Good and Bad Blackjack Games

by Henry Tamburin

Of all the casino games, why bet on blackjack? What makes it "different" from any other casino banked game?

For one, the odds in blackjack are not constant, but 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 that blackjack is a game of skill not just luck.

Blackjack Rules and Options

Not all blackjack 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
1) Doubling on any first two cards.
2) Doubling down after pair splitting
3) Surrender
4) Resplit aces
5) Double on 3 or more cards
6) Blackjack pays 2 to 1

Casino favorable rules
1) Paying 6-5 on a blackjack
2) Increasing the number of decks of cards
3) Dealer hits soft 17
4) Double only on 10 and 11
5) No resplitting of pairs
6) Dealer wins ties

How important are the rules to the player? The difference between a "good" blackjack 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 blackjack games in Las Vegas is a double deck game where the dealer stands on soft 17 and you can double down after splitting. The house edge against a basic strategy player is only about two tenths of a percent.

One of the absolute worst blackjack games in Las Vegas are the double deck games (and single deck) that only pay 6 -5 when you get a blackjack (the house edge zooms to greater than 1.5%-Ouch!).

Blackjack players also have to be on the lookout for continuous shuffling machine (CSM). The CSM usually holds 4 or 5 decks of cards and after each round, the dealer will take the discards and put them back into the CSM where they are randomly mixed with the unplayed cards. The cards go round and round and there is never an end to the shoe. Play is faster because there is no manual shuffling.

This means the casinos can get about 20% more hands dealt per hour with a CSM.
The result is that average players will lose 20% more per hour on average.
Stay away from any table that uses a CSM.

As long as you stick to traditional blackjack games that pay 3-2 for a blackjack without any CSM, you have the best game in the house. 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 blackjack.

Henry Tamburin