House Edge in Blackjack

Casinos are adept at separating cash from their players and sending them home with a satisfied smile on their faces. Every casino game except video poker and blackjack enable casinos to make a profit out of every bet placed. This profit is known as casino advantage or house edge and can be defined as the difference between what players really win and what the casinos play them ultimately. Blackjack and video poker are immensely popular because they give players a chance to lower the house edge by employing certain gaming strategies.

In case of blackjack, the house advantage is never fixed, but changes whenever a card is drawn from the shoe. The advantage shifts from house to player depending on the cards dealt, the skill of the player, the strategies used, and the players’ card counting abilities. Though simple, blackjack is a game of skill and strategy, owing to which players can definitely lower house advantage and increase their own odds of winning the pot. Players simply need to employ the correct strategy.

Blackjack is popular because it gives players a definite edge over the house. Players only need to study the rules of the game carefully to realize the truth of this statement. If a player gets blackjack, he/she will get a payout of 3 to 2, but if the dealer gets blackjack, the dealer gets paid 1 to 1. If players find themselves in a favorable situation, they are allowed to double down, but dealers do not have this advantage. Players can also split pairs to avoid going bust, but dealers cannot split. If a player gets 16, he/she can stand, unlike dealers who must hit 16.

Skilled blackjack players almost always get an advantage over the house. Strategy is of great importance to players who want to win at the blackjack tables. Players who employ strategies while playing blackjack usually win larger amounts of money than players who never employ any strategies at the blackjack table and rely on luck alone. Fortunately for beginners, they can find innumerable tips, card counting techniques, and strategies for free at online blackjack portals.

In the first place, blackjack players should choose the correct blackjack variant because each variant has a different house edge. If they choose a game with a lower house edge, they stand a greater chance of winning the game. A list of various blackjack variants with their house advantage is available at several online sources. You can get not only the house edge for different online variants of blackjack created by different online gaming providers such as Microgaming, Real Time Gaming, Playtech, and others, but also the house edge at various casinos in Las Vegas.

Here are a few tips to help players beat the dealer. If players have got a hand of 8 or less, they should always hit, but they should stand on a hand of 17 or more. They should double down if they have 10 or 11 and should always split pairs of 8s and aces.