2:1 Blackjack Promo Online

Here's an upcoming promotion at a new Playtech-powered online casino called Sky Kings Casino.

Here's the mention from their newsletter:

Sounds good to me!

 

More details

I asked for more details from my contact at Sky Kings. Here's what I got:

So, the extra money on all your blackjacks will be credited as bonus money within 24 hours of the promotion expiring. Then, you'll need to wager it 12x, and when you withdraw, you'll only have any profits over and above the bonus available for withdrawal.

 

Yep

Not only that, you'll also get more blackjacks at Blackjack Switch.
The Wizard of Odds has a good page showing the appropriate strategy, here:
http://www.wizardofodds.com/blackjack/bj_switch.html

 

Not a good start it sounds like. I'll start playing later today. I'll post my results here.

 

An update

I started playing this morning, betting $50/$50 at Blackjack Switch.

I've played 106 hands, with $11650 total action. I'm down exactly $500, though almost all of that happened in the last 10 hands or so. I've been up as much as $400 so far. I've had 6 dealt blackjacks, and I switched to make 9 more, so I'll have (6+9)*$50 = $750 in bonuses coming so far. The dealer has had 5 blackjacks so far.

I'm playing the Wiz strategy, except I switch whenever I can make a blackjack, which is usually correct anyway. I figure with the extra bonus it's always correct.

I'll keep you posted.

 

Afternoon update

After 395 rounds and $43,400 in action, I'm down $1150.
I have earned $3000 in bonus money. I'll probably keep at it until I get to $5K in bonus money.

So far, dealt blackjacks=36, switched blackjacks=24, dealer blackjacks=16.

 

Final? update

I think I'll quit here.
After 759 hands, and $83,150 in action. I'm down $1250.
Dealt blackjacks=76, Switched blackjacks=43, Dealer blackjacks=39
I pushed with 5 blackjacks, so I'll probably get $5700 in bonus.

Now the fun part will be trying to get some value out after I get the bonus.

 

Nice comeback sims!

I'm glad to hear things turned around for you Simms! Nice going!

Prospect, betting it all on one hand is a good strategy for these types of bonuses. There are a variety of unusual characteristics of these 'phantom' bonuses. The more likely you are to go broke, the higher the EV! Sounds strange, but it makes sense when you consider what these bonuses actually are. They're loans, and if you don't put them at risk, there's no value at all.

I hate to give up the doubles and split for blackjack, so I often play these types of bonuses by betting half my bank until it either becomes to small to bother, or I've reached an arbitrary profit goal. If it's small, I just go all-in. If I reach my goal, I use small bets to complete any wagering requirements that are left.

Because of the doubling/splitting concerns, there may be better games than blackjack for this purpose. Many places are so paranoid about baccarat and craps that I rarely use them, though they would probably be the best choice.

For this scenario, and the large amount I will have, I won't have the luxury of being able to bet a substantial chunk of the bankroll in one bet. I'll probably go back to Blackjack Switch and play table max $300/$300 until I meet the wagering requirement. I'm also considering using hi-denomination VP instead.

 

It's confusing all right

You've got a good grasp of the situation. I'm pretty sure a withdrawal prior to the crediting of the Blackjack Bonus will eliminate it.

Is it a good deal? I think so, but definitely be aware that you're risking $600 in this situation. If you never risk the part of your bankroll below $1100, there's no actual effect, but that doesn't mean it was valueless. (Was your car insurance valueless last year because you didn't make a claim?)

Table limits will prevent you from betting $1700 on the first hand (whether at blackjack, casino war, or whatever). If you could do that, it's obvious that you are getting value then, since you're risking $600 to win $1700. If you doubled up, you could do it again, risking $2300 to win $3400, etc.

With the table limits, your edge is not so clear, though it still exists. Consider this angle. Play video poker, until you go broke, or hit a royal. You're nearly three times as likely to succeed as a normal $600 deposit would accomplish. You're likely to zero out of course, but that's where the value lies... risking the extra money.

I'm considering that for my situation, since my bonus dwarfs the table limit. I may play $2 video poker to shoot for an $8000 royal. My bankroll after tomorrow should be $1950 cash + $384 of bonuses I've gotten so far + $5700 BJ Bonus. If my off-the-cuff calculations are correct, I should have about an 80% shot at hitting the royal before I go broke. Of course, it's worth a lot less if I hit it when I'm almost broke.

Jeez, now MY head hurts.

Edited to add: I knew that 80% didn't sound right when I posted it. It should be around 55%. See probability of hitting a royal in the Free For All section.