Reducing the Casino Edge in Blackjack

When choosing a Blackjack table to play in, most inspect the limits, thinking that it will help reduce the casino edge. However there are other things that you should look for, depending on whether you employ basic strategy or card counting.

If you play Blackjack basic strategy, you need to remember one thing: the casino edge is still 0.5% in multiple deck games, no matter how well you play. In terms of numbers that translates to about 50 cents per $100 wager. Yes, this edge isn't exact; there'll be days when you will get all the cards and win a lot of money, and there'll be sessions when you get nothing but stiff hands.

But the point here is that over the long run, the casino edge in Blackjack will still come up. What you can do is to play as few hands as possible to lower the negative expectation percentage.

An example: if you play at a full Blackjack table (7 players), you'll be dealt 60 hands hourly. Multiply this with the casino edge, and you lose on average $3 an hour. It will vary with every table depending on the kind of hands you get, but over the long term, this will be the average.

However, if you play Blackjack against two or three players, there will be about 150 hands dealt instead of 60. The hourly loss: $7.50, more or less. So if you are a basic strategy player, choose a crowded table.

Also you should avoid Blackjack tables that use automated card shufflers (called CSM), because the number of dealt hands increase by about 20%.

But if you are a Blackjack card counter, you should play on a table that has as few players as possible. The reason is that the positive expectation value shifts from the casino to the player (anywhere from half a percent to 1 percent). So you want to play as many hands as possible.

This simple fact, often ignored by a lot of players, is one of the reasons hwy card counting doesn't always work, or does not work as well as it should. If you want to maximize your profit, don't play in crowded tables.

A Blackjack strategy is only as good as the situation you find yourself in. Play in the right tables, and you'll be able to maximize the edge that you hold, and reduce the advantage of the casino.