- The Buster wager allows you to bet that the dealer will bust – as long as the combined value of the cards in your hand does not exceed 28. The payoff for this side bet increases with the number of cards in his busted hand. Buster Blackjack by Playtech is a creatively designed virtual variation of the classic blackjack.
- Buster Blackjack is an optional side bet that allows players to win odds when the dealer busts. The odds-based payouts are determined by the number of cards in the dealer’s busted hand. The higher amount.
- Oct 31, 2017 Buster Blackjack is a simple side bet. Players win the bet if the dealer busts.
- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
Buster Blackjack is a side bet if the dealer busts. The win depends on the number of cards required. I think this side bet has been around for a while. I thought I wrote up a page on it, but couldn't find it, so just created a new Buster Blackjack page.
Introduction
I first noticed the Bust Bonus side bet at the Silver Dollar casino in Seatac Washington on August 21, 2015. The bet pays when the dealer busts. Unlike other bets based on the dealer busting, this one lets the player make the decision after seeing the dealer's up card. Wins pay based on the up card, whether all the dealer cards are suited, with premium wins for a dealer 8-8-8.
The bet is by Galaxy Gaming.
Rules
The side bet is based on standard blackjack rules. Where I saw the game, at the Silver Dollar casino, eight decks were used and the dealer hit a soft 17. When the dealer has a 10 or ace up, he will peek for a blackjack before offering the Bust Bonus bet. The pay table used at the Silver Dollar is as follows.
Bust Bonus — Pay Table
| Up Card | Non-suited | Suited |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | 3 | 50 |
| 2 | 1 | 25 |
| 3 | 1 | 15 |
| 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 | 15 |
| 8 | 2 | 10 |
| 8-8-8 | 25 | 75 |
| 9 | 2 | 20 |
| 10 | 2 | 20 |
All wins are on a 'to one' basis, meaning the player keeps his original bet if he wins. I assume that 8-8-8 wins are in lieu of the lower wins based on just an 8 up card.
Analysis
The following return tables are based on the Silver Dollar rules, namely eight decks and the dealer hits a soft 17 and peeks for a blackjack before the Bust Bonus bet is made.
Ace Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 50 | 0.002238 | 0.111920 |
| Bust | 3 | 0.198886 | 0.596659 |
| All other | -1 | 0.798875 | -0.798875 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.090297 |
2 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 25 | 0.008834 | 0.220850 |
| Bust | 1 | 0.347843 | 0.347843 |
| All other | -1 | 0.643323 | -0.643323 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.074630 |
3 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 15 | 0.011606 | 0.174090 |
| Bust | 1 | 0.365285 | 0.365285 |
| All other | -1 | 0.623109 | -0.623109 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.083734 |
Blackjack In Between Bet
4 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 10 | 0.014647 | 0.146470 |
| Bust | 1 | 0.383472 | 0.383472 |
| All other | -1 | 0.601881 | -0.601881 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.071939 |
Buster Blackjack Rules
5 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 5 | 0.017942 | 0.089710 |
| Bust | 1 | 0.401194 | 0.401194 |
| All other | -1 | 0.580864 | -0.580864 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.089960 |
6 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 3 | 0.021036 | 0.063108 |
| Bust | 1 | 0.418278 | 0.418278 |
| All other | -1 | 0.560686 | -0.560686 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.079300 |
7 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 15 | 0.011857 | 0.177855 |
| Bust | 2 | 0.250174 | 0.500348 |
| All other | -1 | 0.737969 | -0.737969 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.059766 |
8 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited 888 | 75 | 0.000244 | 0.018334 |
| 888 | 25 | 0.005169 | 0.129213 |
| Suited bust | 10 | 0.011271 | 0.112705 |
| Bust | 2 | 0.227270 | 0.454541 |
| All other | -1 | 0.756046 | -0.756046 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.041253 |
9 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 20 | 0.011658 | 0.233160 |
| Bust | 2 | 0.217379 | 0.434758 |
| All other | -1 | 0.770963 | -0.770963 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.103045 |
10 Up
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suited bust | 20 | 0.012341 | 0.246811 |
| Bust | 2 | 0.217785 | 0.435570 |
| All other | -1 | 0.769874 | -0.769874 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.087493 |
Summary
Buster Blackjack Payouts
The next table summarizes the house edge under the Silver Dollar pay table and the dealer hitting a soft 17, according to the dealer up card and the number of decks.
