When a Multi Card 21 is a Good Thing

On 08.10.11, In Blackjack Tips, By Vivi

Some blackjack players are not fond of multi card 21’s. They see it as almost a tease by Lady Luck—she could not give them a natural blackjack, but she could give them three or more cards that equaled 21.

But players should not grumble when they hit their hand to total of 21. This is one of the strongest hands in the game. The only thing that will beat it is a dealer blackjack. The only hand that can push it is if the dealer also hits to 21.

However, blackjack players will be pleased to know that there are a couple of house rules that will benefit them when they hit to a hand total of 21. Now these house rules are not found in every game of blackjack or online blackjack; you have to be on the lookout for them. Here they are:

First up is the rule where a player’s hand three or more cards hand total will tie and push a dealer’s blackjack. This is not the same as winning, but having a push will keep the player from losing their wager. Because this is a good opportunity to keep your money there is an increase to your edge of 0.35%.

But there is another player 21 house rule that players will like even more: a player hand of 21 is an automatic win. That is right. According to this rule, if a player hits to 21 they win, end of story. Considering the opportunity to make money with this rule, a player’s edge gets a 0.54% boost.

Keep your eyes peeled for these special blackjack rules when you are tooling around the casino floor looking for a game of blackjack or cruising the Internet looking for online blackjack.

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Knowing When to Double Down

On 06.29.11, In Blackjack Tips, By Vivi

Do you know all of the times when it is opportune to double down in blackjack? I know most players, including novices, know that a hard 10 and a hard 11 can be doubled down on in most cases, but doubling down options do not end with hard 10 and hard 11.

While not every variation of blackjack allows for doubling down on hands other than a hard 10 or hard 11, there are other variations with more expansive double down options. For example did you know that there are 18 hands soft hands that have better odds when doubling down than if you were to only hit or stand? There are also 8 pairs whose odds are better as a double down than splitting.

Considering that doubling down can increase your blackjack odds by 1.6%, it pays to know when the best times to double down are—all of your options. It also pays to find the blackjack games which offer few or no restrictions on when a player can double down.

But as for knowing the best times to double down, blackjack players can find that on any basic strategy chart. This is an easy—not to mention free—way of knowing what play to make when. Think of it as an easy to use blackjack strategy tool. Basic strategy can be used in land casinos and in online casinos without fear of being busted and tossed out of the casino or banned from playing. Despite the fact that playing perfect basic strategy can lower the house edge to 0.5%, casinos do not fear it. So print a copy of the chart and take it with you on your next visit to a land casino; or pull it up in another window when playing blackjack online.

With an increase of 1.6% to your blackjack odds, knowing all of the times when it is best double down pays off.

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Odds of Winning a Hand in Online Blackjack

On 06.02.11, In Blackjack Odds, By Vivi

There is a popular idea about online blackjack that says a player’s chances of winning each hand changes every time. This would be not true.

The odds of winning a hand of online blackjack are the same no matter what. There will always be about a 44% chance of winning a hand and about a 48% chance of losing a hand. The remaining 8% is for pushes.

Most players who hold to the idea that the odds change for every hand like to site how cards are removed from play, and that effects the remaining cards that you could potentially be dealt. This might be true a tiny bit—there are small variations—when playing blackjack in a land casino, but it does not apply when playing online blackjack.

In online blackjack the cards are dealt based on what the RNG pulls randomly. The RNG pulls from all possible outcomes. I will explain this with an example:

Let’s say that you are playing online blackjack with only a single deck, and you were just dealt a Queen and an 8. When the round and the cards are “discarded” you might assume that there is now one less Queen and 8 that you could be dealt. But in online blackjack when the next round begins the RNG is pulling from all possible outcomes, meaning there are still four Queens and four 8’s that it could potentially deal you.

Because of the RNG and how it functions in a game of online blackjack, players are pretty much set with the 44% odds of winning a hand of online blackjack.

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Understanding Early Surrender in Blackjack

On 04.07.11, In Blackjack Tips, By Vivi

While it is not a common rule to be found at blackjack tables and in online blackjack games, it is important to understand what early surrender is in blackjack so that you can take advantage of it if you stumble across a game that offers it.

There are two types of surrender in blackjack first off: early and late. Late is the more common of the two, but of the two early is preferred. The two only differ in when the surrender can happen. Otherwise they play out in the same way: when declaring that you are surrendering the cards are given up and half of your wager is taken by the house and the other half can go back into your bankroll.

Now down to timing and early surrender. As you might have guessed early surrender happens early in the round. Early surrender happens before any plays are made and before the dealer checks to see if he has blackjack. In other words, you are making this decision based off of what your first two cards are and what the dealer’s up card is—if you are playing in a blackjack game in which the dealer gets a hole card, some variations allow for early surrender but the dealer does not have a hole card.

