Gambling card game
Blackjack A blackjack example, consisting of an ace and a 10-valued
card Alternative names Twenty-One Type Comparing Players 🏧 2+, usually 2–7 Skills
Probability Cards 52 to 416 (one to eight 52-card decks) Deck French Play Clockwise
Chance High 🏧 Related games Pontoon, twenty-one, Siebzehn und Vier, vingt-et-un
Blackjack
(formerly black jack and vingt-un) is a casino banking game.[1]: 342 It 🏧 is the most
widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends
from 🏧 a global family of casino banking games known as "twenty-one". This family of card
games also includes the European games 🏧 vingt-et-un and pontoon, and the Russian game
Ochko [ru].[2] Blackjack players do not compete against each other. The game is 🏧 a
comparing card game where each player competes against the dealer.
History [ edit
]
Blackjack's immediate precursor was the English version 🏧 of twenty-one called
vingt-un, a game of unknown (but likely Spanish) provenance. The first written
reference is found in a 🏧 book by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes was a
gambler, and the protagonists of his "Rinconete y Cortadillo", 🏧 from Novelas Ejemplares,
are card cheats in Seville. They are proficient at cheating at veintiuna (Spanish for
"twenty-one") and state 🏧 that the object of the game is to reach 21 points without going
over and that the ace values 1 🏧 or 11. The game is played with the Spanish baraja
deck.
"Rinconete y Cortadillo" was written between 1601 and 1602, implying 🏧 that
ventiuna was played in Castile since the beginning of the 17th century or earlier.
Later references to this game 🏧 are found in France and Spain.[3]
The first record of the
game in France occurs in 1888 and in Britain during 🏧 the 1770s and 1780s, but the first
rules appeared in Britain in 1800 under the name of vingt-un.[6] Twenty-One, still
🏧 known then as vingt-un, appeared in the United States in the early 1800s. The first
American rules were an 1825 🏧 reprint of the 1800 English rules. English vingt-un later
developed into an American variant in its own right which was 🏧 renamed blackjack around
1899.
According to popular myth, when vingt-un ('twenty-one') was introduced into the
United States (in the early 1800s, 🏧 during the First World War, or in the 1930s,
depending on the source), gambling houses offered bonus payouts to stimulate 🏧 players'
interest. One such bonus was a ten-to-one payout if the player's hand consisted of the
ace of spades and 🏧 a black jack (either the jack of clubs or the jack of spades). This
hand was called a "blackjack", and 🏧 the name stuck even after the ten-to-one bonus was
withdrawn.
French card historian Thierry Depaulis debunks this story, showing that
prospectors 🏧 during the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99) gave the name blackjack to the game
of American vingt-un, the bonus being the 🏧 usual ace and any 10-point card. Since
blackjack also refers to the mineral zincblende, which was often associated with gold
🏧 or silver deposits, he suggests that the mineral name was transferred by prospectors to
the top bonus hand. He could 🏧 not find any historical evidence for a special bonus for
having the combination of an ace and a black jack.
In 🏧 September 1956, Roger Baldwin,
Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James McDermott published a paper titled "The
Optimum Strategy in Blackjack" 🏧 in the Journal of the American Statistical
Association,[9] the first mathematically sound optimal blackjack strategy. This paper
became the foundation 🏧 of future efforts to beat blackjack. Ed Thorp used Baldwin's hand
calculations to verify the basic strategy and later published 🏧 (in 1963) Beat the
Dealer.[10]
Rules of play at casinos [ edit ]
Blackjack example game Initial deal
Player action Dealer's hand 🏧 revealed Bets settled
At a blackjack table, the dealer
faces five to nine playing positions from behind a semicircular table. Between 🏧 one and
eight standard 52-card decks are shuffled together. To start each round, players place
bets in the "betting box" 🏧 at each position. In jurisdictions allowing back betting, up
to three players can be at each position. The player whose 🏧 bet is at the front of the
betting box controls the position, and the dealer consults the controlling player for
🏧 playing decisions; the other bettors "play behind". A player can usually control or bet
in as many boxes as desired 🏧 at a single table, but an individual cannot play on more
than one table at a time or place multiple 🏧 bets within a single box. In many U.S.
casinos, players are limited to playing one to three positions at a 🏧 table.
