Blackjack Switch deals you two hands at once and lets you swap the second card of each. Holding 10♠ 6♦ and 5♣ 10♥ against a dealer 10 is two losing hands. Switch the second cards and you have 10♠ 10♥ and 5♣ 6♦: a 20 and an 11. That choice is a huge player advantage. The house pays for it in two ways. Blackjack pays only even money, and a dealer total of exactly 22 pushes every live hand. To play well you need two skills: picking the better arrangement, then playing each hand with a chart built for these rules.
How to play
- Bet twice. Place two equal bets, one for each hand. The standard game uses 6 decks and the dealer hits soft 17.
- The deal. Each of your hands gets two cards face up. The dealer shows an upcard.
- Switch or keep. You may swap the second card of your first hand with the second card of your second hand. You can switch once, or not at all.
- The dealer checks for blackjack after you decide.
- Play each hand with the usual options: hit, stand, double on any two cards, or split (double after split allowed, up to four hands from each original hand). There is no surrender.
- The dealer plays. If the dealer ends on exactly 22, every live hand pushes, except a natural blackjack.
- Settle. Wins pay 1:1. A natural blackjack pays 1:1. A 21 made by switching is not a blackjack.
Payouts
| Result | Pays |
|---|---|
| Win | 1:1 |
| Natural blackjack | 1:1 (not 3:2) |
| 21 made by switching | 1:1, a regular 21 |
| Dealer makes 22 | Live hands push, naturals still win |
| Push | Bet returned |
Most tables also offer a Super Match side bet on pairs among your four cards. Casino Coach doesn’t model it.
Strategy
Step 1: keep or switch
The right answer is the arrangement with the higher total expected value across both hands. Casino Coach computes this exactly on every deal. For quick decisions at the table, use this ranking of starting hands. It shows each hand’s average EV against every upcard, in units of one bet, for 6D H17:
| Starting hand | Average EV |
|---|---|
| Natural blackjack | +1.000 |
| Soft 21 made by switching | +0.846 |
| Hard 20 / pair of 10s | +0.572 |
| Hard 19 | +0.233 |
| Hard 11 | +0.216 |
| Pair of aces | +0.209 |
| Hard 10 | +0.127 |
| Soft 18 | −0.028 |
| Pair of 9s | −0.033 |
| Hard 8 | −0.163 |
| Hard 12 | −0.337 |
| Hard 17 | −0.347 |
| Hard 13 to 16 | −0.373 to −0.447 |
Worked examples, from Casino Coach’s engine:
- A♠ 6♦ and 5♣ 10♥ vs a 6. Keeping gives soft 17 and hard 15, worth −0.145 in total. Switching gives A-10 and 5-6, a 21 and an 11, worth +1.286. Switch.
- A♠ 10♦ and 10♣ 7♥ vs an 8. Keeping the blackjack gives +0.558 total, because the 17 is weak. Switching to A-7 and 10-10 gives +0.777. Break the blackjack.
- The same cards vs a 10. Keeping gives +0.524 and switching gives +0.310. Keep.
- 8♠ 8♦ and 10♣ 2♥ vs a 7. Keeping is −0.062. Switching to 8-2 and 10-8 (a 10 and an 18) is +0.598. Switch.
The rule of thumb: build at least one strong hand (19, 20, 21, or an 11 or 10 to double), and avoid leaving two stiffs.
