1. Blackjack Table Odds
2. Blackjack Tables For Sale

You’ve probably heard this a million times already:

Which one to choose, Blackjack or Roulette? If you are looking for the better odds, the Blackjack is an obvious answer. Of course, you have to play at least the basic strategy in order to reach those odds in the long run. Transcript Now I'm going to go into how to choose a Blackjack table. A lot of times people will, you know, I play all the time, and people ask me, 'Well, how. Transcript Now I'm going to go into how to choose a Blackjack table. A lot of times people will, you know, I play all the time, and people ask me, 'Well, how.

Blackjack offers the best odds in the casino.

Or…

Blackjack has the lowest house edge of any game in the casino.

What you don’t hear as often is the importance of choosing the right blackjack game. As it turns out, blackjack isn’t just a single game—it’s multiple games that share similarities.

In that respect, you can compare blackjack to video poker or poker. You have a broad type of game (blackjack, poker, or video poker) that’s actually comprised of multiple games with different rules.

In video poker, the differences from one game to another have more to do with how much the various hands pay out. Also, sometimes various video poker games have wild cards.

In poker, the differences from one game to another are often more extensive. Some games allow you to discard and draw replacement cards, while other games have community cards, and all games can be played with varying numbers of cards.

Single deck blackjack has such dramatically different odds from 8-deck blackjack that they ought to be considered different games. In fact, you don’t even play the game the same way—in a single deck game, you get to hold the cards in your hand, but in a multi-deck game, you’re not even allowed to touch the cards.

This post looks at the differences from one blackjack game to another and how important those differences are (or aren’t). This way, you can choose the best blackjack game for you.

Keep in mind that different casinos offer different games from one table to another, but they almost all offer different rules from one casino to another. Finding the right game conditions can be the difference between a losing casino vacation and a winning casino vacation.

The House Edge in Blackjack

The reason blackjack remains popular is threefold:

• Blackjack has a reputation for being a game that an intelligent player can beat.
• Blackjack is a game where your decisions actually affect the odds you’re facing.
• Blackjack has the lowest house edge of any game in most casinos.

Blackjack’s reputation for being beatable might be overstated. I remember watching Vegas Vacation and giggling when Clark Griswold announced that blackjack is the only game in the casino where the player can get an edge if he plays smart.

The implication was that you could get an edge over the casino at blackjack just by playing your hands with the correct strategy.

It’s true that there’s a correct basic strategy in blackjack, but memorizing this strategy and playing strictly according to it won’t give you an edge over the casino. To actually get the mathematical upper hand against the casino requires more than just playing every hand correctly. It usually requires counting cards, although some players use other advantage play techniques to get an edge.

And of course, your decisions affect the mathematical expectation. It’s obvious why a player who hits a total of 19 or 20 is going to lose more money to the casino than others. The probability of busting such a hand (getting a total of 22 or higher is an automatic loss) becomes huge, regardless of what cards the dealer is holding.

I’ve written in other gambling posts about the concept of “agency” as it applies to gambling. This is the idea that the decisions you make actually matter to your outcome. Parx casino biggest jackpot winners. You have no agency to speak of when playing a game like roulette or a slot machine. Those games are entirely random, and the house edge doesn’t change based on your decisions.

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Finally, the house edge in blackjack is something that merits serious discussion. The best way to measure one blackjack game or variation against another is by its house edge.

It’s the mathematically expected amount you’ll lose on every bet you make in the long run—on average.

In other words, if a game has a house edge of 1%, you’d expect to lose an average of $1 for every $100 bet you make on that game.

It’s important to understand that the house edge doesn’t make a game less random. It’s a function of the probabilities of winning or losing compared with the amounts you’ll win or lose. In the short run, the house edge almost doesn’t matter. It’s impossible to see short term results that mirror the house edge.

If you’re playing blackjack and betting $100 on a hand, you’re either going to lose $100, win $100, or win $150. None of those results look like a $1 loss.

That $1 loss is a theoretical average you should see over time if you play enough hands to get to the “long run.”

Most casino games have a simple gimmick affecting the game which gives them an edge. For example, in roulette, all the bets would be break even propositions in the long run if the 0 and the 00 weren’t on the wheel. Half the numbers are black, but you lose if any red OR any green number comes up. (The 0 and the 00 are both green.)

In blackjack, the gimmick that gives the casino its mathematical edge is the order in which the players and the dealer play. Since a player loses instantly when she goes bust, the house gets its edge by playing its hand last. If you bust, and the dealer also busts, it’s not a push. You already lost your bet before the dealer ever played her hand.

But other variations in game conditions affect the house edge, too. That’s what the rest of this post covers—which game conditions you should look for. It also explains how important each game variation is by comparing that change in condition to its effect on the house edge. The more a rules change adds to the house’s edge, the worst that rule is for the player.

