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Blackjack Odds
Blackjack 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 can 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 Casinos we
use a six-deck shoe with reshuffling after half the cards have been
drawn.
The best thing to do in
a given situation depends not only on the value of the player's hand,
but also on the dealer's. As a guide, you can keep in mind that the probabilities
of improving a hand by requesting an additional card are the following:
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Present
hand value
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Probability
of improving (as %) by requesting additional card
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12
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69.23
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13
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61.54
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14
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53.85
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15
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48.15
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16
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38.46
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17
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30.76
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18
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23.07
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19
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15.38
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20
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7.69
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To learn more about blackjack odds click here:
Blackjack odds
Payoffs
Payoff is always even money (1 to 1),
except in case of a blackjack hand, which pays 3 to 2, and insurance,
which pays 2 to 1. These payoffs are standard all around
the world.
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