The Basics Of Casino Blackjack

 The Basics of Casino Blackjack

Blackjack is the most played table game at North American land-based casinos. It's also very popular online. Blackjack is a simple game that's easy to learn, gives players a good chance of beating 'the house', and allows players to create strategies that are as complex or simple as they want. Even though most people don't have any experience in casinos, they are familiar with the rules. They can now learn basic strategy and 'casino manners' so that they can sit down at a table with some chance of making at most a modest profit.

The popularity of blackjack was a slow rise. Since the beginning, the game was common in Nevada's casinos. The game became stable as other states such as New Jersey joined the casino gambling wagon. It was popular for most of 20th century. Although it was most popular among all table games by the 1970s, the real growth came from slot machines. This was encouraged by casinos because they could make more money from slots and also require less manpower. This was the point when there was almost a 50/50 split between table and slot games. Casino operators were hopeful that games like blackjack would soon disappear.

BLACKJACK BOOMS & BUSTS

But it didn't end up that way. Ken Uston, an Ivy League trained stockbroker and author of 'Million Dollar Blackjack', introduced card counting to the general public. This was the spark that lit the match, and his appearance on '60 Minutes TV' made it all happen. It was a time when more than 20 million people tuned in to 60 Minutes every week. His appearance made it seem like everyone suddenly believed they were card-counters. Although they could not open enough blackjack tables in order to meet demand, they were unable to decide if the game's popularity should be encouraged. They wanted to profit from the rising demand for blackjack, but they worried about the financial consequences of an army full of Ken Uston wannabes. They got the "army of wannabes" without any financial down side. They were able to use it to their advantage because for every competent card counter, there were hundreds who believed they could count cards.

Uston's hedonistic lifestyle in 1987 caught up to him and blackjack's popularity began to fall shortly thereafter. In the early 1990s, it was back at the level of popularity that it was before the boom. It was further marginalized by video poker, sports betting and slot machines. While it remains the most popular tablegame, it doesn't mean that it isn't as popular as before.

Finding a game that is friendly to players is the main challenge for land-based casino players. Traditional casinos would pay players 3 to 2 per 'blackjack'. In the early 2000s, some Las Vegas casinos began to lower the payout for blackjack games to 6 to 5. While there was outcry from experts in gambling when this happened, it wasn't significant for the tourists as they were not aware of it. More casinos reduced their blackjack payouts to 6-5, including all MGM properties on Las Vegas Strip. Although things are good in Downtown Las Vegas, it is better to play online blackjack for convenience and better rules.Blackjack Basics