The dealer
deals from their left ("first base") to their far right ("third base"). Each box gets
an initial hand 🏧 of two cards visible to the people playing on it. The dealer's hand
gets its first card face-up and, in 🏧 "hole card" games, immediately gets a second card
face-down (the hole card), which the dealer peeks at but only reveals 🏧 when it makes the
dealer's hand a blackjack. Hole card games are sometimes played on tables with a small
mirror 🏧 or electronic sensor used to peek securely at the hole card. In European
casinos, "no hole card" games are prevalent; 🏧 the dealer's second card is not drawn
until the players have played their hands.
Dealers deal the cards from one or 🏧 two
handheld decks, from a dealer's shoe or from a shuffling machine. Single cards are
dealt to each wagered-on position 🏧 clockwise from the dealer's left, followed by a
single card to the dealer, followed by an additional card to each 🏧 of the positions in
play. The players' initial cards may be dealt face-up or face-down (more common in
single-deck games).
The 🏧 object of the game is to win money by creating card totals
higher than those of the dealer's hand but 🏧 not exceeding 21, or by stopping at a total
in the hope that the dealer will bust. On their turn, 🏧 players choose to "hit" (take a
card), "stand" (end their turn and stop without taking a card), "double" (double their
🏧 wager, take a single card, and finish), "split" (if the two cards have the same value,
separate them to make 🏧 two hands), or "surrender" (give up a half-bet and retire from
the game).
Number cards count as their number, the jack, 🏧 queen, and king ("face cards"
or "pictures") count as 10, and aces count as either 1 or 11 according to 🏧 the player's
choice. If the total exceeds 21 points, it busts, and all bets on it immediately
lose.
After the boxes 🏧 have finished playing, the dealer's hand is resolved by drawing
cards until the hand achieves a total of 17 or 🏧 higher. If the dealer has a total of 17
including an ace valued as 11 (a "soft 17"), some games 🏧 require the dealer to stand
while other games require another draw. The dealer never doubles, splits, or
surrenders. If the 🏧 dealer busts, all remaining player hands win. If the dealer does not
bust, each remaining bet wins if its hand 🏧 is higher than the dealer's and loses if it
is lower.
A player total of 21 on the first two cards 🏧 is a "natural" or "blackjack",
and the player wins immediately unless the dealer also has one, in which case the 🏧 hand
ties. In the case of a tie ("push" or "standoff"), bets are returned without
adjustment. A blackjack beats any 🏧 hand that is not a blackjack, even one with a value
of 21.
Wins are paid out at even money, except 🏧 for player blackjacks, which are
traditionally paid out at 3 to 2 odds. Many casinos today pay blackjacks at less 🏧 than
3:2. This is common in single-deck blackjack games.[11]
Blackjack games usually offer a
side bet called insurance, which may be 🏧 placed when the dealer's face-up card is an
ace. Additional side bets, such as "Dealer Match" which pays when the 🏧 player's cards
match the dealer's up card, are also sometimes available.
Player decisions [ edit
]
After the initial two cards, the 🏧 player has up to five options: "hit", "stand",
"double down", "split", or "surrender". Each option has a corresponding hand
signal.
Hit: 🏧 Take another card.
Signal: Scrape cards against the table (in handheld
games); tap the table with a finger or wave a 🏧 hand toward the body (in games dealt
face-up).
Stand: Take no more cards; also known as "stand pat", "sit", "stick", or
🏧 "stay".
Signal: Slide cards under chips (in handheld games); wave hand horizontally (in
games dealt face-up).
Double down: Increase the initial bet 🏧 by 100% and take exactly
one more card. The additional bet is placed next to the original bet. Some games 🏧 permit
the player to increase the bet by amounts smaller than 100%, which is known as "double
for less".[12] Non-controlling 🏧 players may or may not double their wager, but they
still only take one card.
Signal: Place additional chips beside the 🏧 original bet
outside the betting box and point with one finger.
Split: Create two hands from a
starting hand where both 🏧 cards are the same value. Each new hand gets a second card
resulting in two starting hands. This requires an 🏧 additional bet on the second hand.
