Free Bet Blackjack
Double on 9, 10 and 11 and split your pairs on the house's money — but a dealer 22 is a push.
About Free Bet Blackjack
Free Bet Blackjack is a game by Geoff Hall, the inventor of Blackjack Switch. It was first dealt at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas in June 2012 and is now sold to casinos by Light & Wonder.
The hook is in the name. On a hard 9, 10 or 11 you may double for free, and you may split any pair except tens for free: the dealer puts a "free bet" lammer next to your chips instead of asking for a second bet. If the hand wins, the lammer is paid like real money. If it loses, you lose only your own stake.
The game pays for this with one rule borrowed from Blackjack Switch: a dealer total of 22 does not bust. It pushes every player hand still in play, so the dealer's most common bust card no longer pays you.
Rules at a glance
| Decks | 6 |
|---|---|
| Dealer on soft 17 | Hits (H17) |
| Hole card | Yes — dealer peeks on a 10 or Ace up-card |
| Free double | Hard 9, 10 or 11 on the first two cards, also after a split |
| Double down | Any other two cards, with your own money |
| Free split | Every pair except ten-value cards, re-splitting up to 4 hands; split aces receive one card each |
| Splitting tens | Allowed, with your own money |
| Free bet pays | Even money on a win; nothing to lose on a loss |
| Dealer 22 | Pushes every player hand still in play; a blackjack still wins and busted hands still lose |
| Surrender | Not offered |
| Blackjack pays | 3:2 |
| Insurance | Offered when the dealer shows an Ace |
| Side bets | None here (casinos often add Push 22 or Pot of Gold) |
Rules vary between casinos. Always check the blackjack payout and the dealer's soft 17 rule; they move the house edge more than anything else on this page.
What makes it different
Free doubles
A hard 9, 10 or 11 doubles on the house's money. A win pays both bets; a loss costs only your original bet.
Free splits
Every pair but tens splits for free. The new hand is a free bet, paid if it wins and taken away if it loses or pushes.
Dealer 22 pushes
The dealer's 22 ties every live player hand instead of busting — the rule that turns the free bets into a house edge.
No surrender
The hands you would give up in the American game, such as 16 against a 10, are played out.
How the free bets change strategy
The rule of thumb from Wizard of Odds: accept every free double and every free split. The plays below are from his chart for a hand played with your own money, compared with our standard American chart.
vs
Hard 9 vs dealer 2 or 7 through Ace
Standard: Hit Free Bet: Free double
The extra bet is the house's, so the only price of doubling is taking a single card. Wizard of Odds' chart free-doubles 9, 10 and 11 against every up-card.
vs
Hard 10 vs dealer 10 or Ace
Standard: Hit Free Bet: Free double
Against a strong up-card a paid double is too costly. A free one only adds to a win.
vs
Pair of 4s vs dealer 2–4 or 7 through Ace
Standard: Hit Free Bet: Free split
Two hands for the price of one. Wizard of Odds values the free split of fours alone at 0.27% to the player.
vsPair of 9s vs dealer 7, 10 or Ace
Standard: Stand Free Bet: Free split
Your original 9 keeps its bet, and the second hand costs nothing if it loses.
vs
Pair of 8s vs dealer Ace
Standard: Surrender (split if you cannot) Free Bet: Free split
There is no surrender, and with the second hand free the split is the clear play.
vs
Hard 13 vs dealer 2
Standard: Stand Free Bet: Hit
Standing on a stiff hand relies on the dealer busting, and a dealer 22 now only pushes. Against a 2 that tips the play to a hit.
vs
Soft 18 (A,7) vs dealer 2–4
Standard: Double (stand if you cannot) Free Bet: Stand
Soft doubles are paid with your own money, and a dealer 22 pushes the whole doubled bet. Wizard of Odds doubles A,7 only against a 5 or 6.
What it means for card counting
Card counting works as in any six-deck game, but the numbers behind standard counts are built for ordinary blackjack. Free doubles and free splits come from small and middle cards, and a dealer 22 changes what a dealer bust is worth, so treat standard bet ramps and index plays as approximate here.
Practise on a matching shoe in the card counting trainer.
Where you will find it
First dealt at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas in June 2012 and now offered by Light & Wonder, often with progressive side bets such as Push 22 or Pot of Gold. Rules vary between casinos, so check the soft 17 rule, whether aces may be re-split and the blackjack payout before you sit down.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented Free Bet Blackjack?
Geoff Hall, who also invented Blackjack Switch. The game opened at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas on 20 June 2012.
What happens to a free bet when the hand loses?
The lammer is simply taken away. You lose only the money you put up yourself; a free bet that wins is paid even money like a normal bet.
What happens when the dealer gets 22?
A dealer total of 22 does not bust. It pushes every player hand still in play. A player blackjack still wins 3:2, and a hand that has already busted still loses.
Should I always take a free double or a free split?
Yes. Wizard of Odds' advice is that if you remember only one thing, accept every free double and every free split. Tens are the exception: they cannot be split for free, and you should stand on 20.
Do I play a hand made by a free split differently?
A little. On a free bet a push is as bad as a loss, so Wizard of Odds' chart for a free hand is more aggressive — for example, it hits a hard 17 against a dealer 7, 8, 9 or Ace.
Sources
Other blackjack variants
- European BlackjackThe no-hole-card game — the dealer takes a second card only after you have finished acting.
- European Blackjack (6 Decks)The six-deck shoe game of European casinos — no hole card, but doubling on any two cards and after splits.
- American BlackjackThe hole-card game that every standard basic strategy chart is written for.
- Atlantic City BlackjackEight decks, but one of the most player-friendly rule sets you will find.
- Vegas Strip BlackjackFour decks, dealer stands on soft 17, and no surrender to fall back on.
- Single Deck BlackjackThe best odds in blackjack — or the worst, depending entirely on the payout.
- Spanish 21Every ten removed from the deck, and a pile of player bonuses to make up for it.
- Blackjack SwitchTwo hands at once — and the right to swap their second cards before you play them.
- Double Exposure BlackjackBoth of the dealer's cards dealt face up — in exchange for even-money blackjacks and losing every tie.
- Double Attack BlackjackSee the dealer's up-card first, then decide whether to double your bet.
- Super Fun 21Double on any number of cards and win automatically with six cards totalling 20 or less — but a blackjack pays only even money.
- PontoonThe British cousin of blackjack: twist, stick, buy — and a five card trick that beats a 21.
- Chinese Blackjack (Ban-Luck)Southeast Asia's home game of 21 — where an Ace can be worth 10 and a pair of Aces pays 3 to 1.