The casinos don't beat the players because they get lucky, they beat the players because the odds are stacked in their favor. This built-in advantage is called the house edge. In numbers, it's the the percentage of the player's bet that the casino keeps as profit, over the long term. For example, in roulette house. The house has an advantage in blackjack simply because the player has to draw first and if he busts, the player automatically losses regardless if the dealer subsequently busts in the same round. This is the casino's solitary advantage in blackjack and if everything were equal, the house edge in blackjack would be about 8 percent. With a one deck shoe and playing perfect strategy, the house advantage in blackjack is actually +0.02 in the favor of the player. That means that if you follow basic blackjack strategy and make the right move every time, you should expect to win more money than you lose over time. House Edge with Two or More Decks. The number of decks in play also affects the house advantage in blackjack. The less decks in play, the easier it is to employ basic strategy. However, although the house edge is lower in single deck games the casino often makes up for this with lower payouts and stricter rules concerning doubling down, surrendering and splitting.

Who Has The Advantage at Blackjack?

Blackjack is different from other casino games.Games like craps, roulette and baccarat are games of chance, where each play is an independent event, which is the mathematician's
way of saying that whatever occurs in previous rounds of play has no bearing on the current outcome.

For example, with roulette, the house will maintain a constant edge against the player.American roulette wheels have 36 numbers colored red or black, and zero and double zero spots colored green.If the color red has come up ten times in a row on an American wheel, what is the probability of the next spin of the wheel landing on a red number?

Regardless of the previous outcomes, the odds of rolling a red number on the next spin of wheel are 18 chances out of 38 numbers or 47.37%.

Blackjack is unique among casino table games in that the odds change after every hand is played.How well the player does is also dependent on the player's skill at playing his hands and his betting strategy.

Many people believe that it is impossible to win in any casino game and that winning is just a matter of luck.Luck may be a factor in winning or losing in any game of chance; however, blackjack is primarily a game of skill, not chance.

The only advantage the dealer has over the player is that the player must play out his hand before the dealer plays his.If both the player and the dealer bust (go over 21), the dealer will win.Considering that a player will bust on the average about 28% of the time, this advantage is not
insignificant.

The easiest way to assess a dealer's chance of busting is with the information revealed by turning over one of his cards.The following chart shows the dealer's chance of busting depending on his up-card.The chart also shows the player's win/loss rate with each dealer up-card.

Free

The dealer's worst up-cards are 2 through 6, which may be possible stiff hands.The dealer must hit these hands regardless of the value of his hole card, and the probability of busting is high.

Casino Blackjack House Advantage

On the other hand, if the dealer shows a 7 through Ace as his up-card, the dealer is more likely to have a pat hand — a hand on which he can stand without drawing.

Table Showing Player's Win-Loss Rate With Each Dealer Up-Card

Dealer Up-cardPlayer Win-LossDealer Bust Rate
29.8%35.50%
313.4%37.56%
418.0%40.28%
523.2%42.89%
623.9%42.08%
714.3%25.99%
85.4%23.86%
9-4.3%23.24%
10-16.9%21.43%
Ace=36.0%11.65%

The Player's Advantages

While the dealer's advantage is formidable, the player has several potential advantages over the dealer:

1.The player will receive a payoff of 3 to 2 on his blackjacks while the dealer will not.The players do not have to pay the dealer 3 to 2 when the dealer has a blackjack (a natural).

2. The player has flexible playing options while the dealer does not.Thus a dealer must hit a stiff hand (a hand totaling 12 through 16) even if he has the players beaten by standing.

3.The player has the option of doubling down so that he can get more money on the table during favorable situations.

4.The player can split pairs, allowing him to improve poor hands or to take advantage of the dealer's potentially weaker hands.

5.The player can take insurance, while this option is not available to the dealer.

6. When offered, the player can surrender a poor hand, forfeiting only one-half of his wager.The dealer never has this option.

As you can see, the house's sole edge arises from the fact that the player must play first.Because of this, if the player breaks, the house wins immediately, even if thedealer would have busted had he been forced to play his ownhand out!It has occurred to more than one player than
mimicking the dealer may be the best way to play.However, if you decided to do this, you would give the house an edge of about 8%.This is the house's initial edge in blackjack.

So what can you do about this?You will notice that except for the dealer's advantage in acting first, every other rule favors the player.The dealer has no options whatsoever and must follow a fixed set of rules in a robot-like fashion.As a result, the ultimate edge the house has against a
player is dependent upon how well the player exercises his options.

If you can just learn to hit, stand, double down and split pairs properly, you will reduce the house advantage to about 1/2% in a multi-deck shoe game with typical blackjack rules.In many of the Internet games, you can play even with or at an advantage over the casino just by learning proper playing rules!

One system clearly stands out as a proven method of beating both land-based and online blackjack games.The Power Blackjack Strategy uses a simple, but powerful, playing
strategy coupled with a dynamic proven betting strategy to gain an edge over any blackjack game.

