Blackjack Rule Changes and Options - Positive and Negative Effects

Wednesday 30th June 2010

Where you choose to play online blackjack can make a huge difference in your expected wagering gains. Although the game of blackjack is offered at probably every online casino, not all games are the same. Casual online blackjack players are not usually aware of the changes in the rules or in the number of decks from one online casino to another, but these variations in rules and options can add up to make significant profits or losses. Playing at an online casino simply because you have an existing membership account can potentially be devastating to your expected blackjack returns.

A professional blackjack player will spend time seeking out the very best games if they truly want to become successful rather than just another punter. Determining where you can win the most money from a Blackjack game requires a level or experience and expertise, as there are a number of characteristics that separate one online casino to another. These factors make the task of choosing where to play blackjack difficult, in fact there are a number of players, if not most who feel completely bewildered without a guide.

In general, there are a relatively standard set of options or rules changes within most Blackjack games, these options have a significant effect of the potential return to a player. The table below lists the positive or negative consequences of common rule changes.

Positive Effects

Single deck: +.02%
Double down after splits: +.13%
Re-split aces: +.06%
Late surrender: +.06%
Early surrender: +.63%

Negative Effects

2 decks: -.32%
6 decks: -.51%
8 decks: -.53%
Dealer hits on soft 17: -.20%
No re-splitting: -.03%
No soft doubling: -.11%
Double on 10 or 11 only: -.25%

At a quick glance the changes in the return to player seems fairly minimal, however after a spending an hour at the Blackjack table these small differences or a several of these small differences combined can add up to a significant amount.