Beat The Dealer Blackjack

Beat the Dealer

June 2, 2017 – 01:02 am

Introduction

I first heard of Beat the Dealer, a dice game, in February 2012. It was spotted at the Turning Stone casino in New York state. I used to think Casino War was the most simple game in the casino, but I think we have a new winner in that category with Beat the Dealer.

Rules

The player makes a wager.
The dealer will roll two dice and note the total.
If the dealer did not roll a 12, then the player will roll two dice.
If the player's total is greater than the dealer's total, then the player's wager shall be paid even money.
If the dealer's total is greater or equal to the player's total, then the player's wager shall lose.

Obviously it would waste time for the player to roll against a dealer 12, since it would be impossible to win.

Analysis

The following table shows the possible outcomes. The lower right cell reflects a house edge of 11.27% (ouch!).

Beat the Dealer

Event	Pays	Probability	Return
Win	0.443673
Loss	-1	0.556327	-0.556327
Total	1.000000	-0.112654

Comparison to Other Even-Money Games

For a fast even-money game, Beat the Dealer's house edge of 11.27% is quite high. To make the point a little better, here is a chart showing the house edge of other even money bets I know of from other games.

Even Money Bet Comparison

Game	Bet	House Edge
Baccarat	Player	1.24%
Roulette (European)	Red, black, etc.	1.35%
Craps	Don't pass, don't come	1.36%
Pass, come	1.41%
Roulette (single zero)	2.70%
Sic Bo	Low, High	2.78%
Two Up	3.13%
Roulette (double zero)	5.26%
$1	11.11%
Beat the Dealer	11.27%

Source: wizardofodds.com

Interesting facts

Route 87 is a state highway located in Atlantic County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It runs 1.70 mi (2.74 km), heading north from Atlantic City at an intersection with U.S. Route 30 (Absecon Boulevard) to Brigantine, where it terminates at the end of the Brigantine Bridge over the Absecon Channel, continuing as County Route 638 (Brigantine...