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Gaming Guru
Yuck!1 September 2003
Many casinos are now offering
single-deck blackjack games that pay a natural blackjack 6-to-5
instead of the traditional 3-to-2. One word, Michael, can best
describe this subtle rule change many players have not even noticed.
As the schoolmarm says, "YUCK!" (I know you've got
a better word, so spit it out.) Dear Mark, Blackjack is a game played poorly
by many, and well by few. The desirable rearrangement is quite
simple: Employ perfect basic strategy. Playing it correctly will
bring the house advantage down to well less than 1%.
But, even Ho-hum Hannah's careless play at blackjack is far-and-away
a better deal than double zero roulette, where the house edge
is 5.26% of every bet you place on the table. Yep, Odd/Even, Black/Red,
it doesn't matter. The casino advantage is 5.26% and you aren't
going to change that with any particular wager. Dear Mark, I'll ask you, Dick, why do you double down in the first place? Answer: you double down because you are more likely to win the hand than lose it. For that reason, you always want to wager the maximum amount. Never shortchange yourself when it comes to doubling down. It is the double downs, splits and blackjacks that shove blackjack play from the red into the black. Gambling quote of the week: "I am shocked, shocked, that there's
gambling going on here." Captain Louis Renault, Casablanca Recent Articles
Mark Pilarski |
Mark Pilarski |