Top 10 Facts About Blackjack
Blackjack ranks among the most famous games played globally. There are lots of amazing little tidbits and some aspects of it that you probably don’t know about. Most of the blackjack players are laypersons that have only basic knowledge of the game. This is why they are surprised when they encounter a flood of new ideas like insurance, splitting, doubling down all of which do not exist in the games that most players learn growing up.
The following are 10 things you possibly don’t know about the game:
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The games rules alter the house edge
Although the secondary rules differ from one game to another, the blackjack’s basic rules are the same in all games, with some rules favourable to the casino and some help to you.
When looking for a blackjack game, make sure that you locate a game with more rules that actually favour you than the casino as this will actually lower the edge of the house.
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The strategy actually alters the house advantage
The game of blackjack is usually played with a single deck or more typical decks of playing cards. As such, it just uses 52 different cards. Since suits are not important, you just have 13 dissimilar card ranks with which to deal.
It is possible to calculate the best play for every state on the table subject to your cards and the upcard of the dealer due to the convenience of having a fixed number of cards as well as ranks.
For every situation, computers have produced the single best play, meaning that there is the best strategy to play every hand you play. In case you play using any other strategy than the single best strategy, you actually increase the house edge.
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Side Bets Suck
Nearly every blackjack game also offers a single bet or more side bets, with the majority of these side bets created with a house edge that is higher than the usual blackjack game’s. Knowing whether a side bet is good or bad is not always easy. As such, keeping off all the side bets is recommended because nearly every side bet is at a house edge that is higher than the standard game.
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Counting cards is not illegal
Card counting is not illegality as long as you do it mentally and don’t use something else like a phone or an electronic or mechanical device. The casinos, however, are against card counting hence want players to think that it is illegal. They can even stop you from playing in case they suspect that you are actually doing it. You may actually learn how to count cards as you play blackjack to alter the house edge. You can even swing the total edge in your favour by increasing your wager when the deck has lower than high cards.
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Camouflage
In case you count cards, you must do all you can to ensure that the casinos don’t figure out what you are doing. This is referred to as camouflage. Casinos are keen on detecting most card counters and watch if they increase their bets the moment the count favours the player. Nearly every casino has people who are on the lookout for this and some even have installed computer programs which count to enable them to detect potential card counters.
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Don’t ever take out an insurance
Insurance is a horrible bet because you will normally lose this bet. You can take it only if you count cards and find that the count is heavily favouring you. Many gamblers tend to consider insurance as hedge bet that can enable them to reduce their losses.
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Always avoid playing with Blackjack payouts that are lower than 3 to 2
In the past, you could rarely find any blackjack games that actually paid poorer than 3–2 for blackjack. However, the number of casinos offering games that just pay 6-5 for blackjacks is increasing. Those blackjack games paying 6 to 5 raise the house hedge by 1.39 per cent over those paying 3 to 2.
In case a casino only offers blackjack games that pay poorer than 3 to 2, the best thing to do is either play something else or look for another place to play.
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It is possible for the dealer to be your friend
Although it is quite rare, you might at times be playing at a table with the kind of dealer who actually does things to assist you. But this doesn’t have to do with rules or help on how to actually play your hands.
The commonest way you may be helped by a dealer is when he/she has an ace and checks his/her down card. Even though some still do, nearly all casinos don’t let their dealers actually examine their own cards before they offer insurance.
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The low house edge should not be taken as low bankroll
Blackjack is among the best games that casinos offer. When playing blackjack games with nice rules using the best tactics, you may often play with a less than one half per cent house edge. The majority of gambling games – with blackjack included – tend to have a lot of temporary difference, meaning that, regardless of what the house edge is, you can either win or lose in the short-term.
This is why you should ensure that you have sufficient bankroll to ride out of any adverse short-range variances or runs. You will still lose in the end, even with a house edge that is as small as a one-half present or less.
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Get comps for your play
When playing a low house game such as blackjack it actually helps in case you have additional winning sessions than any other game. However, the house advantage ultimately works the way it should. There are things however you can do to compensate your losses. Signing up for the player’s club to be receiving comps for your play is among the best ways to enable you to offset your long-range losses.
The casino player’s club refunds a certain percentage of your play. These comps often come in as free meals even though you can earn things like show tickets, cashback, free rooms, free flights, as well as other rewards from a number of clubs. While this is not precisely equivalent to winning more, it equals to losing less.
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