Blackjack is the most widely played casino game in the world as the mix of skill and luck coupled with its simplicity appeals to gamblers.
The aim of the game is the same regardless of the rules in place, that is you have to reach a total of twenty-one without going over, or busting as it is called.
No matter what Blackjack variation youre playing, the objective of the game will remain the same but different variations will have a different house edge over the players.
There is no perfect strategy in Blackjack but theres a very simple strategy that can helpyou reduce the house advantage to less than 1%. This is one of the reasons why the game is so popular among gamblers.
To offset this, most online casinos have several Blackjack versions that increase the house advantage over the players and improves their earnings in the long run.
One of the most common variants in the game is the number of card decks used. Some online casinos offer a popular variant called “Single Deck Blackjack”.
A single deck blackjack game has the advantage of having just a 0.17% house edge over the players.
To help offset this low house edge, the game has a number of different rules in the game that favors the casino.
In contrast a Blackjack game played with four decks of cards has a casino advantage of 0.6% and if you play the most common variant of Blackjack which uses 8 decks of cards, the house advantage increases to 0.66%
A common rule in place in most casinos is that the player will only receive one extra card when they split a pair of aces.
The reason for this is that if players were allowed to Hit after splitting Aces, this would effectively reduce the casino advantage by 0.13%. If you consider that the casino’s advantage is only 1% then this is a significant reduction.
However, many online 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 arise whenever you’re dealt a natural blackjack hand.
On average you can expect to hit a natural blackjack in 4.8% of hands. So if we deviate from a typical 3:2 payout for a natural blackjack hand, this puts the odds on the casino’s side.
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 discover the best promotions, please go to this Blackjack Promotions guide.
