EV of Blackjack vs. Slot Machines

[Brian]

That's f*cking hilarious man. When I turn 21 I am going to try that, because after all these years of going with my family to the casinos for the buffets, I certainly have a lot of slot machine rage in me. Not that I really want to play them, I just want to pound on them as hard as possible.

-Brian

[DrPhysic]

Squiffy,
I must preface this by saying that while I am a newbe in hold'em, blackjack is one game I have really studied hard and usually win at. I have never played at an indian casino, so the following assumes Vegas rules.

At the slots, the house always and forever has the odds in their favor. I am told that the $1 slots are usually looser than quarters or nickels. I am also told that the indian casinos run tight. Both second hand but good information. You can assume that you (or dad) are giving the house a 1% to 4% (maybe even 5%) advantage playing the slots. 1% would assume a loose house in Vegas or Laughlin, on dollar slots at 4AM.

Blackjack is another story. You need to teach dad a little of how to play it. The little old lady who never hits 16 "because I always lose" fails to understand that she loses 72% of the time when she hits 16, and 78% of the time when she doesn't. She hits when the dealer shows 5 or 6 "because I don't have 21 yet!", doesn't split cards, doesn't double down, and NEVER varies her bet (it is always the minimum for the table.

Buy any good blackjack book, and copy the basic strategy table for 4-6 decks. Basic Strategy is a chart that shows what to do with any two card total depending on what the dealer has. It is computer generated and is statistically unarguable. Teach dad the basics. When to stand, when to split, when to double, never to take a hit that could bust him with the dealer showing 4, 5, or 6, etc. Teach him to never buy insurance. (You ever see another bet that the house ALWAYS asks if you want? Think about it.)

All the subtleties of a basic strategy table are nice (and needed if you plan to win regularly), but the basics are easy to learn. The little old lady may be giving the house as much as a 10% - 15% edge. Her pile of chips goes down fast. A player playing perfect basic strategy and never varying his bet is giving the house .4% to .6% depending on whether the house hits a soft 17. (better for you if they don't).

In short order with memorization of a few simple rules, and some common sense about the rest of the table he didn't memorize, Dad can be playing blackjack only one or two percent behind the house.

Re common sense: If you read enough to know that 18 is a losing hand, only wins 43% of the time, it doesn't take much to decide what to do with a soft 18 when the dealer shows 7 or better.

Get a copy of the 4 deck basic strategy for 21, from The World's Best Blackjack Book, Humble and Cooper, 1980 Doubleday, pp 405. It's the easiest one I have ever seen to memorize. Goes on a cigarrette pack size paper. Most houses used to, (may still) allow you to take your cheatsheet to the table if you ask.

Finally, if he wants to learn to win money at Blackjack, spend some time reading and studying on the subject, but do not miss a little 1/4" thick paperback book called Winning Blackjack Without Counting Cards, by David S. Popik, Carol Paperbacks, 1984.

Hope this helps. Dad can lose money at either the slots or blackjack, and he can get lucky and win money on a given night at either one, but if he will learn just a little about the game his chances are considerably better with Blackjack.