So early surrender is kind of like folding in poker, except you do not lose your entire wager, only half of it.

Early surrender can increase your edge by up to 0.24% so it is well worth keeping an eye out for a game of blackjack that offers early surrender since it has an impact on your blackjack odds.

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The Never Bust Blackjack Strategy

On 03.11.11, In Blackjack Odds, By Vivi

I have previously covered a couple of blackjack strategies that hurt a player’s blackjack odds in the past: Mimic the Dealer and Assuming the Dealer has a 10 Hole Card. This week I am going to add another blackjack strategy that is not worth your time or the hit it gives your odds: Never Bust.

While the Never Bust so-called blackjack strategy is not the worst in terms of hits to your blackjack odds, the house edge it results in is no laughing matter. Players who abide by the Never Bust idea of blackjacks strategy will find themselves up against a house edge of 3.91% instead of the 0.5% that they could have had if they had just played according to basic strategy.

So how exactly does the Never Bust idea work?

The basic point behind it is to not hit anything that is a hard 12 or more no matter what the dealer is holding.

The problem with this blackjack strategy philosophy is that players miss out on a bunch of times when they should be hitting—when, according to basic strategy—the best statistical play to make is to hit. In total there are 27 hard hands that players would stand on that have better odds when hitting. Those would be 27 hands in which a blackjack player is choosing the play that is more harmful to their odds.

I believe this so-called blackjack strategy probably found its way into existence through fear of busting and subsequently losing. I believe the idea behind it is that if a player does not bust, then they cannot lose. But it is still perfectly plausible to lose, and a player who plays with this idea of never busting is actually asking to lose more than if they were to take the risk and hit.

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Bad Blackjack Strategy: Mimic the Dealer

On 02.24.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Of all of the poor quality and bad blackjacks strategies out there, mimicking the dealer is one of the worst, second only to assuming the dealer’s hole card is a ten.

When a blackjack player mimics the dealer, he is playing exactly how the dealer would play. This means hitting on a hand that the dealer would hit on and standing when the dealer stands. This is limiting to a blackjack player simply because there are hands, specifically hard hands of 12 through 16 against a dealer’s 2 through 6, which the player would find the best opportunity in standing on rather than hitting; but those are hands that the dealer has no choice but to hit.

Another loss to the blackjack player found in mimicking the dealer is found in the lack of doubling down and splitting pairs. Those are two plays that the dealer does not have at their disposal in a game of blackjack. Of the two, not doubling down is the most hurtful. Losing out on doubling down causes the player to lose the 1.6% odds boost that they would have gotten. As for the odds lost from a lack of splitting pairs, that is 0.06% that is not gained.

Now for the astute blackjack player who does want to make the most of hitting, standing, doubling down and pair splitting opportunities, the best strategy option is to use basic strategy. A basic strategy chart will tell players when the best time to double down and split pairs, as well as the best times to hit or stand. Making the most of those opportunities is what brings the house edge down to 0.5%. Mimicking the dealer gives players a house edge of 5.48%.

Between those two I would rather follow basic strategy and knock the house edge down to 0.5% than mimic the dealer in a bad blackjack strategy and suffer with a house edge of 5.48%. Remember, never mimic the dealer.

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Blackjack Rules: Dealer Standing on Soft 17 vs. Hitting Soft 17

On 01.20.11, In Blackjack Odds, By Vivi

Whether or not a dealer can hit or stand on a soft 17 seems inconsequential to the unknowing blackjack player. But this is why they are unknowing blackjack players, and this is why I am going to explain why that seemingly little rule makes a big difference when it comes to a player’s blackjack odds.

In the most basic and most common form of blackjack, the dealer must stand on all 17s regardless of whether or not an Ace is a part of the dealer’s hand. But here and there players will find blackjack games or blackjack variations that allow the dealer to hit a soft 17, meaning a 17 with an Ace in it.

Allowing the dealer to hit a soft 17 is a problem despite that it does not sound like one. Many players do not think it will hurt them, or that the dealer is likely to bust. This is because they are hung up on the notion of the 17. But if a dealer is allowed to hit a soft 17, the Ace that starts as an 11 is reduced to a 1 and the dealer’s new hand total is 7. This leaves them in a prime position to rebuild a strong hand—much like how a player would.

Because the dealer has a second shot at rebuilding his hand he has an increased shot at beating your hand, especially if you are standing on a hard 17 or on a stiff hand. Naturally it follows that if the dealer’s odd increase, the player’s decreases. How much is that decrease? A player’s blackjack odds will decrease by 0.22% just on that one rule alone.

