Improving Blackjack Odds

A natural blackjack is only 4.8%, which essentially is an ace dealt with a ten card straight off the initial deal. Normally the odds are 3 to 2 and you would win $3 for every $2 wagered. It's a small percentage but it's the most desirable hand to get. The lowest hand you can get is two points (two aces). Blackjack is a casino game that has historically remained beatable. But, you’d still want to have the upper hand, won’t you? This is why we decided to bring in an expert. Our friend Hermant is sharing some of his best blackjack tips with us. With the use of the right blackjack basic strategy, you will have the opportunity to turn the casino edge in blackjack from 7-8 percent down to just 0. If you can properly count cards, you can repeatedly alter the blackjack odds and gain the upper hand over the casino. This is how I would recommend you play your hard 16, assuming surrender is not available, to improve your playing precision for this hand: BLACKJACK ODDS: 12 AGAINST A DEALER 4. Another hand where your strategy is dependent upon the makeup of the cards is a starting total of 12 against a dealer’s 4 upcard in games with S17.

• Improving Blackjack Odds Against
• Improving Blackjack Odds Games

To win at blackjack, you need to get closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over. That sounds basic, but a key to blackjack for beginners is understanding the odds and basic strategy of when to draw another card (hit) and when to stop (stay). In this casino guide, blackjack for beginners, you’ll get the basic rules, strategy, and lingo so you can feel comfortable gambling online or in a brick-and-mortar casino.

Blackjack for beginners: The basics

The cards, the cash, the cocktails. As a game, blackjack just looks cool in the casino. In movies from “Rain Man” to “21” to “Vegas Vacation,” Blackjack plays a major role and is one of those iconic casino games everyone wants to give a shot. If you’re new to the game, here’s a quick guide to get you on the right track at the table. Hopefully your luck is a bit better than Clark Griswold’s.

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The goal of blackjack is for a player’s hand of cards to add up to as close to 21 as possible without going over — known as busting. Numbered cards count as their number; that’s simple enough. Aces can be played as 1 or 11, and face cards count as 10.

To start a game, each player is dealt two cards (usually face up) from a shoe usually with four, six, or eight decks (though you can find single- and double-deck blackjack at higher stakes). The dealer also is dealt two cards with only one of those face up. The dealer has a major advantage in getting to act last.

A player dealt an ace and a 10 (or face card) hits a “natural” 21, also known as blackjack. The player is paid immediately in most circumstances at 3-to-2 (bet $200 and win $300), although more casinos have gone to the inferior 6-to-5 payout (bet $500 to win $600). If the dealer is also dealt a blackjack, however, the hand is a push — no win, no loss.

Blackjack for beginners is pretty simple: If your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s, then you win. Also, if the dealer happens to bust (go over 21), you win. It sounds easy, but there are more caveats and things to remember.

Blackjack for beginners: Terms and bets

Hit: Maybe you’ve seen someone playing blackjack in a movie say “hit me.” That means you’re taking another card in the quest to get closer to 21. A tap of the finger or hand also works, and the dealer will give you another card.

Stand: You “stand” when you don’t want any more cards. Usually this happens when you hit a 17 or higher (and sometimes even lower depending on the dealer’s card). A simple waving of the hand as if saying “no” will do the trick. The dealer will then go on to the next player.

Soft: If you have a “soft 17,” that means you have an ace and 6. Because an ace counts as 1 or 11, this hand can be either 7 or 17 and a player isn’t hurt by taking a hit as a 10 won’t bust this hand. Dealers must draw until reaching 17 or higher, but usually must hit a soft 17. Staying on all 17s works in the player’s favor. Different casinos have different rules dictating the dealer’s move on soft 17.

Insurance: A bet players can make when the dealer’s up card is an ace. The player can usually bet half of his bet and “insure” some of his bet against a Blackjack. This is a sucker bet and a loser in the long run.

Split: If you are dealt two of the same card, you are allowed to split those bets into two different hands by making a second bet. The hands then play out in the normal routine. It’s important to know basic strategy to know the best odds when it comes to knowing when and what hands to split (see graphic). Got two 10s? Never split — that 20 already has a high likelihood of being a winner. Two fives? Another hand that’s a keeper. That 10 has a nice likelihood to get another high card — hopefully an ace — for a winner.

Double down: Players are allowed to (and should) double their bets on certain hands for an extra score. The catch to doubling down is the player will only receive one card, so if you pull a 3, and have 13, you’re done. Doubling is common on hands totaling 9, 10 or 11 because of the high likelihood of getting another high card. But there are other circumstances to consider before making this move. Knowing basic strategy will certainly help.

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Things to know about blackjack

Blackjack is one of the best games in the casino for a player, but it’s important to learn basic strategy if you want to take it seriously and have the best odds of winning. With numerous cards valued at a 10 or 11 (10, jack, queen, king, ace), there are a variety of things to consider when it comes to hitting, standing, doubling down, or splitting.

There are numerous resources to check out and learn the best strategy when playing blackjack, and it’s highly recommended. Applying the strategy perfectly can reduce that house edge down to as low as .05 percent.

There’s also one more thing to remember: Unlike the movies, players are not allowed to touch the cards. Simple hand movements are the norm in most games. Good luck.

Blackjack, unlike other gambling games is not considered a game of chance, it is one that you can win if you start applying some knowledge. Unlike many other games where the result depends on player luck only, this game provides probabilities depending on the player decisions. Therefore, in order to win you have to know what your probabilities are now and how and when to increase them.

Improving Blackjack Odds Against

Before we take a look at player and dealer blackjack odds, we should consider all the parameters that affect the odds in the game.

