Casino Blackjack
There are a number of variations of casino blackjack that you can play at online casinos. To a beginner with only a basic idea of blackjack, these variations may not have an effect as the money he loses by not playing strategically is more than what he loses on the houses’ edge. But these blackjack variations can mean an awful lot to the professional players as it will help them choose a better variation that will have a lower house edge, giving them a better chance of winning. The sooner you master these variations, the quicker you can win and the more you can win.
Most virtual gambling casinos use one to eight decks of cards when playing blackjack. It should be noted that the house edge increases when the deck of cards increase, thus decreasing your chances of winning. It is best that you choose a variation of blackjack that uses a fewer deck of cards.
Some of the blackjack variations let the dealer hit on a soft 17, where some others don’t. In this case, if the dealer has the option of hitting on a soft 17 then he is given the option to value the Ace at 1 to stay in the game. Thus the dealer has a higher edge if he is given the option of hitting on a soft 17. Therefore, it is important that you choose a game where the dealer stands on a soft 17.
In a number of blackjack games if the dealer’s second ‘hole’ card is dealt face down and his first face up card is an Ace or values 10 then he is allowed to take a peek at his hole card. Now, if he has received a blackjack, you will immediately lose even before playing the game and making a move. If you receive a blackjack as well then it is a tie. Some games don’t give the dealer a second card; these games are called No Hole Card games. In this game, the dealer is not able to peek at his cards to see if he received a blackjack or get tied with the player’s cards. This game gives the player a higher chance of winning thus reducing the house edge.
Some variations of blackjack impose certain restrictions on the players that obviously are a disadvantage to the players and increase the house casino odds. Others do not allow players to choose options such as splitting cards, doubling down or surrendering. All these can improve the house edge and give you a lesser chance of winning.
Choosing the best online blackjack gambling variation is not a simple task because most of the online casinos mix and match the rules so that it becomes more difficult for the player to win. Fortunately blackjack sites provide tables that quantify changes in house edges and blackjack players would do well to study these. The most important variations of blackjack are: Classic blackjack, Progressive blackjack, Blackjack switch, Double Exposure blackjack, European Blackjack, Spanish Blackjack and many more.