Because of the 0.22% hit to a player’s odds, blackjack games and blackjack variations that allow the dealer to hit a soft 17 should be avoided since there really is not any way for the player to combat that rule.

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Double Down for Your Odds, Hmm?

On 12.28.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Most definitely! I know that doubling down ahs the extra risky feeling, but if you are doubling down at opportune times then you know that the statistics are on your side, and that you have a decent shot of making that double down successful.

Doubling down at opportune times actually increases your blackjack odds, both in online blackjack and in casino blackjack. The play—how it is executed and how it actually works—is the same no matter which format you are playing in.

Yes, doubling down does carry an increased risk, after all you are doubling your wager. But think of the doubled amount in winnings that you will receive if your double down is successful.

Doubling down is not a scary move meant to be intimidating. It is one of the plays built in to the game that is there to help players…that is if they know how to use it. And that is the trick isn’t it.

Actually it is a remarkably easy trick to overcome in all actuality. The key to knowing when it the opportune times to double down are can be found on a basic strategy chart. That nifty little chart will tell you the best times to double down. The majority of them will come when you have a hard 10 or hard 11. Not all, mind you, but most.

One rule of thumb though for doubling down is to never, ever double down against a dealer Ace. Ever. And I do mean ever.

A dealer Ace has the same flexibility that it does for a player—its total can be reduced from 11 to 1 if necessary, and you do not want to have double the money on the line when the dealer has more flexibility than normal. That is a good way to lose your double down wager. Remember, never ever double down when facing down a dealer’s Ace.

Check your basic strategy chart if you are not sure when the best times to double are. At 1.6% in odds added to your blackjack odds, doubling down should be a play to use and not abuse. Use that chart to add successful double down-ing to your blackjack strategy. If you do not have a basic strategy chart of your own to use, you can find a basic strategy chart here for free.

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Single Deck Blackjack vs. Multi Deck

On 11.04.10, In Blackjack Odds, By Vivi

Not many novice blackjack players will give the number of decks being used much thought. While this is not a mistake, per say, it does not do well to not understand what the number decks in a game of blackjack can do to your odds.

For example, you walk into a casino and head for the blackjack tables. There is a single deck game and game with six decks. Which table do you play at?

This is when knowing what the number of decks does to your blackjack odds pays off. Based against the common eight deck game, a game of blackjack using six deck only gains you 0.02% to your odds. But a single deck will add 0.48% to your odds.

So in the above example you would want to play at the single deck table.

But not all single deck blackjack games were created equal. You have heard of the single deck games that payout 6-5 on a natural blackjack. These would be the single deck games of blackjack they you do not want to play in.

A 6-5 payout takes 1.39% off of your odds. And not even using only a single deck can compensate for that. The difference is still a loss of 0.91% from your odds.

But if you had not known about the odds on a single deck game of blackjack you would not see just how bad the loss from a 6-5 payout is. There a good many novice players out there that do not give a flying thought to the nuances of blackjack odds; to them the single deck can even out the damage a 6-5 payout does.

But you are going to be smarter than that. And you are going to choose to play in a single deck game of blackjack over a multiple deck game—unless the payout on the single deck game is a 6-5 payout. Well, you will if you value your blackjack odds.

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Payouts and Blackjack Odds

On 10.01.10, In Blackjack Odds, By Vivi

Not many novice blackjack players know just how much the payout of the game affects their blackjack odds.

When it comes to payouts, the majority of players have their mind on their money, and they do not think about the odds. But the truth is that they are so very close to being concerned about odds. This is because the payout ratio for a natural blackjack has a fairly big impact on blackjack odds.

Blackjack odds are based on the player’s opportunity to make a profit or to lose more money than necessary. The better the blackjack payout for a natural two card blackjack, the better the blackjack odds.

This is why some blackjack games and some blackjack variations should not be played—they offer a payout that not only cost money, it also lowers the player’s blackjack odds.

One of the two most common payout deviations in blackjack games is the 6-5 payout. While this payout ratio is not found a lot in online blackjack it can pop up. This change in payout costs the player a loss of close to 17% of what their payout should be. For example, on a $10 wager, a 3-2 blackjack would receive a $15 payout. But a 6-5 blackjack will only receive $12.50. The loss in money is a hit of 1.39% to your blackjack odds.

The other common payout deviation is that 1-1 payout. This one can be found in online blackjack games, but it is found in blackjack variations, usually along with a side bet. This payout causes a 2.27% loss to your blackjack odds. For a $10 wager you would receive $10 for your blackjack, which is a 33% loss of money. Hence the larger hit to your blackjack odds.

The best rule of thumb for novice players is to simply not play in blackjack games that do not offer a 3-2 payout on a natural. It is not worth the hit to your blackjack odds to play in such games.

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