Online Poker Room Reviews

Analysis of Party Poker Blackjack

Introduction

Blackjack is by far the most popular table game offered by both online and bricks and mortar casinos. It is an exciting game which offers the player the ability to make many decisions after a bet is placed unlike casino games like bacarrat or roulette. Recently Party Poker added a version of this game to their enhanced software. This article will analyze Party Poker Blackjack, giving a basic strategy for the player and a brief discussion examining the potential for advantage play. This article assumes a basic level of understanding of the game of blackjack. Check out Basics of Blackjack if you are new to the game of blackjack.

Party Poker Blackjack Rules

Below is a brief summary of the rules. For more details see Party Poker's Website.

• 8 decks used, shuffle after 10% of cards are dealt
• Peek for blackjack when up card is Ten value or Ace (ie Player loses 1 bet only when dealer has blackjack)
• Hit soft 17.

• Minimum Bet: $1
• Maximum Bet: $200
• Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
• Late Surrender
• Double down on any total
• Double after split
• Split up to 3 times
• One card only to split aces
• Insurance up to 1/2 initial bet

Basic Strategy

Basic strategy is the optimal way to play every hand given the player's point total and the dealer's up card. It assumes nothing about what cards that have already been dealt from the deck, as is the foundation of card counting. If a player follows basic strategy perfectly at Party Poker Blackjack he/she will be playing at a 0.55% disadvantage, losing 55 cents for every $100 of initial bets. The section on insurance plus the 3 tables below give the complete basic strategy for Party Poker Blackjack.

Never take insurance or even money, which is equivalent to taking insurance when the player has a blackjack. The disadvantage of insurance off the top of the deck is 7.47%, with the player losing $7.47 for every $100 dollars gambled on insurance.

S = Stand
H = Hit
D = Double down
P = Split
R = Surrender

When more than one option is listed, options are listed from left to right in order of preference.

Advantage Play Possibilities

Blackjack is the one casino game in which a small percentage of players have been able to obtain an edge. These so called "advantage players" used techniques such as card counting, shuffle tracking, or in particular for online blackjack - computer perfect (bot) play. With only approximately 50 cards being dealt out of the deck and randomised shuffling algorithms there is little to no potential for advantage play at Party Poker Blackjack with card counting or shuffle tracking. Maybe with computer perfect play and a $1 to $200 betting spread it would be possible to eek out a tiny profit, however the time needed and the risks far outweigh the miniscule rewards.

Conclusion

When Party Poker added blackjack and "sidebet" to its' software it gave the player additional options for spending their gaming dollar. Blackjack as well as being an interesting game is also inexpensive if played correctly. Follow basic strategy, don't bet over your head and blackjack can provide a break from poker and the associated "bad beats" (although blackjack players have been known to tell "bad beat" stories of their own!).

Appendix A - Expected value given dealer's up card.

Appendix B - Probability of dealer's final total given dealer's up card.

References

Blackjack Game and Basic Strategy Calculator - A great program written by Eric Farmer, used for the calculations in this article.