Suit 'em Up Blackjack

Suit 'em Up Blackjack 10 July 2014

By John Grochowski

If all other rules are equal, blackjack players face a lower house edge when fewer decks are in play. Thats mostly because theres a greater frequency of two-card 21s with fewer decks, and players collect 3-2 payoffs or 6-5 in bad games while the house takes only even money on dealer blackjacks.

However, some side bets have lower house edges when more decks are used. Thats the case in Suit Em Up Blackjack from CRE8TV Games. I first saw the Suit Em Up side bet at Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas in 2012, and since then its gone live in seven Las Vegas casinos. Most recent is the Tropicana, which installed four tables and now is looking to increase to 12.

That its been successful so far makes it likely well see it in other parts of the U.S. before long. New table options never make a big splash all at once, like hot new slots. They have to prove their value at a small number of casinos before others will fork over the fee to add it to their pits.

Suit Em Up is a side bet that your first two cards will be in the same suit. Its an adjunct to blackjack, and since its decided on your first two cards, it doesnt affect strategy on the main game.

The biggest payoff comes when you have two Aces of the same suit. That pays 60-1. suited blackjacks pay 10-1, so if you get an Ace of clubs, for instance, a King, Queen, Jack or 10 of clubs will give you a nice payback above what you can expect on the regular game.

From there, the pay table goes to 5-1 on a suited pair, 3-1 on a suited 11, and 2-1 on any two cards of the same suit.

You cant play Suit Em Up on single-deck games, because suited pairs are impossible. Theres only one Ace of spades in the deck, so if youre waiting for a second for that 60-1 payoff, its not coming.

CRE8TV provided its mathematical workup for two-deck, six-deck and eight-deck games. It shows a 9.41 percent house edge in a six-deck game, 3.41 percent with six decks and 2.67 percent with eight decks. The double-deck house edge is too high to be playable, while the others are pretty normal for side bets. The house edge of the most popular blackjack side bet, 21 + 3, is 3.24 percent in a six-deck game.

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Suit 'em Up Blackjack