Developing a Decks-Based Blackjack Strategy

One thing players can count on when they play online blackjack is that every casino will use multiple decks. While the number can vary between 2 and 8, casinos use multiple decks to make it more difficult for players to count cards and cheat the game. That's why it is important for players to develop a decks-based blackjack strategy.

Why Casinos Use Multiple Decks

Casinos that use only one deck for online blackjack allow players to play with a much lower house edge. This ultimately ends up costing the casinos a great deal of money as more and more players win most of their hands. As players get to the end of the deck, they know which cards have already been burned, and they bet more aggressively to take full advantage of this knowledge. Casinos discovered that by using upwards of 2 decks, the house edge is restored, and players are forced to develop their own decks-based blackjack strategy.

Accounting for the Decks

Many card counting guides account for the use of multiple decks. Players are required add up the values for each card, using various techniques for keeping track of whether more low or high cards have already been played and how many are left in the deck. The more decks there are, the more difficult this is. Most systems, then, will require players to use multipliers to adjust the expected balance of the decks with the overall size of the decks.

The more decks there are in a game, the harder it is to keep track of what has been played. Most decks-based blackjack strategies are quite difficult to master, but it is possible to keep appropriate track of all the cards that have been played.