Favorable and unfavorable games

I recently played in a casino that offered three different blackjack games. The first game was played with one deck of cards; you could double only on nine, ten, or eleven and not after splits; the dealer hit soft seventeen. The second game was played with two decks and no restrictions on doubling even after splits; you could resplit aces and the dealer stood on soft seventeen. The third game used six decks, offered late surrender, double after splits, resplit aces, and the dealer stood on soft seventeen. Which was most favorable?
Let's figure it out. Assuming you play perfect basic strategy, the house edge is zero in a single-deck game where the dealer stands on soft seventeen and doubling is allowed but not after splitting. That's our baseline. Table 5.4 shows the relative advantages and disadvantages of the most common rule variations.
Do the arithmetic and you'll find the single-deck game has a house edge of 0.3 percent. The six-deck game is a nearly identical 0.29 percent, but the two deck game is a slender 0.11 percent. Of course all three games are still negative expectation, but remember, these numbers are all significantly less than one percent. You're better off playing any one of these games than almost any other game in the casino, and that includes most video poker.
Bright Idea Everyone likes a smooth-flowing game, so it's a good idea to be prepared for a split or a double down. You might want to set aside chips equal to your original wager at the beginning of a hand. That way you won't be simultaneously trying to count chips and card numbers.