developed optical devices for peeking at the down card are being installed on casino tables.

Ø  Dealer peeks on Ace – Normally, the dealer will peek at the down card when an ace is showing, as there is a good chance that a Blackjack exists. Some casinos do not check to prevent cheating.

Ø  Burn card before each round – Some Asian casinos discard one card before each round begins. This is not a good rule for card counters.

Ø  Dealer can draw only n cards – Some games limit the number of cards in the dealer’s hand.

Blackjack Bonuses

There exist many bonuses. Here I have listed common bonuses.

Ø  Suited AJ pays 2:1 – With this favorable option, an ace and a jack in the same suit pay 2:1 instead of the normal 3:2.

Ø  Ace, Jack of Hearts pays 2:1 – As it says, an ace, Jack of Hearts Blackjack pays 2:1 instead of 3:2.

Ø  777 pays 2:1 – In the highly unusual case that you receive three sevens, you get a few extra dollars.

Ø  777 pays 3:2 – Even lower bonus than above.

Ø  Suited 777 pays 10:1 – Three sevens of the same suit pays 10:1. Good luck!

Ø  Blackjack pays 2:1 – This extremely valuable bonus pays 2:1 on Blackjack instead of 3:2. Advantage is 2.25-2.32. Normally this bonus is paid only for brief periods in promotions. Getting a seat in such promotions is very difficult.

Ø  Five card 21 pays 2:1 – Five cards totaling 21 pays 2:1. Small gain, but keep it in mind.

Ø  Six card 21 pays 2:1 – Six cards totaling 21 pays 2:1. Even smaller gain.

Ø  No Blackjack bonus – Blackjack pays 1:1, not 3:2. This is a very painful option sometimes used to counteract options favorable to the player. Be careful, this option is highly disadvantageous to the player.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger