Have you ever heard of a blackjack game where you are allowed to switch cards between two of your own hands? My friend says he’s played it, but I can’t believe a casino would allow you to do it. Tim A.

Yes, Tim, there is such a game where casino allows the players to do what would normally put them in the slammer, swap cards between two hands.

Called Blackjack Switch, it is a mutant form of blackjack where a player is dealt two hands and is allowed to trade cards between hands. For example, if the player is dealt a 10-5 and a 6-10, the player can switch the top two cards of each hand to make hands of 10-10 and 6-5. Seemingly, Tim, this is a great rule that favors the player, but unfortunately any gain is offset by the other rules that favor the house. Natural blackjacks are paid 1:1 instead of the standard 3:2, and a dealer 22 is a push.

Blackjack Switch is very popular online, but it hasn’t caught on yet at land based casinos. Although I haven’t had a whack at it with live play, at the kitchen table I must say it’s fun switching those cards around, even with rules that counter any advantage gained by being allowed to interchange them.

Adapted with permission from a column by Mark Pilarski.

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