Blackjack Trends and News
Blackjack is a great game that has many variations to it. Casinos everyday are coming up with more rule changes to favor them or to attract new customers to the tables. Here are a few of the current trends and items of note from the world of blackjack gambling.
- Many more casinos are now offering the surrender rule. This means that under certain conditions, you can call the hand early and only lose half your bet. If used properly by a player, the surrender option can save you money on bad hands.
- Most casinos are now playing most of their blackjack tables with at least four decks of cards, with some variations playing up to eight. This means better odds for the casino, of course. But it also discourages any pro players from trying to count cards.
- Card shuffling is quite popular now. More and more casinos are doing random shuffles or shuffling after every hand now. This is to discourage card counters from trying to use their skill to win more often. If this trend continues, then card counting as a strategy may become completely obsolete.
- More casinos are now burning more than one card. To burn a card means that you discard it from the deck, without showing what the value of the card is to the players. This is another attempt to discourage card counters from trying to use their skill for profit. With each card that is burned, card counters have less to go on and will be less accurate in their betting.
- Blackjack variations are all the rage. With a simple twist or rule change, you can invent a completely new version of blackjack. Online casinos seem to especially be on the forefront of this movement. Some online sites have a long list of variations on the traditional game that offer something different for players who want a taste of something new.
- Although some casinos are offering $1 minimum bet tables to attract a new set of blackjack customers, many others are increasing the minimum bet. This is in an effort to make the tables more profitable. Many table games have been suffering because of the popularity of slot machines and poker. Games like blackjack, roulette and craps are not being played as much, but of course are still highly popular. Some casinos increase the minimum bet the later the hour gets, but overall most are just increasing the bet, period.
- Mid-deck entry is not being allowed at several casinos. This means that no new players are allowed to join a game (even if there are seats available) until the deck is shuffled. This is to discourage card counters who have been lurking and watching, waiting until the deck is favorable to join.
- More and more, dealers are hitting on a soft 17. This increases the odds in the casino’s favor, though it is not a huge amount. Lake Tahoe has always done this, and it seems that others are now following in those tracks.