The house edge is a percentage of each bet that the casino expects you to lose on average over the long run. As a general rule, the lower the house edge is, the better the game is for the player. If we say that the house edge for a game is 1%, that’s better than a game where the house edge is 2%.

The Payout for a Blackjack

The standard rule in a blackjack game is that if you get a blackjack, you get paid off at 3 to 2 odds. If you bet $100 and get a blackjack, you win $150 instead of $100.

You can only get a blackjack with an ace and a 10—no other combination of cards will work. (By “10,” I mean any card worth 10 points, which includes the jack, queen, and king.)

In some games, though, a blackjack pays off at 6 to 5 odds instead of 3 to 2 odds. Some casinos even post about this payout as if it were some kind of bonus, and some players fall for it. The line of thinking is that 6 is bigger than 3, so a 6 to 5 payout is obviously better than a 3 to 2 payout.

Don’t fall for that. The payout is a ratio, and a $100 bet that hits a blackjack at a 6 to 5 table only results in a win of $120, not $150.

Some casino blackjack games have lots of favorable rules for the player, but they only pay even money when you get a blackjack. This is true of most video blackjack games, for example. That’s even worse for the player, and the casino doesn’t even have a way to spin it to make it sound like it’s good for the player.

What does such a rules change do to the house edge?

The effect is massive. A 6 to 5 blackjack game adds 1.4% to the house edge for the game. A game that only offers even money adds 2.3% to the house edge.

Planet 7 casino no rules bonus current. Let’s think about what that does to your expected loss per hour for such a game.

We’ll assume you’re betting $100 per hand, and you’re averaging 50 hands per hour. You’re putting $5000 per hour into action.

Let’s say you’ve found a good game where the house edge is 0.5%. With $5000 in action per hour, your expected loss per hour is only $25. That’s not bad when you’re betting that kind of money.

Take that same game and make one change to it—the payoff for a blackjack is now 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2. The house edge goes up to 1.7%.

Now you’re losing $85 per hour instead of $25 per hour.

And at a 3^rd game, blackjack pays even money, so the house edge of 2.8% results in an hourly loss of $140.

That’s a huge difference in expected hourly loss based on a single rules change.

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In fact, the payoff for the blackjack is the first and most important thing you should look for when choosing a blackjack game. Just say no to any blackjack game where you get 6 to 5 or even money for a blackjack. Almost no combination of favorable rules will make up for the massive percentage change in the house edge that such a change causes.

Also, keep this in mind—if you can find a game that pays more for a blackjack, 2 to 1, for example, you’d have a hard time not making money from that game. Newest cirrus casino no deposit bonus codes. Unless there’s a massive number of rules changes to compensate, a game which offers 2 to 1 for a natural probably has a positive expectation for the player.

Single Deck Games versus Multiple Deck Games

If you’ve done some reading about card counting, you probably already know that it’s easier to get an edge over the house if you’re counting cards against a single deck. In fact, the entire reason casinos started dealing blackjack from multiple decks was to prevent card counters from getting an edge.

That’s a major difference. Every deck of cards that the casino adds to the game makes the house edge a little bit higher, though.

You shouldn’t play a single deck game if it has a 6 to 5 payout for blackjack, because the difference from the lower payout is more than enough to compensate for the lower number of decks.

But if you’re choosing between a single deck game and an 8-deck game, and both games pay off the same for a blackjack, always go with the single deck game. Even if you’re not counting cards, the odds are better for you in the single deck game.

Why does the number of decks change the house edge?

The answer, again, has to do with the natural.

Suppose you’re dealt an ace as your first card. What’s the probability that you’ll get a blackjack in a single deck game?

We’ll assume that it’s a fresh deck, so there are 16 cards left in the deck which will complete your blackjack. There are 4 of each of the following cards in the deck:

• 10s
• Jacks
• Queens
• Kings

There are 51 cards unseen, so the probability of getting a blackjack becomes 16/51, or 31.4%.

Now let’s assume you’re playing in an 8-deck game, and you get an ace as your first card. What’s the probability of getting a blackjack?

You have 128 cards worth 10 in the deck, but you also have 415 cards left in the deck. 128/415 is the same as 30.8%.

That’s a difference of 1.6% in your probability of getting a blackjack in that situation. Anything that reduces your probability of getting a blackjack increases the house edge, just like anything that increases your probability of getting a blackjack reduces the house edge.

This, in fact, is why card counting works. When you have more 10s and aces left in the deck, you bet more because you have a higher probability of getting a 3 to 2 payout.

Does the Dealer Hit on a Soft 17 or Not?

