When playing blackjack, you should be aware of the fact that certain rules of the game can affect your profit potential. Casinos will not tell you that the chances of making money on their game are less than if you play against their competitors!
So, what are these things you need to know in order to play blackjack in a way that gives you the best odds against the casino? Firstly, you should look at the rules that the casino offers for each blackjack game and make sure you use them to your advantage along with the basic strategy.
Basic Strategy
It is mathematically proven that basic strategy, if used diligently, can cut the casino edge in blackjack. The casino's initial edge in the game is 5.75%, but by using basic strategy correctly, it is possible to reduce the casino edge to around 0.5% which is a very low edge.
Increasing Your Advantage Further - Look for Favorable Rules
Players can increase their advantage by using basic strategy and even further by card counting, which moves the odds of success into their favor. For card counting to be really effective, a player needs to play blackjack games with favorable rules.
Here are some rule variations and the effect that they have on a player's long-term profits.
Favorable Rules for the Player
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Early surrender
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+0.62%
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Late surrender Single deck
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+0.02%
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Double down after splitting
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+0.13%
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Drawing to split aces
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+0.14%
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Re splitting of aces
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+0.03%
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Double down cards any number
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+0.20%
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2:1 payoff blackjack
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+2.32%
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Unfavorable Rules for the Player
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No doubling on hard 11
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-0.89%
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No doubling on hard 10
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-0.56%
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No doubling on hard 9
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-0.14%
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No doubling soft hands
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-0.14%
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Dealer hits soft 17
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-0.20%
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Dealer takes no hole card
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-0.13%
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2 decks (v single)
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-0.35%
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4 decks (v single)
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-0.51%
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6 decks (v single)
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-0.60%
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Pairs no re splitting
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-0.05%
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The conclusions to be drawn from this are obvious:
Correct Play + Favorable Rules = Optimum Advantage for Players
The Casino Edge in Card Counting
Let's take a look at card counting and the influence of the casino rules in relation to the number of decks. This is a critical consideration for any player before they play blackjack. Card counting is the only recognized way to move the odds into the player's favor.
With a single deck game, player against the dealer - a +2 count is a 2% advantage to the player. If the number of decks is increased, then there are more cards to be dealt, which in turn will increase the number of cards left, which then reduces the odds of success for the player.
Card Counting is based on Probability
Card counting does not attempt to "predict" the card sequence; it is simply a system that watches the probability of cards coming out the deck. Obviously, the more cards to be dealt, the less effective card counting will become as a probability strategy.
Card counting is the only way to move the edge away from the casino and make it favorable to the player, so in order to maximize your bankroll and payouts, it is important to play with the most favorable rules that you can.
If the rules are against you it does not matter how well you can card-count because your skills will not be used to their full potential in terms of winning payouts. |