Must know basic blackjack facts:
Blackjack is always in the limelight on casino floors and online lobbies. If a casino is to have one table game only, that game should be blackjack. And with good reasons!
It is fast-paced, simple, and easy to learn (though not to master), you play against the dealer, and the house edge is usually the lowest of all casino games.
There is so much to learn and talk about in blackjack – we could discuss this game for ages and still not be finished. However, today we wanted to pick nine interesting facts every blackjack player should know.
So, let’s shuffle up and deal and see what we come up with!
- It is often said that the objective of blackjack is to draw a hand with a total value of cards as close to 21 as possible, but this is not quite correct. The goal in blackjack is to beat the dealer without going over 21, and you can do that by either drawing a higher-value hand or having the dealer’s hand busted. If the dealer’s hand exceeds the value of 21, you will win, provided you haven’t already busted. If neither busts nor goes over 21, the higher total value hand will win.
- Contrary to what you may think, knowing the rules is not enough to play blackjack with skill and success. A knowledge of strategy is a critical first step to playing well.
- Blackjack usually has the lowest house edge of all table games. Just knowing the basic strategy will get the house edge down to 0.75% to 0.25%, depending on the specific game rules.
- The dealer always has the upper hand because they have a positional advantage, acting after the player. The odds are stacked against the player, who is set to lose playing long-term against the same dealer, even with basic strategy.
- It is advised to play when a blackjack pays 3 to 2 instead of 6 to 5 odds. 3 to 2 blackjack tables pay $3 for every $2 bet, while 6 to 5 tables pay $6 for every $5 bet. With basic strategy, the house edge in the former can be as low as 0.25%.
- Every legitimate blackjack expert agrees that it is generally better to play blackjack with fewer decks. While the odds are better, the rules are usually worse than in games with six or eight decks.
- If you memorize basic strategy perfectly and always play exactly as it says, you will get the mathematically the best possible odds against the dealer, without using advanced strategies like card counting. But you must memorize it to a T, know it like the back of your hand at all times and play it perfectly, even going against what your gut tells you to do.
- While you may find land-based blackjack tables more exciting or authentic, online blackjack has plenty of advantages: easy access, plenty of 3 to 2 blackjacks, much more variants with fewer decks like single-deck, double-deck, and four-deck games, and low minimum bets. Players online are not pressed for time and can take longer to think through their moves.
- MIT mathematics professor Edward O. Thorpe, also known as the father of card counting, used the theory of probability to prove that using card counting systems (such as High-Low and Hi-Opt) can beat the dealer in blackjack. He published these findings in his 1962 bestseller Beat the Dealer.
We hope these facts gave you a worthwhile glimpse into the outstanding game of blackjack. They may inspire you to learn harder and put more effort into becoming more skilled and eventually master the game.
thanks for watching!