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Reason #1 why the Wizard likes Bodog:
Excellent customer support
The thing that separates Bodog from the rest is its customer support. Many other online gaming companies outsource their support. It can be difficult getting a response from them, and if you do it is often slow and handled by somebody with little understanding of gambling or even of English. But Bodog's support is handled by Bodog, and their support staff is actually knowledgeable and helpful. I'm so confident that you'll have a good experience with Bodog that if you have a problem getting paid and you can't resolve it with them on your own, I'll talk to them myself. I personally have known the Bodog management for about three years and always found them to be professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. I have also personally visited one of their call centers so I could see first-hand how they handle customer issues. (More on my mediation service.) If you have a problem with any other casino besides Bodog, I can't help you. I get complaints from players of other online casinos every day who have difficulty getting paid. However that isn't my job nor my problem. If you play at Bodog after clicking through my site I'll stand behind you 100%. Any place else and you're on your own. (Visit Bodog) One click and you're in:
No popups, no download, no registration, no B.S., just the game. |
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In blackjack appendix 10 you explain how CSM machines actually decrease the houses edge, stating that because the way people play basic there is a tendency for more "10" cards to be drawn. Just playing basic, not counting cards at all, would this not mean that the closer you get to the end of the deck/shoe the worse your odds would be since there there would be a tendency for the 10s to have already been extracted thus leaving more smaller cards to the end? - Hector from Miami, Florida
There is no particular time to expect the small cards. The last hand in a cut card has just about the same odds as the overall shoe. However if the dealer deals out much more than the average number of hands in a cut card game the last hands tend to be very bad for the player. This is because in the early hands the players and dealer didn't hit much, which in turn is because lots of large cards came out, leaving more small cards for later in the shoe. So if you notice that you have already passed the average number of hands and the cut card is still a ways off then the deck is probably small card rich and it would be a good time to drop your bet or take a walk. However with other players jumping in and out of the game, and inconsistent cut card placement the practicality of this strategy is very small.
March 20, 2006
Dear Wizard, I have read your comments about online blackjack and the fact that the decks are shuffled after each hand. Is there a casino online that has less shuffling or if not, am I forced to play live dealer blackjack which has more decks stacked and at least I can be aware of when shuffling does occur. Cheers. -- Ken from Oxford, UK
Perhaps you misunderstood the point I was trying to make in my blackjack appendix 10. The bottom line is that unless you are a card counter shuffling after every hand, as opposed to using a cut card, is a good thing. The house edge is reduced 0.02% in a 6-deck game, to 0.11% in a 1-deck game, by shuffling after every hand.
March 13, 2006
If the house edge in a shoe game of blackjack is "x" percent for the first hand after a shuffle, does the house edge also work out to be exactly "x" percent on average if you play through the entire shoe (assuming flat betting and basic strategy)? In a cut card game the answer is no. However in a game where the dealer dealt exactly x hands every shoe the answer would be yes. The reason is hard to explain. For more information please see my blackjack appendix 10. Sept. 26, 2003 The Mohegan Sun casino here in Connecticut recently added a limited number of blackjack tables that don't seem to be addressed in your synopsis. It is a 4 deck shoe dealt from a Shufflemaster that, essentially created an infinite deck, inasmuch as the dealer puts the dead cards back into the machine for reshuffling pretty much as the completion of each round of decisions. The game allows splitting to 4 times, double down on splits, dealer stands on all 17's, early surrender, and double on any first 2 cards except 10's and face. I have had some very good luck at this game and was wondering if it is one I should continue to play or switch back to the conventional 6 or 8 deck shoe. - Ray Zaleski from Shelton, Connecticut There is a common misconception that a continuous shuffler is equivalent mathematically to an infinite deck game. It is not. If the first card dealt is an ace, for example, the probability that second card is an ace is slightly less than 1/13, because one ace has already been removed from the shoe. As I have explained in great detail in my blackjack appendix 10 a continuous shuffler actually lowers the house edge marginally compared to a cut card game. However the dealer never stops to shuffle so you are being exposed to more hands per hour, so expect to lose more per hour. I doubt very much they allow early surrender at the Mohegan Sun, if they did the player would have an edge of 0.28%. Assuming you really meant late surrender the house edge is coincidentally 0.28%, according to Blackjack Edge software. June 28, 2002 I am playing blackjack with unified gaming software. They claim they do not shuffle after every hand especially in the six deck, yet I have never seen it stop to shuffle. When I called the company to ask they said it is indicated when shuffling but I have never seen anything written on the screen that it is shuffling. After playing for usually 45 minutes to an hour it does freeze up and one can not even use the exit..everything shuts down. ? - Janice Dennee from Muskego, Wisconsin It is my understanding they shuffle after every hand in the single deck game. When I have played the six-deck game you can hear a shuffling sound and the bottom of the screen says "shuffling" from time to time. Perhaps you were only playing the single deck game. It seems like they do this at random times. The lost connection is a known annoyance with Unified Gaming software. I mention it myself in my review. Some people say if you disable your sound card it helps with this problem. April 15, 2002 I was just wondering if Las Vegas Video Blackjack reshuffles after every hand or after all the decks are played. I know the tables in Las Vegas do it after all the decks are played because if they did it after every hand no one would play. Are the odds that you'll win worse if there is a shuffle after every hand? Is this even legal or necessary? - Stephanie from Evans, USA I don't know when they shuffle but I would speculate after every hand. From my blackjack appendix 10 you will learn that the player's odds improve slightly if the dealer plays exactly n hands between