Card Counting In Australia

Blackjack Rules

In a perfect world the rules of blackjack would be exactly the same no matter where one played, from Australia to the Caribbean to the smallest of casinos located in rural areas like Northern Minnesota. But unfortunately that's not the case, and for the long-term player it's essential to interface only in games where certain rules don't negate too much of the edge otherwise obtained through advantage play.

Rules Variations

The differences that exist are largely dependant on locale, although variations do exist from casino to casino in the same city. The classic example of this is the difference in how blackjack is played between casinos in downtown Las Vegas and those located out on that amazing stretch of pavement known as the Las Vegas Strip. Downtown, dealers hit on Soft 17-somewhat of a departure from that old saying we read about in Chapter One: "Dealer must draw to 16, and stand on al117s' A change in rules usually means a slight change in the player's overall advantage or disadvantage. In this case, that's a slight increase in house advantage, because in those situations where the dealer would have otherwise stood with 17, he instead will get another chance of improving his hand without the possibility of busting (since the ace can be totaled as "1" if totaling it as ends up exceeding 21). In this case, the house advantage increases by about 0.2 percent, which in the long run will end up costing the player a couple of dollars in expected value.

Professional Play Level

In this section we'll touch on some common rules and the corresponding effects on player advantage. Keep in mind that a player using perfect Basic Strategy in a game with a typical set of rules plays at only a very slight disadvantage. And a proficient card counter, under those same circumstances, garners about a 1.5 percent advantage. As mentioned earlier, it's imperative for the serious player to find a game with rules that don't negate too much edge. Otherwise, all that is really happening is the passage of time. And why go through the effort of counting, proper bet sizing, and all the other facets of professional-level play if the rules of the game reduce your advantage to a level on which playing becomes an exercise in futility? Thankfully, in more instances than not, card counting can overcome the negative effects of rules that are unfavorable to the player. But regardless, the first order of business should be an assessment of the game and what rules apply.

Player Advantages

Aside from the number of decks used, there are essentially five major rules variations that the player will encounter:
1. DOUBLING DOWN ON 10 AND 11 ONLY: This is common throughout Northern Nevada, and restricts the player's ability to double down to only hands in which the player's cards total 10 and 11. This increases house advantage since there are many advantageous opportunities to double down with totals other than 10 and 11.
2. SURRENDER: Offering surrender is becoming less and less popular. Casinos that once offered this favorable rule, such as those in Atlantic City, no longer do so. Surrender is a very advantageous rule for the card counter, because those situations that call for surrender often occur when the advantage player has a larger-than-normal bet on the table.
3. DEALER HITS SOFT 11: As mentioned earlier, dealers' drawing on Soft 17 is standard operating procedure for casinos in downtown Las Vegas, as well as those in Northern Nevada. Hitting Soft 17 carries a .2 percent house advantage.
4. DOUBLING AFTER SPLITTING: In some casinos this is allowed, in others it isn't. Since doubling down is a favorable player option, a small advantage is lost during double down opportunities that arise after splitting pairs.
5. RE-SPLITTING PAIRS: Years ago, no limit existed on how many pairs could be split. Nowadays, though, that's rarely the case. Casino Blackjack rules usuallyallow the player to split a pair, and then split again only once or twice. When casinos realized re-splitting of pairs was advantageous to the player (and especially the card counter in some cases), rules were modified to limit the number of splits allowable on any given hand.