4-8 Deck Blackjack Strategy

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12 members have voted

Wizard
Administrator

WizardofOdds – The wizard has some great strategy charts but only for 4-8 decks. If you need more customized charts then BlackjackInfo has a good strategy chart builder. HolyMolyCasinos.com – Offers a how to guide on the rules and how to play blackjack as well as other popular casino games. Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart. Very few players realise that basic strategy charts differ depending on the number of decks being played with and the specific rules of the blackjack table. Below you will see a basic strategy chart that is correct for 4-8 decks where the dealer stands on Soft 17. Here are a couple of rules to follow as part of strategy for blackjack using 4 to 8 decks: Do not play the insurance bet as it raises the house edge considerably. If a player cannot re-split a hand, the best option is to treat that hand as a hard total hand. We list below the tables for basic strategy for blackjack games using 4 to 8 decks. Don’t worry though, simply use the blackjack basic strategy rules for 4-8 decks as set out above, and you can still improve your odds of success. An Introduction To Card Counting Card counting is a very simple way to essentially remove the house edge and tilt the odds in your favour. As a Blackjack hand frequency is approximately 4.8% (see the table Two Card Hand Frequency), the payout of 1:1 will increase house edge by 2.3% and the payout of 6:5 - by 1.4%. The first rule (1:1) is only rarely found, while the second (6:5) can be found at some tables with a single deck blackjack game.

Thanks for this post from:

I was taking to a friend a few months ago and this topic came up. His point was “the ratio of the cards is the same in 1 deck vs 8 decks”. That is, off the top, 1 out of 13 cards is an Ace, etc, no matter the number of decks. Honestly I’ve had the same thought and didn’t have a great answer for him. I’ll read this and try to wrap my head around the math answer for why # decks affects house edge


That's true, the first card has a 1/13 of being any given rank. However, the second card has a 1/17 of being the same in single deck and 1/13.4 in an eight-deck game.
It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet.
ChumpChange
I keep looking all over the internet for these handy dandy Basic Strategy Cards. I just found a couple in your post. But I probably need more for 2 decks, 4 decks, 6 decks, not to mention the changes in strategy based on the true count for the 5 different deck strategies.
It does seem you do a lot more doubling down and splitting with one deck vs. 8 decks.
https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/calculator/
TinMan

I keep looking all over the internet for these handy dandy Basic Strategy Cards. I just found a couple in your post. But I probably need more for 2 decks, 4 decks, 6 decks, not to mention the changes in strategy based on the true count for the 5 different deck strategies.
It does seem you do a lot more doubling down and splitting with one deck vs. 8 decks.


Before my last Vegas trip, I printed out in color BS charts for 1,2,4-8 decks from WOO BS generator. Had versions with surrender and no surr. H17 and S17 for all but the single deck game. Laminated them double sided so each card has the surr and no surr charts. Total of 10 charts. Really handy. Obviously none of this captures true count adjustments just BS. I’d been meaning to do it for awhile.
If anyone gives you 10,000 to 1 on anything, you take it. If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I am going to be a very rich dude.
USpapergames

That is one of the essences of a well-designed casino game -- the player doesn't see where the house has the advantage. In blackjack and most poker games it is a player positional disadvantage. The idea to remove the 10's in Spanish 21 was also a good one.
I get asked from time to time by the other side about how to significantly increase the house edge, like by 1%, in blackjack without changing the 3-2 payoff, mandating a side bet, charging a commission on wins, nor change the deck composition in a way the average player won't notice. Nothing good has ever come to mind.


I couldn't agree more with you about having a house edge that isn't obvious to the players. Not to brag but I like to think my biggest accomplishment with my game 'Cards vs Dice' is the fact that it took you > 5 minutes to determine the game's house edge. There were a couple of minutes where I swear you were convinced there wasn't a house edge & that I had lost my mind lol.
Math is the only true form of knowledge
USpapergames


Second, it's always been my policy to teach to near the top. If you put everybody on the bell curve, I try to aim at the person about one standard deviation above average (meaning 84% are less intelligent and 16% are more). There are already plenty of advanced books for those 2 or 3 standard deviations above the norm and plenty of sources for those who need things simplified as much as possible. I aim for those in between.


