Archive for April, 2010

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Two Blackjack Hands at Once

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

One of the more amusing player contrived blackjack strategies is to play two hands per round. I believe the idea is that if the cards don’t give you good cards for your first hand, they will for your second hand. It sounds like these players are saying that the cards have brains of their own to outsmart or that they are trying to outsmart the order of the cards.

The problem with this is that cards don’t have brains or not. I don’t care if they’re special blackjack cards. They don’t have brains. They don’t choose which blackjack hands to grace with good cards and which ones to give bad cards to.

We have also established that there is no order to the cards. Therefore, there is no order to outsmart. Playing two hands per round is not going to make a difference to the flow of cards. It could have a positive impact or a negative one. But the truth is that there is no way to tell what the impact will be and if such an impact can be maintained. And without the ability to predict this, there is no order to the cards at a blackjack table.

Playing two hands at once can actually be bad for your blackjack odds. You run the risk of losing money twice as fast. Imagine a run of low cards that favor the dealer. Blackjack players’ hands tend to suffer at these times because low cards are a dealer’s friend. If you’re playing two hands per round during a run of low cards your chances of losing twice as much increase.

But these blackjack players argue that playing two hands will increase one’s winnings. This is only true if you win both hands in every game. In the best case scenario, you will win one hand and lose the other, which will only cause you to break even.

In the long run you will lose your money twice as fast if you play two hands per round of blackjack. There is no real advantage to your blackjack odds either. Especially since your concentration will be split between two hands.

The best that you can do is play one hand of blackjack per round, focus on that hand and concentrate on your blackjack strategy and your basic strategy.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy | Comments Off

No Mid-Shoe Entry Signs

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

When cruising the casino floor in search of a blackjack table to play at, you are eventually going to see a sign on a table that says ‘No Mid-Shoe Entry.’ This means that you can’t join that table until the current players have played through the shoe. The entire shoe.

This is one of those player contrived ideas that they feel will help their blackjack game. Blackjack players who request such a sign at their table believe that there is an order to the cards. They also believe that when a new blackjack player joins the game, they are disrupting the flow of the cards. And disrupting the flow of the cards will ruin the blackjack odds of the players already sitting at that table.

This is by the way completely not true.

There is no order to the cards in a blackjack game. And since there is no order to the card there can be no disruption.

The truth is that the flow of the cards doesn’t have an impact on a blackjack player’s odds. This is why you won’t see any blackjack strategy tips or hints that refer to the order of the cards. The couple that you might find with some digging can actually sound a bit paranoid.

The downside to the misconceived logic is that if one of these order believing blackjack players puts up one of those no mid-shoe entry signs and winds up with what they see as a bad run of cards, they are now stuck with playing out that shoe. Adding another player might just change the flow of the cards. But we’ll never know since they are that hard-core in believing in the order of the cards.

So you can see how this is an ill-conceived blackjack philosophy. Forget no mid-show entry signs and play blackjack to the best of your strategy abilities. It’s the best you can do for yourself. And if you don’t like how the cards are going find another table or wait it out.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy | 1 Comment »

What to do with a Hot Dealer

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

In blackjack you will hear players refer to a dealer as being ‘hot.’ But what does that mean? No, it has nothing to do with how they look I promise.

A dealer is said to be hot in one of two instances. His last several winning hands have been made up of four or five cards. Or the blackjack player keeps losing to him.

There are some blackjack players that will act out in a passive aggressive manner and switch tables. This apparently means that a hot dealer no longer stands in their way. Because they truly believe that that’s how you deal with a hot dealer. Get up and leave. A tad on the petulant side really.

But in reality you shouldn’t leave that blackjack table.

Let’s break this down a bit. When a dealer is said to be hot it means that he’s getting all those low cards that favor him. Hence the strong hands made up of four and five cards, and more blackjack players losing. But can you tell me what the key to this is?

The key is the low cards. A dealer is hot when there is a run of low cards. But a run won’t continue indefinitely. Eventually the cards will turn. And what happens after a run of low cards?

That’s right, a run of high cards, the ones that favor the blackjack players. And that is why you don’t want to leave that blackjack table because you want to be there when those high cards start flowing.

