GIVE YOURSELF THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN

Blackjack House Rules Vary From Casino To Casino, So Beware!

Most players walk up to a Blackjack table and don't even pay any attention to the house rules for the game. But changes in house rules from casino to casino can have a big effect on your long term wins/losses. Let’s face it, you work hard for your money and you want the best odds of walking out a winner! So, take the time to find out the blackjack rules and give your business only to the casinos that offer you the best odds. Here is how to evaluate the odds for the game:

In a basic 6 deck game, with the following house rules, the player disadvantage is about –0.53

Dealer hits soft 17 (Ace-6)

Double on any two cards

Double after split

Resplit to 4 hands

Player can Resplit Aces

Blackjack pays 3 to 2

The biggest swing of all of the house rules is changing a hand of Blackjack (21) from paying 3 to 2, to paying 6 to 5. This changes the house edge to a whopping +1.38%. So what would be the best house rules for the player? A single deck game where the dealer stands on soft 17, Player can Double after split, Player can Double on any first two cards, Player can Resplit 4 times, Player can Resplit Aces, Player can hit split Aces, Late surrender and Blackjack pays 3 to 2. You know why this game doesn't exist and never will? Because with these rules the player would have a +0.22% advantage over the casino!

However, if the casino offered a single deck game with all of these rules and just changed the Blackjack payout to 6 to 5, instead of 3 to 2, the house edge would go from being at a –0.22% disadvantage to a huge +1.17% advantage. So, if you find a Blackjack game paying 6 to 5, RUN! Do not play it! If all players refused to play those games the casinos would have no other choice but to offer Blackjack paying 3 to 2.

Below is a chart of changes that help the player:

Double after split +.14%

Resplit Aces +.07%

Single Deck +.50

Two decks +.20%

Four Decks +.05%

Surrender +.7%

I should actually mention the surrender option since there are a few casinos that offer it. Let’s say you are dealt a 16 against the dealer up card of a 10. You will lose 54% of all the money bet in that situation. But if you have the surrender option you can surrender the hand and only lose half your bet. You should surrender your 16 against a dealer up card of a 9,10,Ace. Surrender your hand of 15 against a dealer up card of 10, or Ace and surrender the hand of 17 against a dealer up card of an Ace. The players’ hands are hard totals only.

A lot of players are convinced that bad players at a table can cause them to lose. While you remember that idiot who split his pair of 6s against the dealer 10 and took the card that would have caused the dealer to bust, they forget about the times that same player caused them to win because he stood on a 14 against the dealer 19 and caused the dealer to bust. Therefore, in the long run, bad players hurt you as much as they help you! Just shake off the bad play that caused you to lose and look forward to the next bad play that will cause you to win!

Always give your business to the casinos that offer the best rules. After all, you work hard for your money so the casinos should have to work hard for theirs too. My new book "How to Become a Blackjack Jedi" by TJ Jorgensen is available in e-book and hard copy on Amazon. $

Writer TJ Jorgensen has been a professional Blackjack player for over 25 years. He is well known for his tournament play and has beaten some of the top tournament players in the world. He has also won the World Series Of Blackjack. His newest book “How To Become A Blackjack Jedi” is available online at Amazon.com.

Submitted By Riester On Behalf Of Talking Stick Resort