How to Play Blackjack Switch
What would you say if we told you that you could put yourself in a position where you could have two hands in front of you, and make the determination as to which order you could change the combinations around so as to give you the best opportunity to come away from that hand with a victory?
That's really possible. It all comes when you play a special variation of blackjack that is known as "Blackjack Switch." The great news is that if you like to play in online casinos, it is an option that is available in many places for you to participate in.
Let's go into detail as to how the process works. You are going to be dealt two hands, as we said. To each of those hands, there is a first card and a second card. The second cards are the ones that can be switched, and that is important, as we'll show in an example in a moment.
That would seem to really empower a player, wouldn't it? Well, it does. It gives you an opportunity, in fact, to greatly improve both hands at the same time. And that is indeed a good thing.
So what's the catch? That's an honest enough question.
In fact, there IS a catch when you play Blackjack Switch, and it's that the dealer can actually get a hand of 22 and achieve a tie (also known as a "push") with any hand you may have been able to get, with only one exception, which is a two-card 21 (or "Natural") on your part. In this way, the dealer gets saved in a lot of instances where he would otherwise bust. And it also allows him to turn hands like 12 or 13 into winning hands more often.
There's also something else which can be considerable, and it's that the dealer has the chance to hit soft 17 (A, 6) when he has it. This brings an obvious advantage to it. Remember that if you have studied the Basic Strategy, it dictates that when you don't double down with Ace-Six in your hand, you will hit, because that is the wisest thing to do. When the dealer can hit Ace-Six, he is going to be able to able to make more hands, just as you would as the player.
Another thing which you are going to give back when you play Blackjack Switch is the "bonus" payoff on blackjacks. In a conventional game, when you are dealt a two-card "natural," you will collect 3-to-2. But when you get 21 on your first two cards in Blackjack Switch, your payout is no better than even money. That could be classified as a "downer."
Most of the skill that is involved in Blackjack Switch centers around when to make a switch of the two hands. Certainly if there is the opportunity to take a "stiff" hand and turn it into something that is "pat," you want to exercise the option. For instance,. you have been dealt a 5,10 and a 10,6. Well, this situation is ideal for you, as you can switch the second cards (the 10 and the 6), which will now give you one hand that totals 20 and another that is 11, and in position to double. What you have done is take two probable losing hands and turned them into what is, in effect, a winner times three.
If you can put the right switching strategy into practice, you can effectively cut any house advantage in half when you play Blackjack Switch
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