How to Play Free Bet Blackjack

Welcome to the ‘How to Play Free Bet Blackjack’ guide! Today, we’re going to talk about this (relatively) new game and why it may offer something a little different than a typical new blackjack variant.

Once you’re read through the article, you will know what Free Bet is, how it plays and why it’s an unusual variant that may be a good choice for you if you like to play a game that’s quite different to what you’re used to.

Here we go . . .

What is Free Bet Blackjack?

In 2012, the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas debuted this new game.  

Created by Englishman Geoff Hall, I saw it as a significant departure from the usual ‘me too’ of new blackjack variants.  

Mr. Hall is also the creator of Blackjack Switch, a similarly unusual game that showed that some creativity and thought had been put into a new game that would appeal to the ‘we’ve seen it all before’ blackjack players.

Free Bet offers the players an opportunity to double down and split more often than straight blackjack, and the bonus is you (mostly) don’t have to put up the additional money to make those additional bets.

It also has a simpler Basic Strategy learning curve than regular blackjack, which is a plus for most players.

The standard rules of the game are as follows:

• It’s played out of a 6-deck shoe
• The dealer hits a soft 17
• Blackjacks pay 3 to 2
• Double down after a split it allowed
• Double down on two cards only
• Split pairs 3 times into 4 hands, including Aces
• No Surrender

These rules give the game a House Advantage of 1.04%.  Not ideal, but the opportunity to make some free bets and for a different experience is well worth the ‘elevated compared to regular blackjack’ House Advantage.

Free Double Downs

The player can double down ‘For Free’ on a two-card hard 9, hard 10, and hard 11.  This is accomplished by the dealer placing a ‘Free Bet’ lammer where the usual double down bet would go.  The player receives one card only on this free double down.

After the hand, here are the possible outcomes:

• The dealer wins, and the player loses their original wager only.  The dealer locks up the lammer and the hand is over.
• The hand is a push, the player gets back his original wager, the lammer is locked up and the hand is over.
• The player wins and is paid even money for his original wager, and even money for the additional ‘Free Bet’ wager. In effect, the player gets paid 2 to 1 for his original wager. The lammer is locked up and the hand is over.

Free Splits

Free Splits are permitted on any pair except 10-value cards. 10s, a pair of Jacks, a King and a Queen etc. cannot be split for free, only Aces through 9s can be split for free.  The player’s cards are split into two, one-card hands.  The player’s original bet is placed with the first hand and a ‘Free Bet’ lammer is placed where the bet would ordinarily go with the second hand. The player then plays out each hand in order and can split and double down both hands using a ‘Free Bet’ lammer to indicate the additional bets.

• If the player wins a hand, the ‘Free Bet’ lammer is replaced with value cheques corresponding to the amount that the lammer represents.
• If the player’s hand pushes or loses, the dealer locks up the ‘Free Bet’ lammer and the hand is over.
• If the player busts his hand before the dealer plays out his hand, then it is a loss for the player and the dealer takes the bet.
• If the dealer’s hand is 22, and the player has 21 or less, the player’s bet is a push.

Geoff Hall, the game inventor, has found a niche with ‘a dealer 22 is a push’ wrinkle in blackjack.  It is something he started with ‘Blackjack Switch’, another game he invented, and has continued to explore that part of the game with ‘Free Bet Blackjack’.

By using the ’22 is a push’, he gives a 6.91% House Advantage back to the game, which allows him to offer some very liberal rules to the players – including free double downs and splits on Free Bet Blackjack.

Free Bet Blackjack vs Traditional Blackjack

How to Play Free Bet Blackjack

The game is played much like a regular blackjack game.  

When it comes time to double down or split, however, the game has a significant change in how it progresses.

Instead of just putting up the cheques to make your double down or split, you indicate to the dealer what you want to do, and the dealer will put up a ‘Free Bet’ lammer in place of the additional cheques.  

If you win this bet, the dealer will pay even money for your original bet, and then replace the ‘Free Bet’ lammer with cheques equal in value to the original bet.  In effect, you get paid 2 to 1 for your original bet.

How does that work on the table in real life?
 
Let’s say you have a bet of $20, and you’re dealt a hard 10. 
 
You tell the dealer you want to double down and the dealer places a ‘Free Bet’ lammer in the place where the additional bet would usually go.

If you win, you get paid $40 - $20 for the original bet, then the lammer is removed and you receive an additional $20 for the ‘Free Bet’.

If you lose, your original $20 bet loses, and the lammer is locked up.

