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Why is the Return to Player Rate in Blackjack So High?
Blackjack is one of the most exciting online games you can play at Everygame Casino. A lot of players are under the impression that the only way to win at blackjack is to count cards. This is actually not true!
In this article, we will begin with a fairly long discussion of the “advantages” of card counting for players who play at a land based casino. After this discussion, we will come back to the point of the article, namely, that your chances of winning online blackjack without card counting are still very close to 100% and all of that makes online blackjack at Everygame Casino a great way to have gaming fun with little risk!
Card Counting Can Help You Win If………
It is true that card counting does help if you can keep an accurate count, if you play long enough to make the act of card counting pay off, if you know exactly when to increase your bet size with a card count that makes it likely that you will win the next hand, if you play a blackjack variation with a single deck, if you travel often to a land based casino, if you have the time to practice a lot, and if you have some good luck.
It is also true that card counting might help if you play at a land based casino. Then the strategy might change depending on where you are sitting at the table.
Keeping an Accurate Count is Difficult
You have to give a plus or minus value to every card. However, blackjack can go faster than many players can make the calculation in their head.
Play until Card Counting Pays Off
Having a plus one or minus one count does not give enough information on which to base a bet. Plus two and minus two are borderline good counts for deciding how to proceed on the hand you’re on.
But the count will change as soon as you or another player asks for a card. So, you have to play until you get a plus three or a minus three and then you will likely be able to use that information once before the card count resets at the one or two level.
You Have to Know when to Pounce
A card count higher than three gives you a chance to pounce by raising your bet on the next hand. Here, if you are sitting in the first seat, you can use your knowledge of the card count to make a big bet.
It also depends on the size of your bankroll. And it depends on whether the game you are playing offers surrender. Surrender gives you the chance to give up one half of your bet if you get really bad cards despite the favorable card count. Surrender is important in general but it is especially important in a situation where you might make an exponentially higher bet because the card count favors you.
Single Deck is Best for Card Counters
The difficulty of getting a strong card count rises with each additional deck. So, you have to find a game that the casino plays with only one deck.
Playing Single Deck Blackjack at a Land Based Casino
Most land based casinos have six or eight deck shoes. Some have shoes that shuffle after every hand. It has become very unusual to find a single deck blackjack game. Therefore, the skill you have learned to count cards may by now be time wasted.
Traveling Several Times a Year to Play Blackjack
Very few gamers travel more than twice a year to a land based casino. This means that it is a lot likelier that the blackjack player has lost a great deal of the card counting skill he or she once worked so hard to learn.
Practicing Card Counting
In our very hectic world, most players don’t have the time to practice card counting. This is especially true of dedicated blackjack players who prefer playing hands rather than practicing card counting.
Is the situation along the lines of “Woe is me! I can’t win at blackjack because I can’t count cards?” The answer is: indeed, not!
The Good News about Blackjack
All you need to have a statistical chance to win of almost 100% is a strategy card, a thorough understanding of the best strategy for every hand of the blackjack variation you are playing, and the courage to make moves that seem counter-intuitive to you.
Strategy Cards
Every blackjack variation has its own strategy cards. All you need is to print the card of the variation you want to play and take some time to study the card and become comfortable with the strategies. One of the most difficult hands for players is 12 points. The fear of busting is quite real and makes the decision easy for a large number of players. These players never hit with 12 or more points!
This is a mistake, however. Often the dealer will be showing a card that indicates that she is likely to win the hand. In these cases, it is best strategy to hit even with 12 or more points. In some cases, the best strategy with 12 points is to surrender. So simply standing with 12 or more points is not always good strategy!
The main point here is that with the aid of a strategy card, any player can increase his or her chances of winning by a large margin. And this is true even without card counting!
Maintaining a Reasonable Attention Span
One of the biggest “rules” we tell our gamers is that if you get too tired to play, it is best to stop. Online gaming makes stopping easy while land based casinos are designed to keep players on the casino floor long after they are too tired to play properly.
Having a strategy card at hand won’t be enough if you are too tired to use it properly.
What Else Can Blackjack Players Do to Improve their Chances of Winning?
Practice helps people in thousands of areas so it would likely help blackjack players too. Many people say that anyone can learn to count cards with enough practice. This is probably true but, as we saw above, card counting may lead to a better bet only infrequently.
Practicing using a strategy card is even better than card counting since you need to use the strategy card not just on every hand but on every card! Every time you have to decide what to do, you have to consult the strategy card!
Learn the Rules Thoroughly
As important as the strategy card is, it is equally important to know the rules of every blackjack variation you want to play. Everygame Casino Red has several variations of blackjack and we strongly recommend that you learn the rules for every variation!
Why? Does the dealer hit on soft 17? Does the variation allow surrender? Does the dealer “look” to see if she has blackjack when she is showing an ace? Can you split more than once? Can you double down after splitting?
Every rule will affect your overall strategy so learn the rules well!
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