As with any casino game the reduction of the house edge is crucial to achieving a high house average. Any player who understands this strategy will always be ahead of the house. Money management is one of the most overlooked concepts by the majority of players. Even so, it is an extremely important concept and the foundation on which the house based math and strategy is built upon. There are several articles on the subject, but not many which offer much in the way of detailed mathematical facts and explanations.
The foundation upon which the casino math and strategy is founded is the number of hands the player will typically be dealt during any given session. ranging from one to sixty five per hour. If half of the deck is used, this means that the player will be dealt fifty one hands per hour. The doubling of bets is then done based on the probability of hitting a particular hand, which is applicable in the real world because of the decks used in blackjack. Determining how often a particular player will be dealt a particular hand is relatively easy. In blackjack, the expected number of hands is around forty so that there are 4.2 per hour. In addition, the house will pay out forty percent of the pot per hand, which is not the same as payout per hand in other table games.
The casino tables have a house dealer. The Dewacasino is not technically part of the blackjack team, but is paid a hourly wage for her work. She collects the money in the cup holders in the center of the table and pays the dealers and boxmen. The casino company, which is usually owned by a prince or a business group also owns the floor and employs the dealers. Each table has a total of eight players at a time.
The short term disadvantage to the player is that the table will not be completely random because the deck is shuffled after each hand. (Important note: this is the AKA, or a mistake of the deck, not random in the true sense.. Everyone has noticed that the deck is picked at random, but we will ignore that fact here.) Since the deck is shuffled, the possibility of cards being dealt to the wrong player is more likely. This favors the professional gamblers.
The professional gambler advantage is not great after the turn and the river, but it begins to narrow significantly after the third to fourthDealer makes a mistakeand the flat bet begins to increase. After the river, the advantage begins to favor the professional gambler because the player has likely seen his wager and he is no longer gambling on just a hunch. Also, there may be players still in the hand who aren’t hitting as hard as the turn card might have indicated. The round is over and the professional gambler has taken a large bite of the cake.
However, the professional gambler disadvantage begins after the river card because now he must play all the hands. That additional bet must be made with an eye toward the possibility that the next hand could be different. Let’s say that the river card should have been an ace. Most players are going to bet close to the original bet, so they are not going to get any value out of the extra card. Also if the cards should have paired up, now the professional gambler has to bet against a potential low.
As you can see, the danger is in the idea of playing after the river when you are not completely sure of the next hand. In the end it all comes down to the cards and your ability to read them. If you are an expert card counter you may be able to play this move safe. If you are not, you could be in big trouble.