How to Increase Your Odds and Reduce House Edge in Online Blackjack

Blackjack is a popular casino game, well known for its low house edge. In every bet, the house makes a small amount of money which goes towards meeting operating expenses. In simple words, the house edge is the amount of money a player expects to lose in a bet. All games have a varied house edge. In trying to tip the odds in their favour, experienced blackjack players came up with strategies that helped to reduce the house edge even further. Here are some of the strategies which can help you increase your bankroll massively.

Composition-Dependent Strategy

The composition strategy adds to basic blackjack strategies that compare the players’ hands to the dealer’s up-card. In this strategy, the player fine-tunes how they play their hand by considering individual cards instead of the total value of the cards they hold and how they can affect the game.

When using the basic strategy, one would hit a hand that totals 16 while the dealer’s hand equals 10. But in the composition strategy, and considering the same hand comprising 4, 5 and 7 cards, the player would stand because they hold low cards that could keep the dealer from busting. In addition, the deck contains more high cards. That means the dealer is more likely to bust.

Hand Interaction

Hand interaction only works in a physical casino. That is because it requires you to be close to the other player. Basically, you bet on another player’s hand, or they bet on your hand. A good example is when the player beside you receives 11 and lacks the confidence to double down. You would hand him your chips for him to place the bet, and in return, he would give you the winnings from the bet.

Counting the Cards

Counting cards is a bit complex, but it can help you win many blackjack games with enough practice. To implement it, you assign a +1 value to cards ranked between 2 and 6 and assign a -1 value to cards ranked between 10 and Ace. When any cards of the cards above are shown, add or subtract the assigned value.

If the total is a positive value, it means the deck has more high cards. Therefore the dealer is more likely to bust. Knowing this, you should increase your bet size.

Loss Rebate

Reputable casinos often have refund offers that run for a limited time. In most cases, they apply to high rollers. The casino offers to give back a small percentage of the players’ money on losing bets. Note that you have to discuss the terms and conditions of such offers with the casino.

Again, rebates work to your advantage up to a certain number of bets. Beyond that, you will be losing more than you gain. Therefore, you need to know when to quit.

Casino Comps and Bonuses

In a physical casino, the house gives free cards to players who check in regularly. You get points for how long you play and your average bet size. Accumulating enough points allows you to claim rewards or free betting chips.

Online casinos offer bonuses to new players for signing up. If you are lucky, you might receive a matching deposit on more than one deposit. Using bonus funds on games like blackjack can earn you lots of cash with little or no deposit.