There are many conditions in blackjack that make a game more or less profitable for card counting. Two of the most important conditions are the blackjack rules of the table and what is referred to by card counters as the dealer penetration. When counting cards you’re looking for the best combination of the two in order to maximize the expected value of your play.

Let’s start by defining what we mean when we talk about “good blackjack rules” and “good dealer penetration”. I will then go through a quick analysis of which condition is more important in maximizing your profit potential. As always, my main focus in blackjack is increasing profits.

Good Blackjack Rules:

H17 or S17 – This refers to the dealer hitting or standing on Soft 17. We prefer the dealer to stand.

DAS – This refers to a player’s ability to double after splitting. If you split your 8’s and get a 3 to make 11, you want to be able to double down on the 11.

RSA – This refers to the player’s ability to resplit aces after an initial splitting of aces. If you split a pair of aces and get a third ace, you want to be able to split that into a third hand.

LS – This refers to a player’s ability to surrender. Surrendering allows you to forfeit your hand and get half of your bet back without playing out the hand. This is commonly used when on a player’s 16 versus a dealer showing a 10.

These are the main blackjack rule variations you will encounter, but it’s certainly not all of them. We’re going to assume you’re getting the full 3:2 payment on blackjack and you can double any two initial cards dealt.

Preferred Rules: To get the best of these rules, you want the dealer standing on Soft 17 and you want to have the DAS, RSA and LS options available to you.

Good Dealer Penetration:

“Dealer penetration” is blackjack terminology used for describing how deep a dealer will deal into a deck (or multiple decks) before reshuffling. This is a critical concept in card counting. Penetration is determined by where the dealer places the cut card and it varies from casino to casino. A deeply placed cut card will show you a higher percentage of the cards in a shoe, therefore giving you more information to work with when tracking the count. It also causes high counts to occur more frequently and last longer. For basic strategy players, penetration really doesn’t matter. For card counters, the deeper the penetration, the more profitable the game will be.

Preferred Penetration: Typically a 6-deck game that deals 4 out of 6 decks is considered to have “poor penetration”. Dealing 4.5 decks out of 6 before shuffling would be “average penetration”. A casino that shows 5 full decks out of 6 before hitting the shuffle card has “good penetration”.

Therefore if Casino A is dealing 4 out of 6 decks before shuffling and Casino B is dealing 5 out of 6 decks before shuffling, Casino B is going to be a much more profitable game for card counting assuming the rules of the tables are similar.

Greater Impact: Rules or Penetration?

Often the choice comes down to this… Do you go play at a casino that has all the best rules but poor penetration, or do you go for unfavorable rules with good penetration? Although you want the best of both, what if you have to decide between the two? Let’s take a closer look at the relative performance under different rules and penetration levels.

Here we see the relative profitability of three different sets of rules at four different depths of penetration. For this example I’ve kept the parameters simple and consistent. I’m using a 6-deck game with a Hi-Lo card counting system, 70 hands played per hour, 4 players at the table and an optimal betting ramp from 1-10 units with no back counting or backing out of negative counts. Manipulating any of these parameters will obviously change the chart somewhat. This chart would also look different if we analyzed a single deck, double deck or 8-deck game instead of this 6-deck game.

Conclusion: You can see that if you have terrible rules on a game, you better have good dealer penetration if you want to make money. If you have great rules you can be a little more forgiving when it comes to the shuffle point. Then there’s the middle ground of semi-decent rules and average penetration. The lesson to be learned here is that to be a successful card counter you really need to know how to analyze the quality of a game. There are also many other blackjack conditions to consider such as the level of casino heat you will get at different betting levels with different betting ramps. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to cover some of these other issues in a future post. For now I hope this helps to clarify the decision between good rules and good penetration. Now go hit the tables and make some money!

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately from casual blackjack players that don’t want to learn how to count cards, but just want some simple tips for increasing their chances of winning at blackjack. I’ve decided to post a list of blackjack tips for average players, but I must give fair warning that these tips will not swing the odds in your favor. That requires learning about card counting. However, these tips will increase your chances of hanging onto your money a little longer and maybe even catching a lucky run.

Please Note: These blackjack tips do not always apply to card counters. If you’re using good card counting strategies, then you should know the appropriate times to go against these tips.

