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Casino consultant |
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Monday, September 8th 2008 |
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Over the last decade or so there have been changes made to the game of blackjack that do not favor the player in the least. Most of these changes originated in Las Vegas, but they have since spread throughout the country and abroad.
The first detrimental change was the introduction of continuous shuffling machines (CSMs) on the blackjack tables. These devices allow the dealers to reshuffle after every hand, making card counting pointless. They also impact the average player because the casino gets 20% more hands played on average per hour because of no downtime for manual shuffling. Unless a player deliberately slows down when playing he or she will be playing more hands per hour and their potential hourly loss will increase. It is recommended that average players stay away from any CSM dealt game.
Another detrimental change was when the Strip casinos converted their rules to “dealer hit soft 17” from dealer stand on soft 17. That rule change will cost the player about 0.2% of the total betting action, assuming that the player knows the changes to the basic playing strategy.
The introduction of the single deck game Super Fun 21, while appearing outwardly player friendly, with such rules as doubling on any number of cards and being able to surrender even after doubling, negates all the player favorable rules because player blackjacks (excepting diamonds) only pay even money. The result is a game with an 85% increase in casino edge, up to 0.95%.
There is also a Las Vegas Strip single deck blackjack variant that pays player blackjacks at only 6:5 (or 2.4:2) odds instead of the usual 3:2. That single rule change boosts the casino’s edge to a whopping 1.5%. It is recommended that players steer clear of this game.
Lastly, there is a six-deck game disguised as a double-deck game. The dealer shuffles six decks but only deals two by hand. Players approaching the table see what appears to be a two-deck game, but it is not, and is disastrous to unwary card counters.
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