I like this strategy. Might just have to borrow it for my 1st published book, whenever I get to complete it ;) So I'm assuming the target IQ level is 110-120 since you say 'aim at the person about one standard deviation' so I'm assuming 'about' means that they are almost or slightly above the 2nd standard deviation. I have trouble imagining this since I don't know my IQ to compare with. Your average human doesn't seem that intelligent to me but then again I don't care to teach the average person, but I also don't want only the brightest minds being able to contribute to my discussions since it could take forever to find someone that can contribute.

4 Deck To 8 Deck Blackjack Strategy


I like your solution but I find it hard for me to implement it, any suggestions on how to help? I know communication isn't my strong point but dumbing down my communication to its simplest form just doesn't seem to work either :/
Math is the only true form of knowledge
odiousgambit
reading on ...

... the reason the probability of getting the ace is higher in the single-deck game is the deck is richer in aces after you remove a 10 from it. The same is true if the first card is an ace; the remaining cards will be richer in tens in the single-deck game.
Furthermore, if the player does get a blackjack, the probability of the dealer’s getting one goes down as the number of decks goes down.

But isn't it just as likely that the dealer gets the first natural? I don't get how this applies until we know who gets the first .
Quote:

... The player wins an extra half unit with every winning blackjack.

this is well known, but is in effect without regard to who gets one first, so it doesn't seem like the entire answer.
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!” She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
Mental

But isn't it just as likely that the dealer gets the first natural? I don't get how this applies until we know who gets the first .
this is well known, but is in effect without regard to who gets one first, so it doesn't seem like the entire answer.


I am not clear about the point that you are making here.4 to 8 deck blackjack strategy
Consider a heads up game with a five-card deck composed of four tens and a single ace. Dealer and player will always stand because they will always have a 20 or BJ in the first two cards. Whenever dealer or player gets a BJ, they will get it first. There is only one BJ possible on each hand.
One fifth of the time, they will push with each having 20. 40% of the time, dealer will have BJ and 40% of the time, the player will have BJ. The player will win a full unit every five hands, on average.
Now take out a ten, and the player wins a full bet every 4 hands, on average.4-8 Deck Blackjack Strategy
odiousgambit

I am not clear about the point that you are making here.
Consider a heads up game with a five-card deck composed of four tens and a single ace. Dealer and player will always stand because they will always have a 20 or BJ in the first two cards. Whenever dealer or player gets a BJ, they will get it first. There is only one BJ possible on each hand.
One fifth of the time, they will push with each having 20. 40% of the time, dealer will have BJ and 40% of the time, the player will have BJ. The player will win a full unit every five hands, on average.
Now take out a ten, and the player wins a full bet every 4 hands, on average.

OK, thanks, I guess the point you are making is that in a game rich in tens and in which BJ is possible once, though equally likely to go to player or dealer, it is always good for the player and sometimes 'really good'?
Likewise fewer decks are good for the player, sometimes really good, and it averages out so you can make a statement about what the HE is for one deck, two, etc and compare them.

4-deck To 8-deck Blackjack Strategy


The Wizard can decide if he wants to try to clarify, it's not obvious what he means in this section
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!” She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
Mental

OK, thanks, I guess the point you are making is that in a game rich in tens and in which BJ is possible once, though equally likely to go to player or dealer, it is always good for the player and sometimes 'really good'?
Likewise fewer decks are good for the player, sometimes really good, and it averages out so you can make a statement about what the HE is for one deck, two, etc and compare them.


My point is this: In the case where the dealer gets the BJ, it does hurt the chances for the player to get BJ. In fact, it extinguishes any chance. I thought this might have been the point you were asking about.

4-8 Deck Blackjack Strategy


But, the reverse is true, as well. If the player gets a BJ, the dealer is shut out. In a 8-deck shoe game, the dealers chances of getting a BJ is hardly affected by me getting a BJ. In the four-card game, the probability goes from 100% to 0%. These correlation affects are always stronger the smaller the number of cards in play.
Wizard
Administrator

I couldn't agree more with you about having a house edge that isn't obvious to the players. Not to brag but I like to think my biggest accomplishment with my game 'Cards vs Dice' is the fact that it took you > 5 minutes to determine the game's house edge. There were a couple of minutes where I swear you were convinced there wasn't a house edge & that I had lost my mind lol.


4 To 8 Deck Blackjack Strategy

Yes, I recall that, but not the details. Was it a player positional disadvantage as well?
It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet.
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