Odds Of Losing 6 Blackjack Hands In A Row
Blackjack Hand Calculator Introduction. This calculator will show you the best return for a blackjack hand. Select the rules and cards, then click the Calculate button. Odds of losing 6 blackjack hands in a row? So i did a little research and found out that the house advantage for blackjack is 8%. So the odds of losing any given blackjak hand is 58%. RTP shows what part of Odds Of Losing 10 Hands In A Row Blackjack bets a slot returns to players over a long term. Volatility has to do with the frequency and size of payouts. There Odds Of Losing 10 Hands In A Row Blackjack are slots that have small but frequent payouts and those that pay out rarely but generously. Which type of slots to. Online casinos Odds Of Losing 6 Blackjack Hands In A Row feature a Odds Of Losing 6 Blackjack Hands In A Row wide variety of payment methods that range from credit cards to e-wallet solutions. All of the above ranked sites have an excellent variety of safe and fast banking options that will let you get your money into and cashout of the sites. Ignoring ties the probability of a new loss for a hand of blackjack is 52.51%. So the probability of losing 8 in a row is.5251 8 = 1 in 173. I play 50 cent slots and higher.
Numbers Dont Lie
By Henry Tamburin
Dominator, who is my good friend and fellow blackjack instructor, will probably kill me when he reads this article. Hes always preaching to me that blackjack players 'dont want to know how the clock works, they just want to know what time it is, so dont bore them with a lot of numbers.' But Ive decided to risk life and limb and discuss some of the more important blackjack statistics in my column this month, because I believe it helps players better understand the fundamentals of winning blackjack strategies. Ive got to admit, however, that numbers are boring to most folks, so I crafted this article as a fun quiz (at least I hope you find it entertaining, as well as informative). So lets get going, and Dom, if you are reading this have mercy on me.
1.Ignoring ties, the percentage of hands that you can expect to win when you play blackjack is about:
a. 45 percent
b. 48 percent
c. 50 percent
Answer: b. When you ignore the 9 percent of the hands that tie, you can expect to win 48 percent of the hands dealt to you, and lose 52 percent. Notice that you will lose significantly more hands than you win. So how do you win money playing blackjack? For starters, the average amount of money that you win on the winning hands is slightly greater than a single betting unit because the latter are sometimes hands where you get a blackjack and are paid at 3-2, or you double down and win double the amount of your bet. Losing hands, on the other hand, often lose only a single betting unit. The result is that monetarily you will be close to, but not quite even when you play (this assumes that you use the basic playing strategy for all your hands). If you want to go a step further and win much more money on winning hands compared to the amount you will lose on losing hands, so that overall you show a gain, then youve got to learn card counting.
2.If you are dealt three consecutive hands, what is the chance that they will all lose, excluding ties?
a. 1 percent
b. 14 percent
c. 30 percent
Answer: b. You have about a 14 percent chance of losing three hands in a row when you play blackjack. Surprised? Most players probably guess 1 percent because they figure the chance of this happening is very low. Well it isnt, so dont panic and abandon the basic playing strategy when it happens.
3.How frequently does a player get a blackjack?
a. Once every 15 hands
b. Once every 21 hands
c. Once every 30 hands
Answer: b. The game is 21 and you can expect to get a blackjack once in every 21 hands. This brings me to the point why I harp that you should never play any blackjack game that pays 6-5, instead of 3-2, for a winning blackjack. Suppose you play two hours worth of blackjack on one of the heavily advertised, $10 minimum, 6-5 single deck games. Lets assume you are dealt 100 hands per hour, so over the course of two hours you played 200 hands of blackjack. Getting a blackjack once every 21 hands means that you should theoretically have gotten about 10 blackjacks. Sometimes youll get more blackjacks in two hours of play, sometimes less, but on average youll get 10. Each of those blackjack hands cost you $3 on a 6-5 game (the difference between getting paid 3-2 vs. 6-5, or $12 instead of $15, for your $10 wager). So you forked over $30 to the casino for the privilege of playing a single deck game (yeah, right). Save your money and avoid playing any 6-5 single deck games.
