|
|
Cagliostro Inner circle 2478 Posts |
When I first started playing 21 professionally in 1962, single deck Blackjack was the only game available in Nevada, with the exception of an occasional and very rare face up double deck game. The rules were fantastic and the deck was dealt down to the last few cards as I mentioned in a few other posts herein.
Off the top of the deck, a player playing basic strategy in Las Vegas had an even up proposition or in some instance a slight edge depending upon the rules and options available which varied slightly from joint to joint. In fact, one could easily glimpse the bottom card of the deck on the cut and the burn card was usually just as easy to see. If the bottom card of the deck and the burn card were two small value cards, the edge for a professional card counter approached about 1 percent right off the top, before the first card was dealt. In those days the limit was $500.00 and with a one percent edge off the top, my first bet was half the limit, or $250.00. It my edge was one-half percent, my first bet was $125.00 off the top. Then I would vary my bets depending upon the edge as the deck depleted. Towards the bottom of the deck, the edge could be 10%, 20% or more, especially with end play. In the Reno/Tahoe area of Nevada, a player could only double down on 10 or 11, which gave the house a 0.5% edge off the top. Spotting the burn card or bottom card on the cut could easily overcome that small house edge and all I can say is it really was the “good old days” for card counters in Nevada at that time. The few of us that were professional players did extremely well to say the least. As time went on and more and more people attempted to count, the playing conditions became less and less favorable with early shuffles and the use of multiple deck games. However, there has been a change that has increased the odds against the player to a rather significant degree while giving the impression to the uninitiated that the game is more in their favor. The change is the increase in single deck games, many of which being dealt face up. This makes it easier for the players, especially amateurs, to keep track of the cards but which greatly increases the odds agasint the players. The single deck games pay 6-5 for Blackjack and in many instances, the player can only double down on 10 or 11 and there is no mid-game entry. So how does that stack up against the player? The disadvantage against the player on the 6-5 BJ payoff is approximately 1.4%. If we limit the double down to 10 or 11, that adds another approximate 0.5% against the player. What used to be an even up proposition for the player using basic strategy is now almost a 2% disadvantage off the top of the deck. That is considerably stronger than the approximate 0.5% disadvantage when playing the shoe dealt game. For the newbie or amateur card counter, it is just as bad. Using a simple +1, 0, -1 point count, one needs a true count of about plus 4 to be even with the house and about a plus 5 to have a one-half percent edge. Since the deck is usually dealt to about the half-way point nowadays, it hardly ever gets favorable and when it does the edge is small. I predict this single deck form of BJ will become more and more prevalent, and even worse, the 6-5 payoff and double down restrictions may even be applied to the multiple deck games. What used to be the best casino game offered may now become one of the worst. Ah yes, the good old days. |
Tony45 Veteran user 384 Posts |
Its disgusting to say the least. 6-5 on bjs, hit soft 17, 10-11 only double, no double after splits, 1 player- 5 rounds only, 2 players-4 rounds. etc.
And the thing that amazes me beyond belief is these people still play the game ! Now most places on the strip hit soft 17 and 1 split only on aces on shoe games. its only a matter of time before the game is totally ruined anyway. But I have come to a conclusion : The places would rather make the money off rooms and food and beverage and shows and shops, I really am starting to feel they don't care about the gambling outside of the big rooms. Welcome to corporate America and its only going to get worse. |
Cagliostro Inner circle 2478 Posts |
You’re right, Tony. I did not want to get too deeply into percentages because my brief analysis was sufficient for the post. However, the percentages are even higher when you take into consideration the dealer hitting soft 17, restrictions on doubling after splits, restrictions on re-splitting pairs, etc. The amazing thing is the joints can offer more and more of these games with bad rules because the public keeps playing them and increasing the house’s bottom line.
In the mid-sixties, the joints changed the rules on BJ because they were afraid counters were beating them. The public subsequently avoided the games, business fell off and the casino operator had to go back to the old favorable rules. It seems like people know even less nowadays about the game because they are not boycotting these new bad rules games. Nothing surprises me anymore. |
splice Inner circle Canada 1246 Posts |
I've heard that there are some pits with "booth babes" as dealers. At least you get to look at juggies while the 6:5 slaps you around (if you're not playing +EV with some advantage).
|
jfquackenbush Special user Out here on the desert 607 Posts |
I've seen double deck games on reservations that pay 3-2. I had a chance to talk to the CEO of the Yaqui casino group a while back, and he told me that when he was first getting into the business as a lawyer, it surprised him how rarely casino managers thinking about putting in a new table game actually ran the numbers for the game before they bought it. Apparently there's a lot of word of mouth and anecdotal salesmanship that goes on. It goes along way to make me think that there are still edges out there to be found against the house for those that are willing to look. But man that looking has got to be tedious.
Mr. Quackenbush believes that there is no such thing as a good magic trick.
|
gadfly3d Special user 963 Posts |
I am constantly amazed by the management who don't really understand the games at all. I had one floor manager tell me that he did not like blackjack with the side bets because it just gave the players another chance to win.
|
NFS Regular user 186 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-05-22 10:42, gadfly3d wrote: In many cases, this is completely true.
"A gambler without a system is as a ship without a compass."
|
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
I would go out on a limb and say it nowhere near true.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
NFS Regular user 186 Posts |
The lucky ladies side-bet (some in AC and a similar version in Reno) can fetch a 1% edge with a HiLo TC of +5, and an additional 8% for every TC +1 thereafter.
Just side-counting the queens should be obvious as to how you can gain an advantage. Crunch the numbers and figure out what counts you'll need to get the advantage.
"A gambler without a system is as a ship without a compass."
|
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
You don't think the casino already did that?
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
NFS Regular user 186 Posts |
All of what the casinos care about is if the game (or sidebet, whatever it may be) brings in enough net revenue, which my example, the lucky ladies bet, certainy does (otherwise they wouldn't continue to offer it). In no way does this mean it isn't beatable, because it is (though note that many LL payout variants aren't beatable). Recall that blackjack, a beatable game, is the casino's #2 souce of revenue (right behind slots).
Jfquackenbush is absolutely correct that many of the guys running the business are ignorant about the games they offer. I don't play much yet I have seen a handful of times pitbosses need to look at the layout in order to remember what the payouts are for the carinval games, and once for a BJ sidebet. Casinos even ban people from playing craps. The stupidity in this business is rampant, but that's beside the point. Quote:
On 2012-05-16 20:42, jfquackenbush wrote: This is absolutely correct. I was told by someone in the Blackjack Hall of Fame that it's just as easy to make money from casinos playing BJ today as it was 30 years ago. You just have to be willing to travel to find the loose games and be able to adapt and crunch numbers - much more than before. The percentage of good BJ games has decreased over the years, but the overall number of BJ games nationwide has exploded. These factors balance out and some would agree that playing table games in general is more profitable than before. New games are popping up all the time (much more frequently than in the past) and for the most part, the houses running the games don't know enough about it.
"A gambler without a system is as a ship without a compass."
|
Tony45 Veteran user 384 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-05-22 11:13, NFS wrote: If a floorman told you this, he was blowing smoke at you because he was bored. He might have been retarded also, that's always a possibility in this business, lol. |
NFS Regular user 186 Posts |
It's entirely likely that he doesn't know any better, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.
"A gambler without a system is as a ship without a compass."
|
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The Gambling Spot » » The "New" Single Deck Blackjack (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |