Is Blackjack Profitable

She was an unusual dealer at the El Cortez.
She even mentioned when I doubled down soft 17 against a 3 that I was making the right strategy move, multiple decks you hit.
I play with the printed wiz's strategy 1 deck sheet :-)

The 'In-Between' Split System: 1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting System. Seemingly complicated, the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting strategy is actually much simpler than it looks at first glance. After deciding on the betting unit, the players will just need to make sure that the system is executed correctly, in accordance with the 1-3-2-6 sequence. Back when I used to play blackjack for a living in 1998 to 2002 in the UK, it was vital to be able to spot a profitable game. Unfortunately what made the situation so difficult in the UK wasn't that the gaming staff were so clued up and spotted you but in the few available games there were to choose from. Blackjack has become one of the hottest casino games in the world. It is loved by consumers around the world because it is competitive, fun, exciting, and potentially profitable.

I play with the printed wiz's strategy 1 deck sheet :-)

I was thinking about this earlier today: If there were a bunch of under-rolled competent card counters, would they (as a whole) make a profit (even if over betting their personal BR)? Not talking about a bunch of CC pooling a BR and teaming up. Or are there other factors not yet considered? Does it matter if they have a 25% ROR vs 75% ROR?

I feel like card counters are everywhere nowadays and all over the Internet I see people talking about counting cards. Even the not serious gambler is a card counter. Why is blackjack even offered as a game anymore? Are there really enough ploppes to make it still profitable?

• Page 3 of 3

What do you think of when you read the word business?

Business is the term used to describe an individual or company that offers goods and/or services in the pursuit of profit. Of course, not all businesses make money, but it's the goal of most of them.

What does business have to do with blackjack?

You might think that the business of blackjack is one controlled by the casinos and other gambling operations where the game is offered. And you should make no mistake; blackjack is a big business.

But it's also a type of business for two other groups of people. Advantage gamblers try to use blackjack as a business to make money, so this small group is easy to include as one group.

But the other group isn't usually included when thinking of the business of blackjack. Or at least they're not considered as part of the business pursuing real profit, because they provide the profit in the form of money to the establishments running the games.

If you're willing to expand your definition of profit beyond money though, the recreational player enjoys blackjack in a businesslike manner. Instead of the pursuit of profit in the form of money, they profit in the form of entertainment. Of course most recreational players want to win, and most of them do win some playing sessions, but in the long run they trade money for entertainment.

In this post I look at the three different groups involved in the business of blackjack.

It's easy to see that the operators make the most money, but they face challenges just like any other business.

Usually, when I write a blog post the purpose of it is clear. But this one might have a few readers wondering what's in it for them?

This post is designed to help you figure out which group you're in, and to help you figure out if you want to switch groups. Most readers are in the recreational player's group, but even if you're currently in this group you have choices.

You don't have to stay in a group just because that's where you're at now.

You can choose to switch. All you have to do is decide to change and start taking steps to make it happen.

And if you decide you like your current group you can stay right where you are. I love the fact that we have choices about almost everything in our life.

If you don't like something, start working on making a change.

We always have choices. I remember reading an article one time that said you always have a choice. You might not like your choices, or you might not like the probable outcomes of your choices, but you have a choice.

Just knowing you have a choice can help eliminate panic and be a liberating thought.

If you like to play blackjack but don't like losing you can choose to do something about it.

You can stop playing, or learn how to be an advantage player, figure out how to start your own game, or keep doing the same thing you do now.

You might not like the thought of not playing anymore, but you have the choice of doing so if you don't want to lose anymore. You might want to learn how to be an advantage player, but you know it won't be easy. Either choose to commit to do the work and change your results or keep doing what you've been doing.

The choice is yours.

The Operator's Business

The operator of a blackjack game is the person or business that banks the game, provides the cards, table, and equipment and the dealer. They also usually provide and maintain the building or other area where the game is played.

Blackjack has a few different rules variations and the house decides which ones to use. Depending on how you look at it, they also assume the greatest risk because they have to be able to survive the ups and downs of the game results, pay the dealer, front all of the equipment costs, and take care of the overhead.

But the house also is set u to make a consistent profit from the operation if they can get enough people to play and avoid having advantage players hurt the results too much.

Depending on the rules offered, the house edge runs from around a half percent to one percent on the low end to over two percent on the high end. And even if a game provides the chance for players to use the best strategy and keep the edge around a half percent most players make mistakes that raise the actual edge.

The profit for the operator comes from this edge on every dollar bet on the game. All of the expenses are paid with the money won in the game and the amount left over is the net profit before taxes.

Blackjack can produce large profits on a daily basis, but some days the house may lose money. This won't happen often and in the long run the gross profit will be somewhere between one and two percent for most games.

Gross profit is the profit before paying the expenses and overhead.