If your hand pushes, the $20 original bet remains and the lammer is locked up.

A free double down is not allowed for any soft hand (a soft hand contains an Ace).  You can double down on a soft hand, but it must be with your money, there is no ‘Free Bet’ on a soft hand.

Free Bet Splits

The casino will also pay for Free Splits.  

And how does that work on the table in real life?

Let’s say you have a bet of $20 and are dealt a pair of 8s.

You tell the dealer you want to split them, and the dealer places a ‘Free Bet’ lammer in the place where the standard additional split bet would go.

The dealer will separate your pair of 8s into two, one-card hands.  Your original bet of $20 goes on the first hand, and the Free Bet lammer on the second hand. You then play each hand in order as you would if you were splitting 8s on a regular blackjack game. 

If either of the 8s receives another 8, you can resplit them if you want to.  The dealer will place another ‘Free Bet’ lammer in place to indicate it’s an additional split.  You can split up to 3 times into 4 hands, with all except one of them being a ‘Free Bet’.

If the hit cards can be doubled down upon, you can also do that with a ‘Free Bet’ lammer.  

A double down hand after a split only receives one card.

In effect, you can split and double down into 8 hands total, with 7 of them being ‘Free Bets’ and only your original $20 being your money in action.  The rest of the bets are ‘Free Bets’ placed by the casino.

For your winning hand, your original $20 bet is paid $20.  For the winning hands with a lammer instead of a real money bet, the lammer is replaced with $20.  

For hands that result in a loss or a push, the dealer simply picks up the lammers and the game moves on. 

Free Splits are available on all pairs, except 10-value cards (so no splitting face cards, too).

After you’ve split, if you get a soft hand, you cannot ask for a free bet double down on the soft hand, but you can double down with real money cheques.

The effect of all these ‘Free Bet’ splits and double downs is to give the player an approximate 6% advantage.

To make the game work for the casino, they put in place the ’a dealer 22 is a push on all the remaining hands’ rule.

The House Advantage on that rule takes back 6.91% and gives the casino a House Advantage of 1.04%.on the game.

What’s the catch? Are there really “Free bets”?

Yes, in theory there really are ‘Free Bets’.

There is no doubt that the additional bets placed are free, and don’t cost the player anything in upfront cost. 

But having given with one hand, the casino takes back the huge advantage with the other hand, by making a dealer 22 a push.

So the net effect is no, there really aren’t any ‘Free Bets’.

Strategies for Free Bet Blackjack

Some good strategic decisions are:

1. Make sure you take every opportunity to make a free double down or a free split when playing ‘Free Bet Blackjack’.
2. It is interesting that the greater the number of decks, the better the odds for the player, which is the opposite of regular blackjack.  Make sure you look for a game with more decks in play – a 6-deck or 8-deck shoe is your best opportunity, given the other rules are the same.
3. The Basic Strategy for this game changes based on whether you’re playing a real money bet or a free bet.  A push on a free bet is the same as a loss, so the way you play it is to be more aggressive with splits and double downs. 

Basic Strategy charts for a Free Bet Hand, a Real Money Bet and Splitting Pairs.

The three Basic Strategy charts here show the strategy for playing a free bet, a real money hand and a pair, respectively.

Expert Advice: Is Free Bet Blackjack Worth Playing?

Here’s my two cents on whether it’s worth playing.

The immediate answer is yes, it is.  

And here’s why.

Even though the House Advantage on the game is a solid 1.04% in favor of the casino, when you consider that according to Peter Griffin in ‘The Theory of Blackjack’, the typical HA against the average player is 1.42%, Free Bet Blackjack now seems like a great deal.

There is an opportunity for the players to get ahead by running into a great shoe and being able to split and double down for free without the usual bankroll you would need in place to do so.

It’s an exciting opportunity to have a relatively small HA working against you when compared to other casino games. Pai Gow Poker has an approximate 2.5% HA against you.  Even single zero roulette at 2.7% has almost triple the HA of Free Bet, and when you consider several of the other games, 1.04% suddenly isn’t such a bad deal.

I think it’s an exciting game, and one that may offer some serious adrenalin – especially when you get into the multiple split/double down scenario that may come.  

Conclusion

I think congratulations are in order to Goeff Hall. He has managed to do what so many try to accomplish, and that is create a new game that is a fun variant, while keeping away from the ‘me too’ vanilla that plagues so many of the new game variants.

We have many articles in the Chipy Academy that offer lots of insight into the most popular casino table games and slot machines.

And as always, good luck!