The two hands are played out independently, and the wager on each hand is 🏧 won or lost
independently. In the case of cards worth 10 points, some casinos only allow splitting
when the cards 🏧 rank the same. For example, 10-10 could be split, but K-10 could not.
Doubling and re-splitting after splitting are often 🏧 restricted. A 10-valued card and an
ace resulting from a split usually isn't considered a blackjack. Hitting split aces is
🏧 often not allowed. Non-controlling players can opt to put up a second bet or not. If
they do not, they 🏧 only get paid or lose on one of the two post-split hands.
Signal:
Place additional chips next to the original bet 🏧 outside the betting box and point with
two fingers spread into a V formation.
Surrender: Forfeit half the bet and end 🏧 the hand
immediately. This option is only available at some tables in some casinos, and the
option is only available 🏧 as the first decision.
Signal: Spoken; there are no standard
signals.
Hand signals help the "eye in the sky" make a video 🏧 recording of the table,
which resolves disputes and identifies dealer mistakes. It is also used to protect the
casino against 🏧 dealers who steal chips or players who cheat. Recordings can also
identify advantage players. When a player's hand signal disagrees 🏧 with their words, the
hand signal takes precedence.
A hand can "hit" as often as desired until the total is
21 🏧 or more. Players must stand on a total of 21. After a bust or a stand, play proceeds
to the 🏧 next hand clockwise around the table. After the last hand is played, the dealer
reveals the hole card and stands 🏧 or draws according to the game's rules. When the
outcome of the dealer's hand is established, any hands with bets 🏧 remaining on the table
are resolved (usually in counterclockwise order); bets on losing hands are forfeited,
the bet on a 🏧 push is left on the table, and winners are paid out.
Insurance [ edit ]
If
the dealer shows an ace, an 🏧 "insurance" bet is allowed. Insurance is a side bet that
the dealer has a blackjack. The dealer asks for insurance 🏧 bets before the first player
plays. Insurance bets of up to half the player's current bet are placed on the
🏧 "insurance bar" above the player's cards. If the dealer has a blackjack, insurance pays
2 to 1. In most casinos, 🏧 the dealer looks at the down card and pays off or takes the
insurance bet immediately. In other casinos, the 🏧 payoff waits until the end of the
play.
In face-down games, if a player has more than one hand, they can 🏧 look at all
their hands before deciding. This is the only condition where a player can look at
multiple hands.
Players 🏧 with blackjack can also take insurance.
Insurance bets lose
money in the long run. The dealer has a blackjack less than 🏧 one-third of the time. In
some games, players can also take insurance when a 10-valued card shows, but the dealer
🏧 has an ace in the hole less than one-tenth of the time.
The insurance bet is
susceptible to advantage play. It 🏧 is advantageous to make an insurance bet whenever the
hole card has more than a one in three chance of 🏧 being a ten. Card counting techniques
can identify such situations.
Rule variations and effects on house edge [ edit ]
Note:
Where 🏧 changes in the house edge due to changes in the rules are stated in percentage
terms, the difference is usually 🏧 stated here in percentage points, not a percentage.
For example, if an edge of 10% is reduced to 9%, it 🏧 is reduced by one percentage point,
not reduced by ten percent.
Doubling down. The third card is placed at right angles 🏧 to
signify that the player cannot receive any more cards.
Blackjack rules are generally
set by regulations that establish permissible rule 🏧 variations at the casino's
discretion.[13] Blackjack comes with a "house edge"; the casino's statistical advantage
is built into the game. 🏧 Most of the house's edge comes from the fact that the player
loses when both the player and dealer bust. 🏧 Blackjack players using basic strategy lose
on average less than 1% of their action over the long run, giving blackjack 🏧 one of the
lowest edges in the casino. The house edge for games where blackjack pays 6 to 5
instead 🏧 of 3 to 2 increases by about 1.4%, though. Player deviations from basic
strategy also increase the house edge.
Dealer hits 🏧 soft 17
A "soft 17" in blackjack (an
ace and any combination of 6)
Each game has a rule about whether the 🏧 dealer must hit or
stand on soft 17, which is generally printed on the table surface. The variation where
the 🏧 dealer must hit soft 17 is abbreviated "H17" in blackjack literature, with "S17"
used for the stand-on-soft-17 variation. Substituting an 🏧 "H17" rule with an "S17" rule
in a game benefits the player, decreasing the house edge by about 0.2%.
