The goal of the game is to accumulate cards that total as close to 21 as possible without going over. The value of each card is either the number on the card, or 10 for face cards, or one or 11 for an ace. Both can turn the odds in blackjack in your favor.įirst, a quick primer on blackjack, the game is played using one or more 52-card decks. You can also make decisions based on information you gather as you play. Unlike in other casino games, as a blackjack player you can increase your bet in favorable situations. When it comes to the card game blackjack, however, there are some solid bits of mathematics that can help a player turn the tables on the gambling establishment. Unlike in other casino games, as a blackjack player you can increase your bet in favorable situations Although there are many books and websites that purport to teach you how to sidestep the odds of almost every casino game, many are misguided at best and rubbish at worst.
There are sound mathematical reasons for a casino’s winning ways. Let’s wonder a bit about the casino game of blackjack.Ī glance at the grandeur of a typical casino in, say, Las Vegas or Monte Carlo tells you that most people lose money when they gamble. The mathematical underpinnings of blackjack are both interesting and not immediately obvious.