While blackjack has
been written about as the best possible casino game
to play if you know what you are doing, it is one
of the worst games to play if you don’t know
what you’re doing. Just look at the win figures
for blackjack across this great and glorious gambling
nation of ours and you will see an interesting fact
emerge. Casinos win more money at blackjack than
they do at any other table game. This win is not
just a product of the fact that more people play
blackjack than any other table game (they do); it
is also a product of the fact that there are more
people who play blackjack poorly than there are
people who play it well.
Blackjack is a casino
game where the players’ decisions have a dramatic
impact on the players’ results. Whether you
win or lose is not strictly a function of good or
bad luck. A good blackjack player (good is defined
as one who plays Basic Strategy) plays against a
house edge of approximately one-half percent in
multiple-deck games. And what does a bad blackjack
player face? Most blackjack players are rated as
playing against a two percent casino edge for comping
purposes. The fact is that most players are probably
playing against edges of three to six percent based
on my observations at the tables. Another consideration
that makes blackjack a dangerous game for the unwary
and unwise is the fact that it is a relatively fast
casino game, with anywhere from 60 to 100 decisions
per hour. That two, three, four or more percent
is working on a lot more money than it would at
games such as Pai Gow poker, Let It Ride or roulette,
which are relatively slow games.
For three
decades now computers have been able to show us
what the correct hitting, standing, splitting, and
doubling down decisions are in order maximize our
win potential and minimize our loss potential on
every possible player hand vs. all dealer upcards.
For example, most readers are probably aware that
splitting tens is a no-no at blackjack. Here’s
why. First, let us take the most vulnerable dealer
hand, 16, and see what happens when we split our
10s. For every $100 bet on your 20 composed of two
ten-valued cards in the six and eight-deck games,
you will win approximately $57 if you split them.
Not bad? Well , you will win approximately $70 if
you stand with your 20! That’s a big difference.
And if you split your two ten-valued cards against
the dealers 10 upcard (yes, I have seen players
do this), you will now win five dollars for every
$100 bet in this situation from an expected $56
dollars had you stood on your 20. That’s a
huge difference.
Blackjack
Making Right Choices Count Part 2
Visit Websites Of The Scoblete Network
www.goldentouchpoker.com
www.goldentouchcraps.com
www.goldentouchblackjack.com
www.scoblete.com
www.gscobe.blogspot.com
More
Columns By Franki Scoblete
Good
Casinos Home