So when you encounter a hot dealer, reduce your wager and wait the cards out. Eventually the run will end and the high cards will come. And this is why you need to apply some logic and break down self-proclaimed blackjack philosophies made by players.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy | 1 Comment »

Dealing with Splitting Aces

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

It seems that come casinos will take one approach to what happens when a blackjack player splits Aces. Some will go with a more greedy approach in that they will only allow players to receive one more card after splitting a pair of Aces. In other words they treat it like a double down.

Then you have casinos that are on the more enlightened side of blackjack. They will allow blackjack players to hit for more cards after splitting Aces. This difference, while it sounds small, can actually make an impact on the house edge to the tune of 0.14% off their edge, which improves your own blackjack odds.

So why is this house rule such a big deal?

First off splitting Aces is not a double down and it shouldn’t be treated as such because it isn’t a double down but a splitting of a pair. From this point of view it almost seems like a cheap shot by the casinos who are too scared of their blackjack players. Yes, fear me for I am a blackjack player! Roar!

Another point of contention is that this rule of only being able to split and receive one more card only applies to pairs of Aces and no other pair. Seems a little one sided. I know that Aces are the strongest cards that a blackjack player can receive, but to really fear it this much is just silly. It’s like those little kids who make up rules because they’re sissies. “You can only have one more card when you split Aces, so na na na na!”

I think the reason that casinos put this rule in place is because they really do fear a blackjack player with an Ace. This could be because an Ace is halfway to 21, the next strongest hand behind a natural blackjack. They’re thinking that if the player is lucky and receives a low card then they might have a shot at a decent hand. But in most cases, the player will either have to reduce the Ace to 1to avoid busting or they are stuck with a stiff hand. Either way these scaredy cat casinos are trying to set a blackjack player up to lose.

This is why any blackjack player worth their chips should avoid games in which the casino treats Ace splitting like a double down. Look for blackjack games where you aren’t limited on how many cards you can receive after splitting a pair of Aces.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy | Comments Off

Easy Surrender is Easy

Monday, April 12th, 2010

In my post this morning I talked about late surrender and how it works and how it impacts the house edge. I mentioned that there was another form of surrender called early surrender.

Now early surrender is still an incredible boon to blackjack players because, regardless of which type you go with, both still allow you to exit a round of blackjack without losing your whole bet.

Like I said this morning, it’s like folding in poker only better.

Early surrender works in that a blackjack player is allowed to surrender their cards and half of their wager to exit a round. This morning in we learned that late surrender can only happen after the dealer has checked his hole card to see if he has a natural blackjack. It is only after then that a blackjack player can surrender.

But early surrender allows for an earlier out from a round of blackjack. A player can choose to exit a round before the dealer checks to see if he has a natural blackjack.

Because it allows an out regardless of the dealer having a natural blackjack or not, this impacts the house edge in a big way. To the tune of 0.6% off of the house edge. And that is also why you will not see early surrender offered all that often, and when you do see such a blackjack game it would be wise to sit down and play there.

But like late surrender, you will not want to use early surrender as an easy-out when you don’t like the cards you’ve been dealt. Other players will probably see such a play as being petulant.

There are only four instances of when it is wise to surrender: a hard 16 versus a dealer’s up card of 9, 10 or Ace, and a hard 15 against a dealer’s up card of 10. Those are the only four instances in which it is statistically advantageous to make an early surrender.

If early surrender is used too liberally, in other words used an easy-out, it will undermine the play’s impact on the house edge. If you make an early surrender constantly you will constantly be losing half of your wager, and it will add up. And because it adds up it means that you are giving the casino more and more of your money than might be necessary. Doing such is how a blackjack player can lessen the impact on the house edge and even lower their own blackjack odds.

So when you see a game of blackjack that offers early surrender, sit down and play knowing that you’re hitting the house edge pretty hard. Just don’t over use it and potentially hurt your own blackjack odds.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy | Comments Off

Why We Love Late Surrender

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Surrender is an incredible play for blackjack players. It’s better than folding in poker. When you fold in poker you lose all of your wager. But for blackjack players who surrender, they can get out of a round that doesn’t look like it’s going to have a good outcome and only lose half of their wager. And that is why surrender is one of the most awesome plays that a blackjack player can make.

But late surrender is better than early surrender. The difference is that early surrender only allows you to exit before the dealer checks his hole card to see if he has blackjack.

