PLAYER STRATEGY
BLACKJACK: Playing the Deck One of the first things players hear about blackjack is that fewer decks mean a better game.
Player may double down on any first two cards vs. player may double down only on specific hands:
That leads to two questions once players have a little experience: Are fewer decks ALWAYS better? And why are fewer decks better when the proportions of card denominations is the same no matter how many decks are used?
It’s best for players to have more options as long as the players take their time to learn basic strategy and know how to use the options.
If all other rules are equal, house edges are lower when fewer decks are in play. A single-deck game has an edge roughly half a percent lower than a six-deck game, with a two-deck game standing in between at about two-tenths of a percent better than a six-deck game. But other rules are not always equal. Sometimes the dealer hits soft 17, sometimes the dealer stands. Sometimes you can double down on any first two cards, sometimes doubles are restricted to a few two-card totals. Experienced players know there are many more optional rules, and it’s up to the casino to decide which to offer. The house edge on a blackjack game is a product of all those options taken together. Check out these major rules options and their effect on the game and its house edge against basic strategy players. Blackjack pays 3-2 vs. blackjack pays 6-5: At most tables, if you bet $10 and are dealt a blackjack -- an Ace and a 10-value card -- you’re paid $15 for 3-2 odds. Beware of tables that pay 6-5 odds, meaning a $10 bet pays only $12. That adds 1.4 percent to the house edge -- more than the entire house edge based on other rules at most games. Number of decks: Six-deck games are the most common, but it’s possible to find one, two- and eight deck games. Some games with automatic shufflers even use four or six decks. As mentioned above, If all other rules are equal, a single-deck game has a house edge about half a percent lower than a six-deck game. Dealer hits or stands on soft 17: It’s better for players if the dealer stands on soft 17. If the dealer hits, he can’t bust soft 17 in one card and he gets a chance to beat your 17 or better. Hitting soft 17 increases the house edge by about two-tenths of a percent. 16
| G A M I N G A N D D E S T I N AT I O N S . C O M
by
JOHN GROCHOWSKI
If the casino permits double downs only on hard totals of 9, 10 or 11, that increases the house edge by about a tenth of a percent. If it restricts doubles to hard 10 or 11 -- eliminating the 9 as well as all soft totals -- it increases the house edge by twotenths of a percent. Player may or may not double down after splitting pairs. After you split a pair, if the draw gives you a two-card total of 11, or sometimes 10 or 9, you want the option to double down. If the casino doesn’t permit that play, the house edge increases by .14 percent. Players may split pairs, once, twice or three times: If you split a pair of 8s and then draw a third 8, creating another 8-8 hand, your best play is to split again. If the casino doesn’t allow resplits, it increases the house edge. In the best games, you can split up to three times to make a total of four hands. If you can split only twice, it adds one-hundredth of a percent to the edge. If you can split only once, it adds a tenth of a percent, and if splits aren’t allowed at all it adds six-tenths of a percent. It’s not hard to put together a combination of rules in which a game with more decks has a lower edge. For one thing, blackjack payoffs have a bigger effect than the number of decks. If you know nothing else about the games but know a singledeck game pays 6-5 on blackjacks while a six-deck games pays 3-2, you’re better off at the six-deck game. Even with 3-2 pays on both games, the six-deck game can be better if it has better auxiliary rules. Let’s say a single-deck game has the dealer hit. soft 17. You can double down only on hard 10 or 11, may not double after splits, and may split pairs only once. The house edge against a basic strategy player is 0.45 percent. Be sure to remember these tips on your next blackjack outing and good luck at the tables!
“IF ALL OTHER RULES ARE EQUAL, HOUSE EDGES ARE LOWER WHEN FEWER DECKS ARE IN PLAY.
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