Casinos have always paid less than true odds of winning a
wager. In Blackjack the house edge is 0.60% so if you play
perfect Blackjack Basic Strategy you will win 49.4% of your
hands. To make money long-term playing Blackjack, the sharp
bettor (ie. YOU ) must give himself an advantage. I’m not
talking about any elaborate strategy that promises to make
you rich overnight, rather a strategy to change the odds to
your favor.
If you belly up to a Blackjack table at your local, an
online RNG casino or even a Live Dealer Gaming casino you
will be berated by the sharps sitting at the tables because
you’ve taken too many cards, hit too many times. Why would
another player care if I hit on 16 when the dealer had less
than a 6 showing?
The reason why is that the sharp bettors are waiting for the
Ace and Face cards to be played. When the deck is rich with
high cards remaining to be played, this is when you have the
opportunity to move the odds in your favor. If a deck is
rich with Ace and 10 value cards, you’re more likely to be
dealt a blackjack – ergo an advantage!
What card counters ala the infamous MIT group http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bringing_Down_the_House_(book)
do is bet more when the odds favor the player ie. when more
Ace and Face cards remain to be played, and bet less when
the odds favor the house. They are therefore changing the
odds to their advantage and beating the house.
While you might not be ready to count cards, you can apply
these simple strategies to increase your odds and
consequently increase your payouts.