Number of
🏧 decks
All things being equal, using fewer decks decreases the house edge. This mainly
reflects an increased likelihood of player blackjack, 🏧 since if the player draws a ten
on their first card, the subsequent probability of drawing an ace is higher 🏧 with fewer
decks. It also reflects the decreased likelihood of a blackjack–blackjack push in a
game with fewer decks.
Casinos generally 🏧 compensate by tightening other rules in games
with fewer decks, to preserve the house edge or discourage play altogether. When
🏧 offering single-deck blackjack games, casinos are more likely to disallow doubling on
soft hands or after splitting, restrict resplitting, require 🏧 higher minimum bets, and
pay the player less than 3:2 for a winning blackjack.
The following table illustrates
the mathematical effect 🏧 on the house edge of the number of decks, by considering games
with various deck counts under the following ruleset: 🏧 double after split allowed,
resplit to four hands allowed, no hitting split aces, no surrendering, double on any
two cards, 🏧 original bets only lost on dealer blackjack, dealer hits soft 17, and
cut-card used. The increase in house edge per 🏧 unit increase in the number of decks is
most dramatic when comparing the single-deck game to the two-deck game, and 🏧 becomes
progressively smaller as more decks are added.
Number of decks House advantage Single
deck 0.17% Double deck 0.46% Four decks 🏧 0.60% Six decks 0.64% Eight decks
0.66%
Late/early surrender
Surrender, for those games that allow it, is usually not
permitted against a 🏧 dealer blackjack; if the dealer's first card is an ace or ten, the
hole card is checked to make sure 🏧 there is no blackjack before surrender is offered.
This rule protocol is consequently known as "late" surrender. The alternative, "early"
🏧 surrender, gives the player the option to surrender before the dealer checks for
blackjack, or in a no hole card 🏧 game. Early surrender is much more favorable to the
player than late surrender.
For late surrender, however, while it is tempting 🏧 to opt
for surrender on any hand which will probably lose, the correct strategy is to only
surrender on the 🏧 very worst hands, because having even a one-in-four chance of winning
the full bet is better than losing half the 🏧 bet and pushing the other half, as entailed
by surrendering.
Resplitting
If the cards of a post-split hand have the same value,
🏧 most games allow the player to split again, or "resplit". The player places a further
wager, and the dealer separates 🏧 the new pair dealing a further card to each as before.
Some games allow unlimited resplitting, while others may limit 🏧 it to a certain number
of hands, such as four hands (for example, "resplit to 4").
Hit/resplit split
aces
After splitting aces, 🏧 the common rule is that only one card will be dealt to each
ace; the player cannot split, double, or 🏧 take another hit on either hand. Rule variants
include allowing resplitting aces or allowing the player to hit split aces. 🏧 Games
allowing aces to be resplit are not uncommon, but those allowing the player to hit
split aces are extremely 🏧 rare. Allowing the player to hit hands resulting from split
aces reduces the house edge by about 0.13%; allowing resplitting 🏧 of aces reduces the
house edge by about 0.03%. Note that a ten-value card dealt on a split ace (or 🏧 vice
versa) will not be counted as a blackjack but as a soft 21.
No double after split
After
a split, most 🏧 games allow doubling down on the new two-card hands. Disallowing doubling
after a split increases the house edge by about 🏧 0.12%.
Double on 9/10/11 or 10/11
only
Under the "Reno rule", doubling down is only permitted on hard totals of 9, 10, 🏧 or
11 (under a similar European rule, only 10 or 11). The basic strategy would otherwise
call for some doubling 🏧 down with hard 9 and soft 13–18, and advanced players can
identify situations where doubling on soft 19–20 and hard 🏧 8, 7, and even 6 is
advantageous. The Reno rule prevents the player from taking advantage of double-down in
these 🏧 situations and thereby increases the player's expected loss. The Reno rule
increases the house edge by around 0.1%, and its 🏧 European version by around 0.2%.