In late surrender a player can still surrender after the dealer has check for blackjack; and even if the dealer does have blackjack, you can still leave the round only leaving half of your wager behind.

This comes in handy when you have a stiff hand like a hard 16 and the dealer has a 10 showing. So he checks and doesn’t have blackjack, but he still has that 10 showing. If you check your basic strategy chart you will see that when you have a hard 16 and the dealer has a 10 showing that the best recommended play is to surrender.

So surrender. You exit the round with only half of your wager lost rather than the more likely outcome of all your wager lost to the house.

So what does late surrender do to the house edge since it’s so player friendly?

Having the ability to exit a round of blackjack in which you know you’ve got a better chance of losing than winning will lower the house edge by 0.08%.

But for late surrender to be thoroughly effective you need to play it according to basic strategy. This means only surrendering when it advises you to do so and not to use it as an easy-out when you do not like the cards you have been dealt. Using late surrender as an easy-out can actually reverse the impact on the house edge because you’ll be losing more money over time rather than winning more.

So take advantage of late surrender when you find yourself at a blackjack table that allows for it. But only use it when basic strategy advises you to.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy | Comments Off

Picking a Good Blackjack Table

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Do you know how to pick a good blackjack table?

Imagine walking into your favorite casino and onto the floor. You head to the blackjack tables. Games are going at all the tables and all the tables have at least one empty seat. You begin cruising the floor trying to determine which table to take a seat at.

You see one table with only a couple of people playing. There’s another one where everyone playing is laughing and carrying on. At that table over there the players all seem to have lots of chips in front of them. So which one do you pick?

The truth is that you use none of those indicators to choose a blackjack table.

The number of people at a table means nothing. It could be that there were more players who left shortly before you came. Or that the casino staff opened another blackjack table because it seems to be a little busier tonight.

As for the guys having a good time, they could all be friends who are out celebrating something unrelated to blackjack or gambling. Maybe it’s a bachelor’s party and they’re all excited and heckling the soon-to-be-married guy.

Those people with lots of chips in front of them? They could have started with large bankrolls or be playing low stakes and are slowly using their chips. Do you see how those things you first noticed aren’t really relevant to choosing a table?

Look at the cards. Watch a blackjack table for a few rounds and see how the cards are flowing. If you see a few rounds with a good number of low cards (2-6) take a seat at that table.

Yes, I know, low cards tend to favor the dealer, but after a flux of low cards there will logically be a run of high cards. And high cards are good for players and good for blackjacks.

Yes, this way of picking a blackjack table requires a little more time and patience, but if it puts you in the position to play through a run of high cards your time and patience will pay off.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy | Comments Off

More Opposition to the Seminole’s Blackjack

Friday, April 9th, 2010

While the most recent bill to settle the long-standing conflict between the State of Florida and the Seminoles works its way through the House and soon the Senate, more voices are coming forward to cry out against the Seminole’s exclusivity.

If the bill runs its course through the House, the Senate and finally to Governor Charlie Crist, the Seminoles would have to pay $1.5 billion over five years to have exclusivity to games like blackjack. There would be an immediate payment to the state of $435 million. And with a $3.2 billion gap in the Florida budget the money is needed—particularly for education.

However there are two groups that are very much against the Seminoles winning this exclusivity—one for greed and one for the good of our own morale well-being.

The first group is comprised of the pari-mutuels of Florida. The dog and horse tracks have been a part of Florida’s gambling culture for decades. But the last few years there has been a decline in interest at the dog and horse tracks.

This could be for a couple of reasons. 1. The people are no longer interested in betting on dog and horse races, and have been attracted to the Vegas-style games like blackjack that can now be found within their own state—no more travelling to Vegas or Atlantic City for the casino experience. 2. With the increase in awareness of animal abuse, many people feel that the treatment of dog and horses in the races are not treated humanely, and that the races themselves are inhuman.

Pari-mutuels fear losing business to the tribe casinos. They fear that they won’t be able to compete. Unfortunately, times change and people’s interest changes. While the tracks site that they will be forced to cut jobs due to a loss of income thanks to the Seminoles and their blackjack tables, the tribe casinos will be in the position to create new jobs under this compact.

Now the other group of opponents that are trying to save us from ourselves. Members of Florida Family Action and the Florida Baptist Convention, along with other opponents, want the entire deal scrapped, saying that offering Vegas-style games like blackjack will increase family problems through addictions and will increase crime.

