Blackjack is the game of skill and luck, no doubt about it, and depending on which set of rules are applied, the casino edge may differ substantially and affect your “lucky” factor. Whether playing in the brick and mortar casino or an online one, it is imperative for any serious blackjack player to check the rules of the game. Information on the number of decks used, whether the dealer “hits” or “stands” on soft 17 or if the player can double after the split, all affect the casino edge.
A six-deck, no surrender game, with the dealer standing on soft 17, can result in an estimate 0.44% casino edge, while the similar game with one deck can theoretically swing it to -0.15% for players’ advantage. Whatever the game, please note, that offline card counting strategies do not apply in the cyber world. Online casinos shuffle the deck after each deal, thus make card counting strategies obsolete.
There are several house edge and strategy calculators online, with the most popular on the Blackjack Info, the site run by Ken Smith.
