There is something exciting about a gaming casino. The sights and sounds of the action on the floor can be mesmerizing. After entering the first sound heard is the continual ringing of the slot machines that ring the floor where the table games are laid out. Novices play the slots, but the table games are where the serious gamblers play. There is a cacophony of sounds arising from all of the tables except for blackjack, where there is only the muted calling of the cards by the dealer. Many professional gamblers choose to play live blackjack because it is more a game of skill than many other games-of-chance.
Unlike roulette, where the odds are as high as 35:1 on the numbers, in blackjack you only win what you risk. A ten dollar bet will win you ten dollars if you beat the house. Live blackjack is a game of skill, of understanding the game. Play your cards properly in blackjack and you will often win. The element of chance is because the player cannot control where the cards are in the deck.
In live blackjack, the players are against the house. In most casinos a dealer for the house slides cards from a “shoe,” a box-tray that dispenses cards one at a time. The players’ cards are dealt face-up, but the dealer has a hole card. No one can touch the cards but the dealer.
The object of blackjack is to try to get as close to twenty-one points as possible without going over. The players with higher totals than the dealer win an amount equal to their bet, those with lower totals lose. A play may call for a “hit” if his cards total fewer than twenty-one. The player may also opt to stand pat, gambling that the dealer will “go bust,” or amass a total less than theirs.
Additional rules that lower the odds for the house include that the dealer must hit his hand if the total is sixteen or less, raising the odds that he will go over twenty-one. Overall, the odds for the house are about one percent, enough to assure the game is profitable for them. With a professional player who knows the strategy of the game, the odds for the house are reduced to about a half of one percent. Still a profitable deal for the house, but a much lower edge than any other game on the floor.
A lot of press has been given to “counting cards” in blackjack. This requires a good memory and the knowledge of how many decks are in the shoe. A player attempts to remember how many face cards and aces have been played so they can calculate the odds on whether to take a hit or whether the dealer will go bust. Card counting by itself is no crime, but sometimes teams of players will try to manipulate the game. Professional card counters and player teams are banned from casinos and their pictures and data are circulated in the casino world.
Live blackjack is the most popular game in any casino. The game itself is very exciting, fast paces and easy to understand. This is what makes it appealing to the both the amateur and professional player.
Tags: Live BlackJack