shuffles (including one) rather than playing to cut card, finishing the hand, and then shuffling. Mar. 6, 2002 On a CSM blackjack game, 5 deck, what would be the effect of the dealer not putting discards back into the machine every hand if 24 of 52 cards in the discard rack were face cards? What about 48 of 102? What would be the effect if 44 of 52 cards were non-face cards? Can the odds be heavily skewed? I have a feeling that the odds skyrocket in the casino's favor if the dealer leaves face cards in the discard. - Doug Riley from Vancouver, Canada The exact numbers would be difficult to calculate and I won't get into that. However your speculation is right that the odds favor the dealer if he leaves a lot of high cards in the discard rack yet will put back into play a lot of small cards. This would be the same kind of thing as preferential shuffling, in which the dealer of a hand held game shuffles when the count is good but deals another round on a bad count. Preferential shuffling is something that definitely does happen here in Las Vegas so what you describe would not surprise me either. Oct. 30, 2001 Can you please explain the "cut card effect" in Blackjack. Why don't people use this when quoting BS house edges for various numbers of decks rather than showing BS house edges that take this into account? - Andrew from Melbourne, Australia I explain all about the cut card effect in my blackjack appendix 10. The reason house edge statistics are based on a non-cut card game is likely out of tradition and mathematical simplicity. However you make a good point that it would be more accurate to inflate the house edge figures to account for the cut card. Yet I am still going to stick to basing my house edge figures on the first hand of a freshly shuffled deck. Blackjack is hard enough to analyze without worrying about the cut card effect all the time. Oct. 30, 2001 Your house edge calculator is excellent. How do you use it for continuous shuffle games? Also, if the shoe is used, how does the house edge change? - Tony from Taylors, South Carolina My house edge calculator is based on the first hand after a shuffle. So it is perfectly suited for a continuous shuffling machine game. Contrary to popular belief the house edge is actually slightly higher on a hand shuffled game as opposed to a continuous shuffling machine game. I explain this in more depth in my blackjack appendix 10. Aug. 18, 2001 I've noticed that the CSM (Continuous Shuffler Machine) at the blackjack table does not shuffle ALL of the cards at the end of each hand. There are a few cards left in the shoe part of the machine (anywhere from 1 to 20 or so) that are not shuffled. Is there any way this can be used to advantage? For example, I was thinking that there is a lower (but still not zero) probability of having a card repeated two hands in a row. Sit out if there were a lot of high cards last hand . . . bet higher if there are a lot of low cards last hand. The CSM I saw used four decks so, on a full table, there are actually quite a few cards played each hand and you could potentially get a true value of plus/minus one if you made the simplifying assumption that none of those would repeat. Maybe enough to skew the odds? - Chuck from New York You're right, the discards are not mixed among all the cards but can not be placed close to the top of the shoe. I don't know the exact size of this buffer but it is about 10-20 cards I think. As a card counter it would probably be safe to use a true count from just the last hand played and off the top of a shoe. When converting to the true count you will rarely get anything far from +/-1. If you're any kind of counter at all I would forget about playing against a CSM, it isn't worth the bother. June 29, 2001 What basic strategy should you use for a CSM (Continuous Shuffler Machine)? Is it the same as a regular shoe for the same number of decks? It seems like the strategy could be a little different (maybe a 4 deck CSM should be played like a 3-deck shoe). - Chuck from New York Yes, same as a regular shoe with the same number of decks. Most CSMs use five decks, for which you should use my 4-8 deck strategies. June 29, 2001 There is an article in the blackjack section that indicates that a CSM, continuous shuffler, actually lowers the house advantage for the basic strategy player. I assume that is in a heads to head game. Would multiple players increase the house advantage? - Gizmo from Los Angeles No, the number of players doesn't make any difference. May 13, 2001 I was wondering if you thought continuous shufflers have an effect on basic strategy. I know they speed up the number of hands per hour which is usually bad for the player, but is basic strategy still effective in this instance? Doesn't basic strategy slightly change depending on the number of decks? ñ Danny from Mission Viejo, California. I first addressed this topic in my December 1, 2000, newsletter. For those who missed it I just added blackjack appendix 10 to my site, which explains the effect on the house edge under both a cut card and continuous shuffler game. To answer your question, no, the basic strategy does not change. Basic strategy is always developed based on a freshly shuffled shoe, which is always the case when playing against a continuous shuffler. Jan. 7, 2001 Q: What is your opinion of the continuous shuffle machines now being used at the Blackjack tables in Las Vegas? Do these machines give the house more of and edge even when a person is using basic strategy? - John Capirchio from London, Canada A: For those who don't understand what you're asking there are new machines that take the blackjack discards and place them randomly back in the deck after each hand. If you are using basic strategy it shouldn't matter on an expected loss per hand basis. It is my understanding that they do provide an honest random shuffle. However the shuffling machine allows the dealer to waste less time shuffling and spend more time dealing. This means you will spend more time playing, and thus more time for the house edge to grind you down. Personally I don't like automatic shufflers. A dealer shuffle provides a break in the action and a chance to engage in conversation. July 30, 2000 Q: What is the best manual card shuffle the house can use to protect the games and increase hands per hour? Also what are your feelings on shuffle machines? - Bry from Laporte, USA Shuffling is not my area of expertise. However in my opinion if the house spends extra time shuffling they will lose more than they will gain. The extra time shuffling will mean less hands per hour dealt. The added randomness of the shuffle will not benefit the casino much. Studies by Stanford Wong as described in Professional Blackjack do indicate that cards next to each other before the shuffle are disproptionately likely to stay close together after the shuffle. However this will not matter to the typical player and is difficult to exploit by even the professional player. Mar. 25, 2000
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