Step 2: play each hand
Casino Coach derives the playing chart from its exact infinite-deck engine with 1:1 blackjacks and the 22 push. The trainer has the full chart. The key rules for 6D H17:
| Hand | Play |
|---|---|
| 9 | Double vs 6 only |
| 10 | Double vs 2–8 |
| 11 | Double vs 2–9, hit vs 10 and ace |
| 12 | Stand vs 5–6, otherwise hit |
| 13 | Stand vs 3–6, hit vs 2 |
| 14–16 | Stand vs 2–6, hit vs 7+ |
| A,2 to A,5 | Always hit |
| A,6 | Double vs 6 only |
| A,7 | Double vs 5–6, stand vs 2–4, 7, 8, hit vs 9, 10, ace |
| A,A | Always split |
| 2,2 and 3,3 | Split vs 5–7 |
| 6,6 | Split vs 4–6 |
| 7,7 | Split vs 3–7 |
| 8,8 | Split vs 2–9, hit vs 10 and ace |
| 9,9 | Split vs 4–6, 8, 9 |
| 4,4, 5,5, 10,10 | Never split |
The 22 push makes a dealer 2 or 3 less likely to give you a win, so you double and split much less against them than in regular blackjack.
Common mistakes
Costs are per hand, in units of one bet, vs the correct Switch play, as computed by Casino Coach for 6D H17:
- Splitting small pairs against a 2. Splitting 6,6 vs 2 costs about 0.19 bets, 3,3 about 0.17 and 2,2 about 0.15.
- Doubling soft 18 against a 2. Costs about 0.15 bets. Stand.
- Splitting 4,4 against a 5. Costs about 0.13 bets.
- Doubling soft hands against a 4 or 5. Doubling soft 13 vs 5 or soft 15 vs 4 costs about 0.10 bets.
- Doubling 11 against an ace. Costs about 0.07 bets.
- Never breaking a blackjack. At 1:1, a natural is just a strong hand. When the other hand is weak, splitting it up can be worth more.
House edge explained
Switching is worth a great deal to the player. The house takes it back with 1:1 blackjacks (in regular blackjack, cutting 3:2 to 1:1 costs about 2.3%) and the dealer 22 push. Per published sources, the standard 6- or 8-deck game with correct switching has a house edge of about 0.58%. Published figures range from 0.25% to 0.58% depending on the rules and how well the player switches. Casino Coach’s 250,000-round simulation with optimal switching measures 0.72%. That is about one standard error from the published figure, since two correlated hands per round make results noisier. Look for S17 tables, and skip the Super Match side bet unless you have checked its paytable.
Practice in Casino Coach
Casino Coach deals Blackjack Switch from a real 6-deck shoe with free chips, at up to five players. In trainer mode both the switch decision and every play are graded. A wrong switch shows the total EV of keeping vs switching. A wrong play shows the EV of every option, and you can block wrong moves until you correct them. The Strategy tab shows the full chart with EVs on hover, an H17/S17 toggle, the starting-hand ranking and a list of regular-blackjack habits that cost you here. The drills are adaptive Strategy Flashcards and “Which switch?”, which deals two hands and an upcard and asks you to keep or switch. Analytics tracks your accuracy and the EV your mistakes cost. Train free until the right switch jumps out at you.
Blackjack Switch FAQ
How do you decide whether to switch in Blackjack Switch?
Compare the two arrangements and keep the pair of hands worth more in total. As a shortcut, rank each starting hand and trade a weak hand up when it costs the stronger hand less than it gains.
Should you ever break a blackjack in Blackjack Switch?
Sometimes. Blackjack pays only 1:1 here. With A-10 and 10-7 against a dealer 8, switching to A-7 and 10-10 is worth more in total than keeping the blackjack.
What is the house edge in Blackjack Switch?
About 0.58% for the standard 6- or 8-deck game with correct switching, per published sources. Published figures range from 0.25% to 0.58% depending on rules and switching skill.
Does a 21 made by switching count as blackjack?
No. A 21 you create by switching is a regular 21. It pays 1:1, and it pushes if the dealer makes 22.
Can I use regular blackjack strategy after switching?
Mostly, with changes. The 22 push makes doubling and splitting against a dealer 2 or 3 worse, so you double and split less there, and you hit 11 against a 10 or ace.
Practise Blackjack Switch until it's automatic
Real table, free chips, and a trainer that grades every decision with the expected value of each option.
Updated October 24, 2026