Tournament Blackjack

One of the most popular casino gambling games is blackjack and it is interesting to note that this particular card game can be played optimally giving the player an edge over casino advantage.

Card counting is a very basic strategy that can be employed by players wishing to make a winning. The advantages of the card counting tactics are obvious. It allows the gambler to place larger bets when he has the advantage or to use the information about remaining cards. For example, if there are more aces and tens left in the deck, a player can hope to hit a blackjack whereas if many tens are remaining he can double down and improve his hand. Since it is not possible to remember all the cards which have been played and which remains to be played, the strategy of card counting becomes simpler when a point system is used. This allows the player, with serious intentions of winning the blackjack game, to keep a tab on the point count as the dealer plays out the cards and thereby calculate how to use the information to his best advantage during play.

With blackjack rules varying from casino to casino, house edge is practically nil in some single deck games and less than 1% in multi-deck games. As a matter of fact a smart gambler can raise his advantage over the house ranging from 0 to 2% depending how competently he employs card counting. This canceling out of house edge has prompted many casinos to use multiple decks in blackjack.

As to the legality of this strategy, card counting in most US jurisdiction is not considered cheating as long as the player does not use electronic or other counting devices to do so. However, casinos reserve the discretion and right to ban a player and often the card counting strategy has been used as a justification in making such a decision.