
| Perfect 11 with two infinity dice | ? | 17,280 | 0.001649 | ? |
| Perfect 11 with one or zero infinity dice | 15 | 230,400 | 0.021986 | 0.329788 |
| Colored 11 | 10 | 248,832 | 0.023745 | 0.237447 |
| Mixed 11 | 3 | 497,664 | 0.047489 | 0.142468 |
| Loser | 0 | 9,478,944 | 0.904526 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 10,479,456 | 1.000000 | 0.709704 + ? |
The next table shows the analysis of the bet as of July 16, 2017 at the Grand Casino Brussels at about 9 PM. Progressive wins have been divided by 10, to put them in comparison to the 10€ required bet. This table does not factor in the value of the mystery jackpot. The lower right cell shows a return of 89.62%, not counting the Mystery Jackpot.
Perfect 11's — July 16, 2017 Grand Casino Brussels
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackpot ace and king of spades | 720.2 | 1,296 | 0.000124 | 0.089068 |
| Jackpot ace and king not in spades | 181.8 | 3,888 | 0.000371 | 0.067450 |
| Perfect 11 with three infinity dice | 25.0 | 1,152 | 0.000110 | 0.002748 |
| Perfect 11 with two infinity dice | 16.5 | 17,280 | 0.001649 | 0.027208 |
| Perfect 11 with one or zero infinity dice | 15 | 230,400 | 0.021986 | 0.329788 |
| Colored 11 | 10 | 248,832 | 0.023745 | 0.237447 |
| Mixed 11 | 3 | 497,664 | 0.047489 | 0.142468 |
| Loser | 0 | 9,478,944 | 0.904526 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 10,479,456 | 1.000000 | 0.896177 |
Online Blackjack Casino Bonuses
| Rank | Casino | Bonus | % | Wager | Cash | Casino | Bonus info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 🧙 | $100 | 200% | 1000xB | |||
| - | Bonus | 🧙$100 | ||||||
| % | 200% | |||||||
| Wager | 1000xB | |||||||
| Code | ||||||||
| 2 | - | 🧙 | $33 | - | ||||
| - | Bonus | 🧙$33 | ||||||
| % | ||||||||
| Wager | - | |||||||
| Code | ||||||||
| 3 | - | 🧙 | $68 | - | ||||
| - | Bonus | 🧙$68 | ||||||
| % | ||||||||
| Wager | - | |||||||
| Code | ||||||||
| 4 | - | 🧙 | $11000 | 100% | 90xB&D | |||
| - | Bonus | 🧙$11000 | ||||||
| % | 100% | |||||||
| Wager | 90xB&D | |||||||
| Code | ||||||||
| 5 | - | 🧙 | $11000 | 100% | 90xB&D | |||
| - | Bonus | 🧙$11000 | ||||||
| % | 100% | |||||||
| Wager | 90xB&D | |||||||
| Code | ||||||||
Written by:Michael Shackleford
Splittingaces and eights is part of blackjackbasic strategy. Rules vary across gambling establishments regarding resplitting, doubling, multiple card draws, and the payout for blackjack, and there are conditional strategic responses that depend upon the number of decks used, the frequency of shuffling and dealer's cards. However, regardless of the various situations, the common strategic wisdom in the blackjack community is to 'Always split aces and eights' when dealt either pair as initial cards.[1] This is generally the first rule of any splitting strategy.[2]
Splitting[edit]
The object of blackjack is for a player to defeat the dealer by obtaining a total as close to 21 as possible without accumulating a total that exceeds this number.[3] In blackjack, the standard rule is that if the player is dealt a pair of identically ranked initial cards, known as a pair, the player is allowed to split them into separate hands and ask for a new second card for each while placing a full initial bet identical to the original wager with each. After placing the wager for the split hands the dealer gives the player an additional card for each split card. The two hands created by splitting are considered independently in competition against the dealer.[4][5] Splitting allows the gambler to turn a bad hand into one or two hands with a good possibility of winning. It also allows the player to double the bet when the dealer busts.[2] Some rules even allow for resplitting until the player has as many as four hands[4] or allow doubling the bet after a split so that each hand has a bet double the original.[6][7] The standard rules are that when a bet is doubled on a hand, the player is only allowed to draw one more card for that hand.[8][9]
Aces[edit]
