When to Exploit the Dealer’s Odds in Blackjack

As a blackjack enthusiast at our online casino South Africa, you are no doubt aware of the significance of the dealer’s up card.  It is, after all, central to the basic blackjack strategy… but did you know it can also be an early indication of odds that are skewed ever so slightly in your favour?

How the Dealer’s Up Card is Key to Decision Making

When you play blackjack online, there are essentially two ways to win.  You can hit a natural blackjack and get paid out at odds of 3:2.  Or you can beat the dealer and bank even money instead.  In the first scenario, it does not really matter what the dealer is showing, as the first two cards you are dealt are winners.

In the second scenario, however, the decisions you make determine whether you win or lose.  What do you base your decision making on?  Two factors:

• the cards in your hand and
• the dealer’s up card

When you have weighed both factors up together, you either hit, stand, double down or split.

Probability is the Guiding Light at the Online Casino South Africa

What informs your decision?  Again, there are two options.  The first is the probability of your cards beating the dealer’s.  The second is the probability of the dealer going bust.

If you play at Springbok Casino on a regular basis, you will know that probability and odds are different sides of the same coin.  Odds are basically a reflection of the probability of a particular outcome occurring.  The greater the odds, the less likely it is to occur.

When the odds are stacked against the dealer, it is time for you to exploit the situation.  The question is how do you know when the dealer has a slim chance of winning?

Here is a tip; Springbok Casino is not rated the best online casino South Africa simply because of our awesome casino games, superior customer support services and lucrative no deposit bonuses.  We are highly rated because we are always willing to share valuable information with our players… and this is one such occasion.

When the Odds are Stacked Against the Dealer in Blackjack

You may be interested to know that in blackjack, the dealer busts nearly a third of the time.  There are, however, instances when the dealer’s bust rate is even higher.  When is that?  Well, as we have already alluded to, the dealer’s up card is the clue.

When the dealer shows 2 through 6, the probability of the hand busting is as high as 42%.  That means there is a better than average chance that you will win the hand and get paid out at odds of 1:1, regardless of whether you hit, stand or – in the best-case scenario – double down!

Can the Dealer’s Up Card Cause Deviations in the Basic Split Strategy?

That is a quick synopsis of how poor dealer odds, as represented by 2 through 6 as the up card, can be exploited in the normal course of events.  How about the split and, in particular, split aces?  Are there occasions when the dealer’s up card should encourage you to deviate from the basic blackjack strategy?

The short answer is no.  The golden rule is to always split aces.  Why?  You have a 60% chance of winning when you split aces into two separate hands.  Having said that, the win probability does vary according to the dealer’s up card.

When the up card happens to be a ten-value card, the probability of winning obviously tumbles and to around 54%.  Again, that said, when the dealer shows 6 the statistic soars to a high of 67% – and that is player-positive by a long shot!

Now, what if the dealer is showing 6 and you have a pair of tens.  Do you split as you would with aces?  Again, the answer is no.  You would stand on 20 instead.  Why?  There is more than an 80% probability that your hand will win.   With that kind of win percentage, you really can’t go wrong playing blackjack online at Springbok Casino – the number one online casino South Africa!

Exploit the Dealer’s Weaknesses and Lower the House Edge

Right, you now know that there are occasions when the dealer has really long odds of winning.  These are the best times to strike.  If you play the hand the best way you can – and that means according to the basic blackjack strategy chart – you can lower the house edge.

What you may not know is blackjack, as a gaming category, has one of the lowest edges around.  When you play the classic version of Blackjack at Springbok online casino, for instance, the advantage to the house is just 0,54%.

What does that mean in layman’s terms?  For every R100 wagered on Blackjack at our top ranked online casino, only 54 cents is retained by the casino over time.  A whopping R99.46 is paid back to players as winnings.

Sign Up at Springbok Online Casino South Africa and Pursue One of the Best Bets of All!

Blackjack is, and always will be, one of the best bets at Springbok Casino – and one that all informed players just like you should pursue with unfettered enthusiasm!

What is more is that when you exploit the dealer when ‘it’ is at ‘its’ weakest – we are talking about casino software after all – you can maximise the payout rate.  At the end of the day, that could mean Springbok Casino does not have an advantage over you at all.  Wouldn’t that be a major bonus?