Bad Blackjack Games

The Daily Herald offers some tips on what to look for in a bad blackjack game. I personally jump in regardless of whether one person thinks its good or bad. I always rely on my gut feeling rather than anything else.

The first and most common factor these days is what does the dealer do on soft 17? She might have to hit, or she might have to stand. If she stands, that’s better for the player by a considerable, but not an enormous, amount. You can still play in “hit-soft-17″ games if you’re a solid player and other factors are good. But it would be worth playing at 30-40% higher stakes to get into a “stand-soft-17″ game, if one’s available where you’re playing.

By far, the most damaging rule you need to get away from is the “6-to-5 blackjack payoff.” This was the clever brainchild of some casino sharpies who figured they’d bring back single-deck blackjack to attract the players. So what’s the big deal if a $15 blackjack pays only $18 instead of $22.50? It’s still single deck. It’s gotta’ be a great game – right? Wrong! Most regular players have no idea how much this cripples their chances to win at the game. Let me spell it out for you.