When most newbies read about blackjack online, they quickly learn that it is one of the most lucrative games to play. It has a low house edge which means theoretically, players have better chances of winning. At the same time, there are loads and loads of strategies to choose from which are all premised on the notion of enhancing one’s chances of winning.
While this is the case, when players start playing, more often than not, the dealer wins. This raises the question, of why does the dealer have an advantage in blackjack.
There isn’t one universal answer to the question, why does the dealer have an advantage in blackjack? Rather, there are several reasons which combine to help explain why this is the case. Below, we are going to explore and explain all these reasons.
Reasons Why does Dealer Have an Advantage in Blackjack
- House Designed to Win: Starting with the obvious, the house (casino) derives its revenue from casino games. As such, the games they offer theoretically speaking are skewed in favour of the house in terms of payouts. Over the long run, the house will always win so as to recoup all operating expenses as well as guarantee profits for the owners.
- Statistically, not many rely on the basic blackjack strategy: Moving from the obvious to the less obvious, the low house edge in blackjack only applies to those who use the basic blackjack strategy. The unfortunate thing for many players is that they don’t use this strategy. The few who use the strategy often deviate from its main tenets during gameplay.
Others simply derive more joy from using other blackjack strategies which promise more rewards. Once one deviates from the basic blackjack strategy, the house edge is automatically altered and often, this happens in favour of the house hence the reason the dealer has an advantage in blackjack.
- Taking Side Bets or Insurance: Often, most blackjack players are lured by the appeal of side bets and insurance bets. These side bets often come with great odds which many players view as a guarantee of increasing their potential winnings. Unfortunately, side bets by design (as casinos want to win more from games) lose more than they win. This, therefore, gives the dealer who doesn’t engage in side bets an advantage.
Psychological Factors: Blackjack is much loved by most players owing to the fact that it’s a skill-based games. To excel when playing the game, players need to devote much time to learning all about the playing strategies, tips and tricks. Many blackjack players actually do this but the problem they face is that they only engage in playing blackjack after other pressing commitments such as work. With the mind already stressed with work or family stuff, they find it difficult to concentrate that much during the gaming session. The dealer on the other hand will be at his or her workplace and the concentration levels will be very high. This therefore inadvertently gives the dealer an advantage.