Directed by Robert Luketic Produced by Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, Dana Brunetti, Michael DeLuca Written by Ben Mezrich, Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb, Chris Kalyvas Starring Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jim Sturgess, Aaron Yoo, Josh Gad, Jacob Pitts, Kieu Chinh Music by David Sardy Cinematography Russell Carpenter Editing by Elliot Graham Distributed [...]
The casinos are very nice about providing us a device to determine just how many decks there are remaining to be played in the shoe. No, that device is not the shoe, but the discard tray which can be found on virtually every table where a multi-deck game is played. As cards are used, the [...]
Pontoon is an English variation of blackjack with significant rule and strategy differences. However, in Australia and Malaysia, Pontoon is an unlicensed version of the American game Spanish 21 played without a hole card; despite the name, it bears no relation to English Pontoon. Spanish 21 provides players with many liberal blackjack rules, such as [...]
Some casinos offer a side bet with their blackjack games. Examples include side bets based on getting three 7s, a three card poker-style bet, a pair, and many others.[1] For the side bet, the player will typically put up an additional wager alongside his or her main bet and can win or lose the side [...]
In many casinos, usually at tables with the lowest table minimums and single-deck games, a blackjack pays only 6:5 or even 1:1 instead of the usual 3:2. Among common rule variations in the U.S., these altered payouts for blackjack are the most damaging to the player, causing the greatest increase in house edge. Since blackjack [...]
In most non-U.S. casinos, a ‘no hole card’ game is played, meaning that the dealer does not draw nor consult his second card until after all players have finished making decisions. With no hole card, it is almost never correct basic strategy to double or split against a dealer ten or ace, since a dealer [...]
After a player has split a pair in blackjack, most casinos allow him or her to “double down” on either or both of the new two-card hands. This is called “double after split” and provides an advantage to the player of about 0.12%.
If the player splits a pair other than aces and a third card of that value appears, the player can usually split again (or “resplit”) by putting up another bet equal to the original bet. Then there will be three bets on the table and three separate hands. Some casinos allow unlimited resplitting of cards [...]
Some casinos offer a favorable option called “surrender,” which allows the player to give up half his bet and not play out the hand. This option is sometimes referred to as “late” surrender because it occurs after the dealer has checked his or her hole card for a blackjack. When casinos first opened in Atlantic [...]
