Playing a full table vs heads up with the dealer

I’m pretty sure that I’ve read some place that it doesn’t make any difference if you play alone or with multiple people. However, when playing alone with the dealer, wouldn’t I stand a better chance of getting more black jacks and thus making more money? If I were playing with two other people plus the dealer my chance of a black jack should be 25%? If playing heads up my percentage should go up to 50%. Then if I played heads up while playing two hands my chance of getting a black jack should go up to 66.6%. The other way I was thinking about it was that the dealer should have a much smaller chance at black jacks with a full table which should benefit me. Are either of those thoughts correct?

Alone its 210 hands per minute. At a full table is 60 to 70 hands per minute.

As far as blackjacks go, which would you prefer get them: another player or the dealer?

Take two dices, and roll. Each time you roll a 12 in sum, you have a "blackjack".
Then every other one on the table rolls the dices.

Is your chance of having a blackjack increased or reduced by the presence of the other people ? NO.

If each player is rolling dice, that is kind of like assuming each player is drawing cards out of their own shoe. If you and i are both sitting at a table and you and the dealer both have an ace showing, my chance of getting an ace is reduced. If I'm playing two break even hands against the dealer doesn't my bank roll as a whole stand a little better chance?

Quote: jamo1599

I’m pretty sure that I’ve read some place that it doesn’t make any difference if you play alone or with multiple people. However, when playing alone with the dealer, wouldn’t I stand a better chance of getting more black jacks and thus making more money? If I were playing with two other people plus the dealer my chance of a black jack should be 25%? If playing heads up my percentage should go up to 50%. Then if I played heads up while playing two hands my chance of getting a black jack should go up to 66.6%. The other way I was thinking about it was that the dealer should have a much smaller chance at black jacks with a full table which should benefit me. Are either of those thoughts correct?

the odds of getting a blackjack are not affected by the number of players at the table. You still get two randomly shuffled cards from the deck whether the other cards go to other players or remain in the shoe.

Let's say there are 6 BJs in the shoe waiting to be dealt. Obviously, they don't all come out at once, but you and whoever is sitting with you is playing for the duration of the shoe.


If you're sitting with 4 people, then you'll get one, the other people also get one each, and the dealer gets one.

If you're sitting alone, then you and the dealer will each get three.

In both scenarios, you and the dealer got the same number of BJs, just more of them when sitting alone, so it doesn't matter.

Betting two hands doesn't help. In that case, you'll get four BJs, and the dealer will get two. But each of those two will beat both of your hands, so it's still the same: four wins and four losses.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Let's say there are 6 BJs in the shoe waiting to be dealt

you know of course why that won't happen for the same shoe dealt out to 4 players and dealer vs. 1 player and a dealer. The cards will come out in a different combination of hands. But otherwise the analogy is sound.

I will always play on a full table, if possiblem for a few reasons.

The first is that I get to play for longer on my bankroll and I am playing to break even after a nice steak dinner and a few drinks and not to actually make any money. I just want to play, have fun, and have a good night out and meet people and not have to pay for it.

The second is a social aspect. The more people there are at the table, the more people I can interact with.

Thirdly, if it is a full table I get a bit longer to decide what I should do according to the basic strategy as I am a beginner. If a few people have their go before me then I have a longer time to make a decision.

Fourthly, if I am counting aces and fives, I have a longer time to do so at a full table sitting at the end. It helps because I am just starting out with blackjack and I like to have a bit more time to consider things.

Fifthly, the more people at the table and the more people I interact with, the less suspicious card counting is. Obviously, since I am not very good at blackjack yet, counting aces and fives isn't that suspicious. Talking to people makes it easier to conceal. Often I will have a jim beam in my hand (and have it for a while taking tiny tips out of the bottle) and act a little drunk so when someone gets like double 5s I congratulate them on a fantastic hand (making it also easier for me to calculate when I verbally announce double fives). Because unsolicited congrats are socially acceptable in Australia, no one pays any mind to the fact.

Quote: FleaStiff

Alone its 210 hands per minute. At a full table is 60 to 70 hands per minute.

Pretty sure that would be a record...

If anything that might be a little low. And some speedy dealers would be insulted if their numbers were that low.

Quote: FleaStiff

Alone its 210 hands per minute.

obviously it's 210/HOUR...

Quote: buzzpaff

If anything that might be a little low. And some speedy dealers would be insulted if their numbers were that low.

Um, no.

um YES !!!

Quote: buzzpaff

um YES !!!

Read the quote again, genius...

Quote: buzzpaff

If anything that might be a little low. And some speedy dealers would be insulted if their numbers were that low.

There are a lot of factors involved but 250+ hands per hour is not at all uncommon at a 6 deck game with heads up play.

Quote: jamo1599

I’m pretty sure that I’ve read some place that it doesn’t make any difference if you play alone or with multiple people.

For the card counters, the less people around the blackjack table - the better. That way, the card counters will get to play many hands during a positive count, and increase their profits. When the count is positive, the card counter can choose to play multiple hands, and a single hand when their count goes negative, so they can improve their winnings during favorable rounds.

Quote: RussHaley

Pretty sure that would be a record...

Er... uh.. maybe I meant per HOUR. Though I encountered one dealer who flicks her cards at my knuckles and I swear it felt like 'per minute' .

Quote: benbakdoff

There are a lot of factors involved but 250+ hands per hour is not at all uncommon at a 6 deck game with heads up play.

Not uncommon? I agree it's still possible, but table game speed has taken a serious nosedive in the last few years. With the deterioration of game conditions, corporations are now instructing their dealers to "be more friendly" to help lure in the suckers, hence the days of dummy up and deal are for the most part over. I scout a LOT of dealers, and most games move at a snail's pace.

Keep in mind that 250 hands per hour is 14.4 seconds per hand.

I think that's a reasonable pace for head's up play.

I was playing Texas Hold'em Bonus in AC. There were two of us at the table and the other player went to use the restroom. The dealer asked me if I wanted to continue without her and when I said Yes, he informed me that I wasn't obligated to play alone. I thought it was weird. That run of hands, just playing one-on-one, was the best luck I had all day.

Isn't 4 BJ wins and 4 losses better than 1 BJ win and 1 loss when you get paid 3:2 on the BJ wins?

If you're flat betting, you're up 2 units after 4 BJ wins and 4 losses to dealer BJs. With one BJ win and one loss to a dealer BJ, you're up a half a unit.

Quote: mikey41

Isn't 4 BJ wins and 4 losses better than 1 BJ win and 1 loss when you get paid 3:2 on the BJ wins?

If you're flat betting, you're up 2 units after 4 BJ wins and 4 losses to dealer BJs. With one BJ win and one loss to a dealer BJ, you're up a half a unit.

Sadly, no. One on One, you're playing all of the other cards in the shoe as well. So you need to add a full shoe per player that you add to the table to get the equivalent number of hands.

Quote: s2dbaker

Sadly, no. One on One, you're playing all of the other cards in the shoe as well. So you need to add a full shoe per player that you add to the table to get the equivalent number of hands.

Ok, thanks. I think I got it. You should get blackjack 1 out of 21 times no matter how many people are at the table. Am I right if I say you get a smaller percentage of all the blackjacks being dealt with more players at the table, but more players at the table means more BJs are being dealt.