Most of the blackjack players do not think much of how to deal blackjack cards, and why it is done the way, everyone knows and sees all the time. In fact, there is nothing behind it that could help to play blackjack efficiently. The efficiency of a game may be estimated and there are a few good blackjack books on that, written during the last century, mostly. A broader picture of blackjack theory is very interesting, and it has recorded a row of names, who never even try to go down to a shell game of some sort, on the contrary, they popularized a smart and thoughtful gambling life. In respect of one’s gambling efficacy, one should think of a couple of things that have been disclosed few decades already. Generally speaking, it is important to know one’s environment as well as one’s inventory.
As to the environment, there are, basically, two options, which may be found in any blackjack guide: playing online or playing in a casino. The latter variant looks classic and is rather more attractive, but it is more expensive as well. On the other hand, playing online has its own and, perhaps, less obvious disadvantages, too. One cannot usually find them among numerous blackjack tips scattered throughout the Internet, but it is enough to say that, for example, counting technique is almost useless, when tried online. The reason for that is an automated reloading of fresh decks of cards with every new round, which is virtually impossible in a live casino. However, the fact is that any video blackjack session follows the same rules as well, which is easy to explain.
At the same time, mental card counting system remains the only working variant that is capable to raise one’s chances to beat the house. It is well known that average probability of blackjack wins is around 5% for a fixed number of decks; and it is also known that the house edge increases proportionally to the number of decks in the game. One has to add to this the tradition of H17 or S17 and all conditions for doubling, and then the picture will get clear for really interesting gambling.
To wrap up the whole set, a player must have a good grasp of what they call basic strategy – a very cool and practical thing, which works exactly as times table for kids at the school. Now, when all chunks are ready, it is time to understand how to make use of them. The said basic strategy works like an indicator which helps to make one’s decision quickly on top the dealer’s and one’s own hands, while card counting functions well as a tuning control, which may alter or fix one’s decision made by means of basic strategy. In other words, there is no one rule for every possible hand combination in blackjack, but there are few proven rules how to that and under what conditions. It is not an always-winning system, but it helps a lot when playing one of the most profitable games of chance.