Factors of a Good Blackjack Game:
- Number of decks
- House Rules
- Degree of deck penetration
- Number of hands per hour
- The tolerance for bet spreads
- The heat from big bets.
Number of Decks
Single deck games are the easiest to beat but it is quite rare to find a casino dealing a single
game of blackjack anymore. If you find one, it will be easier to get a good count going but
there will be more scrutiny from the pit on any bet spreading. In general, the less decks the
better for the blackjack pro. So 4 decks is better than 6.
House Rules
Blackjack isn't played the same at all casinos. You want to find a blackjack game where the
house rules are :
- Dealer stands on soft 17.
- Player can double down on any two cards
- Player can double down after splitting a pair
- Player can surrender
When used properly, these options will give the blackjack professional a mathematical edge
over the casino. Try to find a game that has as many of these rules as possible. In fact, a
single deck game with the above 4 rules can be beaten using basic strategy alone.
Degree of deck penetration
Put simply, the greater the deck penetration the better. Deck penetration is the number of
decks you go through in a shoe before re-shuffling. So, having 6 deck shoe where you get 5
decks before shuffling is better than a 6 deck shoe and getting only 3 decks before shuffling.
In fact, it is better to get a 8 deck shoe and getting 6 decks before shuffling than a 6 deck
shoe and getting only 3 decks before shuffling.
Without the maths, the logic is simple. Your count will be more accurate the deeper you get,
so you want blackjack games where you are playing more often with more accurate
information. You want to get as deep as possible proportionally.
In practice, there will be casino policy but there is usually alot of deviation from dealer to
dealer. Some dealers will let the player cut and you should see if they are willing to tolerate a
deep cut.
Number of hands per hour
The number of hands you can play per hour affects your hourly rate. Simply, the more hands
per hour means more expected profit per hour. The most significant factor is number of
players on the table. Generally speaking, the more people the slower the game. Going
heads up against a dealer, you can easily do 200+ hands per hour.
While other people might slow down your hourly rate, it can sometimes be useful in
camouflaging your play. It is always useful when there is an aggressive bettor whose
average bet is already larger than your big spread bet.
Tolerance of bet spreads
You'll need to get a feel for this from experience. Eventually you will get a feel for how big a
bet spread a pit boss is willing to ignore. If you a choice between two casinos and one
tolerates a higher spread bet then go to the one that is more relaxed. Especially in the
modern blackjack environment of multiple decks, it is important to be able to make as a bet
spread as possible when the count gets good.
Heat on big bets.
As your bankroll grows, you will start moving up in the buy ins. You want to make sure the
casino is playing consistent rules for both big and small bets. Some casino's will actually
change the rules or have a consistent policy of shuffling earlier on their higher blackjack
tables. Casinos like these are more likely to keep a close eye on the higher blackjack tables
anyway.
You also want to start getting sensitive to the mood of the pit boss and when s/he is starting
to take an interest in you. Remember, "your playing blackjack against the dealer but your
playing poker against the pit".