A blackjack table is open for 24 hours, deals 50 rounds per hour with an average total amount wagered per round of $200, the dealers are paid $10 per hour plus their tips, and the overhead for everything else for the game is $500 per day.

The $200 wagered per round is the total of all of the players at the table. The $500 overhead includes the cost of cards and equipment, a part of the cost of the pit boss and casino management salaries, and the electric, rent, etc.

If the actual house edge is 1% the gross profit from the table for the day is $2,400. This is calculated by multiplying 24 hours times 50 rounds per hour times $200 per round times 1%.

The net profit is $1,660 for the day, which works out to $69.17 per hour. You subtract the $240 per day in dealer wages and $500 in overhead from the $2,400 gross profit to get the $1,660 net profit amount.

If the actual house edge is 1.5% the gross profit is $3,600 and the net profit is $2,860, or $119.17 per hour.

If the actual house edge is 2% the gross profit is $4,800 and the net profit is $4,060, or $169.17 per hour.

As you can see running a blackjack game can be quite profitable, and if you can increase the actual edge by even a small amount it increases the profits quickly. In the example if you increase the edge by a half percent it raises the net profit by $50 an hour.

The other way to increase the profit is by taking more bets and/or higher bets on average.

These numbers may make you want to figure out a way to start offering a blackjack game. And if you can do it there's no reason you can't make a consistent profit.

But you may already be aware that setting up and running a blackjack game isn't easy. Here's a list of just a few challenges.

• Gambling laws and regulations
• Licensing fees
• Dealer training
• Security
• Ways to handle the money
• Bankroll
• Equipment
• Cards
• Personnel to oversee the game
• Taxes
• Advantage players
• Where do you find players

In some parts of the world you can apply for a gambling license that legally allows you to run a game. But in some areas it's illegal to run a blackjack game. Some people run games illegally, but there are many risks involved with doing this.

Dealers need to be trained to run the game correctly and to not make mistakes that cost you money. You also need to have a way to watch your dealers to make sure they aren't cheating or stealing.

Security and a safe way to handle the money involved with the game is also a challenge. You need to decide whether you are going to use cash or chips, and have a way to avoid taking counterfeit bills and chips.

You also need to have a large bankroll to back all of the money that can be won in the game. In the long run if you run the game correctly it'll make money, but you have to have enough cash to survive the ups and downs that naturally occur.

The equipment can cost a great deal up front and you have to buy quality cards to use. The cards need to be replaced on a regular basis and it helps t speed up the game if you have tables equipped with automatic shuffling machines.

When you make a profit in most jurisdictions you also need to pay taxes on it. You should have an accounting system to track everything and to keep you out of trouble with the tax authorities.

As you'll learn in another section, some players are able to do things like counting cards and gain an edge against a blackjack game. You need to be able to deal the game in a way that makes this difficult and try to identify advantage players and keep them from playing.

The final thing on the list is probably the most important. You have to be able to find recreational players to play your blackjack game. Casinos are huge businesses that attract gamblers for a wide variety of reasons. But every blackjack game has to be able to find enough players to run a profitable game.

All of these things can be difficult to get set up and to keep running in an efficient manner. This is why there are a limited number of blackjack tables available.

If you aren't interested in being an operator it's still beneficial to understand how they work. And if you ever think about starting your own game you need to find solutions to all of these challenges before getting started.

While you can start a game with less, it's not a stretch to consider securing a half million dollars or more to get started.

Another option may be to evaluate the possibility of offering blackjack online. This may cost as much or more than starting a live game, and it has its own set of challenges.

And if you decide to run a game where it's not legal you have to figure out how to do it without getting robbed or put in jail. I don't recommend running an illegal blackjack game, but like I explained in the introduction, you have to make the choice for yourself.

The Recreational Player's Business

Most blackjack players are recreational players. They play for fun because they enjoy the entertainment value and the chance to win from time to time.

These are the people that provide the one to two percent gross profit to the operator that I discussed above.

Before I continue I want to make it clear that there's nothing wrong with being a recreational blackjack player. If you want to play blackjack as a form of entertainment it's not better or worse than other types of entertainment.

Going to a movie, out to eat, or shopping are all forms of entertainment for some people. In all of these situations, including playing blackjack, you exchange money and time for entertainment of some sort.

If you play blackjack for entertainment there are a few things you can do that help you have a better chance to win and play longer on the same bankroll.

Here's a list of things to do if you're a recreational blackjack player.

• Use the best strategy at all times
• Make smaller bets
• Join the player's club
• Find games with good rules

Using the best strategy is easy if you have a strategy card or chart. You can pick one up in most casino gift shops or find one to use online.

Because blackjack is designed to take a small percentage of every bet you make over tie you can extend your playing time by simply making smaller bets. If you usually bet $20 per hand if you start betting $10 per hand you can play twice as long on the same bankroll amount.

