By Tali Haim
Every year, the gambling industry continues growing to accommodate more players and new games worldwide. Despite this growth, blackjack and poker are remaining among the most popular games on the betting market. However, while most players are accustomed to playing these games, there are several interesting facts that many players don’t know.
For poker enthusiasts, be sure to check out Party Poker, where you will find a guide to playing legal online poker. For blackjack players, here are some interesting blackjack facts that most players don’t know about despite playing thousands of hands in casinos and/or online.
The Slots Club Card Works At the Blackjack Table
Most gamblers do not realize that they can use their slots club card at the blackjack table. The player’s club card can generally be used at any table in the casino. The dealer approximates the amount you are placing your wager on and multiplies that by how many hands per hour you are playing on average to determine the rewards you are entitled to.
If you wish to obtain all the information for combining skilled blackjack play with casino comps to get an edge over the casino, just go through Max Rubin’s book Comp City. The book details how the casino figures out your average bet to calculate rewards and provides other excellent advice on how the casino comp system works. The book also gives the perfect strategies to minimize your losses.
Of course, not all casinos accept their slot club card at the blackjack tables. Some casinos will use a separate player card scheme to keep track of your play. In any case, when you sit at the table just ask if your slot club card can be used to be rated.
Blackjack is More Than Just One Game
From game to game or from table to table, blackjack rules might be similar. The game’s main aim is to obtain a score of 21 or a number close to 21 without going over.1)Of course, the real aim of the game is to beat the dealer. Standing on a stiff hand (such as 16) when the dealer shows a small card (such as a 5) is a good example of a basic strategy move that is correct and that will save you money. The cards have the same values from game to game, however, rules can add up to make some versions of blackjack an entirely different game.
For example, Spanish 21 uses a slightly different deck of cards where all the Tens have been removed. In Spanish 21 , a natural blackjack always pays 3 to 2 even if the dealer has a blackjack too. For the gamblers who have played blackjack for a long time, they understand the significant difference that one rule change is. A push happens more often in blackjack than most people think.2)For a typical shoe game, the basic strategy player will push about 8.7% of the time, however, the odds of both player and dealer having blackjack in a 6-deck game is about 1 in 461 or about 0.2%.
The House Edge in Blackjack, if you play with the Correct Strategy, is usually less than 1%
The house edge means the amount (a percentage) of each bet that the casino expects to keep in the long run over an infinite number of hands. Though the percentage may vary, all casinos aim to have a positive house edge or advantage. The only casino game to even come close to a possible negative house edge is video poker. If you are placing a wager of 100 dollars per hand, the casino expects to bag around one dollar in a game with a 1% house edge. The rule variations in place at the casino and at the table where you’re playing affect the house edge. Of course, if you don’t adhere to blackjack basic strategy you are giving the house a bigger house edge.
There is a Blackjack Hall of Fame
Like other games and sports, this game also has its own Blackjack Hall of Fame which honors the greatest blackjack experts, authors, and professional players in history. The idea originated in 2002, when a group of top professional players nominated 21 candidates for consideration. The final vote (after including input from the public on the Internet) took place at Max Rubin’s Blackjack Ball in January 2003.
Bottom Line
Blackjack is an engaging, player-friendly casino game that is easy to win with the right strategy, whether you’re playing online or with friends. Unfortunately, you can’t count cards online like in a physical game, although you can reduce the house edge using other strategies. One of those strategies is, of course, correct basic strategy and the other is taking advantage of promotional offers.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | Of course, the real aim of the game is to beat the dealer. Standing on a stiff hand (such as 16) when the dealer shows a small card (such as a 5) is a good example of a basic strategy move that is correct and that will save you money. |
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| ↑2 | For a typical shoe game, the basic strategy player will push about 8.7% of the time, however, the odds of both player and dealer having blackjack in a 6-deck game is about 1 in 461 or about 0.2%. |