Blackjack is the most widely played casino game in the world as the mix of skill and chance together with its simplicity appeals to gamblers.
The objective of the game is quite simple, you must build a hand that totals 21 in value or get as close as possible without going bust.
No matter what Blackjack variation youre playing, the objective of the game will remain the same but different variants will have a different casino edge over the players.
While theres no perfect Blackjack strategy that can guarantee that you will win consistently over time, there is a basic strategy that if followed properly can reduce the casinos advantage below 1%, this ones of the reasons why Blackjack is so popular among casino players and gamblers.
In response most online casinos feature several Blackjack variations that have a higher casino advantage and helps them increase their revenue from this game.
One of the most common variations in the game is the number of card decks used. Some online casinos offer a popular variant called “Single Deck Blackjack”.
In this variation of Blackjack the casino has an advantage over the players of only 0.17%.
The disadvantage of this blackjack variation is that you will generally find a number of additional rules that help the house.
Adding three more decks increases the casino’s edge to 0.6%, whilst the most common eight deck variant gives the casino a 0.66% advantage over the average player.
In most casinos the rules will allow you to get only one more card after splitting aces
Online casinos put this rule in place because the implications of allowing players to Hit after splitting a pair of Aces are quite significant. If you were to Hit after splitting Aces the house’s advantage would be reduced by about 0.13% which is quite drastic considering that the house advantage is only 1% to begin with.
However, many casinos allow a player to “double-down” on a split pair, other than aces, even though this gives a 0.12% advantage to the player.
The largest variation will emerge whenever you’re dealt a natural blackjack hand.
This will, on average, occur in 4.8% of hands so deviating from the standard 3:2 payout seriously sways the odds in the casino’s favour.
A 6:5 payout reduces the player’s edge by 1.4% whilst some casino who only payout 1:1 do so to give themselves a huge 2.3% edge.
It is worth looking at the rules of the Blackjack table you are about to play at and then research the edge the house has over you.
The best table would be one that plays four decks, makes the dealer stand on soft-17, offers late surrender, allows you to double after a split, allows you to double any two cards and pays out 3:2 on Blackjack. If you find one that does this, please let me know!
For more blackjack variants, please go to this Blackjack Games review page. To see the latest online promotions, please go to this Blackjack Promotions guide.
Tags: Blackjack