Most casinos offer a player's club that rewards players in the form of comps for real money play. It's free to join the club and you can earn free meals or other things that you usually have to pay for. Any comp you earn helps you spend less money so it is often the same as winning more or losing less.

The final thing to do is find blackjack games that offer good rules. You won't find games that have all good rules, but by playing in ones that have mostly good rules you reduce the house edge.

Here's a list of good rules for players.

• Can double after split
• Can split four or more times
• Can re split aces
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Surrender
• The fewer decks the better
• Can double on any two cards

By following this advice you can keep the house edge as low as possible. You can often play with a half percent edge against you. This means you can play longer on the same amount of money and have a better chance to win any given playing session.

You'll still lose money in the long run but your entertainment money will work harder for you and you can afford to play more.

If you want to continue playing blackjack but want to improve your chances of winning to the point where you can break even or have a chance to win you need to become an advantage player. The next section covers what you need to do.

The Advantage Player's Business

Is Blackjack Profitable

Advantage players operate much more like a business than recreational players. They have a bankroll that they invest in situations that offer the chance to make a monetary profit.

Many different forms of advantage play exist, but the main one is counting cards. Blackjack is played using standard decks of playing cards and when some cards are removed from the deck by being dealt it improves your chances to win.

When other cards are removed it hurts your chances to win. When the deck has had more low cards removed than high cards it helps you win more. If the ration of high cards to low cards gets high enough you actually have an advantage against the house.

Card counters keep track of the ratio of high cards to low cards and increase their bets when the deck of remaining cards is in their favor.

This can create a small edge against the house overall if you can bet enough when the deck is in your favor. You can play with an overall edge of around a half percent. This might not seem like much, but it can add up over time.

Advantage players understand the ups and downs of the game and know they have to ride them out by playing the best they possibly can at all times and having a large enough bankroll to let them profit in the long run.

They view blackjack and play like a business. They know that if they can get a half percent edge then all they have to do is bet enough money they can make a decent amount of money.

Is Poker Profitable

div class='exampleBox'>
Here's an example:

If an advantage player can count cards well enough and find a game with a wide enough bet range they can profit a half percent for every dollar they bet on average. It won't happen every time they play, but over time their results should meet the expected value.

If they can make an average bet of $50 and play 50 hands per hour the total amount wagered per hour is $2,500. If they make a half percent their average hourly income is $12.50. Play casino games online, free for real money.

That doesn't seem too glamorous, does it?

If they can average $100 per bet they make $25 per hour.

These numbers are why there aren't many card counters. If you want to be a profitable advantage player and make enough money to make it worthwhile it's challenging.

Advantage players also constantly have to be aware of what they're doing and if the casino is watching them. The casinos can refuse to let you play and if they think you're counting cards they can ask you to leave.

So if you want to be an advantage blackjack player you need to learn how to do it and try not to get caught.

Most card counters move from casino to casino often to try to avoid detection. You might only be able to play for an hour or two at one place before playing somewhere else. This can be challenging and wear you down over time.

Card counting is just the beginning for advantage players. If you were stuck only making $12.50 an hour playing blackjack the odds are that you'd quickly tire of the grind. But once you learn how to beat the blackjack game by counting you can start looking for other advantage possibilities to increase your profits.

Other possibilities include using a team to count cards, edge sorting, and hole carding. But don't invest time and effort into these things until you learn how to be a winning counter.

Many blackjack players consider the difficulty of learning to count cards and the low possible returns and decide it isn't worth it. I can understand why, but I also know that some advantage players make a great deal of money.

You can use a few simple counting systems to lower the house edge to around break even without becoming a full-fledged counter, so this may be an option if you want to play more without a great deal more work.

Is Blackjack Profitable

If you want to do a few things to try to break even start with the advice I gave in the last section and learn more about the simple ace five count.

When you use the ace five count you keep track of how many fives and aces have been dealt. When more fives have been dealt than aces you double your bets and continue doubling until you reach eight times your original bet.

If more aces have been dealt than fives you keep betting a low amount. This can move the edge enough to break even in the long run and it's a simple system.

When you decide to start using a better system learn more about the high low count, the K-O system, and the red seven count. These are all good systems that professional card counters use and each offers different advantages and disadvantages when you're trying to learn.

If I had to pick a single system to start with I recommend the red seven because it's an unbalanced count. The advantage of an unbalanced count is you don't have to convert your running count before deciding how much to bet.

Conclusion

It's clear that the most profitable blackjack business is run by the operators. But the recreational players may have more fun than anyone.

If you want to profit financially from the business of blackjack you only have two choices. You can be an operator or an advantage player.

Casino slot payouts. They both have challenges, but if you choose to meet and overcome the challenges you can make money treating blackjack as a business. The choice is yours; so make a decision and start on your journey.