Blackjack :
how quickly the odds change with an increase in decks.
Here is a simple demonstration about why it is important to
have as few a decks in use as possible:
For demonstration purposes,
we shall be using a deck that consists of only 3 cards. The three cards our
deck will have in it: Ace, Jack, and Deuce.
We begin play: you are dealt an
Ace. There are two cards remaining in the shoe, a Jack and a
Deuce. What are the odds of you getting dealt the jack for your second card,
giving you a blackjack? They are 1 out of 2: your chance of getting
dealt the Jack are 50%.
Next see the dramatic percentage change of getting a
blackjack with multiple decks in use.
Okay, now the game has added an
extra deck of cards. We now have 2 Aces, 2 Jacks, and 2 Deuces in our shoe.
I deal you an Ace, what are the
odds of you getting dealt a Jack to complete a blackjack? They are 2 (Jacks) out of
5 (deck has an Ace, and 2 Deuces that can ruin a chance for blackjack).
Your odds for hitting a blackjack have
dropped from a 1 in 2 chance when we were using a single deck. 50%
To a 2 in 5 chance of hitting a
blackjack. 40%
A considerable difference.
But that is only making the game into a double deck game. Many casinos,
most in fact, use a shoe with 6 decks, some as many as 8 or 9. You can
see why it is important to find a blackjack game that has as few decks in use as possible.
Blackjack: single deck