But what they’re forgetting is that Florida is at odds with the Seminoles, a sovereign nation. And they can’t be at odds forever. The battle over the Seminoles exclusivity to blackjack has to end because Florida can’t be at odds with a sovereign nation within its borders.

There is also Florida’s history of gambling to consider. The state has had dog and horse tracks for decades. Floridians have been gambling for decades. They want to gamble and forcing them to outside of the state will mean a loss of income for Florida.

It seems that these morally opposed groups feel that the only way to gamble is often and with large sums of money. Apparently they haven’t heard of playing as a form of entertainment or of low-stakes games.

And what about the much needed money for the state? Are Florida’s children supposed to suffer because a handful of groups want to tell us what is good for us?

But the opponents to the Seminoles having exclusivity to blackjack will have to come to terms with it because it seems this compact is going to go through and be signed. It appears that Florida knows its children need their education.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Casino Games | Comments Off

A Bigger Blackjack Payout

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Who wouldn’t want more of a payout for a blackjack? A 3-2 payout seems generous compared to those 6-5 payouts. But shrewd blackjack players don’t play at those tables anyway. But what if there was such a thing as an even bigger payout?

Well, there is. But you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled to find one of these games. But if you do find one they are well worth it. I’m talking about a blackjack payout of 2-1.

If you thought that doubling down on a third card was good in terms of what it does to the house edge, then you’re going to love this one. This rule on blackjack payouts being 2-1 reduces the house edge by 2.2%.

Two whole percents and then a little extra. Let’s show what that does. Worse case scenario you’re playing in a blackjack game with a 5% house edge. Well if it has a 2-1 payout that house edge is immediately reduced to 2.8%. One rule! And if you add basic strategy—perfect basic strategy—to that a blackjack player could just about bring the odds even. And if you’re a card counter you’re looking at walking away with some money.

The reason for the big hit to the house edge is in how much more they are paying you for a blackjack. A 3-2 payout reduces to 1.5 -1 payout. Anyone can see how 2 is bigger than 1.5.

What does that look like in money? Well if you bet $20 on a round and are dealt a blackjack in a 3-2 payout game you would only receive $30. But if you were playing in a 2-1 payout blackjack game you would receive $40.

The reason you don’t see this payout all that often is because when it is offered and the pro blackjack players hear tell of it, they flock to that casino. And they play higher stakes than the average player. Casinos can stand to lose a lot when pros swoop down on 2-1 payout blackjack games.

That’s why when you find one you want to sit down and not get up unless you have to. The house edge being reduced by 2.2% and the bigger payout is too good to pass up.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Casino Games | Comments Off

Best of Both Blackjack Worlds

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Blackjack players love to double down. We love the feeling of knowing that we stand a pretty good shot at doubling our win on one hand. It’s that feeling of having the upper hand on the dealer.

But blackjack players also like to split pairs. Getting two hands in on a round. Having two shots at winning rather than just one.

I think this comes from being able to make plays that the dealer can’t. And they are also plays we don’t get to make every round. Hitting and standing are routine. Doubling down and splitting pairs doesn’t happen every round. That’s why we love these plays…on top of the reason that they give us a shot at winning more in a round.

Now imagine being able to do both in one round. Imagine being able to double down after splitting a pair.

It is possible. Some casinos will offer it at their blackjack tables. And you should take a seat if you find one of these games. Why? Well, doubling after splitting a pair knocks 0.14% off of the house edge, increasing your own odds.

Let’s see how this works. Say you’re at one of these blackjack tables and place a $20 wager. You’re dealt a pair of 4’s against a dealer’s 4. Basic strategy says to split. So you lay another $20 chip out and split.

The dealer then gives each of your 4’s another card. One of your 4’s receives a 6giving you a hand total of 10. Basic strategy says to double down on a hard 10 against a dealer’s 4. So you put another $20 out on the table and get your last card for that hand…and it’s a 10, giving you a hand total of 20 and $60 riding on that one hand.

We’re going to say that the dealer busts. On one hand you just won $120. On one hand. You can see now why not all casinos offer this rule at their blackjack tables. And why you need to be playing at that table when you find one that offers it.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blackjack, Casino Games | Comments Off

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »