US20070216098A1 - Wizard blackjack analysis - Google Patents

Abstract

Blackjack table of a type used in a casino. Has an imprint of a 5, 6, or 7 circles, Squares or customs spots. Blackjack can be dealt from one to eight decks of cards. Prior to the dealing of any cards, all players must make a wager up to the posted table limit. The dealer then deals himself and each player two cards. The dealer will expose one of his cards as the up card. The player's cards are dealt either face down if it's a hand held game, or face up if it's dealt from a multiple-deck shoe. The object of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible and beat the dealer. Twos through Nines count as their face value. Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings count as 10. Aces can count as 1 or 11. An Ace and a 10-value card dealt on the first two cards are called a blackjack, which beats all other hands. The players are allow to bet that the dealer's final hand will be 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or blackjack. Prior to the dealing of any cards, all players must make a mandatory blackjack wager up to the posted table limit. In addition to the blackjack wager, the player also has the option to make one or any combination of the six side bets: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or blackjack. The player's side bet wins if the dealer's final hand matches the player's prediction. If the dealer's hand busts or does not match the player's prediction the side bet loses.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of Invention
• This Invention is in the general field of casino gaming and, more particularly, is a blackjack game where a player may place any of an increased number of bets.
• 2. Description of the Prior Art
• Blackjack is a favorite gambling game of approximately eleven million American men and five million American women. Typically, five of every seven people seated at a blackjack table are men.
• The blackjack table has a gaming layout made out of synthetic or wool blend cloth, with five, six or seven players positions where players laid their bets. Also there are different rules for blackjack, dealer must hit soft 17, dealer stand on all 17, blackjack pays 3 to 2 and insurance pays 2 to 1.
• Blackjack can be dealt from one to eight decks of cards. Prior to the dealing of any card, all players must make a wager up to the posted table limit. The dealer then dealt himself and each player two cards. The dealer will expose one of his cards as the up card. The player's cards are dealt either face down if it's a hand held game, or face up if it's dealt from a multiple deck shoe.
• The object of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible and beat the dealer. Twos through Nines count as their face value. Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings count as 10. Aces can count as 1 or 11. An Ace and a 10-value card dealt on the first two cards are called a blackjack, which beats all other hands.
• The availability of the above options may vary from casino to casino. For example, some would not allow surrender. Some would only allow doubling down on 9, 10 and 11 while others would allow doubling on any first two cards and after splitting.
• If the dealer does not or cannot have a blackjack and the piayer has a blackjack, the player is paid 3 to 2 and his cards are put away immediately. Once all players have made their decisions, the dealer will reveal his hole card and play out his hand. The dealer must hit until he has either 17 or greater or busts. Depending on the house rules, some casinos require the dealer to stand on a soft 17, which is composed of at least one Ace and other cards that total either 7 or 17.
• If the dealer busts, he must pay all bets even money except a blackjack which usually pays 3 to 2. If the dealer does not bust, then, starting with the player on his right, he must compare his hand with each player's hand in turn. Whoever has the higher total wins the bet. Winning bets are paid even money. Ties are pushes. Once the dealer has settled all bets, all cards dealt will be put away in a discard rack and a new round begins.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Wizard blackjack is a variation of blackjack. It features side bets that allow the player to bet that the dealer's final hand will be 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or blackjack. Wizard Blackjack can be dealt from one to eight decks of cards. Prior to the dealing of any cards, all players must make a mandatory blackjack wager up to the posted table limit. In addition to the blackjack wager, the player also has the option to make one or any combination of the six side bets: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or blackjack. The player's side bet wins if the dealer's final hand matches the player's prediction. If the dealer's hand busts or does not match the player's prediction the side bet loses.
