Blackjack - Where You Decide the House Edge

Gamblers head to the casinos in the thousands with ideas about how they are going to beat the House edge. If it were easy to beat the House edge, casinos would be out of business, since that is how they make their money.

However there are ways to minimize the House edge. In certain cases, it may be possible to tilt things in your favor.

Deciding the House Edge in Blackjack

The game that gamblers most commonly try to beat is blackjack. One way to decide the House edge in blackjack is to play basic strategy with the most favorable rules you can find. This will reduce the House edge to less than two percent.

However, it will not decide the House edge in the player’s favor. One of the few known ways to do that is through card counting.

Deciding the House Edge in Blackjack Through Card Counting

Hollywood has given a misguided impression about card counting, pointing to the idea that somehow there is a way to win every single bet when you play blackjack. In fact, it is nothing more than a way to tilt the odds slightly in your favor, so that you have more money at risk when you are more likely to win.

The main principle is to keep track of how rich the deck is in ten point cards. The more tens in the deck, the better it is for you. This makes it more likely that you will be dealt a hard hand that you will not have to hit and risk busting before the dealer does.

Problems With Card Counting

There are numerous problems with card counting. One is that you must follow the action and keep the count very quickly as the cards are dealt out. If you make a mistake, the counting will not work.

Another issue concerns the fact that the casino uses many decks to minimize the effects of counting. A third problem is that the casino has ways to recognize counters and will ask you to leave the casino if they catch you.

Online counting is not recommended because it is difficult, if not impossible to beat the random number generator that produces the cards. Your best bet is to reduce the House edge through basic strategy and favorable rules and leave the counting to the professionals.

Reducing the House Edge Online

There are better ways for you to reduce the house edge when you are playing online blackjack, other than counting cards. The first one is by playing towards a bonus. The bonus will be added to your account after clearing the wagering requirements, and thereby minimizing the house edge for the casino.

Another way is by playing tournaments. If you get to keep your winnings in the tournament and you place somewhere in the money, you have reduced the House Edge even more. Even though a first prize in a blackjack tournament won’t give your bankroll the same boost as a poker tournament win would, it will certainly be a welcome addition to your blackjack account.