Double Exposure?

There is a casino in my area that recently started offering a Double X games with the following rules:

H17
Split cards once
Double on split
1:1 BJ
dealer takes all pushes.

I was wondering if this game is beatable and if there are any count systems published for double X.

Thanx in advance,

"The Greatest of all Time"
Brett Starr

You don't state whether you can double on any first two cards or just 9-11. If you can double on any first two cards the odds for this game are not bad at all. Maybe even better than anything else you can find depending on where you are at. If, and only if, it is played using the proper basic strategy.

Check www.thewizardofodds.com and click on the Double Exposure link.

P.S. Don't listen to the Blackjack snobs here that simply dismiss any blackjack variation as a gimmick not worthy of their time. I've played this game with good results and I get absolutely no heat since it is looked upon as a sucker game.

Most of the experienced players don't play this game simply because there is almost always a better game available at the regular blackjack tables. The house edge on double exposure is typically higher than normal bj, so why would you want to play this? Maybe if you couldn't get into a decent regular blackjack game. Or just wanted to have some fun, realizing that you are playing a higher-risk game. It is playable, and if the rules are not bad (S17, double any 2 cards) the house edge is less than 1%. But the basic strategy is different, so it can confuse you going back & forth between this game and regular blackjack. Remember, you give up a lot when your blackjacks only get paid even money and you lose all tied hands (except when you get a blackjack).

It took me a while to integrate poker into my arsenal of beatable games. Poker requires a much different mentality than blackjack, and of course there are issues when switching from one game to the next. Why not add Double Exposure or Spanish 21 to the repretoir? In fact, if someone likes to "camp out" at a table, I would even recommend those games. Even if they're less beatable by counting than blackjack, the heat is much less and, know what? Doing different things is fun!

M.

The game is double on all. I did check out wizard of odds, but none of the conditions for the listed games matched up and these conditions seem much better.

Thanx,
Brett

Why? According to Stanford Wong in Blackjack Secrets you can win if you find a game where naturals pay 3 to 2, as he apparently can find. And even if you can't, the odds aren't THAT bad.