A Few Questions

[kasle]

Hi guys,

Glad to be on the boards. I had a few general questions...

1) When the standard odds of blackjack are discussed, is the 3:2 payout for a blackjack considered? It seems like everyone just talks about the odds of winning a hand, but this, even though it would only affect the odds slightly, should be factored in..? Sorry if it is a dumb question.

2) Is it just me or is online blackjack waaaay more streakier than playing at the tables? It seems that every time I play online to practice, losing (and winning) 8-9 hands in a row happens at least once in 30 min to an hour. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever lost more than 5 or 6 in a row at the tables. I haven't played that much at the tables, but still, has anyone else had this experience?

 

[Tree]

First off, welcome to the boards Secondly, I'm not at the 100% expert level yet, so take what I say here with a grain of salt.

1) The payout of a blackjack doesn't affect your odds of winning, but it does affect your expected value (EV). 3:2 is typical, 2:1 is great, and 6:5 is laughable. Only play 3:2 or better if you have the option (which you almost always do).

2) Streaks happen in both games, can be of any length, and can be winners or losers. There have been simulations run over the years that indicate over an enormous number of hands, INCREDIBLE streaks are possible. They are very rare but I seem to recall one of the first sims ever run had a losing streak in the 6 digits (can't remember where I read this, sorry).

Keep in mind that it's always possible that the online game is rigged depending on how reputable the site is.

 

[kasle]

Thanks Tree.

But, the payout of blackjack does INDIRECTLY affect your chances of winning, right? Think of it this way. Let's say blackjack payed 100 to 1. That would certainly give the player the advantage over the house, even with poor strategy. Right?

Anyone else have experience with streaky online BJ vs. "real life"?

 

[Tree]

EDIT: Don't listen to me on this first paragraph, night shift is obviously making me slow.

In theory it does affect your long term winning since if you get two blackjacks at 3:2, you gain an extra hand. I don't think this qualifies as affecting the odds, though I can't think of what you would call it.

I played at one online casino that was "live" dealt...I didn't really notice the issue playing at low res, but once I boosted it I could see that the cards were fake. They were using chromokeying like they do during weather forecasts (green screen), but instead of being in front of a green wall the textures were placed on the cards. Sadly I don't remember which one this was =/ It was European though.

 

[zoomie]

In theory it does affect your long term winning since if you get two blackjacks at 3:2, you gain an extra hand. I don't think this qualifies as affecting the odds, though I can't think of what you would call it.

Guys. :cry: The BJ payout ratio is most assuredly taken into account, along with all other rules, when calculating the House Edge on any particular game. The HE for any game is expressed as a percentage of what the player bets - taking into account, e.g., the BJ payout, doubles, splits, etc. - and not as percentage based on how many times the house wins or loses an original bet without regard to those factors.

 

[MangoJ]

1) When the standard odds of blackjack are discussed, is the 3:2 payout for a blackjack considered? It seems like everyone just talks about the odds of winning a hand, but this, even though it would only affect the odds slightly, should be factored in..? Sorry if it is a dumb question.

The house edge for betting decisions takes the Blackjack payout into account. The house edge for strategy decisions are generally unaffected by the BJ payout, as you cannot reach a BJ after a strategy decision (only difference is, if a split hand A-10 pays same as BJ).

2) Is it just me or is online blackjack waaaay more streakier than playing at the tables? It seems that every time I play online to practice, losing (and winning) 8-9 hands in a row happens at least once in 30 min to an hour. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever lost more than 5 or 6 in a row at the tables. I haven't played that much at the tables, but still, has anyone else had this experience?

My first guess is that you play much much more hands online (easily 1000 hands per hour). And hence you see more streaks of win/losses in a given time compared to a table game. Further, you are much more likely to remember those streaks of losses if they occur in a single minute (rather than spans several minutes with other players winning hands inbetween).

 

[kasle]

Yeah Mango, I mean I see the logic...Just wanted to make sure others didn't feel like it was streakier

And thank you for clarifying about the odds. I mean that makes sense, but it seemed like a lot of what I read just referred to winning the hand or losing the hand, so I wanted to make sure.