CASINO BLACKJACK HOUSE ADVANTAGES EXPLAINED.

There are currently over 100 blackjack variations in play at casinos across the world, each with slightly differing rules so as to affect a players odds of winning. The house advantage is calculated in terms of percentage, so a 6% house advantage would mean that the casino will eventually recover 6% of every single wager placed. Below you will find a list of common blackjack variations and how they adversely affect player odds. Used in conjunction with each other the odds will differ even more than the figures for each individual variation will suggest.

Dealer wins all draws: This is absolutely disastrous for players though thankfully not employed in most popular variations of the game.

Different payout for blackjacks: Different casinos employ different policies as far as the blackjack payout is concerned and of all the rule variations this one probably adversely affects a players' odds and increases the house advantage more than any other. Some casinos only pay 6:5 for a blackjack, or 1:1 in lieu of the normal 3:2. Payouts of 1:1 increase the house advantage by a total of 2.3%, while payouts of 6:5 increase it by 1.4%. You'll find the 6:5 variation in use most often in single card games as a way to try and claw back the natural advantage that the use of a single deck affords players.

Hit soft 17: Soft 17 is when the dealer has a hand worth 17 that is comprised of an Ace card that could either count as a 1 or as an eleven. Different casinos will authorize dealers to act differently in this sort of situation. These two options are labeled as two separate games the dealer is authorized to play. S17 is the game where the dealer will stand on all soft 17's and H17 is the one where the dealer will hit on all soft 17's. Hit soft 17 is thought to be statistically less favorable to players, increasing the house advantage by around 0.2%.

Hitting and resplitting split aces: Ordinarily players are not allowed to resplit aces, or to accept anything other than a single additional card as this adversely affects the house advantage by 0.03% and 0.13% respectively. Some house rule variations though will permit resplitting and hitting split aces.

No hole card rule: In some casinos, most notably in Europe, they play a no hole card game where the dealer has no hole cards. This adversely affects the players' odds of winning and increased the house advantage by around 0.11% as it changes the strategy of the players and the information available to them.

Number of decks: The number of decks in play is thought to severely affect the houses advantage. Single deck blackjack games will statistically favor the player, enabling them to win a hand more than three times more often than if they were playing with two decks. This is due to the fact that blackjack usually needs players to be holding two different cards and by eliminating each duplicate, as found in two decks, you are increasing the players chances of possessing a strong hand. A good thing to bear in mind is that the house advantage increases steadily with each additional deck that is brought into play.

Reno Rules: Also known as the 9-11 or 10-11 rule it essentially prevents players from doubling down when initially holding 10 or 11 (or 9, 10, or 11). this prevents players from doubling down on soft 17s. This practice increases the house advantage significantly.

Resplit: When a player has split their cards and another card of the same rank appears (except in the case of aces) they are usually permitted to resplit once more by wagering the same amount yet again. Now the player has three active hands.

Surrendering: In certain casinos players will have the option of surrendering. Surrendering entails the player giving up half of his wager in return for not having to play on with the hand. This is done after the dealer has checked their hole card for a blackjack. This style of surrender is often referred to as late surrender as older rules that used to give the player a distinct advantage, allowed for an early surrender where the player can duck out of a round even before the dealer has checked their hole card.

Resplit: When a player has split their cards and another card of the same rank appears (except in the case of aces) they are usually permitted to re-split once more by wagering the same amount yet again. Now the player has three active hands.