No
hole card and OBO
In most non-U.S. casinos, a "no hole card" game is played, meaning
🏧 that the dealer does not draw nor consult their second card until after all players
have finished making decisions. With 🏧 no hole card, it is rarely the correct basic
strategy to double or split against a dealer ten or ace, 🏧 since a dealer blackjack will
result in the loss of the split and double bets; the only exception is with 🏧 a pair of
aces against a dealer 10, where it is still correct to split. In all other cases, a
🏧 stand, hit, or surrender is called for. For instance, when holding 11 against a dealer
10, the correct strategy is 🏧 to double in a hole card game (where the player knows the
dealer's second card is not an ace), but 🏧 to hit in a no-hole card game. The
no-hole-card rule adds approximately 0.11% to the house edge.
The "original bets only"
🏧 rule variation appearing in certain no hole card games states that if the player's hand
loses to a dealer blackjack, 🏧 only the mandatory initial bet ("original") is forfeited,
and all optional bets, meaning doubles and splits, are pushed. "Original bets 🏧 only" is
also known by the acronym OBO; it has the same effect on basic strategy and the house
edge 🏧 as reverting to a hole card game.[14]
Altered payout for a winning blackjack
In
many casinos, a blackjack pays only 6:5 or 🏧 even 1:1 instead of the usual 3:2. This is
most common at tables with lower table minimums. Although this payoff 🏧 was originally
limited to single-deck games, it has spread to double-deck and shoe games. Among common
rule variations in the 🏧 U.S., these altered payouts for blackjack are the most damaging
to the player, causing the greatest increase in house edge. 🏧 Since blackjack occurs in
approximately 4.8% of hands, the 1:1 game increases the house edge by 2.3%, while the
6:5 🏧 game adds 1.4% to the house edge. Video blackjack machines generally pay a 1:1
payout for a blackjack.[11]
Dealer wins ties
The 🏧 rule that bets on tied hands are lost
rather than pushed is catastrophic to the player. Though rarely used in 🏧 standard
blackjack, it is sometimes seen in "blackjack-like" games, such as in some charity
casinos.
Blackjack strategy [ edit ]
Basic strategy 🏧 [ edit ]
Each blackjack game has a
basic strategy, the optimal method of playing any hand. When using basic strategy, 🏧 the
long-term house advantage (the expected loss of the player) is minimized.
An example of
a basic strategy is shown in 🏧 the table below, which applies to a game with the
following specifications:[15]
Four to eight decks
The dealer hits on a soft 🏧 17
A double
is allowed after a split
Only original bets are lost on dealer blackjack
Player hand
Dealer's face-up card 2 3 🏧 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A Hard totals (excluding pairs) 18–21 S S S S
S S S 🏧 S S S 17 S S S S S S S S S Us 16 S S S S S 🏧 H H Uh Uh Uh 15 S S S S S H H H Uh Uh
13–14 S S S 🏧 S S H H H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 11 Dh 🏧 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 10 Dh
Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 🏧 9 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 5–8 H H H H H H H H 🏧 H H Soft totals
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A A,9 S S S S S 🏧 S S S S S A,8 S S S S Ds S S S S S A,7 Ds Ds Ds 🏧 Ds
Ds S S H H H A,6 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H A,4–A,5 H 🏧 H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H A,2–A,3 H H H
Dh Dh H H H H H 🏧 Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A A, A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP 🏧 SP SP SP 10,10 S S
S S S S S S S S 9,9 SP SP SP SP SP 🏧 S SP SP S S 8,8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP Usp 7,7
SP SP SP 🏧 SP SP SP H H H H 6,6 SP SP SP SP SP H H H H H 5,5 Dh 🏧 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H
4,4 H H H SP SP H H H H H 🏧 2,2–3,3 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
Key:
S = Stand H = Hit Dh =
Double (if 🏧 not allowed, then hit) Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand) SP = Split
Uh = Surrender (if not 🏧 allowed, then hit) Us = Surrender (if not allowed, then stand)
Usp = Surrender (if not allowed, then split)
Most basic 🏧 strategy decisions are the same
for all blackjack games. Rule variations call for changes in only a few situations. For
🏧 example, to use the table above on a game with the stand-on-soft-17 rule (which favors
the player, and is typically 🏧 found only at higher-limit tables today) only 6 cells
would need to be changed: hit on 11 vs. A, hit 🏧 on 15 vs. A, stand on 17 vs. A, stand on
A,7 vs. 2, stand on A,8 vs. 6, and 🏧 split on 8,8 vs. A. Regardless of the specific rule
variations, taking insurance or "even money" is never the correct 🏧 play under a basic
strategy.[15]
Estimates of the house edge for blackjack games quoted by casinos and
gaming regulators are based 🏧 on the assumption that the players follow basic
strategy.