• After all bets have been made, the dealer then deals himself and each player two cards. The dealer will expose one of his cards as the up card. The player's cards are dealt either face down if it's a hand held game, or face up if it's dealt from a multiple-deck shoe.
• The object of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible and beat the dealer. Twos through Nines count as their face value. Tens, lacks, Queens and Kings count as 10. Aces can count as 1 or 11. An Ace and a 10-value card dealt on the first two cards are called a blackjack, which beats all other hands.
• After looking at his first two cards, each player has the following options:
• • Stand—The player can stay put with his original two cards.
  • Hit—The player can draw as many cards as he wants as long as the total is not over 21. If the hand total goes over 21, the hand is said to bust and the player will lose his wager immediately.
  • Double down—The player can put up an additional bet no more than his original wager and draw one and only one card.
  • Split—The player can split any pair into two separate hands with an equal bet on each split hand. Usually pairs can be split three times.
  • Surrender—The player can surrender and forfeit one half of his wager.
  • Insurance—If the dealer has an Ace up card, then players can take insurance against the dealer having a blackjack. The insurance bet is one half of the player's wager. The dealer will then check to see if he has a 10-value card underneath the Ace. If he does, then all insurance bets are paid 2 to 1; otherwise, all insurance bets lose.
• The availability of the above options may vary from casino to casino. For example, some would not allow surrender. Some would only allow doubling down on 9, 10 and 11 while others would allow doubling on any first two cards and after splitting.
• If the dealer does not or cannot have a blackjack and the player has a blackjack, the player is paid 3 to 2 and his cards are put away immediately. The Wizard side bet will remain in action whether or not the player busts or is dealt a blackjack.
• Once all players have made their decisions, the dealer will reveal his hole card and play out his hand. The dealer must hit until he has either 17 or greater or busts. Depending on the house rules, some casinos require the dealer to stand on a soft 17, which is composed of at least one Ace and other cards that total either 7 or 17.
• If the dealer busts, he must pay all blackjack bets even money except a blackjack which usually pays 3 to 2; he will also sweep all the Wizard side bets.
• If the dealer does not bust, then, starting with the player on his right, he must compare his hand with each player's hand in turn and pay or collect the blackjack bet and the side bet(s) accordingly. Whoever has the higher total wins the blackjack bet. Winning blackjack bets are paid even money. Ties are pushes. The side bets are paid according to a pay table. Once the dealer has settled all bets, all cards dealt will be put away in a discard rack and a new round begins.
• The Differences Between Wizard Blackjack and Standard Blackjack are Summarized Below:
• • (a) Optional side bets are offered in addition to the mandatory blackjack bet. The side bets allow the player to predict the dealer's final hand and win if it matches the player's prediction. The payoff odds vary with the bet the player makes.
  • (b) Should there be no blackjack bets remaining in the current round, as long as there is at least one Wizard side bet the dealer must play out his hand if it is not 17 or greater.
    The side bets do not change the optimal playing strategy.
    Wizard Blackjack Rules of Play
• Prior to the deal of the game, the player has the option of placing one or any combination of the six Wizard side bets in addition to the mandatory blackjack bet. The dealer then deals everyone two cards and reveals his up card. The player now can hit, stand, double down or split as they would in regular blackjack.
• • (a) If the player busts, the dealer will collect the player's blackjack bet and cards but the Wizard side bet remains in action.
  • (b) If the player is dealt a blackjack and the dealer, after checking his hole card, does not have a blackjack, the dealer will pay the player and put away his cards but the Wizard side bet remains in action.
• After all players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals his hole card and hits until he has 17 or more or busts. If the dealer busts, all Wizard side bets lose. If the dealer doesn't bust, the Wizard side bet will be paid according to the pay tables below. Note that if there are no blackjack bets remaining because all players have busted out and/or received a blackjack, as long as there are Wizard bets, the dealer must complete his hand, if not 17 or greater.
Wizard Blackjack Pay Tables