Everyone who knows anything about blackjack knows that the dealer always stands on a 17 or higher and always hits on a 16 or lower.

But that’s not entirely true at every casino.

A soft 17 is a hand where there’s an ace and a 6—or any other combination of an ace and other cards that gives you a total of 17.

But since that ace can be counted as 11 OR as 1, it’s impossible to bust a hand with a total of soft 17.

And indeed, in some casinos, instead of the dealer standing on soft 17, the dealer takes a hit. The downside is minimal here for taking a hit, so it improves the house edge by 0.2% when the casino has this rule in place.

If you’re looking at a hierarchy for the 3 rules conditions we’ve discussed so far, you’re looking at these 3 factors in order:

• Payoffs for a blackjack
• Number of decks
• Does the dealer hit a soft 17

Rules for Splitting and Doubling Down

You can always split pairs, but what you’re able to do after that changes based on the game you’re playing. This is usually one of the less obvious rules. After all, if the blackjack payout is different, it’s posted there at the table on a placard. The number of decks is obvious, too—you just look at the game and you can usually tell.

And if the dealer hits a soft 17, it’s posted there, too.

But the splitting and doubling down rules are less obvious. They’re still important, though, for reasons which are obvious to old hands and less obvious to newer players.

For one thing, once you’ve split a pair, are you allowed to split again if you get another pair?

If you get AA and split them, and you get another A dealt on top of one of those aces, can you split again?

It’s obviously to your advantage to be able to re-split aces.

At most casinos, you’re not allowed to double down or re-split aces after splitting. In fact, at most casinos, a 21 after splitting only counts as 21—it doesn’t count as a blackjack. At some casinos, you can’t even hit the hand again after splitting aces.

The more generous the casino is with these rules, the better. Being able to re-split aces or being able to count a 21 after splitting as a blackjack is worth about 0.2%.

The Availability of Side Bets, Progressive Jackpots, and What-Have You

Side bets in blackjack should always be treated as something separate from the rest of the game. The most obvious example of a side bet is the insurance bet, which everyone already knows is a sucker bet. Don’t ever place an insurance bet.

Since these are separate bets, they should be analyzed separately, because they have a different house edge than just the regular game by itself does.

Here’s an example of a common blackjack side bet and its house edge:

There’s a popular bet now called “21+3.” It’s based on your 1^st 2 cards and the dealer’s face-up card. Those 3 cards are treated as a 3-card poker hand with payoffs as follows.

• Suited trips are worth 100 to 1.
• A straight flush is worth 40 to 1.
• 3 of a kind is worth 30 to 1.
• A straight is worth 10 to 1.
• A flush is worth 5 to 1.

The house edge for this bet is over 6%, making it far worse bet than just playing blackjack without the side bet.

It’s harder to say with a progressive jackpot, though, because if the jackpot gets large enough, the house edge disappears altogether. In fact, with a large enough jackpot, that side bet becomes a positive expectation bet.

The problem with a progressive side bet in blackjack is the same problem with any other progressive bet. You won’t win it often enough for the positive expectation to matter.

Other Rules Which Favor the Player

You can find plenty of quirky rules which also favor the blackjack player, but most of them are rare. My favorite of these unusual rules is the casino which offers a bonus payout for hands totaling 21 that have a certain number of cards in them, or hands with a certain number of cards in them that don’t bust.

In some casinos, if you get a 5-card hand that doesn’t bust, it’s an automatic winner AND it pays off at 2 to 1. That’s worth 0.25% in expectation for you.

You can sometimes find casinos that offer a 2 to 1 payoff if you have a suited blackjack. In other words, if the ace and the jack are both of spades, you’d get 2 to 1 instead of 3 to 2. That’s worth 0.6% in expectation, but it’s an unusual rule.

Conclusion

Finding the best blackjack games isn’t that hard. You want to find a game with a 3 to 2 payout dealt from a single deck where the dealer has to stand on a soft 17. As far as the other rules go, the more flexibility the casino offers you in terms of how you play your hand, the better the odds are. For example, if you’re able to re-split pairs after splitting, that’s going to make the house edge lower.

It’s mathematically impossible for either the house or the player to always win at the game of blackjack if both are playing a perfect game. It also comes down to how you interpret the phrase “always win.”

Is it possible to win every hand in blackjack without cheating? No, not even if the other player makes the worst choice on every hand (hitting on anything other than a 21). If both players draw 21, the push negates any win or loss.

By that reasoning alone, a cheater would have to control the deal to prevent the other player from ever drawing a blackjack.

For the sake of reasonable discussion, I’ll interpret “always win” to mean “leave the table with more money than you took in.” I still can’t offer any guarantees, but the following strategies improve your chances of always leaving the table a winner.

