Hello fellas, i had 2 elementary questions to ask, since I'm just a recreational player and somewhat new to the trade. 1. I know that the more decks a game has the greater the house advantage, but why? 2. I was reading a book and it said that anytime you dd or split and the dealer gets a blackjack the house only takes your original bet and not your additional bet. Is this a common rule amongst all bj games? I could have sworn i lost my entire bet when i lost to a BJ when I've split or dd. Thanks for the help
BJ question
- Thread starter slowride
- Start date
Depends which casino you're in...always ask the dealer when you sit down what the rules are.
And in response to your first question. The house advantage actually doesn't change much because 95% of places use between 4 and 8 decks. It changes by like 0.02%. Main reason for this is the dealer gives les pen with the higher # of decks. As an example, I played a 4 deck game last night and the pen was around 75%.
And in response to your first question. The house advantage actually doesn't change much because 95% of places use between 4 and 8 decks. It changes by like 0.02%. Main reason for this is the dealer gives les pen with the higher # of decks. As an example, I played a 4 deck game last night and the pen was around 75%.
About 75% of games in the US are four or more decks. Given the same rules, single-deck has a higher advantage primarily because Blackjacks occur more often. In single-deck, the odds of getting a Blackjack are 4/52*16/51*2, or 4.827%. With six decks, the odds are 24/312*96/311*2 or 4.749%. However, the other rules are not typically the same.
In the US, the dealer does not take both bets. In fact, in most US locales these days, the dealer will peek and you will never have the chance to double or split. Outside the US, most countries take both bets. But not all.
In the US, the dealer does not take both bets. In fact, in most US locales these days, the dealer will peek and you will never have the chance to double or split. Outside the US, most countries take both bets. But not all.
ok, i guess i missing it some how 
:whip: , like the two links below i get 0.09% difference:
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php?numdecks=8+decks&soft17=s17&dbl=all&das=yes&surr=ns&peek=yes
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php?numdecks=4+decks&soft17=s17&dbl=all&das=yes&surr=ns&peek=yes
:whip: , like the two links below i get 0.09% difference:http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php?numdecks=8+decks&soft17=s17&dbl=all&das=yes&surr=ns&peek=yes
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php?numdecks=4+decks&soft17=s17&dbl=all&das=yes&surr=ns&peek=yes
Sorry, I was talking 4 and 6 decks and didn't notice you mentioned 8 decks. The diff between 4 and 8 decks is about .04 to .07. See Modern Blackjack page 44.
slowride, ignore the answer from capone1. He has no clue what he's talking about. Penetration has nothing to do with your question, and his statement that 95% of casinos deal 4-8 decks is equally irrelevant to your theoretical question.
Also, note that if you split and double, you WILL lose everything if the dealer hits out to a 21. A hit-out 21 is not the same as a "blackjack." A "blackjack" (also called a "natural" or "snapper") is a 21 formed from the initial two cards dealt (i.e., an Ace and a 10-value card). As pointed out, in most US casinos (but not all), the dealer will peek right away to see if she has a blackjack, and if she does, she would take your money before you could play out your split.
Further note: if you split AA and get a 10-value card, that does NOT count as a blackjack, because it was created AFTER a split, and a blackjack must be your INITIAL two cards. Same applies if you split TT and get an Ace--that's not a blackjack. (And splitting TT is not recommended.)
Also, note that if you split and double, you WILL lose everything if the dealer hits out to a 21. A hit-out 21 is not the same as a "blackjack." A "blackjack" (also called a "natural" or "snapper") is a 21 formed from the initial two cards dealt (i.e., an Ace and a 10-value card). As pointed out, in most US casinos (but not all), the dealer will peek right away to see if she has a blackjack, and if she does, she would take your money before you could play out your split.
Further note: if you split AA and get a 10-value card, that does NOT count as a blackjack, because it was created AFTER a split, and a blackjack must be your INITIAL two cards. Same applies if you split TT and get an Ace--that's not a blackjack. (And splitting TT is not recommended.)
So the main reason your at a disadvantage with more decks is that you will receive less blackjacks compared to a game that uses fewer decks?? Even though it is a slight percentage? The 2nd question i had about dd and splitting, if the dealer has a bj i wont have a chance to dd/split because the house won. Now if i dd or split and the dealer gets a 21, the dealer takes all my bet, correct? I know these seem like petty questions but that's why i come to this site to learn and improve my game.....thanks
I think the bet loss question could probably be answered more accurately if we knew whether or not the dealer gets a hole card before everyone playes their hands.
The dealer usually deals a hole card in the US but not so everywhere.
Your above statement is correct if the dealer gets an initial hole card.
The dealer usually deals a hole card in the US but not so everywhere.
Your above statement is correct if the dealer gets an initial hole card.
Maybe this is just another way of saying the same thing...but I thought one of the reasons 8D games were less lucrative than games with fewer decks is because 8D (and to a similar extent, 6D) games are less volatile. Less volatile games have fewer high counts, and therefore fewer chances to play at an advantage.
The sims and my own playing experience seem to bear this out. Thoughts?
The sims and my own playing experience seem to bear this out. Thoughts?
But what is the effect of having to shuffle the cards more frequently in single deck and having undealt cards that are likely to contain aces and tens? I mean there's only 4 Aces in a deck and if you're cutting off very many cards your chances of getting BJ aren't very good, whereas cutting off even a deck and a half in a multi-deck game still leaves a lot of Aces and Tens. And since the cards get shuffled much less frequently I would think you'd get more BJ's per hour in multi-deck games (less down time). I also tend to think the constant shuffling of the cards is a momentum destroyer, although that can be a good thing if it's not going well.
Which is better?
While you are there Norm, one state (that I like) here has 6-deck, hand shuffled, no surrender, ENHC, S17, double only 9,10,11, OBO, split Aces once only, 75% pen and DAS.
Another state (which I like but don't go much) has similar, but with the following differences: 8 decks, no OBO, H17. In your opinion - considering these are realistically the the only two games available nationally - which is the better game, and by how much? Appreciate any advice you care to give.
While you are there Norm, one state (that I like) here has 6-deck, hand shuffled, no surrender, ENHC, S17, double only 9,10,11, OBO, split Aces once only, 75% pen and DAS.
Another state (which I like but don't go much) has similar, but with the following differences: 8 decks, no OBO, H17. In your opinion - considering these are realistically the the only two games available nationally - which is the better game, and by how much? Appreciate any advice you care to give.
All three differences in example #2 are for the negative. 8 decks vs 6 decks -.027%, no OBO -.110%, H17 -.217% making game #2 worse by .354% according to the numbers listed in blackjack attack 3.
Running the rules on the casino advantage calculator on Qfit's site yeilds similar but slightly different results. game #1 -.545%, game #2 -.877% for a difference of -.332%
Running the rules on the casino advantage calculator on Qfit's site yeilds similar but slightly different results. game #1 -.545%, game #2 -.877% for a difference of -.332%
We are discussing basic strategy not card counting, the description you give explains why for the latter fewer decks is always better (given the same penetration and rules),
One extra point i should besides the increased frequency of getting a BJ, doubling down is more advantageous for SD games than multiple decks
One extra point i should besides the increased frequency of getting a BJ, doubling down is more advantageous for SD games than multiple decks