Most blackjack games have a house edge of between 0.5% and 1%, 🏧 placing
blackjack among the cheapest casino table games for the player. Casino promotions such
as complimentary matchplay vouchers or 2:1 🏧 blackjack payouts allow players to acquire
an advantage without deviating from basic strategy.[16]
Composition-dependent strategy
[ edit ]
The basic strategy is 🏧 based on a player's point total and the dealer's visible
card. Players can sometimes improve on this decision by considering 🏧 the composition of
their hand, not just the point total. For example, players should ordinarily stand when
holding 12 against 🏧 a dealer 4. But in a single deck game, players should hit if their
12 consists of a 10 and 🏧 a 2. The presence of a 10 in the player's hand has two
consequences:[17]
It makes the player's 12 a worse 🏧 hand to stand on (since the only way
to avoid losing is for the dealer to go bust, which is 🏧 less likely if there are fewer
10s left in the shoe).
It makes hitting safer, since the only way of going 🏧 bust is to
draw a 10, and this is less likely with a 10 already in the hand.
Even when basic 🏧 and
composition-dependent strategies lead to different actions, the difference in expected
reward is small, and it becomes smaller with more 🏧 decks. Using a composition-dependent
strategy rather than a basic strategy in a single-deck game reduces the house edge by 4
🏧 in 10,000, which falls to 3 in 100,000 for a six-deck game.[18]
Advantage play [ edit
]
Blackjack has been a high-profile 🏧 target for advantage players since the 1960s.
Advantage play attempts to win more using skills such as memory, computation, and
🏧 observation. While these techniques are legal, they can give players a mathematical
edge in the game, making advantage players unwanted 🏧 customers for casinos. Advantage
play can lead to ejection or blacklisting. Some advantageous play techniques in
blackjack include:
Card counting [ 🏧 edit ]
During the course of a blackjack shoe, the
dealer exposes the dealt cards. Players can infer from their accounting 🏧 of the exposed
cards which cards remain. These inferences can be used in the following ways:
Players
can make larger bets 🏧 when they have an advantage. For example, the players can increase
the starting bet if many aces and tens are 🏧 left in the deck, in the hope of hitting a
blackjack.
Players can deviate from basic strategy according to the composition 🏧 of
their undealt cards. For example, with many tens left in the deck, players might double
down in more situations 🏧 since there is a better chance of getting a good hand.
A card
counting system assigns a point score to each 🏧 card rank (e.g., 1 point for 2–6, 0
points for 7–9, and −1 point for 10–A). When a card is 🏧 exposed, a counter adds the
score of that card to a running total, the 'count'. A card counter uses this 🏧 count to
make betting and playing decisions. The count starts at 0 for a freshly shuffled deck
for "balanced" counting 🏧 systems. Unbalanced counts are often started at a value that
depends on the number of decks used in the game.
Blackjack's 🏧 house edge is usually
around 0.5–1% when players use basic strategy.[19] Card counting can give the player an
edge of 🏧 up to about 2%.[20]: 5
Card counting works best when a few cards remain. This
makes single-deck games better for counters. 🏧 As a result, casinos are more likely to
insist that players do not reveal their cards to one another in 🏧 single-deck games. In
games with more decks, casinos limit penetration by ending the shoe and reshuffling
when one or more 🏧 decks remain undealt. Casinos also sometimes use a shuffling machine
to reintroduce the cards whenever a deck has been played.
