Hit Soft 17 – Friend or Foe?

Mike Aponte — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:06:40 +0000

Most blackjack players are oblivious to whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17. The dealer stand on soft 17 rule has always been the standard, but a growing number of casinos now require the dealer to hit on soft 17 (hands like Ace, 6). Not only do most players fail to recognize the difference, some believe the hit soft 17 rule works in their favor since the dealer will bust more often. The dealer will bust more often, but the dealer also has the opportunity to improve on a weak total of 17. The reality is the dealer will improve his hand often enough that it will more than offset the increase in dealer busts. It’s not a good feeling when you have 20 and the dealer hits on a soft 17 and pulls 21 to wipe out the table.

Below are the dealer outcome probabilities for a 6-deck shoe for the stand soft 17 rule versus the hit soft 17 rule.*

18 19 20 21 Bust

Stand Soft 17 14.62% 14.04 18.85% 7.65% 29.60%

Hit Soft 17 14.82% 14.24 19.06% 7.86% 30.00%

As you can see, when the dealer hits soft 17 rule is in effect there is a greater probability the dealer will draw to 18, 19, 20, or 21. The net result of the hit soft 17 rule is that it adds .22% to the house edge. All else being equal your odds are better when the dealer stands on soft 17.

* Probabilities rounded to the nearest one hundredth of a percent. With the dealer stands on soft 17 rule, the probability of the dealer drawing to 17 is 15.25%. With the dealer hits soft 17 rule, the probability of the dealer drawing to a hard 17 is 14.02%.

6/5 Blackjack: Beware the Imposter

Mike Aponte — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:07:41 +0000

In recent years single-deck blackjack has made a comeback, or so it may seem.
Unfortunately, the single-deck game hasn’t been resurrected at all. Most single-deck offerings are mere imposters that pay only 6/5 on blackjack instead of 3/2. You aren’t quite as lucky on a 6/5 blackjack because you’re getting 20% less than what you rightfully deserve. This reduced payout on blackjack adds 1.39% to the house advantage which may not sound like much, but it is a staggering amount. You can make a strong argument that the 6/5 game is not really blackjack. It’s the sacrilegious equivalent of baseball moving the pitcher’s
rubber in to 50′ from it’s perfect 60′ 6” distance to home plate. There are some things that are not meant to be changed.

Who is it that plays 6/5 blackjack? It’s largely uninformed blackjack players, many of whom are tourists and simply don’t know any better. Many players are enticed by the lure of single-deck which everyone knows is better than multi-deck. But that’s only true if the house rules are fairly commensurate, and 6/5 blackjack throws that out the window. As if getting paid less than 3/2 on single-deck wasn’t bad enough, some casinos are now paying 6/5 on double-deck and even 6 & 8-deck games! I learned this the hard way. A few years ago when I was in Vegas I met a friend for a few beers at O’Sheas Casino . We sat down at a 8-deck table and I plunked down a $10 bet. On my fifth hand I got blackjack and the dealer paid me $12. I asked her, “Don’t I get $15 for my blackjack?” She pointed to the table’s sign and said, “Sweetie, blackjack pays 6/5 here.” I pulled my chips back and headed to the cage to cash out. Never did I think I would actually experience getting paid 6/5 on blackjack.

Since I played at O’Sheas, 6/5 blackjack has been spreading. Even within the the same casino, there can be a huge difference in the house edge, depending on which blackjack table you sit down at. On the Vegas Strip there are a host of casinos which offer both single-deck games which pay only 6/5 on blackjack, and 6-deck games that pay 3/2 and offer more favorable rules.
The 6-deck games with good rules have a house edge of .26%. On the other end of the spectrum, there are games on the Strip in which the house edge runs as high as 2.02% because of the 6/5 payout on blackjack. Talk about a wide range of prices. Playing against a 2.02% house edge is like buying gas from a station that charges more than $15.00 a gallon when the station right next door charges $2.00 a gallon.

As a general rule of thumb, if you come across a single-deck game, odds are the payout on blackjack is 6/5. And if you sit down at a double-deck, 6-deck, or 8-deck table, don’t automatically assume you’re going to get paid 3/2. I’ve made that mistake and I’m $3 the poorer for it. If you’re ever unsure, the payout for blackjack should be printed on the felt as well as the sign on the table. If the payout is not clear, just ask the dealer or a floor person how much blackjack pays. By never settling for less than 3/2 on blackjack, you not only save yourself money and get much more bang for your gambling dollar, you remind casinos that the 6/5 game is not really blackjack.

Mike Aponte » Game Selection

Hit Soft 17 – Friend or Foe?

6/5 Blackjack: Beware the Imposter