4.How frequently does a basic strategy player bust?
a. Once every six hands
b. Once every eight hands
c. Once every ten hands
Answer. a. A basic strategy player can expect to bust about 16 percent of the time or once every six hands. When a player busts, he always loses. Not so with the dealer (see next question).
5.How frequently does the dealer bust?
a. One time out of every seven hands
b. Two times out of every seven hands
c. Three times out of every seven hands.
Answer: b. The dealer busts about 28 percent of the time, or about two times out of every seven hands. Unlike a player bust, the dealer often wins when she busts, because players who act first and bust automatically lose (this is how the house has a built-in edge in blackjack). The 28 percent is an average over all possible dealer upcards. In fact, the dealer will bust significantly more times when she shows a 2-6 upcard (about 42 percent with a 5 or 6 upcard), and much less with a 7 through Ace upcard (with an Ace, its only 17 percent after checking for a natural). Because the dealers chance of busting is higher when she shows a small upcard, you should not risk busting a 12-16 stiff hand and should always stand (with two exceptions - its slightly better to hit a 12 against a dealers 2 or 3). However, when the dealer shows a strong upcard from 7 though Ace and has a much lower risk of busting, you should be more aggressive and hit your stiff hands until your hand totals 17 or more (even if it means you risk busting).
6.You can expect your initial two-card hand to be a hard 12-17 about:
a. 30 percent of the time
b. 35 per cent of the time
c. 43 percent of the time
Answer: c. About 43 percent of the time youll be holding a 12 through 17, and the only way you can win is if the dealer busts, or you improve your hand. So any time you hold a 12 through 17 its bad news and you should expect to lose. In fact, approximately 85 percent of your financial losses occur with these hands. The best you can do when you are holding a 12 through 17 is to play your hand optimally using the basic playing strategy to minimize your losses.
7.The dealer has an Ace upcard. What is the chance she has a 10 in the hole for blackjack?
a. 15 percent
b. 24 percent
c. 31 percent
Answer: c. The dealer will have a ten four times out of 13, or roughly 31 percent of the time. The remaining 9 out of 13, or 69 percent of the time, the dealer wont have a 10 in the hole. When you make the insurance bet, you are betting that the dealer has a ten in the hole when she shows an Ace. Assume you make a $10 insurance wager. Four times youll win $20 on the insurance bet (2 to 1 payoff odds) for a total win of $80. The other nine times you will lose $10 on your insurance bet for a total loss of $90. In other words, you lost more than you won. Therefore, its wise to never make the insurance bet.
8.The edge that card counters have over the casino is approximately:
a. 1 percent
b. 10 percent
c. 50 percent
Answer: a. Most players are surprised at the tiny one percent edge that card counters have over the house. Oftentimes, depending upon the game and the card counting system being used, the card counters edge is even less. With an edge this small, it means in the short run, luck will play a great role in the fortunes of a card counter, even though he will show a profit in the long-run.
So how did you do on the questions? It really doesnt matter how many you got right or wrong, but whether or not I motivated you to play better. And I hope I did.
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Henry Tamburin is the Lead Instructor in the Golden Touch™ Blackjack course (www.goldentouchblackjack.com) and editor of the Blackjack Insider newsletter. For a free 3-month subscription to his blackjack newsletter with full membership privileges, visit www.bjinsider.com/free.
Baccarat strategy is one of the easiest things to learn.
All you have to do to achieve perfect strategy is bet on the banker hand every time.
You can see this by looking at house edges for the three available baccarat bets:
Banker bet = 1.06% house edge
Player bet = 1.24%
Tie bet = 14.36% (w / 8 to 1 pay outs)
Again, you’ll literally play baccarat like a pro just by wagering on the banker over and over.
This is why it amazes me when people complicate baccarat strategy. I know people complicate the game because they’ve tried offering me terrible advice.
Odds Of Losing 6 Blackjack Hands In A Row One
I’ve played enough mini baccarat to have received plenty of bad advice. And here are 7 of the worst strategies that people have pushed on me.