Card 🏧 counting is legal unless
the counter is using an external device,[20]: 6–7 but a casino might inform counters
that they 🏧 are no longer welcome to play blackjack. Sometimes a casino might ban a card
counter from the property.[21]
The use of 🏧 external devices to help count cards is
illegal throughout the United States.[22]
Shuffle tracking [ edit ]
Another advantage
play technique, mainly 🏧 applicable in multi-deck games, involves tracking groups of
cards (also known as slugs, clumps, or packs) through the shuffle and 🏧 then playing and
betting according to when those cards come into play from a new shoe. Shuffle tracking
requires excellent 🏧 eyesight and powers of visual estimation but is harder to detect;
shuffle trackers' actions are largely unrelated to the composition 🏧 of the cards in the
shoe.[23]
Arnold Snyder's articles in Blackjack Forum magazine brought shuffle tracking
to the general public. His 🏧 book, The Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook, mathematically
analyzed the player edge available from shuffle tracking based on the actual size of
🏧 the tracked slug. Jerry L. Patterson also developed and published a shuffle-tracking
method for tracking favorable clumps of cards and 🏧 cutting them into play and tracking
unfavorable clumps of cards and cutting them out of play.[24][25][26]
Identifying
concealed cards [ edit 🏧 ]
The player can also gain an advantage by identifying cards
from distinctive wear markings on their backs, or by hole 🏧 carding (observing during the
dealing process the front of a card dealt face-down). These methods are generally legal
although their 🏧 status in particular jurisdictions may vary.[27]
Side bets [ edit ]
Many
blackjack tables offer side bets on various outcomes including:[28]
Player hand 🏧 and
dealer's up card total 19, 20, or 21 ("Lucky Lucky")
Player initial hand is a pair
("Perfect pairs")
Player initial hand 🏧 is suited, and connected, or a suited K-Q ("Royal
match")
Player initial hand plus dealer's card makes a flush, straight, or
🏧 three-of-a-kind poker hand ("21+3")
Player initial hand totals 20 ("Lucky
Ladies")
Dealer upcard is in between the value of the player's two 🏧 cards ("In
Bet")
First card drawn to the dealer will result in a dealer bust ("Bust It!")
One or
both of the 🏧 player's cards is the same as the dealer's card ("Match the Dealer")
The
side wager is typically placed in a designated 🏧 area next to the box for the main wager.
A player wishing to wager on a side bet usually must 🏧 place a wager on blackjack. Some
games require that the blackjack wager should equal or exceed any side bet wager. 🏧 A
non-controlling player of a blackjack hand is usually permitted to place a side bet
regardless of whether the controlling 🏧 player does so.
The house edge for side bets is
generally higher than for the blackjack game itself. Nonetheless, side bets 🏧 can be
susceptible to card counting. A side count designed specifically for a particular side
bet can improve the player's 🏧 edge. Only a few side bets, like "Insurance" and "Lucky
Ladies", correlate well with the high-low counting system and offer 🏧 a sufficient win
rate to justify the effort of advantage play.
In team play, it is common for team
members to 🏧 be dedicated to only counting a side bet using a specialized count.
Video
blackjack [ edit ]
A video blackjack machine at 🏧 Seven Feathers Casino.
Some casinos, as
well as general betting outlets, provide blackjack among a selection of casino-style
games at electronic 🏧 consoles. Video blackjack game rules are generally more favorable
to the house; e.g., paying out only even money for winning 🏧 blackjacks. Video and online
blackjack games generally deal each round from a fresh shoe (i.e., use an RNG for each
🏧 deal), rendering card counting ineffective in most situations.[29]
Variants and related
games [ edit ]
Blackjack is a member of the family 🏧 of traditional card games played
recreationally worldwide. Most of these games have not been adapted for casino play.
Furthermore, the 🏧 casino game development industry actively produces blackjack variants,
most of which are ultimately not adopted by casinos. The following are 🏧 the most
prominent and established variants in casinos.
Spanish 21 provides players with liberal
rules, such as doubling down any number 🏧 of cards (with the option to "rescue", or
surrender only one wager to the house), payout bonuses for five or 🏧 more card 21s, 6–7–8
21s, 7–7–7 21s, late surrender, and player blackjacks and player 21s always winning.
