Getting down to brass tacks, it’s a very simple game to understand and actually play. If you find yourself in a casino and want to “try” a table game, blackjack rules are quite simply to figure out. As a player, your card total must beat the dealer’s card total, without going over 21. What can be more simple than that?
Let’s keep in mind that casino games are there as a revenue source for the casino! All casino games were developed to be mathematically difficult to beat over the long run. The casino wants to stay in business, so if you, as a player, had a chance at beating the casino on a regular basis, that casino would not be in business for very long.
So, the best way for a casino to stay in business is to have games of chance that use the element of “replacement,” such as roulette or craps.
Replacement, in this instance, refers to the concept of “independent results” occurring after each round of play.
With roulette, if the number 17 comes up, that number remains in play for the next spin of the wheel, it is not taken out. In craps, if 9 is rolled with the dice, all faces that add up to 9 remain in play for the next roll of the dice. Therefore, 17 is just as likely to come up again in roulette and 9 is just as likely to come up again in craps, on the very next turn of play in the two games.
Since there is no “process of elimination,” no number is ever “due to come up.” The odds will never change for the next roll of the dice or spin of the wheel.
With blackjack, it would be like having the cards shuffled after every deal. That doesn’t happen.
Unmatched Advantage
Blackjack is one of the few casino games where the player can make a decision after the bet has been made. Whatever the decision is, will either increase or decrease the chance of the player winning the bet. For example, if you know that “hitting” in a certain situation, will win 53% of the time, as opposed to “standing,” winning 46% of the time, you definitely want to hit, to give yourself a better shot at winning. Therefore, depending on how well you know the correct move, blackjack can be more profitable in the long run than other casino games.
Because of the thousands of computer-generated hands played, a knowledgeable blackjack player will only give up a 1/2% edge to the house in a typical multi-deck game, by just playing according to a basic strategy chart. When most casino table games average about a 3% edge for the house, you have to agree 1/2% is a bargain!
The second advantage goes back to the replacement theory. Once a card is played in blackjack, it goes to a discard pile and not used again until a shuffle occurs. It is a game of “dependent results.” As more cards are dealt, certain hands become easier to make and other hands more difficult to make. The player’s odds continue to shift with every card dealt.
It’s been determined that a player’s chance of being dealt a blackjack can be anywhere from 1 in 17, to 1 in 25, depending on how the cards have played. That type of thing just doesn’t happen in other casino games!
Blackjack, hands down, gives you the best odds! It is the most freely beatable over the long run, of all casino games.
Very interesting! I’d love to learn more strategy. When you say there is a reduction of the house edge to 1 to 2% how does that edge translate to actual results? Like if I came in with a $300 bankroll and played for say 2 hours. How many hands could I be expected to play, win and lose? Not sure if you could quantify it, but I would be interested if you could!
First, the house edge is reduced to .50% (1/2), not 1-2%. As it is game of chance, your results wouldn’t be guaranteed. I generally start with a $300 bankroll as well. I have a casino within 15 minutes of my house and look to play no longer than 1.5 hours. My goal is to win $100, or lose no more than $200, since I can come everyday if I want. The speed of play depends on the dealer and group of people you’re playing with. With the ups and downs of play, winning $100 (minimum bet $15) can take anywhere from 20 min. to 1.5 hours. Good luck to you!
I know very little about this so as a complete novice I have found this article very informative! I like that you lay out and explain all the odds and how it works. Whenever I see this in movies or TV shows, I wonder how it works. Now I will have the beginnings of an understanding. Thank you 🙂
Thanks. If you ever get the opportunity, you might want to try it just for fun!
I never thought of casino games like this! It makes sense that casinos make winning their games based off chance to keep up revenue.
So by independent results, you mean random results that aren’t planned or set up that way? I hope that question made sense. It’s the best way I can articulate it.
It seems, at least from what I’ve read, that playing blackjack doesn’t require a specific skill. You just play. And I think that’s why it’s one of the most popular casino games out there.
Thanks for sharing this!
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Independent results in terms of roulette or craps, means that each “turn” (spin of the wheel or toss of the dice) has the possibility of happening again and again because the “starting point” doesn’t change. With roulette, each number is always in play with every spin, and the dice will never change in craps, so any combination can happen each throw. With blackjack, the cards that are played in a particular hand are discarded and “not in play” for the next hand if there is not a shuffle. So, the “odds” are going to change because certain cards will not be in play. I hope that is more clear for you.
Yes, in general, blackjack doesn’t require a special skill, but to make it profitable, you do need to learn the basic strategy and play with “perfect strategy.” Thanks for your comment!