Chicago Sun-Times: Look beyond obvious in Double Exposure blackjack

A few weeks ago, I listed some blackjack-based games that had some attractive features, but which overall were tougher on the player than regular blackjack.

Among the games listed was Double Exposure Blackjack, in which all cards are dealt face up. Since you see all the dealer's cards, much of the hit/stand uncertainty is eliminated. If you have a 16 and the dealer has a 17, you know you have to hit.

That's an awfully big advantage, one a reader named Ron seemed eager to take when he e-mailed me after that column appeared.

"Where can I find that game?" he wrote. "Does anyone near Chicago have it? I know there are some drawbacks, but it sure seems like if I was always certain when to hit and when to stand, I could make some money. Why would you try to warn people off?"

I've not written about Double Exposure in several years, mostly because the game has disappeared from the area. Empress offered it in 1997, but it didn't earn its keep. Players discovered their bankrolls disappeared faster at Double Exposure, and they gravitated back to regular blackjack.

But Ron wasn't the only reader to ask recently, so let's touch on a few points about Double Exposure.

Although the game is not currently available in the Chicago area, those who travel to New Jersey, Nevada or Mississippi casinos should be able to find it if they look around a little.

Like blackjack, Double Exposure lets casinos play mix-and-match with the rules, leading to a wide disparity in house edges. The best version I know is at the Lady Luck in Las Vegas, which has a house edge of only 0.26 percent against players who use a version of basic strategy specially adapted for Double Exposure. For a six-deck game, that's very good, better than most regular six-deck blackjack games.

On the other end, thewizard-ofodds.com says that Circus Circus in Reno has a six-deck Double Exposure game with a house edge of 1.47 percent against a basic strategy player. That's about three times as high as the house edge in even a mediocre six-deck blackjack game. This version of Double Exposure is a bankroll buster.

What's the difference between the Lady Luck and Circus Circus games? Let's first look at what all versions of Double Exposure have in common: They are played with either six or eight decks. All cards are dealt face up. No insurance is offered. Blackjacks pay even money instead of the 3-2 you get on the regular game. Most important, the dealer wins all ties, except on blackjack.

That last rule is a huge advantage to the house, one that negates much of the gain the player realizes from seeing all dealer cards. It dictates much of our strategy. In regular blackjack, if we have 20 and the dealer shows a 10-value card, we stand. If the dealer then turns up another 10-value card to tie our 20, we get our bet back. In Double Exposure, we already know both dealer cards at the start, and if they're both 10-values for a 20 total, then we have to hit on our 20. Yes, it's a long shot that we'll draw an Ace for the 21 that will beat the dealer, but if we don't hit, we lose.

Those rules are all in force both at the Lady Luck and Circus Circus. In addition, both casinos have the dealer hit on soft 17, and neither allows players to double down after splitting pairs. Neither permits resplitting if the player draws another card of the same denomination after splitting pairs. So what sets the games apart? Several things:

At Lady Luck, if both the player and dealer have blackjack, the player wins the same even-money payoff Double Exposure pays on any other blackjack. At Circus Circus, player and dealer blackjacks push- -the player just gets the original bet returned.

At Lady Luck, a blackjack that consists of a Jack and Ace of hearts pays 2-1. So does a 21 consisting of 6, 7 and 8 of the same suit. There are no such bonuses at Circus Circus.

Most important, at the Lady Luck players are allowed to double down on any two-card total. At Circus Circus, players may double down only on two-card totals of 9, 10 and 11.

In blackjack, putting restrictions on double downs is one of several annoyances that can be added to the game by a casino that wants to drain its customers' cash a little faster. But on the list of negative rules at Double Exposure, restricting double downs is King Kong, Godzilla and Mothra all rolled into one. It's a rule that gobbles bankrolls in giant-sized bites.

When the dealer shows hard 16--a hand that will bust nearly 62 percent of the time--we want to take full advantage, and that means doubling our bet on 5, 6, 7 and 8 in addition to 9, 10 and 11.

Double Exposure is full of little nuances like that. We'll take a deeper look at strategy next week.