Worst Piece of Baccarat Advice #1:Raise Your Bet when the Banker Keeps Losing
Multiple players have told me to bet big on the banker when the banker has lost several hands in a row. The reason why is because the banker is supposedly “due for a win.”
This line of thinking is steeped in logic, but it’s still misguided. I’ll start with the chances of each baccarat outcome happening:
- Banker hand wins = 45.85%
- Player hand wins = 44.62%
- Tie = 9.53%
The banker and player have roughly equal odds of winning.
Trend bettors may not know the exact statistics on the banker’s and player’s odds. But they know that each hand has around a 50 / 50 chance of winning.
And they think that the law of averages means the banker is more likely to win after several losses.
This makes sense in theory. But it also plays into the gambler’s fallacy, where one believes that they can predict future gambling results based on past outcomes.
In this case, pattern bettors think that the banker has better odds simply because they’re on a losing streak and will eventually win.
But the reality is that the odds don’t change just because the banker loses multiple hands. Instead, they stay exactly the same no matter if the banker is winning or losing.
Worst Piece of Baccarat Advice #2:Bet on the Player when the Banker Keeps Winning
A couple of players have offered me another version of the scenario described above. They advised to bet on the player when the banker continues winning.
As I covered above, trend bettors believe that past results can dictate future outcomes. The same thing applies in this scenario because one thinks that they player is due for a win.
We already discussed how the top baccarat bet is the banker hand. And we dispelled the myth that any hand is due for a win since the odds remain the same no matter what.
By taking the player in this situation, you’re merely lowering your chances of winning (1.24%). You need to stick with the banker bet if you want the best possible chance to win.
Of course, the whole reason for playing baccarat is to have fun.
And if switching between the player and banker bets is fun for you, then by all means keep doing it. I’ve read where this is a common practice.
You’re only giving up 0.18% in the house edge department when betting on the player over the banker.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that the player’s chances of winning are better just because their losing streak will eventually end.
Worst Piece of Baccarat Advice #3:Play No Commission Baccarat
Given that the banker hand has a slightly better chance of beating the player hand, casinos take a 5% commission from winning banker wagers.
This bet still offers a lower house edge (1.06%) even with the 5% commission taken out. But it mostly evens the odds up and helps the casino maintain a reasonable house advantage.
If you were to eliminate the commission altogether, though, you’d suddenly have an edge over the house.
This is why no commission baccarat is seems so attractive because it offers the illusion of improved odds. In fact, I had a player once tell me that the only reason he was playing at my table isbecause the no commission tables were full.
True to the name, commission free baccarat doesn’t take a commission from banker wins. Instead, it only pays 50% on any banker win where the banker has six points.
This seems like a harmless rule caveat that won’t hurt your chances too much. But it does have an impact because the banker beats the player with a six 5.39% of a time.
Any no commission baccarat with this rule features a 1.46% house edge on banker bets.
This means that the player hand is actually the most attractive in this situation. It also means that you’re better off playing at regular baccarat tables that take out 5% commissions.
Worst Piece of Baccarat Advice #4:Make Tie Bets when the Payoff is 9 to 1
One of the main baccarat tips is to avoid the tie bet because it has a 14.36% house edge. This makes it one of the worst wagers in all of gambling.
The tie bet normally pays 8 to 1 when you win. And this is when the house edge is 14.36%.
But some casinos offer a 9 to 1 payout on tie bets to make it more attractive.
One time I was at a baccarat table and somebody started talking about how everybody should make the tie wager because the payouts were 9 to 1. They further explained how the payouts are normally8 to 1.
While this much is true, their advice on how everybody should be betting on ties wasn’t great.
9 to 1 payouts lower the tie bet house edge from 14.36% to 4.84%. This is a significant drop, but it’s still now an attractive wager.
If big payouts are what you’re after, then you’re better off wagering 9x as much on a banker bet.
Yes, you’re risking more money to win a 1 to 1 payout. But you’re also facing a house edge that’s over 4x smaller.
Worst Piece of Baccarat Advice #5:Use the Martingale System
One of the most famous betting systems is the Martingale. And I’ve noticed plenty of baccarat players using this strategy over the years.
