An Introduction to Free Bet Blackjack

Rhinoman7 is a TA forum regular, I (Movestro) met him there years ago. He is a natural storyteller and knows Free Bet Blackjack better than anyone I know, so I asked him to guest-write this article. Now, I turn things over to Rhinoman7…

One of the keys to winning more money at blackjack is to get more money on the table. A couple of ways this can be achieved is through double downs and splits. There is nothing like the rush of splitting your hand multiple times, and maybe even doubling down on one or more of those hands. The dealer busts and you are in the money! However, when the dealer doesn’t bust, and you lose every one of your bets, it can be downright painful! What if the risk of losing more than your original bet was eliminated, yet you were still paid when you win? This is the basic concept behind Free Bet Blackjack.

While Free Bet Blackjack (FBBJ) has been around in Vegas for a little over three years, it still seems to be unknown to most people. This game can be found in about 13 different casinos in the Las Vegas area, with the possibility of being installed in more casinos before the end of the year.

FBBJ is played the same as a standard game of blackjack, the main difference being that the house covers most of your splits and some of your double downs. The Basic Strategy is very similar as well, with the main exception being that you take ALL free splits and double downs. This can be a bit strange for an avid blackjack player when it comes to splitting 9s against a dealer 10!

Here is how the Free Bet part of the game works: The House will place a “Free Bet Coin” on all splits (with the exception of splitting 10s), and also on double downs of hard 9, 10, or 11. Hands can be split up to four hands, with DAS (Double After Split) allowed. One thing to keep in mind is that you can still double down on soft hands (as per Basic Strategy). However, these are not free bets; you will need to use your own money for these hands.

Let me walk you through a hand to show how simple it is. Let’s say you are betting $10 and are dealt a pair of 8s. You indicate that you want to take the free split (the hand signal varies by casino, so be sure to ask how to indicate you want to take a free bet). The dealer splits your 8s, leaving your original $10 bet on the first card and placing a Free Bet Coin on the second card (the value of the Free Bet Coin is the same as your original bet, in this case, $10).  Now you are dealt another 8 on your first hand, which, of course, you want to split again. The dealer will take that card and place another Free Bet Coin with it, leaving you with three hands now on the table. The next card is a 2 on your first hand. Since it is a hard 10, you want to take the free double. The dealer then places another Free Bet Coin next to your original wager and deals you one more card, which is a face card.

It is now time to play the second hand. You are dealt a 10 on that hand, so you stand. On your third hand, you are dealt a 2, giving you a hard 10. Again, you take the free double, and the dealer places yet another Free Bet Coin next to the one on that hand and deals you one more card, which is another face card. Now comes the fun part. Assuming the dealer has a 17 or busts, you will win all three hands. You are paid $20 on the first hand, $10 on the second hand, and $20 on the third hand, for a total win of $50. While this is great, the real “magic” of the game is when the dealer draws to a 21, and you lose all three hands. Instead of losing $50, you only lose your original wager of $10.

Sound too good to be true? Well, not really. And here is why: a dealer 22 is a push. That is the trade-off for the free bets. Overall, that is a pretty good trade-off. Of course, just as in regular blackjack, variance can work for you (getting a lot of free bet opportunities) or against you (the dealer pushing with 22 quite often)

FBBJ is dealt many different ways: CSM (Continuous Shuffle Machine), Multi-deck shoe, and DD (Double Deck). To the best of my knowledge, here is a list of casinos that currently have at least one FBBJ table:

Mandalay Bay (CSM)

NYNY (6 deck shoe, hand shuffle)

MGM Grand (6 deck shoe, CSM)

Cosmo (CSM, two tables)

Bellagio (CSM, two tables)

Hard Rock (6 deck shoe)

Mirage (CSM)

Venetian (6 or 8 deck shoe, three tables)

Palazzo (6 or 8 deck shoe, three tables)

The D (DD)

Golden Gate (DD, two tables)

The Plaza (??)*

Casino Royale (??, three tables?)*

*(I have not played at these casinos, so I am not sure of how the game is dealt there)

With the exception of Casino Royale, all FBBJ tables pay 3:2 on blackjacks. With the recent epidemic of 6:5 blackjack on lower limit tables spreading across the strip, FBBJ may be a viable alternative for those who prefer the lower limit tables.

(Images and photos: Courtesy of FBBJ Facebook page)

Rhinoman7

Born and raised in Chicago, now living in Wisconsin. I just started going to Vegas 7 years ago but have certainly made up for lost time! My first love in Vegas is Blackjack, but I am learning to broaden my horizons when it comes to card games. When not in Vegas, I am driving people crazy on TA.