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Gaming Guru
Why do high “counts” at blackjack help players and not dealers?13 May 2013
Answer: The advantage in blackjack does shift to the player when the cards to be drawn from a shoe have a higher fraction of 10s than the 4/13 of a "neutral" deck. This, despite dealers and players having the same chance of receiving strong starting hands. The explanation lies in the rules of casino blackjack. First, the likelihood of a blackjack goes up – equally for players and dealers, of course. But, the hands aren't symmetrical because winning nets 1.5 units and losing only costs one unit. So equal frequencies of occurrence mean a net gain for players. Second, players can stand on "stiffs" – 12 through 16 – while dealers must hit these hands. The higher the concentration of 10s, the more likely that a stiff, when hit, will break. So high concentrations of 10s improve players' chances of winning against low dealer upcards. Third, players can split and double under opportune conditions. Dealers must always draw until they reach or exceed 17. All hard doubles and certain splits become increasingly favorable when the proportion of 10s remaining in the shoe is above normal. Related Links
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