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Quick answer: In Blackjack Switch you play two hands with equal bets and may swap the second card dealt to each hand, turning weak starts into strong ones. To balance that huge advantage, a natural blackjack pays only even money (1:1), and if the dealer finishes on 22, every non-busted player hand pushes instead of winning. With six decks and a dealer who hits soft 17, the house edge with correct strategy is about 0.58%, or about 0.60% with eight decks.
| Blackjack Switch at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Hands | Two, with equal bets |
| The switch | Swap the second card of each hand |
| Blackjack pays | 1:1 (even money) |
| Dealer 22 | Pushes all non-busted player hands (a player blackjack still wins) |
| Decks | Usually 6–8 |
| House edge | About 0.58% (6 decks) to 0.60% (8 decks), dealer hits soft 17 |
How do you play Blackjack Switch?
- Bet on two hands. Both bets must be the same size.
- The deal. You get two cards for each hand; the dealer gets an up card and a hole card as usual.
- Decide whether to switch. You may swap the second card dealt to each hand. For example, holding 10-5 and 6-10, switching gives you 10-10 and 6-5: a strong 20 and an 11 to double on.
- Play each hand. Hit, stand, double and split as in normal blackjack.
- Settle. Standard blackjack rules, except the two special rules below.
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What is the catch in Blackjack Switch?
- Blackjack pays 1:1. A natural ace plus 10 still wins, but only even money. A 21 created by switching counts as an ordinary 21, not a blackjack.
- Dealer 22 pushes. If the dealer busts with exactly 22, all your hands that haven’t busted are a push. A natural blackjack still wins.
The dealer-22 rule is why basic strategy changes: standing on a stiff hand and waiting for the dealer to bust pays less often, so hitting becomes relatively more attractive.
Switch strategy: how to choose
The goal is to make the best combination of two hands against the dealer’s up card, not simply the single strongest hand. Typical good switches turn two poor totals into one strong total (19–21) plus one hand you can double, such as 10 or 11. Detailed switching charts exist, and the game has its own basic strategy; using standard blackjack strategy without adjusting for the dealer-22 rule costs you.
The Super Match side bet
Many tables offer Super Match, which pays on pairs, three of a kind, two pair or four of a kind among your first four cards (paying 1:1, 5:1, 8:1 and 40:1 respectively). It raises the overall house edge compared with the main game, so treat it as optional entertainment.
What does even-money blackjack cost in Blackjack Switch?
We worked this out for a six-deck shoe: 312 cards, with 24 aces and 96 cards worth 10.
- Your chance of a blackjack on one hand: 2 × 24/312 × 96/311 = 4.75%.
- The dealer’s chance of one too, with your ace and 10 gone: 2 × 23/310 × 95/309 = 4.56%. That hand is a push.
- So your blackjack wins on about 4.75% × (1 − 0.0456) = 4.53% of hands.
- The cost. Each time, 1:1 pays half a bet less than 3:2. That is 0.5 × 4.53% = about 2.27% of every hand you play.
That is about four times the game’s whole house edge. Even with the dealer-22 rule on top, the game still ends up at about 0.58%, close to a good standard table. That shows how much the switch is worth when you use it well.
One thing to budget for: you must play two hands, so you stake twice as much per round. Average cost = stake × hands × house edge. At £10 a hand for 60 rounds, that is 2 × £10 × 60 = £1,200 staked, and £1,200 × 0.58% = about £7. One £10 hand at a 0.5% standard table for the same 60 rounds costs about £3.
Blackjack Switch vs standard blackjack
| Standard blackjack | Blackjack Switch | |
|---|---|---|
| Hands per round | One (or more if you choose) | Two, equal bets |
| Card swapping | No | Yes, second cards |
| Blackjack pays | 3:2 at good tables | 1:1 |
| Dealer 22 | Dealer busts, you win | Push |
| Typical house edge | About 0.5% at good tables | About 0.58–0.60% (6–8 decks, H17) |
Where Blackjack Switch came from
The game was created by the game inventor Geoff Hall around the turn of the 2000s, and it spread to casinos over the following years. It’s still a licensed proprietary game, so you’ll find it in some casinos and online lobbies but not everywhere.
Where to play Blackjack Switch
Our top-rated casino, 1win (9.9/10), has a large table-games lobby with many blackjack variants; search it for Blackjack Switch, which depends on your country. Use the promo code Ultragambler if you sign up. Online gambling isn’t legal everywhere, so check your local laws first. New to blackjack? Start with our blackjack rules guide, or compare with Spanish 21. To see how the house edge compares with other table games, read our low house edge games guide.
How we checked this
- Rules (two equal hands, the switch, blackjack at 1:1, dealer 22 pushes): Wizard of Odds and Wikipedia.
- House edge of 0.58% with six decks, plus about 0.02% for eight decks: Wizard of Odds and PokerNews.
- Super Match payouts (1:1, 5:1, 8:1, 40:1): Wizard of Odds and PokerNews.
- Geoff Hall as the inventor: Wikipedia and World Casino Directory.
- Our maths: the 2.27% cost of even-money blackjack and the cost of £1,200 staked are our own calculations for a six-deck shoe.
Last checked: 13 October 2026, when we worked out the cost of even-money blackjack ourselves and matched every other figure to at least two outside sources.
Blackjack Switch FAQ
Does blackjack pay 3:2 in Blackjack Switch?
No. A natural blackjack pays 1:1. This is one of the two rules that offset the advantage of switching cards.
What happens when the dealer gets 22?
Every player hand that hasn’t busted is a push. A natural blackjack still wins.
Is Blackjack Switch better than normal blackjack?
The house edge is similar: about 0.58% with six decks (0.60% with eight), compared with around 0.5% at a good standard blackjack table. It’s more about the extra decisions than better odds.
Is a switched 21 a blackjack?
No. Only an ace and a 10-value card dealt together as a hand’s first two cards count as blackjack; a 21 made by switching is a normal 21.
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