A pair of aces gives the blackjack player a starting hand value of either a 2 or a soft 12 which is a problematic starting hand in either case.[2][10] Splitting aces gives a player two chances to hit 21.[11] Splitting aces is so favorable to the player that most gambling establishments have rules limiting the player's rights to do so.[2][10] In most casinos the player is only allowed to draw one card on each split ace.[8][10] As a general rule, a ten on a split ace (or vice versa) is not considered a natural blackjack and does not get any bonus.[6] Prohibiting resplitting and redoubling is also common.[2] Regardless of the payout for blackjack, the rules for resplitting, the rules for doubling, the rules for multiple card draws and the dealer's cards, one should always split aces.[10][12][13]
Eights[edit]
If a player is dealt a pair of eights, the total of 16 is considered a troublesome hand. In fact, the value 16 is said to be the worst hand one can have in blackjack.[10] Since sixteen of the other fifty cards have a value of 10 and four have a value of 11, there is a strong chance of getting at least an 18 with either or both split cards. A hand totaling 18 or 19 is much stronger than having a 16.[6] Splitting eights limits one's losses and improves one's hand.[10][11][12] Probabilistic research of expected value scenarios shows that by splitting eights one can convert a hand that presents an expected loss to two hands that may present an expected profit or a reduced loss, depending on what the dealer is showing.[14] A split pair of eights is expected to win against dealer upcards of 2 through 7 and to lose less against dealer upcards of 8 through ace.[15] If a player hits on a pair of eights, he is expected to lose $52 for a $100 bet. If the player splits the eights, he is expected to lose only $43 for a $100 bet.[16]
History[edit]
Blackjack's 'Four Horsemen' (Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott), using adding machines, determined that splitting eights was less costly than playing the pair of eights as a 16.[17] They were part of a 1950s group that discovered that strategy could reduce the house edge to almost zero in blackjack.[18] Now a typical strategy involves the following sequence of playing decisions: one decides whether to surrender, whether to split, whether to double down, and whether to hit or stand.[19]
Ace In Blackjack Worth
One of the earliest proponents of the strategy of splitting eights is Ed Thorp, who developed the strategy on an IBM 704 as part of an overall blackjack strategic theory published in Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One in 1962.[18][20][21] Thorp was the originator of the card counting system for blackjack.[18]
Blackjack Ace Value
Notes[edit]
- ^Gros, p. 60
- ^ abcdeOrtiz, p. 56
- ^Gros, p. 48
- ^ abGros, p. 51
- ^Jensen, pp. 22–23
- ^ abcSchneider, p. 47
- ^Gros, p. 52
- ^ abSchneider, p. 49
- ^Gros, p. 50
- ^ abcdefJensen, p. 53
- ^ abJensen, p. 56
- ^ abHagen and Wiess, pp. 68
- ^Schneider, p. 48
- ^Hagen and Wiess, pp. 66–67
- ^Scoblete, Frank. 'Why Splitting Eights At Blackjack Is An Iron Clad Rule'. Golden Touch Craps. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ^Tamburin, Henry (25 October 1999). 'Splitting Aces and Eights'. Casino city Times. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ^Snyder, Arnold (2005). 'Blackjack Basic Strategy: Aces and Eights'. Player Magazine (republished).
- ^ abcGros, p. 44
- ^Jensen, p. 51
- ^Thorpe, Beat the Dealer as cited in Snyder, Arnold citation below
- ^Levinger, Jeff (10 February 1961). 'Thorpe, 704 Beat Blackjack'(PDF). The Tech. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
References[edit]
- Dunki-Jacobs, Frits. Betting on Blackjack: A non-counter’s Breakthrough Guide to Making Profits at the Tables. Adams Media. pp. 28–34. ISBN1-58062-951-2.
- Gros, Roger. The Winner's Guide To Casino Gambling. Carlton Books Limited. pp. 44–69. ISBN1-85868-899-X.
- Hagen, Tom & Sonia Weiss (2005). The Everything Blackjack Strategy Book: Surefire ways to beat the house every time. Adams Media. pp. 66–68. ISBN1-59337-306-6.
- Jensen, Marten (2003). Beat Multiple Deck Blackjack. Cardoza Publishing. pp. 22–23, 51–56. ISBN1-58042-069-9.
- Ortiz, Darwin. Casino Gambling For The Clueless. Carol Publishing Group. pp. 55–59. ISBN0-8184-0609-7.
- Schneider, Meg Elaine. The Everything Casino Gambling Book (2nd ed.). Adams Media. pp. 47–49. ISBN1-59337-125-X.
- Thorp, Ed (1966). Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One. Vintage. ISBN0-394-70310-3.