Blackjack

Blackjack isn’t the most popular casino game for nothing. People know that blackjack is one of the few games available in a casino where player skill matters, and where the house edge can be significantly reduced and even turned around in extreme circumstances.

By leaning basic blackjack strategy, players can take a serious bite out of the house edge, which is around 1-2%. The reason why skilled players can secure such an edge is that casino blackjack is supposed to take advantage of those who have no idea basic blackjack strategy even exists. Most players who hit the blackjack tables are indeed of the latter variety. Learning basic strategy isn’t exactly rocket science, though you do have to learn a few charts by heart. These charts tell you what move you need to make, based on the upcard of the dealer and on the card you already have. This whole thing is pretty straightforward, but if you do learn and apply it, it’ll cut the house edge to about 0.5%.

That is still negative overall EV though. In order to further reduce the house edge, and to eventually even turn it in your favor, you need to mix card counting elements into your basic strategy. Some people call this advanced basic strategy or basic strategy plus. Most such “advanced” systems are about keeping track of the number of high cards left in the deck one way or another. The basic principle behind these systems is that the more high cards (10 and above) are in the deck, the bigger advantage the player enjoys over the dealer. This, combined with basic strategy can actually turn the house edge into the player’s favor here and there.

Here’s a simple way to keep track of what’s in the deck and what’s not. Begin by assigning different values for cards. Let’s say those from 2-7 are +1, 8 and 9 are 0 and 10-A are -1. This way, all you have to do is to keep a sum in mind. Every time a small card leaves the deck, you add one to the sum, every time you have an 8 or a 9 leaving it, you don’t do anything, and every time you see a 10-A leaving, you subtract one. This way, the bigger your sum is (in the positive range) the bigger your theoretical advantage is over the dealer.

What this means is that staying within the bounds of basic strategy, you should be much more aggressive with your betting when you know you have the upper hand. This way, you’ll win more when you win and you’ll lose less when you lose. Another way to further diminish the house edge is to secure a nice comp point deal. Comp points work like rakeback in poker. While a poker rakeback deal like the Full Tilt rakeback or a poker prop deal (which gives you more than 100% on your generated rake) offers you a rebate on your poker rake, casino comp points represent a rebate on the money you spend (lose) at the tables. This is an obvious damage-control system you simply cannot afford to skip.