• (All payouts are “to 1”)

  Pay

  	Bets	H1	S1	S2

  	17	6	5	5
  	18	5	5	5
  	19	6	6	6
  	20	4	4	4
  	21	11	12	11
  	Blackjack	18	18	18

  
  Pay table H1 is to be used with the dealer hitting a soft 17 (hereafter H17). Pay tables S1 and S2 are to be used with the dealer standing on a soft 17 (hereafter S17).
  Mathematical Analysis
• A computer program was developed to calculate the probabilities of the dealer's hand reaching 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and blackjack. The probability distribution of the various dealer final hands is given below for different number of decks:

  1 deck

  	Bets	S17	H17
  	17	14.5830	13.4441
  	18	13.8063	13.9694
  	19	13.4820	13.6757
  	20	17.5806	17.7783
  	21	7.3630	7.5574
  	Blackjack	4.8265	4.8265
  	#Cards	S17	H17

  2decks

  	17	14.5482	13.3854
  	18	13.8780	14.0601
  	19	13.4132	13.6104
  	20	17.8058	18.0050
  	21	7.3168	7.5148
  	Blackjack	4.7797	4.7797

  4decks

  	17	14.5305	13.3558
  	18	13.9138	14.1054
  	19	13.3796	13.5786
  	20	17.9162	18.1163
  	21	7.2947	7.4942
  	Blackjack	4.7566	4.7566

  6decks

  	17	14.5245	13.3459
  	18	13.9258	14.1205
  	19	13.3685	13.5682
  	20	17.9527	18.1531
  	21	7.2874	7.4874
  	Blackjack	4.7489	4.7489

  8decks

  	17	14.5215	13.3409
  	18	13.9318	14.1280
  	19	13.3629	13.5630
  	20	17.9709	18.1714
  	21	7.2838	7.4841
  	Blackjack	4.7451	4.7451

  
  House Advantages (%)
• Given the above probability distribution charts, the house advantages (%) can be determined below:

  Pay Table H1

  # Decks

  	Bets	1	2	4	6	8

  	17	5.89	6.30	6.51	6.58	6.61
  	18	16.18	15.64	15.37	15.28	15.23
  	19	4.27	4.73	4.95	5.02	5.06
  	20	11.11	9.98	9.42	9.23	9.14
  	21	9.31	9.82	10.07	10.15	10.19
  	Blackjack	8.30	9.19	9.62	9.77	9.84

• Pay Table S1

  # Decks

  	Bets	1	2	4	6	8

  	17	12.50	12.71	12.82	12.85	12.87
  	18	17.16	16.73	16.52	16.45	16.41
  	19	5.63	6.11	6.34	6.42	6.46
  	20	12.10	10.97	10.42	10.24	10.14
  	21	4.28	4.88	5.17	5.26	5.31
  	Blackjack	8.30	9.19	9.62	9.77	9.84

• Pay Table S2

  # Decks

  	Bets	1	2	4	6	8

  	17	12.50	12.71	12.82	12.85	12.87
  	18	17.16	16.73	16.52	16.45	16.41
  	19	5.63	6.11	6.34	6.42	6.46
  	20	12.10	10.97	10.42	10.24	10.14
  	21	11.64	12.20	12.46	12.55	12.59
  	Blackjack	8.30	9.19	9.62	9.77	9.84

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
• The sole FIGURE herein is plan view of the top of a blackjack table that carries an imprint of a blackjack layout with betting spots in according with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• As shown in the drawing, a blackjack table of a type in a casino. Has an imprint of a 5, 6, 7 circles, squares or customs betting spots. On the table in front of your position, you'll find acircle 100 or box for your bets. Before each hand begins, place your desired bet into the circle in one stack. Once the cards have been dealt, you aren't allowed to touch the bet in the circle.
• Thestep101 is call insurance box. If the dealer turns an up-card of an ace, he will offer “insurance” to the players. Insurance bets can be made by betting up to half your original bet amount in the insurance betting box in front of your bet.
• Step102 casino rules, Blackjack pays 3 to 2. A blackjack, or natural, is a total of 21 in your first two cards. A blackjack is therefore an Ace and any ten-valued card, with the additional requirement that these be your first two cards, winning blackjack pays the players odds of 3 to 2.
• Step103 how the dealer plays his hand. The dealer must play his hand in a specific way, with no choices allowed. There are two popular rule variations that determine what totals the dealer must draw to. In any given casino, you can tell which rule is in effect by looking at the blackjack table top. It should be clearly labeled with one of these rules: Dealer stands on all 17's or Dealer hits soft 17.
• Step104 Wizard Blackjack side bet betting spots. It features side bets that allow the player to bet that the dealer's final hand will be 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, or a blackjack. All players must make a mandatory blackjack wager up to the posted table limit. In addition to the blackjack wager, the player also has the option to make one or any combination of the six side bets: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, or BJ. The player's side bet wins if the dealer's hand does match the player's prediction. If the dealer's hand does not match the player's prediction the side bet loses.
• Step105 payouts table for wizard blackjack. Wizard Blackjack side bets will be paid according to the pay table105. Per sample is a player predict that the dealer's final hand will be 21 and the dealer get 21 the player will get pay 11to1. Players can look at the payouts table to see how much each bet will pay.
• Step106 payouts table for WIZARD BLACKJACK at the dealer side. When a player wins the dealer can see the payout table to pay the players winning hands.

