Blackjack is a game of skill that requires it's players to make strategic mathematical decisions to beat the dealer.
To actually be a successful blackjack player and master the game, it is essential to understand it's odds for each scenario throughout the game and how to make strategic decisions based on these odds.
PA Online Blackjack – How To Play And Best Games Whether its online, at a retail casino, or at your kitchen table, blackjack is timeless and the most popular casino card game in the U.S. Now that legal and regulated online casinos are here, you can play blackjack anytime, anywhere in Pennsylvania via your computer or mobile device. Here are some of the rule variations that will help you determine the online blackjack games with the best odds: Blackjack payback: You should be looking for the standard payback of 3:2 whenever you are dealt a two-card 21. If you play a game where the payback is 6:5 or lower, the house edge rises. Single deck blackjack has the lowest casino edge of 0.16%, which gives the player better odds. Double deck games have a considerably low edge at 0.46%. Most land-based resorts and reputable online casinos use six to eight decks for blackjack. The blackjack versions that offer a lower house edge include games with fewer decks (single deck is the best option). The best blackjack options also allow doubling down on any two cards, offer a payout of 3 to 2, allow resplitting the aces and the dealer stands on a 17.
Unlike other casino games, the outcome for each game of blackjack is determined by the last game. As cards are moved from the deck after each game, the probability of winning changes.
In this article, the discussion focuses on the house edge, player advantage, and the player and dealers bust probability based on cards in a hand.
The House Edge
It goes without saying that the odds for blackjack are in favor of the house; however, the house edge for blackjack is lower than other games.
If a player and dealer were to stand on 17 and over but hit on 16 and under, they would both have a bust rate of 29%.
This would seem even; however, a dealer claims the bet for any player who busts even if they bust themselves. This puts the odds back in the hands of the casino.
If a player follows a basic blackjack strategy and a few simple rules the player can reduce the house edge to around 0.5% compared to an average 6%
The Player Advantage
For a player to improve their odds in blackjack, they should follow a few simple rules.
♦️ Stand on 17 and over
♦️ Split Aces
♦️ Hit on a hand scoring 11 or less
♦️ Hit on a soft 16 or less
♦️ Never split 5s or 10s
♦️ Surrender hand if there is little to no chance of winning (if allowed by the casino)
♦️ Double down when possible (not all casinos allow double down, and some restrict to 10 and 11)
♦️ Remember blackjack pays a player 3:2
♦️ Remember the probability of a game is determined by the last game played, as cards are removed from the deck after each game, changing the odds.
Player's Probability to Bust
To be a successful blackjack player, it's essential to understand the odds and probability of bust to take one more card.
Below is a breakdown of probability based on your hand values. The higher the value, the higher the probability to bust.
♦️ Hand of 11 or less; probability is 0%
♦️ Hand of 12; probability is 31%
♦️ Hand of 13; probability is 39%
♦️ Hand of 14; probability is 56%
♦️ Hand of 15; probability is 58%
♦️ Hand of 16; probability is 62%
♦️ Hand of 17; probability is 69%
♦️ Hand of 18; probability is 77%
♦️ Hand of 19; probability is 85%
♦️ Hand of 20; probability is 92%
♦️ Hand of 21; probability is 100%
Dealer's Probability To Bust
It is just as essential in understanding a dealer's probability to bust as it is to understand a player's chances.
Below is a breakdown of the dealer's probability to bust with a soft 17 based on the dealer's first card shown.
Dealer Ace: Stand 17% - Hit 20%
Dealer 2: Stand 35% - Hit 36%
Dealer 3: Stand 37% - Hit 38%
Dealer 4: Stand 40% - Hit 40%
Dealer 5: Stand 42% - Hit 42%
Dealer 6: Stand 42% - Hit 44%
Dealer 7: Stand 26% - Hit 26%
Dealer 8: Stand 24%- Hit 24%
Dealer 9: Stand 23% - Hit 23%
Dealer 10: Stand 23% - Hit 23%
The dealer has the highest probability to bust on 6.
Best Blackjack Variants
If you are a blackjack fanatic, one of the casino secrets you need to suss out early on, is what’s the best type of blackjack- which version of gives you the best odds? Or in other words, which version of blackjack has the lowest house edge and is the best to play. If you are playing online, choose a reputable casino with lots of choice of variants in a big game range so that you can pick the player friendly ones- Blackjack Pro at Wombat Casino (free demo) for example or the Hippodrome Casino come to mind as 2 sites with lots to choose from.
The rules of blackjack are set by the house of course, so you are not going to get rid of the house edge all together. But not all blackjack variants are created equal! Some are better for players than others. If you at least weight your play to these better paying variants, such as European Blackjack, you´ll increase your overall odds (as long as you play a perfect blackjack strategy). There are more than 100 types of blackjack doing the rounds, so make sure you read the smallprint and understand the rules of each particular game.
A blackjack player using a good strategy should enjoy a payout of more than 99%. Compare that to slots, which pay out at 97% or even less. The casinos can afford to do this, because many players don´t play the perfect strategy, and end up getting even worse odds than slots. Don´t be one of these players!
The following rules will have a major impact on the house edge. Look out for them, and choose accordingly.
Dealer hits soft 17
Each game has a rule on this. If the dealer must hit soft 17, “H17” is often on the table. If the dealer must stand on soft 17, “S17” is often displayed. S17 reduces the house the house edge by about 0.2%.
Number of decks
Generally speaking, the fewer the decks, the lower the house edge, the better for the player. Fewer decks increases the likelihood of a player blackjack: if you land a ten value card on your first card, the chance of drawing an ace is higher with fewer decks.
Games with fewer decks often have other rules designed to push the house edge back up. Single deck blackjack games may disallow doubling on soft hands or after splitting, may restrict resplitting, and may pay the player less than 3:2 for a winning blackjack (eg 6:5)
The house edge increases the most from one deck to 2 decks. Examples would be the following (this will vary depending on the variant and rules)
1 deck: 0.2%
2 decks; 0.45%
4 decks: 0.6%
6 decks: 0.65%
8 decks : 0.67%
Surrender
Surrender goes like this: if the dealer’s 1st card is an ace or ten value, the hole card is checked to see that there is no blackjack before surrender is offered. This is known as “late” surrender. There´s also “early” surrender, which gives you the choice of surrendering before the dealer checks. Early surrender is better for your than late surrender, but it´s a bit of a rare beasty.
Resplitting
If you split a pair, and one or both of the the new hands are also a pair, most casinos allow you to resplit. You place another bet and the dealer splits the new pair dealing a further card. Some games allow you to resplit and resplit, others have a limit.
Hit/resplit split aces
If you have split aces, another rule often seen is that only one card will be dealt to each ace; you won´t be able to split, double down, or take another hit on either hand. If you can hit hands after splitting aces- all well and good, as this reduces the house edge by around 0.13%.
Double after split
If you have split a pair, most casinos allow you to double down on both of your hands. This is good! A “Double after split” increase your odds by about 0.1%. Save the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves!
Double only allowed on 9/10/11 or 10/11
Best Blackjack Odds online, free
This is often called the Reno rule: you can only double down only on an initial total of 10 or 11 (or 9, 10, or 11). So you can´t double down on soft hands such as soft 17. Avoid this rule if you can- it favours the house.
So there you have it! A few blackjack secrets for you. if you are to take one thing away from this then take away the following: try and play games with less decks (unless the casino has gone completely crazy on other dastardly ploys to move the house edge back up.