Is this casino cheating?

Question

If you play blackjack just like the house; Hit all but stand at 17, would that mean you should win/lose about the same amount of times?I would think so.

So I did that on a site and after 100 plays I had won 29 times, lost 64 times and tied 7 times.

Since there is a high amount of loses would this mean that the site is cheating at blackjack and purposely designed to make the human player lose? Or do I need to play a few hundred more times in order to see if the site is purposely cheating its payers? About how much times should I play in order to see if it is cheating?

If I continue to play further and it shows that I lose dramatically more than I win, would that be enough evidence to say that the site is cheating? Keep in mind that I am playing the same way as the house: HIt all and stand on 17.

Answer 1

No they are not cheating, if you continued to play say 40,000 hands and the figures were still that offset, then you may be onto something, 100 hands is a trivially small amoutn of trials to suggest a trend.

The house advantage in blackjack lies in the fact that the dealer plays after the player.  It is in even game except for when the player busts, then the dealer proceeds to bust, in this case it is not a push and the house still wins.

It is a rather large disadvantage (around ~7%) however it is negated by the players ability to split, double down, surrender  and get payed 3:2 for blackjacks.

If you wish to be playing close to an even game with the house, you need to learn perfect playing strategy known as "basic strategy"

you can practice and learn here:

www.hitorstand.net

Answer 2

21

Answer 3

Yes, there could be a possibility that the on-line site is cheating since there is no legal jurisdiction watching a on-line casino (a good reason not to play on-line).

There is plenty of information on on-line casinos and which ones have better odds on Blackjack and which ones might be cheating customers.

I would invest in a basic strategy card the next time you at a brick and mortar casino (they sell them in the gift shop) and compare your strategy to it.   The cards were created on simulations of millions of hands so they would be the most accurate.

Good luck and win big.

Answer 4

Any decent blackjack book will tell you NOT to play like the dealer.

The reason the house wins is because the house takes the money as soon as a player busts. If everybody busts, the dealer doesn't take cards to see if he'll bust.

Answer 5

Sorry, but you are completely misunderstanding the game.

First off, as a player you are supposed to play perfect basic strategy as a minimum.  This is far more complex than trying to play like the house rules for the dealer.

Next, any kind of attempt to validate the fairness of an online gambling site would require a few thousands games, not just one hundred.  And playing incorrect Blackjack strategy is no real proof of anything.

Finally, there are about 3,456 possible combination of house rules in Blackjack.  So without knowing what combination is in effect at this casino, it is hard to know what the house edge should be versus what you actually got.

The problem is, you clearly have no clue at all how to play Blackjack.  You are then compounding this problem by drawing erroneous conclusions simply because you lost.  It would be like me trying to fly an Apache gun ship and then claiming that it was worthless because it didn't work.

If you are serious about learning to play Blackjack then study and understand the game before arriving at the conclusion that all online casinos are out to cheat you.

If you go to Vegas and lose, does it mean that the casinos there are cheating you?  Of course not.

Answer 6

online casinos and poker sites all cheat there not regulated by anyone.....professional statstions have proven that there odds are way off

Answer 7

"Or do I need to play a few hundred more times in order to see if the site is purposely cheating its payers?"

At least you now recognize that people who gamble aren't players, but are "payers."

:)

Answer 8

It's not a bad strategy for 21, but you have to understand that the odds are always going to be with the house on that game.

I doubt the casino was "cheating" it sounds like your luck just started to even out.

Honestly, I don't know why people play blackjack. As far as odds go, well they are terrible.

My suggestion, learn how to play hold 'em. It is one of the few poker games, where the odds are in favor of the good players. If you are playing the math as well as the people, and you are good at it, you are almost guaranteed to win over the long run. Whereas a game like blackjack you are virtually guaranteed to lose in the long run.

There was an interesting theory presented and tested some years ago that provided a sure fire way to win at blackjack. Unfortunately, it can't be done because of house rules.

The theory is that if everytime you lose you double your bet, and you have an unlimited supply of money eventually you wil take down the house. While this is true, few people have that much money, and no casino house in the world is going to let you do that. They all have set minimum and maximum bets, making it impossible to use this theory. The man who presented the theory, was allowed to try it out in a proxy setting, and he did indeed take the house. It took several days, and there were times when he was so deep in the hole it looked as though he could never come out, but math is math and it does work. Too bad it is not a viable option.

Try hold'em odds are much better. Study first though and practice with Play money first. It is a complicated game. It only looks simple. Once you start playing the layers start peeling off and you realize it is one of those things that no matter how much you know there is always more to learn.

Good luck!

PS I look at it like this, gambling is when you put money on unfavorable odds, poker played well is putting money on favorable odds. The element of luck still exists, but you can hardly call it gambling if you know overall you are going to win, because you are consistently putting the money in when the odds favor you. Once you reach a certain level in hold'em, it is no more gambling than investing in a business. The risk is always there, but the odds are in your favor if you've done your homework and are disciplined in your strategy.

Answer 9

No, that is a terrible way to play. By not playing proper basic strategy, you are increasing the house edge immensely. Losing 64 out of a 100 hands playing that way is not out of line at all.

Answer 10

Over time, that strategy would yield a strong loss percentage.

You do bring up an interesting idea though.  If you were to look at the house rules at your online casino and do a little research, you could determine what the house percentage should be, against basic strategy.

Then, learn to play basic strategy well (since it's online, you can have all the books/programs you need open and running WHILE you are playing.)

Then, using the smallest bets available, play several hundred hands.

At the end of your analysis, you should have a fairly good comparison of what the house edge SHOULD BE and what the house edge ACTUALLY IS.