So you’re not Rain Man (1988 movie), but you would still like to improve your chances of winning at blackjack? Here are 17 great blackjack tips for players that are not counting cards.

Beginner Blackjack Tips

Tip #1 - Learn correct basic strategy! Nothing is more important for beginners. (View Basic Strategy Charts for help)

Tip #2 - Never play a game that pays 6:5 on blackjack. Always stick to games that pay the full 3:2. An 8-deck game paying the full 3:2 on blackjack is far better than a single deck blackjack game paying only 6:5.

Tip #3 - Less decks is better than more decks. Just remember, this is only true if the rules are consistent over both games. Therefore if a casino’s double deck game has the exact same rules as their 6-deck game, the double deck game has better player odds.

Tip #4 - Try to find the best table rules you can. Ideally you want the dealer to stand on “Soft 17″. If you’re playing a 6-deck or 8-deck game, play where you can surrender.

Tip #5 - Never use the dangerous Martingale Betting System that requires you to double the size of your bet when you lose. Believe it or not, you can (and will) lose an incredible number of hands in a row at some point. You may survive for a while using the Martingale, but when that losing streak hits, you will lose everything you previously made and a lot more.

Tip #6 - Playing at lower stakes doesn’t necessarily mean you will lose less over time. If you’re playing $20 per hand on a 6:5 paying table, you may be at a large 2% disadvantage causing an expectation of a 40¢ loss per hand. If you’re playing a game like the high limit 6-deck at Aria Casino in Las Vegas, you’re only at a .26% disadvantage. That’s an expected loss of just 26¢ per $100 bet. Notice that the $20 bet will lose more than the $100 bet over time.

Tip #7 - Don’t take insurance! It doesn’t matter how much you bet or what your hand is, insurance is a bad bet! Only 4 out of 13 possible cards will give the dealer a blackjack under the ace. That’s a 30.8% chance of blackjack. If you are only getting paid 2:1 on an insurance bet, that’s a losing bet. If you’re an advanced player using a card counting system, then insurance is a great option in certain situations.

Tip #8 - A dealer showing a 5 or 6 is more likely to make a hand than bust. Don’t go crazy doubling your 7 or less just because the dealer’s showing a 5 or 6. You may get a small card and want to take another hit. Remember, the dealer will make a hand in this situation more times than not.

Tip #9 - Never stand on your “Soft 17″. This hand cannot bust by taking a hit and can only push against a dealer’s 17 if you stand. This is always either a hit or a double.

Tip #10 - The dealer doesn’t control whether you win or lose. Even if you’re frustrated with how things are going, don’t be rude! Believe it or not, the dealers actually want you to win so they can hopefully make some tips and avoid listening to players moan and groan.

Tip #11 - Don’t make bets or playing decisions based on emotions or gut feelings. Know ahead of time what you will be betting and how you will play your hands.

Tip #12 - Make the correct play regardless of your bet size. Just because your biggest bet of the day is on the table doesn’t mean you should suddenly stand on a 14 versus the dealer’s 10 to avoid busting. Play the hand, not the money.

Tip #13 - If you’re playing for comps, sit at a full table. This will slow the game down considerably and allow you to play longer without risking a lot.

Tip #14 - Don’t overuse the surrendering option. Only surrender a 16 versus a dealer’s 9, 10 or Ace, and a 15 versus a dealer’s 10. This is assuming you’re playing a multi-deck game and not counting cards. If you are card counting, then hopefully you know all the correct surrender plays to maximize the potential of this great player option.

Tip #15 - Never double 4,4. This is only a hit unless you’re facing a 5 or 6, then it’s a split. For some strange reason players that would never double a 3,5 or 2,6 suddenly want to double a 4,4. Don’t do it!

* The only exception to this rule is on a single deck game where you cannot double after splitting. Only then would you double 4,4 versus a dealer’s 5 or 6. Keep in mind, most of you will not be playing a game like this.

Tip #16 - Whether the table has been winning or losing doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not it will continue to win or lose.

Tip #17 - Never go all-in. Always leave yourself enough money to double or split your hand. There aren’t many scenarios more painful in blackjack than getting dealt two aces, not having enough money to split, then hitting for two facecards and busting. Ouch!