Blackjack Dealer Tells
However, in the long term, statistically, the blackjack house edge percentage stands at 2%. In virtually all variations of blackjack the dealer does not have any decisions to make. The most common forms of blackjack require that the dealer hits up to and including 16 and sticks on 17 .
The aim of blackjack is to get as close as possible to 21 points without exceeding 21. The points are the same as the numbers on the cards with picture cards being worth 10 points each and the Ace counting as either 1 or 11, as desired by the player. If the player exceeds 21, they instantly lose , regardless of what the dealer gets. If the dealer exceeds 21, the player wins and their bet is returned along with their win . If neither the dealer or the player exceed 21, whoever is closer to this number wins. Blackjack is a hugely popular game and therefore has spawned countless variations and special rules sometimes exclusive to just a single casino.
However, here you should double as the odds are in your favor for landing a 20 when the dealer has 2-9 up. If you’re holding a pair of 6s and the dealer has more than 7 in their hand, you’re going to want to hit. But, if the dealer shows 6 or less, you should split and hope the dealer busts. The dealer is always more likely to win a game of blackjack than you. That’s thanks to the advantage of going second and making decisions based on your position.
When choosing a table, players need to determine the position of the dealer by taking into account the up card. The reason why is that if the up card is a powerful one, this makes it harder to compete against the dealer. Hence, joining the game at such a moment is not the best decision. There are three types of cards in the deck which help players to define their situation.
If the strategy says to surrender (16 vs. 10), but you can’t for whatever reason, then hit. With a hard 10 or 11, double if you have more points than the dealer, treating a dealer ace as 11 points. Specifically, double with 10 against a 2 to 9, and with 11 against 2 to 10. Ever since my book was published it has bothered me that the cost in errors to my Simple Strategy was too high. So in September 2009 I developed the following “Wizard’s Strategy.” The cost due to imperfect plays is 0.14% only, relative to liberal Vegas Strip rules. That is the cost of one hand for about every 12 hours of play.
If the live dealer casino tables are filled with patrons, then you must wait your turn. When you play blackjack at a live dealer casino, your cards are dealt by a real human being! These cards are larger than regular cards, so when the dealer is dealing, you will have no problem seeing each particular card. The RTP of online blackjack, when played with basic strategy, is 99.5%. For some, the RTP of blackjack can be altered when playing some online blackjack games. Perfect blackjack strategy goes a long way to helping cut down the house edge.