House's fallacy?

[coolspot56]

I am totally new to this, but I have always wondered... And I am not trying to make money. But my question is... If the house is always supposed to come out ahead, that should be based upon the house strategy.

From everything that I have read the house is "supposed" to come out ahead 52.5-60% of the time.

What if a player were disciplined and used the house strategy to play against the house. In the long run, would the player and the house each win 50% of the time? Or by some sick twisted law of nature does the house still win?

 

[tthree]

The house has the edge because you lose your hand first. Even if the dealer busts you dont get your money back. This idea puts you at a much bigger disadvantage than basic strategy.

 

[MangoJ]

The house and the player do not play the same game. The dealer plays purely on position of acting last.

If both your hand and the dealers hand busts, you lose your bet. This asymmetry favors the house by about 10%. To soften that house advantage, the player is given a higher Blackjack payout, and has more strategy options available (splits and doubles), while the dealer has to strictly follow "house strategy". The remaining house edge is about 0.5% (depending on the specific rules and number of decks).

 

[blackchipjim]

mimic the dealer

Trying to mimic the dealer will kill you if you attempt it. This type of play increases the house edge over you even more so don't bother. The exact advantage evades me but I believe it's like 5.3% or more.

 

[shadroch]

The house never splits, doubles down, doesn't get paid extra for a BJ and hits 16 against a 12.
Why would you want to do any of that?

 

[21gunsalute]

I am totally new to this, but I have always wondered... And I am not trying to make money. But my question is... If the house is always supposed to come out ahead, that should be based upon the house strategy.

From everything that I have read the house is "supposed" to come out ahead 52.5-60% of the time.

What if a player were disciplined and used the house strategy to play against the house. In the long run, would the player and the house each win 50% of the time? Or by some sick twisted law of nature does the house still win?

They certainly will not back you off for employing this strategy...unless you're playing at Gun Lake or possibly Firekeepers! :laugh: Any other casino will welcome you with open arms. The only worse strategy than this would be to employ the always bust strategy ( hit until you reach hard 21 and then hit again).

 

[MangoJ]

The only worse strategy than this would be to employ the always bust strategy ( hit until you reach hard 21 and then hit again).

:laugh::laugh:

I recently found a game where this IS an optimal strategy. But I don't have the bankroll for it to play optimal.

 

[The Chaperone]

I am totally new to this, but I have always wondered... And I am not trying to make money. But my question is... If the house is always supposed to come out ahead, that should be based upon the house strategy.

From everything that I have read the house is "supposed" to come out ahead 52.5-60% of the time.

What if a player were disciplined and used the house strategy to play against the house. In the long run, would the player and the house each win 50% of the time? Or by some sick twisted law of nature does the house still win?

Sure. Next time you go to the casino, just ask the dealer to play his/her hand first.

 

[zengrifter]

I am totally new to this, but I have always wondered... And I am not trying to make money. But my question is... If the house is always supposed to come out ahead, that should be based upon the house strategy.

You have the right idea, but the correct startegy is more complicated than the house strategy. Its called basic strategy and it was devel-oped with computer simulation decades ago. You can see it and adjust it for rule variations, here - http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php

 

[psyduck]

Sure. Next time you go to the casino, just ask the dealer to play his/her hand first.

LOL! This is the best strategy I have ever seen, simple and effective !

 

[coolspot56]

Thank you guys!

Sure. Next time you go to the casino, just ask the dealer to play his/her hand first.

I think I'll be as charming as possible and try to get that to happen. Lol.

Like I said, I am just getting into this, exploring some of the basic strategies. This website is an awesome tool for that.

Thank you all for contributing the great answers.

 

[aslan]

Trying to mimic the dealer will kill you if you attempt it. This type of play increases the house edge over you even more so don't bother. The exact advantage evades me but I believe it's like 5.3% or more.

I used to play this strategy. I think I won a couple of times over the years.

 

[zengrifter]

I used to play this strategy. I think I won a couple of times over the years.

My sainted grandfather shared the house-strategy with me once. He was a pretty sharp "insider" kinda guy.
Though he did not play, he thought that it was the "smart bet" that most players over-looked. zg

 

[Zero]

Trying to mimic the dealer will kill you if you attempt it. This type of play increases the house edge over you even more so don't bother. The exact advantage evades me but I believe it's like 5.3% or more.

According to the wizard:

Mimic the dealer: For my analysis of this strategy I assumed the player would always hit 16 or less and stand on 17 or more, including a soft 17. The player never doubled or split, since the dealer is not allowed to do so. This "mimic the dealer" strategy results in a house edge of 5.48%.

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