I once made the mistake of asking a Martingale user next to me if the system works for him. He then started lecturing me about how I should be using it too.
Originating in 18th century France, the Martingale sees you double your bet following every loss. You make the minimum bet as long as you’re winning.
The Martingale is commonly used on even money bets like baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette, where you have almost a 50% chance of winning every time.
The idea is that you can’t lose for too many times in a row when odds are this good. As long as everything goes according to plan, you always win back losses along with a small profit.
- You bet $10 and lose.
- Your next bet is $20; you again lose.
- Your third bet is $40; you win this time.
- You’ve earned back your losses along with a $10 profit.
- Now you return back to the base bet of $10.
You may have read before that no betting system can overcome the long term house edge. And this is certainly true.
But the Martingale is the only system that theoretically works. As long as you have infinite money and no table limits, then you’d win back your money plus small profits every time.
But the problem is that casinos limit maximum bets on tables. And long losing streaks happen, meaning you eventually won’t be able to double your next bet.
Odds Of Losing 6 Blackjack Hands In A Row 4
Let’s look at an example using a table with a $10 minimum bet and a $2,000 max:
- You bet $10 and lose.
- You bet $20 and lose.
- You bet $40 and lose.
- You bet $80 and lose.
- You bet $160 and lose.
- You bet $320 and lose.
- You bet $640 and lose.
- You bet $1,280 and lose.
At this point, you can only wager the $2,000 table maximum. Even if you win the ninth bet, you’ll have lost $560 overall.
The odds of losing 8 straight banker bets are very low. But it can happen.
And when you suffer through a lengthy losing streak, then all of your profits from previous Martingale successes are wiped out. I don’t suggest using this strategy, especially when you can’tabsorb the losses.
Worst Piece of Baccarat Advice #6:Count Cards to Gain an Advantage
A baccarat player sitting next to me once started discussing the viability of baccarat card counting. He theorized that players can gain an advantage over the house since baccarat is also dealtfrom a shoe.
The player wasn’t exactly giving me advice. But he did seem rather gung ho to start learning in the near future.
The truth is that they’re indeed right about baccarat giving you an edge over the house. However, the problem is that this edge is so small that it’s not even worth pursuing.
I’m talking an hourly profit worth pennies – and this is only if you keep an accurate count and spread your bets when necessary.
Noted gambling authors from Ed Thorp to James Grosjean have admonished baccarat card counting as a pointless pursuit.
Here are a few problems with counting in baccarat:
- Baccarat doesn’t have any cards that give the player or banker a huge advantage.
- Most blackjack players count in games with lower house edges than baccarat.
- Baccarat games are normally dealt from an 8 deck shoe, meaning you need a lot of deck penetration to win.
Maybe you’re interested in learning baccarat counting for fun so that you can gain a small edge or break even. But I suggest sitting back and enjoying the game instead because it already hasa low house edge.
Worst Piece of Baccarat Advice #7:Bet More when the Pit Boss is Around for More Comps
One more piece of bad baccarat advice that I’ve been given is to bet more when pit bosses are around. I’ve heard the same thing from fellow blackjack and roulette players.
The logic is that the pit boss will see you betting more and shower you with comps afterward.
This advice can occasionally work, making it semi reasonable. But it usually doesn’t work and leaves you stranded with bigger bets that you’d like.
- You’re betting $25 at a mini baccarat table.
- You see the pit boss making rounds and closing in on your table.
- You increase your bets to $150 to make the pit boss think you’re a big player.
- They stick around for five hands.
- You’ve now bet $750 over the course of five rounds.
- This is $625 more than you’d normally wager over five hands.
Again, keep in mind that the pit boss probably won’t be fooled. This is especially the case if they make a surprise trip by your table and see that you’re only wagering $25 per hand.
Even if the pit boss is prepared to rate you as a $150 per hand player, the dealer may tell on you.
In the end, you take far more risk by increasing your bets just to get a few more comps than you stand to gain. This is why I suggest that you avoid betting more than you’re comfortable with.