1 – Set a Hard Limit on Earnings

Although card counting doesn’t perform the magic people expect, as you become more experienced at counting cards you should see some improvement in your win/loss ratios. This is why, despite all the precautions they take, casinos still pay attention to card counters.

The basic idea in good gambling practice is to only risk losing money you don’t mind losing. If you really want to get ahead, then your thinking should become more conservative as you accumulate more money.

Rather than change your playing strategy, which is why you’re ahead, just call it quits before you’ve won too much.

How much is too much? If the pit boss is paying unusual attention to your table, that could be a sign you should take a break.

2 – Practice Every Chance You Get

Some of the best blackjack experts in the world say they ran through memory exercises for months before taking on the Vegas casinos.

You need to memorize two things to be successful in blackjack—the rules of the game (including table rules) and the best blackjack strategies for each card you’re dealt.

The basic rules of the game are easy to learn. Casinos add their own rules to limit players’ chances of success or to limit their winnings. The change from 3:2 payouts to 6:5 payouts is an example of how casinos are limiting winnings.

You need to react instinctively to the cards on the table. You need to know what you can do and what you should do in every situation.

You won’t get there by losing your money for months or years on end.

3 – Pick Your Tables Carefully

Because casinos have changed many of the old school blackjack rules, standard advice that people followed 10, 15, or 20 years ago doesn’t always apply any more. The old classic blackjack strategy books were great resources in their days, but the world has changed.

Choosing the best blackjack table may be easy. You could walk into a casino that still offers the basic game. You may have to visit a few casinos in your area to find the best game.

Because finding a good table is so hard, some players now prefer playing online blackjack games. They can choose from a variety of casinos, and because of the competition, online casinos offer a lot of different blackjack variations.

When you know the table rules you want to play by, they become part of your strategy as much as part of the house’s strategy.

4 – Bet in Consistent Patterns

Standard card counting technique says you should increase your bets when the deck is favorable. Because everyone shares this advice in books, video tutorials, and articles, it’s not a secret to the casinos.

Varying your bets when the cards are favorable may lead to the unfavorable reaction by the casino—they shuffle the cards.

Although many card counters still swear by the practice, they concede it’s much harder to win this way than in years past. The solo player is less likely to win much money over all than a team.

Instead of trying to win as much as a team wins, be more consistent in your betting. A little bit of subtlety in your patterns may give you the psychological boost you need to keep playing.

How can you be consistent and subtle?

5 – Only Play When the Crowd Is Small

This is more a matter of personal preference. But having spent some time at the blackjack tables, I find it disruptive when people constantly come and go.

That is the exact reason why I stopped trying to count cards.

If you want to socialize, then chat away if the other players are willing to do that. But if your goal is to win, then treat the game like it’s your job. Do the work when you have the fewest distractions.

If you’re a regular high roller, you might be able to request a private table. And this is another reason why some people prefer to play online blackjack over a game in a casino. Whether it’s a live dealer table or a computer game, if you have the table to yourself, you can play without distractions.

6 – Ignore the Extras in the Game

You might be tempted to play a progressive blackjack game or to take insurance. I’ve done both, but in the long run, these game options just suck your money away from you.

Blackjack Table Odds

The casino throws in extra options to make the game more interesting, but they’re also after your money.

Surrendering is a borderline practice. If you have the option of surrendering, some experts recommend you only do this when the cards are clearly against you.

Some casinos require late surrender, meaning you must wait for the dealer to check for a blackjack in her hand. Some games allow early surrender where you can forfeit based on the cards you see in your hand and the dealer’s face card.

Some surrender articles speak in terms of probabilities.

Your decision to surrender preserves capital. You should take into consideration what the face up cards show, what the table’s rule for dealer stands is (soft 17 or not), and the number of decks in the shoe (4 to 8).

Players usually surrender on a hard 16 if the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace. They usually surrender on a hard 15 if the dealer shows a 10 or ace.

Some players criticize a player who surrenders. It’s your decision, not theirs.

Conclusion

As a player you want to enjoy what you’re doing even if you’re there to win. It’s hard to concentrate when you feel like every hand is against you. The psychological side of the game is important.

It’s just like going to work every morning, do you love your job or not?

Unless you’re there as part of a team, you don’t have to keep playing if the game isn’t fun anymore. Choosing to play only when you have a good time builds your confidence.

Blackjack Tables For Sale

Confidence doesn’t contribute directly to winning, but you’re more likely to trust your choices when you’re confident. Winning makes you confident but winning can be the result of random chance.

Your job begins before you make the first bet. Study the rules, practice good strategy, and set a goal of achieving perfect play through instinct and experience.

Whether you count cards or not, the better you play the game, the more likely you’ll leave the table a winner.