Play Blackjack?
by
Henry
Tamburin For one, the odds in blackjack are not constant. They keep changing from one hand to the next depending on the cards that have been played. For example, if four aces have been played from a single deck of cards what is the chance of getting a blackjack hand on the next round? It’s zero because there are no more aces left in the unplayed deck of cards. The cards do have a memory. That’s not the case with craps, roulette and other casino games where the odds stay constant from one roll or spin to the next. The dice and the wheel have no memory. Ditto for slot machines. The bottom line is this is a game of skill not just luck. Rules and Options Not all games are created equal. You will often find different playing rules from one casino to the next and even within the same casino. Some rules are more player-favorable and others favor the casino. It’s these mix of rules that ultimately determines the casino’s overall edge and whether the game is good or bad. Here is a summary of the rules that favor the player and those that favor the casino. Player favorable rules Doubling on any first two cards. Doubling down after pair splitting Surrender Resplit aces Double on 3 or more cards Blackjack pays 2 to 1 Casino favorable rules Paying 6-5 on a blackjack Increasing the number of decks of cards Dealer hits soft 17 Double only on 10 and 11 No resplitting of pairs Dealer wins ties How important are the rules to the player? The difference between a “good” game and a “bad” one can often add another 0.5% to the casino’s advantage over a basic strategy player. For example, one of the best games in One of the absolute worst games in Learn the basic strategy or take a strategy card with when you play (they are casino legal) and you cut the house edge to half a percent or less. Learn a simple counting system like Speed Count, which can be learned in an hour (or less), and basic strategy players will be able to gain the edge over the casino. That should be enough reason why you should consider playing this game. Play Blackjack is followed by Strategies & History OR Return to Learn Blackjack Strategies Program
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