Blackjack Switch

Arrow's Edge deals the two-hand trade here. Before each switch, total up both pairs of hands as dealt and as swapped, and keep whichever pair has the higher combined worth.

The rule set here: six decks, the dealer hits soft 17, any two cards may be doubled, doubles are allowed on split hands, and pairs resplit up to four hands. A blackjack dealt as one pays 1:1. An ace and a ten brought together by a switch count as an ordinary 21: the hand is played out and settled like any other 21, so it can tie a dealer 21 and lose to a dealer blackjack.

A dealer who finishes on exactly 22 pushes every player hand still in play. Many dealer busts end on that total, so the rule takes back a good part of what the trade gives; how much it costs on its own is worked through on the Free Bet blackjack page, the other game built around it.

Without the trade, these rules would make a very poor game. Playing both hands exactly as dealt, never switching, the house keeps 9.84% of the money wagered. With every switch made correctly and each hand then played perfectly, that falls to 0.54%.

The key number: The trade alone separates 9.84% from 0.54%: the same cards, the same rules, and only the choice to swap or keep.

Six decks, blackjack pays 1:1, a dealer 22 pushes, resplitting to four hands, and perfect play once the switch is decided. Each edge is a share of the total staked on both hands.

Played correctly, a switch is made on 35.54% of rounds. Each time the decision compares two pairs of hands, the pair as dealt and the pair after the trade, and the pair worth more in total wins, even when that means breaking up a single strong hand.

Two principles follow from the rules. A trade that builds an ace and a ten is weaker than it looks, because the result counts only as 21 and is not paid at once. And the upcard weighs as much as the cards being traded: a 10 or an 11 is worth doubling against a weak upcard, so a trade that creates one is worth more against a 5 or a 6 than against a 10 or an ace.

Once the switch is settled, the hands follow a strategy close to the ordinary one, with one adjustment for the 22 push. A stiff total that stands now collects on fewer dealer busts, so a few borderline stands become hits. The ordinary chart and the reason for each of its cells are on the blackjack strategy page.

Blackjack Switch from Arrow's Edge is the Switch table in our library. Its rules screen gives the soft 17 rule, the one line the table above prices, so open it before the first round.

Because every round carries two bets, Switch swings more per round than a single hand at the same stake. What playing more than one hand does and does not change is explained on the multihand blackjack page.