House Edge Summary — Dealer Hits Soft 17
| Up Card | 1 Deck | 2 Decks | 4 Decks | 5 Decks | 6 Decks | 8 Decks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ace | 9.23% | 9.15% | 9.08% | 9.06% | 9.05% | 9.03% |
| 2 | 11.74% | 9.29% | 8.07% | 7.83% | 7.67% | 7.46% |
| 3 | 10.62% | 9.31% | 8.68% | 8.56% | 8.47% | 8.37% |
| 4 | 7.06% | 7.15% | 7.18% | 7.19% | 7.19% | 7.19% |
| 5 | 7.33% | 8.30% | 8.77% | 8.86% | 8.92% | 9.00% |
| 6 | 9.09% | 8.39% | 8.08% | 8.02% | 7.98% | 7.93% |
| 7 | 10.64% | 7.92% | 6.61% | 6.36% | 6.19% | 5.98% |
| 8 | 16.41% | 10.31% | 6.33% | 5.47% | 4.88% | 4.13% |
| 9 | 11.22% | 10.68% | 10.43% | 10.38% | 10.34% | 10.30% |
| 10 | 11.11% | 9.72% | 9.07% | 8.94% | 8.85% | 8.75% |
Note that for the dealer hits a soft 17 rules above the best bet is on a dealer 8 for four or more decks, and on a dealer 4 for one or two decks.
The next table shows the same information except the dealer stands on a soft 17.
House Edge Summary — Dealer Stands on Soft 17
| Up Card | 1 Deck | 2 Decks | 4 Decks | 5 Decks | 6 Decks | 8 Decks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ace | 24.44% | 24.43% | 24.37% | 24.36% | 24.35% | 24.33% |
| 2 | 12.44% | 9.96% | 8.73% | 8.48% | 8.32% | 8.11% |
| 3 | 11.11% | 9.84% | 9.24% | 9.12% | 9.04% | 8.94% |
| 4 | 7.67% | 7.71% | 7.73% | 7.73% | 7.73% | 7.73% |
| 5 | 7.54% | 8.54% | 9.01% | 9.11% | 9.17% | 9.24% |
| 6 | 12.51% | 11.76% | 11.42% | 11.35% | 11.31% | 11.25% |
| 7 | 10.64% | 7.92% | 6.61% | 6.36% | 6.19% | 5.98% |
| 8 | 16.41% | 10.31% | 6.33% | 5.47% | 4.88% | 4.13% |
| 9 | 11.22% | 10.68% | 10.43% | 10.38% | 10.34% | 10.30% |
| 10 | 11.11% | 9.72% | 9.07% | 8.94% | 8.85% | 8.75% |
Note the house edge is equal or higher when the dealer stands on a soft 17. This is simply because the dealer busts less. I do not know if Galaxy Gaming, the game maker, has a separate pay table under this rule.
Strategy
Above all the math above, remember commandment number 9 of my Ten Commandments of Gambling, 'Thou shalt not make side bets.' However, if you must, the best odds with four or more decks, whether or not the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17, is against a dealer 8.
Finally, it isn't difficult to see this side bet would be very vulnerable to card counters. I'll leave the details of how to do that up to the reader (don't you hate it when I say that).
Internal Links
There is a very similar side bet called Bet the Bust.
Buster Blackjack Side Bet
Written by: Michael ShacklefordBuster Blackjack Payouts
When googling for it, I turned up this page in South Dakota:
http://legis.state.sd.us/rules/DisplayRule.aspx?Rule=20:18:15:30.07 (Archive copy)
I don't remember, but I think the pays table I saw was the H3 paytable.
a) Idea on house edge?
b) Idea of it's exploitable? I was thinking maybe it would be better in a negative count situation?