You may have avoided learning to beat the blackjack game because the typical rules presented are just too overwhelming.Card counters are expected to memorize hundreds of rules and then sit for hours, calmly tabulating a running total of card values and trying to look calm.

Believe me there is a better way to play blackjack and win consistently.If you are put off by complex rules, you will love this strategy.Everything you need to do to win is presented in an easy-to-follow step-by-step manner.There is even a simplified playing strategy that has 99% of the effectiveness of the advanced strategies yet you can learn it cold in five minutes!

If you want an easy, proven way to develop a sizable income from playing blackjack, I invite you to try the Power Blackjack Strategy.It is now in easy-to-access downloadable form and can be in your hands five minutes from now.

Once you have this proven money-making method, you can start winning large sums of money consistently and reliably.Just follow this link for complete information on our No-Risk
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Yours for setting up your own powerful blackjack winning system,

Russell Hunter

Casino Blackjack House Advantage Plans

P.S. You can order the Power Blackjack manual even if you are simply curious.If for any reason you decide that this strategy is not right for you (or for no reason at all), just send me an email and I'll refund every penny you paid.

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Playing and mastering blackjack are two entirely different things. Mastery of blackjack starts with understanding the house edge and recognizing how it can impact your game. Understanding the house edge is vital for becoming a player that is capable of taking on the house. Without further ado, let’s delve into how to reduce the house edge!

This guide will also show you the ins and outs of the house advantage, blackjack odds and blackjack strategy. You’ll be ready to sit at the table and take on the dealer after you’ve read this!

What is the House Advantage?

The house edge is the mathematical advantage that a casino has over its players. This edge varies from game to game, and is normally represented as a percentage and denotes the amount of return that the house can expect to receive over time. It also represents the percentage of losses that the player will likely incur.

Let’s say that the house has an edge of 5% in a particular game. If a player bets €100, then the house will likely earn €5, while the player will likely lose €5. This does not mean that the player can’t win more or turn a profit – it merely means that the house will take some money at the end.

What Percentage is the House Edge in Blackjack?

The house edge in blackjack is low relative to other games, with it being as low as 1% when a basic blackjack strategy is implemented.

In blackjack, the house edge comes from the dealer having a hidden card about which the player has to make assumptions. In addition, if the player busts, the dealer wins, even if they then bust in the same round. Learning blackjack odds and strategy makes this less of an issue.

Blackjack Odds

Admittedly, learning blackjack odds is a little more difficult than it is for other casino games. This is down to the randomness of the draw and the number of different combinations. Nevertheless, there are some ways of determining the odds of drawing specific cards. The initially probability of drawing a card of any value is 7.69%, based on there being 13 different possible options.

However, seeing as Jacks, Queens and Kings all have a value of 10 in blackjack, the odds of drawing a card valued at 10 is 4/13, which is a probability of 30.7% in percentage terms. As a result, the house edge can be reduced simply by having an idea of the odds of drawing certain cards. For example, if you happen to draw a Jack and a King, then you know that the odds of drawing yet another 10-value card are much reduced.

Reducing the House Edge in Blackjack

There are a variety of ways to reduce the house edge in blackjack. As previously mentioned, the simplest is to learn a basic blackjack strategy and commit it to memory before you play. A basic blackjack strategy is a set of rules, usually presented in a chart, which tells you how to play your hand after it is dealt. For example, if you are dealt a soft 17 (Ace, six), the chart compares it to the dealer’s upcard and informs you of how to act. In some cases, using a basic strategy can reduce the house edge to just 0.5%! If you want to lower the house advantage, studying the basics of blackjack strategies is a good place to start.

In addition to basic strategy charts, several strategies have been developed to reduce the house edge in blackjack even further. Unlike the basic charts, which only focus on the total value of your hand, these strategies look at what cards make up your hand and give specific actions depending on the cards – they’re called composition-dependent strategies.

Here’s an example. If you have 16 and the dealer has 10, depending on the composition of your hand there are a number of different options. For instance, if you had three separate hands that all equaled 16, with the first comprised of a 10 and a six, the second of nine and seven, and the third of four, five, and seven. If you followed basic blackjack strategy, you’d hit on all these hands, but with a composition-dependent strategy, you don’t hit on the final hand. This is because it is made up of low-value cards that would otherwise be needed to make a pat hand (under 21) from 16. The blackjack odds of drawing a low-value card are much lower than with the other two hands.

Blackjack Casino House Edge

In most cases, by using a composition-dependent strategy along with the existing basic strategy charts, it’s possible to reduce the house edge to as little as 0.18%, which is practically nothing!

Blackjack House Advantage Calculator

Hopefully, you’re now fully informed of what the house advantage is, how it applies to blackjack, and the steps you can take to reduce it. If you think you’re ready to put the new knowledge to the test, why not play on one of our online blackjack tables!