Lynda Carter in her role as Wonder Woman subconsciously or maybe consciously became my "brunette standard." When I thought of a brunette that was not only beautiful, but intelligent, graceful, and the overall complete package, she was the first to come to mind. As I sat through a G2E seminar late in the afternoon daydreaming about the actress that played Wonder Woman in my adolescent years, I realized that standards are often overlooked when it comes to blackjack. With so many rules variations on the casino floors these days, a successful player really should have high standards. As I walked through the Venetian and the Palazzo casinos that night and the next, I couldn’t help but notice all the people playing the lousy six-deck games being offered. In case you didn’t know, these two casinos (which operate under one gaming license) reduced their player blackjack payouts earlier this year to the dreaded 6:5 on all of their blackjack tables that have less than a $50 table minimum. Why were these people playing these dreadful games? Some of the games were $25 table minimums. Shouldn’t they know better? Here’s the question I ask you dear reader: Will you play any game just because it’s offered and you are on-site? Maybe that’s what these people were doing. They were staying at the hotels and didn’t want to venture out. Las Vegas Strip casinos, and I’m sure those in other markets, count on this kind of thinking. (This also applies to video poker and even sports betting in some cases.)

Lynda Carter became my standard that all brunettes would be judged against and I have a standard in blackjack as well. Ultimately, it’s the original version of the single-deck game that Dr. Edward O. Thorp dissected and wrote about in his classic book, "Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One" (1966). Finding this game in today’s playing environment is akin to meeting Lynda Carter, so sometimes you have to make allowances to the reality of the situation. An example of this for me is accepting the "dealer hits soft 17" rule. This subtle rule change reduces the players expected return by 0.20% over time. In its infancy, I was able to avoid games with this rule (all other things being equal). However, it has become the industry standard in the United States. Unless you are playing high-limit rooms in Las Vegas or a few other markets, you’ll be hard pressed to avoid it.

What’s your standard? Have you even thought about it? Let’s look at a few common things you’ll find in most present-day blackjack games and perhaps together, we can help you develop your own standard of what blackjack game you’ll play and which you will shun. First, do you prefer double-deck or six-deck? The house edge increases with each subsequent deck added. A double-deck game increases the house edge against you 0.35%; a six-deck game adds 0.58%. We won’t discuss single-deck as there are 10 or less playable single-deck blackjack tables open in the city of Las Vegas as I write this. That’s probably more than in your venue. (If you want to know more about single-deck games, see my column in the August issue of BJI.) You may be restricted by the games offered in your local market and that’s fine. Just realize the percentage difference mentioned above. We have to start somewhere and develop your baseline or "standard."

Secondly, I suggest you only play games that allow you to double down after splitting. For example, suppose you are dealt a pair of eights against a dealer up-card of five. You immediately split the eights and are dealt a two or three; you now have a ten or eleven in this example. That’s a great opportunity and a hand you want to double-down on as well. The ability to double-down after splits (DAS) decreases the house edge by 0.13%. To repeat, DAS is a big one. Make it a "standard" if at all possible.