Blackjack Odds

Odds in Blackjack differ from other games. They change for every game and for every player at the table. When it comes to individual players, Blackjack odds change according to their skill level.

How does that influence you, the player? Well, you should be happy to know that your odds of winning can be better than those of the rest of the players. Just by following a strategy you can decrease the odds of a game considerably.

Do you feel lucky, punk? Well do you? If you do, you might as well try a card counting strategy. Most casinos do not like card counters and you will be barred from that casino if they realize you are one. The best chance of tricking dealers that you are not a card counter is if they are new and inexperienced. Although it is a good strategy, the risks of being caught are high and it's not worth it to be kicked out of the casino for card counting.

Blackjack odds decrease considerably if you play without a strategy. The house will get an advantage as high as 5%. Just pick up a basic strategy chart if you want to get an edge over the house. This chart displays every card combination possible for both you and the dealer and suggestions on what decision to make for each of these combinations. Playing by these charts can tilt the odds in your favor, lowering the house advantage to as low as 0.5%. This is called a perfect game, and all odds are in your favor now.

When choosing a basic strategy, take these into consideration:

• How many decks of cards are used in the game?
• Is the dealer allowed to hit on soft 17?
• Is doubling allowed, and on what cards is doubling allowed?
• Can you double as split hand?
• Can you surrender?
• Can you late surrender?

If you're playing Classic Vegas Strip Blackjack then you should know that: six decks of cards are used; dealer will hit on soft 17; you can double, even on a split hand; you may late surrender; and the most important thing to know is that the house advantage is only 0.36% when playing a perfect game.

When playing Atlantic City Blackjack the odds are slightly in the favor of the dealer, since the house does not allow surrender. In these conditions the house advantage increases to 0.44%.