Blackjack StrategyBlackjack is a game
of ability more than of chance. Luck plays a role, but
the outcome of a game is frequently determined by the
player's skill, regardless of luck. As the dealer is
forced to play by fixed rules, while the player has the
freedom to play as he or she wishes, a wise player could
use this freedom to gain an edge over the house. Some
players keep a mental record of the cards already used,
so that they can better guess what the next cards may be.
This tilts the odds in their favor and is called card
counting. In most casinos, if a player is suspected of
counting cards, he or she is usually asked to leave, but
in Internet casinos card counting cannot be prevented, so
online casinos try to minimize its importance by using
shoes with many decks and reshuffling when a small number
of cards have been drawn (limited penetration). At 4 Jacks Casino we use a six-deck shoe with reshuffling
after half the cards have been drawn. TABLE I
So, looking at the above table it seems wise to hit with 14 or less and stand with 15 or more. But considering that the dealer has the same chances of improving or worsen her hand, and the fact that she must play according to fixed rules, the combination of probabilities of player and dealer leads to more complex decision rules. The following table summarizes what are the decisions with the best odds, those which maximizes the probability of winning: TABLE II
Here H means Hit and S means Stand. In the case the player has less than 12, he or she should always request an additional card (hit) because the hand can only improve, bust being impossible. With a hand value of 18, 19 or 20, it is always advisable to stand, regardless of what the dealer's face-up card may be. In the preparation of the above table only plain probabilities have been considered and very important decisions such as doubling or splitting are not included. Doubling and splitting offer additional advantages to a skilled player by rising the bet in favorable situations. Considering doubling down in a game with two decks when the player's hand contains no aces, the optimal decisions are the following: TABLE
III
Key to table: H=Hit; S=Stand; D=Double In the above table
it is assumed that doubling is permitted on the first two
cards, regardless of the value of the hand. This is not
always the case in all casinos, but it is the rule at 4
Jacks Casino. With hands of value 8 or less,
the player should always hit, not double, while with
hands of 18 or more the best move is to stand always. TABLE
IV
Key to table: H=Hit; S=Stand; D=Double Splitting is possible only when the first two cards are of the same value. As this option make two different hands playing against the same dealer's hand, it should be taken only when the split hands will have favorable odds. Computer simulations result in that the best decisions in these cases are those in Table V below: TABLE
V
Key to table: H=Hit; S=Stand; D=Double; L=Split There is much more in blackjack strategy. As blackjack gained widespread popularity and given the possibility of beating the house, many different winning methods with or without card counting have been developed. Several of them can be found in books on blackjack strategy. You can find many at Amazon.com.
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