3 to 1 suited bj

how much is this promo worth- 3 to 1 payout for A & J of spades or clubs. My quick calc is not much. on Sd, there are 64 combinations to make a blackjack (4 aces, 16 tens). The bonus only applied to 2 of the 64. A 2:1 blackjack bonus adds about 2% in EV, so figure this adds 3% on EV on 2/64. Sounds like only about 0.05%. Not much to get excited about if my math is close.

You didn't state how many decks, but let's assume six.

An untied natural occurs 4.53% of the time. You're supposed to get 1.5 to 1, so, when you get, say, 2 to 1, that extra half chip adds 2.266% to your edge. If you get 3:1, instead, you're getting three times the latter extra edge, or 6.798%.

But, as you correctly point out, you're getting this bonus on only 2/64 = 1/32 of all naturals. So, 6.798%/32 = 0.212%, the value of the promo.

Don

not worth a special trip but not as bad as I thought. I gueess about the same benefit as trading up from H17 to S17.

"not worth a special trip but not as bad as I thought. I guess about the same benefit as trading up from H17 to S17."

Similar in edge, but the promo is worse because of variance.

When you get paid 3 to 1 for something, and it doesn't happen very often, it increases the variance of the game much more than, say, H17 to S17.

Don

Hi Don,

Since you are a legend and known all over the blackjack arenas, can you still make money playing blackjack, or are banned all over the world?

"Since you are a legend and known all over the blackjack arenas, can you still make money playing blackjack, or are banned all over the world?"

Let's just say that my face is probably known (under pseudonyms) in lots of venues. I'm currently involved in a rather important business venture in the financial world, and have much less time to play than I once did.

So, the short answer is that playing blackjack, which was always, at best, an avocation for me, and never a vocation, is considerably less so these days than it has been in the past.

That said, I try to keep very current with all that is going on, and I still am in touch with many friends in the blackjack-playing community.

Don