Claims (1)

1. Wizard Blackjack is a variation of blackjack. It features side bets that allow the player to bet that the dealer's final hand will be 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or blackjack. Wizard Blackjack can be dealt from one to eight decks of cards. Prior to the dealing of any cards, all players must make a mandatory blackjack wager up to the posted table limit. In addition to the blackjack wager, the player also has the option to make one or any combination of the six side bets: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or blackjack. The player's side bet wins if the dealer's final hand matches the player's prediction. If the dealer's hand busts or does not match the player's prediction the side bet loses.

After all bets have been made, the dealer then deals himself and each player two cards. The dealer will expose one of his cards as the up card. The player's cards are dealt either face down if it's a hand held game, or face up if it's dealt from a multiple-deck shoe.

The object of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible and beat the dealer. Twos through Nines count as their face value. Tens, lacks, Queens and Kings count as 10. Aces can count as 1 or 11. An Ace and a 10-value card dealt on the first two cards are called a blackjack, which beats all other hands.

Once all players have made their decisions, the dealer will reveal his hole card and play out his hand. The dealer must hit until he has either 17 or greater or busts. Depending on the house rules, some casinos require the dealer to stand on a soft 17, which is composed of at least one Ace and other cards that total either 7 or 17.

If the dealer busts, he must pay all blackjack bets even money except a blackjack which usually pays 3 to 2; he will also sweep all the Wizard side bets.

If the dealer does not bust, then, starting with the player on his right, he must compare his hand with each player's hand in turn and pay or collect the blackjack bet and the side bet(s) accordingly. Whoever has the higher total wins the blackjack bet. Winning blackjack bets are paid even money. Ties are pushes. The side bets are paid according to a pay table. Once the dealer has settled all bets, all cards dealt will be put away in a discard rack and a new round begins.

The differences between Wizard Blackjack and standard blackjack are summarized below:

(a) Optional side bets are offered in addition to the mandatory blackjack bet. The side bets allow the player to predict the dealer's final hand and win if it matches the player's prediction. The payoff odds vary with the bet the player makes.

(b) Should there be no blackjack bets remaining in the current round, as long as there is at least one Wizard side bet the dealer must play out his hand if it is not 17 or greater.

The side bets do not change the optimal playing strategy.

Wizard Blackjack Rules of Play

Prior to the deal of the game, the player has the option of placing one or any combination of the six Wizard side bets in addition to the mandatory blackjack bet. The dealer then deals everyone two cards and reveals his up card. The player now can hit, stand, double down or split as they would in regular blackjack.

(a) If the player busts, the dealer will collect the player's blackjack bet and cards but the Wizard side bet remains in action.

(b) If the player is dealt a blackjack and the dealer, after checking his hole card, does not have a blackjack, the dealer will pay the player and put away his cards but the Wizard side bet remains in action.

After all players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals his hole card and hits until he has 17 or more or busts. If the dealer busts, all Wizard side bets lose. If the dealer doesn't bust, the Wizard side bet will be paid according to the pay tables below. Note that if there are no blackjack bets remaining because all players have busted out and/or received a blackjack, as long as there are Wizard bets, the dealer must complete his hand, if not 17 or greater.

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