A favorite card game for many, blackjack can come in various forms. While the main aim of the game is to obtain a score of 21 or get as close as possible without going over, there are versions of the game that can be different.
One way in which casinos have been able to add an additional element to the game to keep players on their toes is to introduce versions that feature more than one deck of cards. This can have a huge impact on various aspects of the game being played, as players need to consider a number of different things if they are to maximize their winning potential.
What do additional decks of cards do to the house edge?
Unsurprisingly, the more cards that are available to use, the greater the house’s edge is. When playing a game with a single deck, players only have to worry about the cards that have not appeared and can try to determine the likelihood of what could be drawn next.
However, when playing with multiple decks, they need to consider the possibility of the same cards appearing once again when being drawn. This will ultimately have an impact on the strategies that they may want to use. This is why trying and playing blackjack variants that only use a single deck has always been highly recommended. Below is a table of the house edge and how much it increases the more decks that are added:
While the house edge does not climb significantly more when additional decks are added to the game, the jump is clear between a single-deck game and one that consists of two decks. The house obtains an increase of 0.30%, which is quite substantial.
Why do casinos add decks to blackjack?
It is not uncommon to find a casino offering live blackjack UK games with multiple decks being utilized, given the house edge that can be achieved in doing so. But why do they do this? Does this not make the game more unattractive and make players want to avoid them?
Casinos will use a variety of tactics, and not all of them are always the most obvious. While obtaining a higher house edge is an advantage in itself, operators will often include multiple decks to reduce the potential of cheating or using legitimate methods that are widely considered taboo. Counting cards is one of those practices, and the implementation of additional decks can make this technique harder to follow for players.
Of course, obtaining a profit is always at the forefront of the casino’s mind, and using more decks can allow this to be achieved. More hands can be played in a shorter period of time when multiple decks are being used, as they are not required to be shuffled in the shoe as often as a single-deck variant.
Do blackjack strategies need to be reconsidered when multiple decks are used?
Blackjack strategies have been used by casino players for as long as the game has existed, with each of these having been devised to maximize the win potential of each hand that is played.
However, now that there are variants of the game that contain more than one deck of cards, what may work for single-deck games will not always work for those that have multiple decks.
There are slight differences in regard to the values that should be hit or stood when received. They should analyze blackjack strategy charts and learn when they should hit, stand, double, or split their hands, as these can differ with each type of game that is played.
Know what to do at all times
It is necessary for players to have knowledge of what and when to play whenever they change from single-deck blackjack, into a game that contains several decks. While the house edge changes a bit, there are several things that may change. For example, in multi-deck games, there are numerous 10-value cards that can come out and sweep a player going over 21.
If they are not aware of this or if they use the wrong strategy that applies to another variant, it will most likely lead them to make an undesirable decision.
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