Need help with strategy for BJ variation offered in Austria

Hi guys,

As I am sure most of you know Austria has a casino monopoly and all of the official casinos use CSM. However I just learned that there are some private casinos which found loopholes in the strict gambling laws. They offer a BJ variation called "Two Aces", the rules are as follows:

- 5 Decks
- objective of the game is to draw to 22 (!)
- AA pays 2 to 1 (normal BJ is just 21 and does not pay extra)
- dealer hits 16 and stands on ALL 17
- double any 2, DAS allowed
- no hole card
- no surrender
- player looses all if dealer has AA

Is it correct to double any 12 against all dealer upcards?

Does any one know if this or similar games have been analyzed in the past and could point me to a Basic Strategy?

How high do you estimate the house edge on this game?

Can it be beaten by counting (assuming 75-80% penetration)?

Thanks for any input you might provide.

Regards,
RegBarclay

Here in California many of the Indian casinos have a game such as this. They call it No-Bust 21, but they also include Jokers which will make any hand a natural '22'.

The object is actually to get the total of '22' and "Two-Aces" make a 22. A 22 is the same as a 21 in the normal game of blackjack.

I have not played this game, but at the out-set it looks horrible.

I would be interested in learning more.

BTW.. the casinos here in CA also make you Ante up to $1.25 per hand. At a minimum bet of $2.00 the ante is $.50. Would be next to impossible I think to overcome these odds.

You do not have to ante or pay commission.

If your total exceeds 22 (you bust) the hand is lost.

I think the main problem with this game is that you loose the advantage of beeing paid 3 to 2 on a BJ. Although AA pays 2 to 1, it is far less common than a normal BJ.

I am sure this game has a higher house edge than normal BJ, but what if you were able to backcount it and keep a separate sidecount for the Aces only wonging in on high plus counts or Ace-rich shoes?

Just some thoughts.

Regards,
RegBarclay