The trade-off is 🏧 having no 10s in the deck, although the jacks, queens, and kings are
still there. An unlicensed version of Spanish 🏧 21 played without a hole card is found in
Australian casinos under the name "pontoon".
provides players with liberal rules, such
🏧 as doubling down any number of cards (with the option to "rescue", or surrender only
one wager to the house), 🏧 payout bonuses for five or more card 21s, 6–7–8 21s, 7–7–7
21s, late surrender, and player blackjacks and player 21s 🏧 always winning. The trade-off
is having no 10s in the deck, although the jacks, queens, and kings are still there. 🏧 An
unlicensed version of Spanish 21 played without a hole card is found in Australian
casinos under the name "pontoon". 🏧 21st-century blackjack (or Vegas-style blackjack ) is
found in California card rooms. In variations, a player bust does not always 🏧 result in
an automatic loss; depending on the casino, the player can still push if the dealer
also busts. The 🏧 dealer has to bust with a higher total, though.
(or ) is found in
California card rooms. In variations, a player 🏧 bust does not always result in an
automatic loss; depending on the casino, the player can still push if the 🏧 dealer also
busts. The dealer has to bust with a higher total, though. Double exposure blackjack
deals the first two 🏧 cards of the dealer's hand face up. Blackjacks pay even money, and
players lose on ties. Also, players can neither 🏧 buy insurance nor surrender.
deals the
first two cards of the dealer's hand face up. Blackjacks pay even money, and players
🏧 lose on ties. Also, players can neither buy insurance nor surrender. Double attack
blackjack has liberal blackjack rules and the 🏧 option of increasing one's wager after
seeing the dealer's up card. This game is dealt from a Spanish shoe, and 🏧 blackjacks
only pay even money.
has liberal blackjack rules and the option of increasing one's
wager after seeing the dealer's up 🏧 card. This game is dealt from a Spanish shoe, and
blackjacks only pay even money. Blackjack switch is played over 🏧 two hands, and the
second card can be switched between hands. For example, if the player is dealt 10–6 and
🏧 5–10, then the player can switch two cards to make hands of 10–10 and 6–5. Natural
blackjacks are paid 1:1 🏧 instead of the standard 3:2, and a dealer 22 is a push.
is
played over two hands, and the second card 🏧 can be switched between hands. For example,
if the player is dealt 10–6 and 5–10, then the player can switch 🏧 two cards to make
hands of 10–10 and 6–5. Natural blackjacks are paid 1:1 instead of the standard 3:2,
and 🏧 a dealer 22 is a push. Super fun 21 allows a player to split a hand up to four
times. 🏧 If the player has six cards totaling 20, they automatically win. Wins are paid
1:1.
Examples of local traditional and recreational 🏧 related games include French
vingt-et-un ('twenty-one') and German Siebzehn und Vier ('seventeen and four'). Neither
game allows splitting. An ace 🏧 counts only eleven, but two aces count as a blackjack. It
is mostly played in private circles and barracks. The 🏧 popular British member of the
vingt-un family is called "pontoon", the name being probably a corruption of
vingt-et-un.
Blackjack Hall of 🏧 Fame [ edit ]
In 2002, professional gamblers worldwide
were invited to nominate great blackjack players for admission into the Blackjack 🏧 Hall
of Fame. Seven members were inducted in 2002, with new people inducted every year
after. The Hall of Fame 🏧 is at the Barona Casino in San Diego. Members include Edward O.
Thorp, author of the 1960s book Beat the 🏧 Dealer; Ken Uston, who popularized the concept
of team play; Arnold Snyder, author and editor of the Blackjack Forum trade 🏧 journal;
and Stanford Wong, author and popularizer of "Wonging".
References [ edit ]
Further
reading [ edit ]
General literature [ edit ]
Depaulis, 🏧 Thierry (April–June 2010).
"Dawson's Game: Blackjack and the Klondike". In Endebrock, Peter (ed.). The
Playing-Card . Journal of the International 🏧 Playing-Card Society. Vol. 38 (4). The
International Playing-Card Society. ISSN 0305-2133.
Hoyle's Games Improved . New York:
G. Long. 1825.
Jones, Charles 🏧 (1800). Hoyle's Games Improved (New, considerably
enlarged, revised and corrected ed.). London: Ritchie.
Parlett, David (1990). A History
of Card Games, 🏧 OUP, Oxford. ISBN 0-19-282905-X
Blackjack literature [ edit
]
Mathematics of blackjack [ edit ]
