Fresh shuffle doesn't eliminate house gain with multiple decks
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A shuffle through the Gaming mailbag:
Q. I don't get why online casinos would have six-deck games when the cards are shuffled after every hand. I know that in live casinos more decks make it difficult on card counters, but computer cards can be shuffled instantly. The cards are in the same proportions for every hand. So why wouldn't an online casino make all its games single-deck just to sound attractive to players?
A. If all other rules are equal, multideck games have higher house edges than single-deck games even if you're getting a fresh shuffle for every hand.
That's for the same reasons online or on video blackjack games as it is at live tables. Two-card 21s are more frequent when fewer decks are used. Blackjacks pay players 3-2 — or 6-5 in high-house edge games — while dealer blackjacks collect only even money. Also, players are more likely to draw 10-value cards on double-downs when fewer decks are used.
Let's do a little quick arithmetic. If you start your hand with an Ace in a single-deck game, 16 of the other 51 cards, or 31.4 percent, are 10 values that would complete a blackjack. In a six-deck game, 96 of 311 remaining cards, or 30.9 percent, are 10 values, making it less likely you'll complete a blackjack in a six-deck game.
Start with a 10, and 7.8 percent of the other cards are Aces with one deck, but only 7.7 with six decks.
If you start with a two-card 11 such as 9-2, 8-3, 7-4 or 6-5, then 10 values that would give you 21 on a double down amount to 32 percent with one deck or 31 percent with six decks.
