Blackjack  FAQ

If you’re unsure about some aspect of blackjack, the questions below are likely to provide most of the answers you’ve been looking for!

BlackJack FAQ the most common blackjack questions
What is the best strategy to win a blackjack tournament? I am quite good in normal games, but I cannot seem to do better than third place.

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. There is a lot a person can do to better his strategy; we will share a few starting points to set you off in the correct direction.

 

Firstly remember to position yourself properly. For example, if you want to make bigger bets, you should be the last to act. Furthermore, you should take your time at the beginning of each game, because the other players often rush in and fall out of the game, while you strive for first place.

However, in the second part of the game, you have to make big bets in order to get ahead of everyone else. Moreover, if you are playing with only a single other player, you should carry out the same bets as for when you are ahead of him and bet opposingly when you are behind.

 

Lastly, you have to pay attention at the maximum wager that you are allowed to place, if it seems small in comparison to the player stacks, we advise to play more aggressively early.

Do you have any advice for people who want to partake in Blackjack tournaments? I tried out a couple of times and actually got close to the so-called money round by staying close to the leaders and betting the same as them. This is basically my entire strategy so if you have some ideas; that would be greatly appreciated.

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. Tournaments are not exactly one of our strong subjects. However, I would highly recommend a book by Stanford Wong, called “Casino Tournament Strategy”. The writer says that when you are behind you should wager the opposite to the leader. For example, if he bets big, you place a small bet and vice versa. However, if you are leading, you should bet the same as the first person below you. The book is much more detailed. We hope that our blackjack questions section helped you with your issue.

I see a lot of quotes resembling this all over the internet. “If you won 20 hands and the dealer won 40, this is likely to continue until you are penniless or until many shuffles clear the unfavorable bias”. For me, it seems a bit intense, but my question is if this statement is, in fact, legitimate. Can a bundle of high or low cards happen to go through a dealer’s shuffling, so that a tracker can take advantage of it?
First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. This is a very common theory, known as card clumping. However not a single of the legitimate writers put stock in it. We hope that our blackjack questions answer section helped you with your issue.
Why is it better for the dealer to hit on a 17? It seems that it would be more likely for them to bust.

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. You are correct that the probability for the dealer to bust is higher when they hit on a 17. ?

 

However, he will also get less 17’s which is not a good hand for them. It is to the dealer’s advantage to hit on a 17, just like it is to your advantage to hit or double on such a hand. Overall it is not a good hand, and no matter if you or the dealer hit on it provides two better alternatives. We hope that our blackjack questions section helped you with your issue.

I searched your Blackjack FAQ section for this question, but I was unable to find an answer for it. So, would the house edge change if I always managed to look at the dealer’s hole card and alter my strategy accordingly?

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. We calculated this theoretical method and the results are that you would get an 8.8% advantage in optimal strategy. This term in most cases is the same as double exposure.

 

However, if the dealer does that again, we would advise you not to make it obvious that you know, and not make any ridiculous plays, such as hitting a 19 against a 20.

My question is about the so-called Flaw. As far as I know the people who created the basic strategy placed in their calculations, and the players that have been using that method since then, have unknowingly included that flaw. I read a comment from a guy who retired from IBM, and he said that to find it we would have to program a simulation. So my question is what exactly is that flaw if it exists at all? Is it only theoretical, I know it sounds fake, but it appealed to me?

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. Well, this is completely untrue and false. Just one of those rumors that people hear, without any actual evidence to back it up. Which does not surprise us at all, since we know from where it all started.

 

Firstly it is not true at all that a person just created this strategy and every other counter just copied it. Countless math and statistics experts calculated it and came up with the same answer, including our team. We find it implausible at the least that everyone can miss the same flaw. We hope that our blackjack questions answers section helped you with your issue.

I read somewhere that every casino puts some kind of emphasis on every player wins in a theoretical way. So in the houses point of view, my wins have some sort of correlation with compatibility. Let’s say that I bet $10 on average and I play for about three hours on a daily basis, can you tell me the formula with which I can calculate the theoretical value of those wins, the way the casino does it?

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. That is true; every operator does that. The casinos calculate each of the player’s games and combine them in a percentage which is usually somewhere between 33 and 40 percent.

 

We believe after some calculations that the websites use a house edge in blackjack of circa 0.75%. So if we take a look at your example, for a day’s play the answer would be $13.50. If the operator of your choice gives back one-third of the game, you can get $4.50. Fortunately, most casinos do not brag about such little returns.

Can you tell me where I can find a place that still pays 3 to 2 in the single card games in Las Vegas?
First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. After the Binion’s Horseshoe had collapsed, the number of such places fell by circa 75%. It is not one of our priorities to keep up with such information, some that our team likes and recommends are the Golden Gate, Fiesta Rancho, the Western and of course El Cortez. 

Stick to the casinos that pay three to two in blackjack; we highly recommend that you keep away from those who claim to pay six to five or more. 

The last time I went to a casino in Vegas I saw a blackjack machine which looked like a video poker one. So my question is if they use random number generator software like in online casinos, of they work more like the slot machines?

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. Well, using RNG is the same as slots, online casinos, slot machines and video poker all use this type of software. Moreover, in Nevada, it is a law that all online games which contain cards or dice have to be completely fair and random. The electronic game has to have the same odds as the ones that are hand dealt by dealers.

Can I split, double or take insurance for the dealer in Blackjack?

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. Usually, you can bet for the dealer in any game; you can tell him which bets belong to him. However, this rules does not apply to blackjack as it is something like a general rule that every wager that is placed outside of the circle belongs to the dealer.

    

Moreover, you can do all of those things you asked about. The most common way to bet for the dealer is to tip the edge of the circle. Some people also like to split or double. However, we do not recommend that. We hope that our blackjack questions answers section helped you with your issue.

I have seen video blackjack games in many casinos in Las Vegas, and I was wondering if these sort of games are regulated in a similar way to the video poker ones? Also if that is the case, would using the basic strategy give me an advantage? Moreover, if it will not, is there a special strategy for video blackjack?

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. In short, yes. Every video game in the Nevada state has to be dealt from a well-shuffled deck. So you have to expect the same outcome as in a regular live game and with the same rules. So the basic strategy tables will, in fact, work for video blackjack as well.

 

Moreover, every video blackjack game that I played, only pays out on naturals, which gives a huge advantage to the house.

I have been at many blackjack tables at which it seemed like the dealer cannot lose. Moreover, since I can’t count cards and the dealer was winning several hands in a row, is there any pressumptions that I can make the number or is it just random? Should I just get up and leave or reduce my bet and go to another table with the thought that the count is against me and that is the reason to why I am losing. Alternatively, do I just assume that the past hands have no influence on the next ones and continue? What would you guys do? I know my instinct has nothing to do with it, however specifically in Blackjack, are there any math conclusions, that I can draw about the future hands from the fact that the dealer has been losing or winning for that matter for what seems like an enormous amount of time.

First of all thank you for chooising our blackjack faq. Well, if the dealer has been winning it is slightly possible that it is because many small cards have come out, which would mean the deck is rich in large cards, in which case the odds would be in your favor the next hand.

 

However, this is a tiny effect and nothing you should be completely trusting in. I think that in such cases you have just been having bad luck and switching tables will necessarily help. If some perfectionist disagrees with me, I will say that between shuffles blackjack hands do have a small negative correlation. If you had for example asked about roulette or craps, I would say without a doubt that the past makes no difference at all. It would also say the same about blackjack if a continuous shuffler were to be used.

 

However, I cannot absolutely say blackjack hands are, in fact, independent in any way for the reason I explained.We hope that our blackjack questions section helped you with your issue.