Blackjack Rules Variations

Blackjack variations were created to entertain players and provide them with a chance to win more money on side bets. Each rule variation affects the house edge, some rules making a big, others making a minor difference. Most common rule variations can be found at our House Edge Calculator in the «Rules» window. Now, let's take a closer look at the rules and see how they affect the odds in the game.

NOTE: The rules chosen in the table below are most favorable for the player.

Number of decks

The first thing a player should consider when choosing a table is the number of decks used in the game. The more decks there are - the less odds the player has. (See the table - Probabilities – Number of decks)

Dealer hits or stands on soft 17

The main rules of the game are usually written on the table felt and it may say either dealer hits or stands on soft 17. If according to the rules dealer hits soft 17, the game gives the house a 0.2% extra edge.

Rules for doubling

This rule is sometimes called the 'Reno' rule, which restricts doubling only to certain hand totals. Double 9 - 11 affects the house edge increasing it by 0.09% (8 decks game) and 0.15% (1 deck game). Double 10-11 increases the house edge by 0.17% (8 decks game) and 0.26% (1 deck game).

Doubling after Split

If the casino allows a player to double after he splits a pair, the player will get a further edge of around 0.12%.

Resplitting

Most casinos allow players to split again after he/she splits a pair and is dealt another card of the same rank. However, if the casino does not, this means the odds favor the house. As the best hands for splitting are a pair of Aces and 8s, there may be a special rule for Splitting Aces. If the casino allows the player to re-split Aces, the player gets a 0.03% extra edge. Moreover, in most cases if the player splits Aces, the casino will deal only one card per hand and that's it. Allowing players to hit on a hand of Split Aces gives the player an edge of 0.13%. We do not consider this rule in our calculator due to the fact it is almost never used, especially online.

• 1 deck of cards (house edge 0.17%)
• Doubling allowed on any cards
• Doubling allowed after Split and after Hit (player edge 0.12%)

• Early surrender is preferable
• Dealer stands on soft 17 (player edge 0.2%)
• Resplitting any cards allowed (player edge 0.03%)

Extra Rules Affecting Blackjack Odds

European No-Hole-Card Rule

Improving Blackjack Odds Games

Some blackjack variations are played with a hole card that is dealt to the dealer only after all the players have played their hands. This rule affects player strategy when playing against dealer up 10 or an Ace. In a typical hole-card game the player would know whether the dealer has a Blackjack or not before he makes any decisions. In this game, however, the player is risking a lot more if he decides to double or split. This rule adds 0.11% to the house advantage. However, there may be some casinos that allow the player to push on all the additional bets (doubling down and splitting pairs) if the dealer happens to have Blackjack.

Another Payouts on Blackjack

The classic payout on player Blackjack is 3 to 2. However, some casinos change the payout to increase the house edge. The payout on blackjack thus may vary from 1:1 to 6:5. As a Blackjack hand frequency is approximately 4.8% (see the table Two Card Hand Frequency), the payout of 1:1 will increase house edge by 2.3% and the payout of 6:5 - by 1.4%. The first rule (1:1) is only rarely found , while the second (6:5) can be found at some tables with a single deck blackjack game. The payout on Blackjack is generally written on a table felt.

Best tip
for odds seekers

The easiest way to choose the game with the highest odds is to play blackjack with no extra special rules. Do not forget where your basic odds are hidden - chance to Split, Double Down and get a 3 to 2 payout on Natural.

Dealer wins Ties

Another disadvantage for the player is when the rules of the game say that dealer wins all ties. This rule is almost never used in the classic games, though it can be found in some blackjack variations.

Insurance

The Insurance bet is a casino trick that gives the house a huge edge. The main factor why many players take this bet lies in the fact it costs only half of the original one. However, when the player takes Insurance every time he plays the game, the house edge may raise up to 7%. Added to all the other rules the casino sets on the game and you will see why probabilities are worth learning if you want to quit winners.

Side Bets

All blackjack games that offer side bets seem to be the biggest attraction for blackjack lovers. However, if you consider blackjack odds on these bets, you will notice that no matter how big the jackpot is (as in progressive blackjack rules) or how great the payout is for the pair (as in perfect pairs rules), the odds still favor the house and you are not likely to win.

Blackjack Probabilities charts

The quantity of decks increases the house advantage with each extra deck added to the game. Look for games with the smallest number of decks. However, some games offering a chance to play with 1 deck may only still provide low player odds due to low payouts on Blackjack and other rules. Be sure to check them before you play.

The table on the left describes how often the following hands can appear. The hands are the first two-cards dealt to the player. The frequency stands for the average number of times dealt per deck of cards. As you can see, the most frequent hands dealt are the 'Decision hands' that demand knowledge of blackjack strategy.

In this table you can see the probability of going bust on any hand if the player decides to Hit. This means that with 0% you can never go bust when hitting a hand of 11 or less. As you can see, the table is for hard hand totals as you will 100% bust if you Hit on a hand of hard 21.

You probably already know that in blackjack small cards in the deck favor the dealer while big ones favor the player. In this table you can see that removing 2s from the deck adds a 0.40% of advantage to the player, while if 10's are taken out - the odds are 0.51% for the house.

Blackjack probabilities are calculated due to different parameters, including the dealer up card. The table on the left depicts how likely it is that dealer will go bust with certain up cards and what the player odds are in this very situation. For example, the highest player odds are when the dealer shows a 6, as he is most likely to go bust with this hand. The lowest player odds are when the dealer's up card is a 10 or an Ace.

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