Have you ever found yourself wanting to double down while playing blackjack online or in a casino, but were too afraid to lose the extra cash? Or maybe you got dealt a pair that is worthy of a split, but you just don’t want to put any more money out on the table?
If you want all of the extra action with none of the additional risk, then free bet blackjack is for you.
Free bet blackjack is a newer game that is starting to gain a large following. Players are loving that they can double down and split their hands for free! When you are playing free bet blackjack, you never have to pay additional money to split or double down. And, when you win, you get paid out double!
I know this might sound a little too good to be true if you have never played free bet blackjack before, but I can assure you that free bet blackjack is indeed the real deal.
Let’s take a closer look at this blackjack phenomenon, go over the rules of this variant, and compare it to the traditional game of blackjack.
What Is Free Bet Blackjack?
Free bet blackjack made its debut at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas back in 2012. The game was invented by famed table game inventor Geoff Hall, who rose to fame in the gaming world when he introduced blackjack switch over a decade ago. Similar to blackjack switch, free bet blackjack is a standard blackjack game with a big twist!
When you are playing free bet blackjack, you can double down and split your hands for free!
Now, there are some rules surrounding when you can double and split:
- You can only double on 9, 10, or 11
- You can split most pairs, but not 10’s or face cards.
When you qualify for a free bet, the dealer will place a gold coin next to your bet that will get paid out equal to your original bet. If you win, your free bet gets you an extra payout, and if you lose, it is no harm no foul, as all you lose is your initial investment.
Just like with any retail or online live dealer blackjack game, the dealer will hit on soft 17, and a blackjack always pays out at 3-2 odds. So, what is the catch?
Well, if the dealer busts with a 22, all winning bets push, no matter what. While that doesn’t seem like it would happen all that often, it is enough to sway the odds in the casino’s favor over the long run.
Free Bet Blackjack Rules
The name of the game while playing free bet blackjack is to get as many free bets in action as possible. You can double down any time that you have a 9, 10, or 11 even if it is after a split or a previous double.
Even if it wouldn’t be the mathematically correct decision to make on a normal blackjack game, you have to find ways to get those free bets into play, as extra payouts will far exceed the losses from a potentially sub-optimal strategy.
Let’s say that you are dealt a pair of 6s against the dealer’s up card of an 8. Normally, this wouldn’t be a spot where you would want to split, as the dealer may have a made hand already, and your 6s are very likely to turn into a pair of 16s, which isn’t a great outcome against an 8.
But at the free bet blackjack table, this is a no-brainer decision as you only need to win on 1 of the hands to show a profit and if you do manage to win both hands, that win will far outweigh any potential loss.
Split, split again, and double any time that they will let you is going to be your best strategy when playing free bet blackjack.
If you aren’t comfortable firing off all of those doubles and splits in the dark, they actually make basic strategy cards specifically for free bet blackjack to help guide your decisions. Strategy guide or not, just know that in order to win while playing free bet blackjack you are going to need to be aggressive!
Is Free Bet Blackjack Worth Playing?
Now that we have answered the question, what is free bet blackjack and explained to you how to play free bet blackjack, we will wrap things up by telling you whether or not free bet blackjack is worth playing. Personally, I like free bet blackjack a lot more than standard blackjack.
I am already an aggressive player that loves to double down and split cards, so free bet blackjack appeals to my style of play. But even if you aren’t a player that likes to ram and jam at the blackjack table, you can make a case that free bet blackjack is the superior game.
What Does The Math Tell Us?
All land-based and online casino games have a built-in mathematical house advantage. If you play long enough, the house is always going to win in the long run. When you look at the house advantage for free bet blackjack, it is a measly 1.04%. That tells us that for every $100 you bet, you are going to lose about a buck.
If you compare that to most other table games, free bet blackjack stands out as a great game for the gambler, as most games hold a significantly higher percentage for the casino.
If you are playing an optimal rule set blackjack game, the house advantage can be as low as about 0.5%. But unless you are playing very high limits, I can assure you that you aren’t playing at an optimal rule set table.
If you are playing a typical 6-5 odds low limit game, you can expect a house advantage of at least 1.5%, and depending on the rule set of the table, you could see an edge of as high as 2.4%.
And remember, that is if you also play an absolutely perfect strategy. The actual hold on these games almost always ends up in the low teens, falling anywhere between 12%-15%.
Playing Blackjack Variations
Free bet blackjack is a more fun and exciting variant to the standard blackjack game. And when you get hot playing free bet blackjack you can stack mountains of chips in a hurry with all of those extra free bets! Throw in the fact that the game is actually a statistically better bet and there really is no reason not to give free bet blackjack a try!
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Additionally, Wild Casino offers fantastic bonuses for first time users, reloads and players that prefer crypto as their banking method. When not playing blackjack, you can enjoy all of the popular table games like poker or roulette and nearly 400 different real money slots.
