House Edge in Blackjack?

[ManInBlack]

Is there really a house edge on blackjack, and if so, where exactly?
We have basic strategy charts that are theoretically supposed to clamp down on this house edge, but the dealer HAS to draw on 16, and HAS to stand on 17.  So- if the player plays exactly the same way, then surely its even money?
Forgive me if this all sounds a bit naive, but I like to research before going all-in.  Sure I've done plenty of dabbling, noticed that card counting is virtually pointless against 8deck auto shuffling shoes, et al, but it seems to me that the way to beat blackjack is purely a money management system, all other things being equal.  Please enlighten if I'm bombing out here!

[rjeaton1]

I dabbled with BlackJack for awhile, and I had these sites in my favorites.  I'll give you the snippets first (important parts from the sites) and then the links to the sites below:

How do they have the edge?

-With ideal strategy, the player will play at <0.5% disadvantage depending on the rules of the game
-It is not a 50/50 game, the house advantage comes from the player acting first, all is fair for both player and dealer EXCEPT when the player busts, if the dealer also busts, it is not a push as it would be in a fair game and the house wins.

Playing with perfect strategy at the right table, which negates the house edge to about 0.55% wouldn't proper money management put me ahead?

First I'll answer with my own words.  Ever played no-zero rouelette?  On that game there is NO house edge.  And yet people still lose.  There are a lot of reasons for this, but the main one is deviation from the standard.  It will often be heavily weighted to one side (yours) or the other (theirs) for periods of time.  It is hardly ever a perfect 50/50 split even without a house edge.  Here is another snippet from another site that answers this same question:

And finally, there is standard deviation to consider. The fact that you're playing with a near-zero edge doesn't guarantee that you and the casino will be absolutely even at the end of a session. On the contrary, it's highly likely that one side will be ahead of the other. After all, it is a game. But basic strategy gives both sides a nearly equal chance of being ahead.

What this means is that you generally lose a bit more than you win for a while, and then you jump ahead (or vice versa).

The last link will be a site that allows you to calculate what the EXACT house edge is for any set of BlackJack table rules (including number of decks and many, many other options.)

Hope this helps!  (There are is one space in each link to prevent them from being clickable.  Simply remove the space and follow the links)

nolinks://answers. yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090202163918AA7cHjd

nolinks://nolinks. readybetgo.com/blackjack/strategy/blackjack-limits--922.html

nolinks://wizardofodds. com/blackjack/house-edge-calculator.html

[ManInBlack]

Aah, and therin lies the first obstacle that is so obvious, you dont even see it- if you bust, you dont get your money back!
Thanks, that lot should provide some good bedtime reading!

[hermes]

You always bust before dealer and you lost and he won! Just playing perfect basic strategy doesn't make you a winner.
It needs much more. Counting cards on 8 decks table is non-sense also.Most card counters lose more than you playing on luck. There is almost no way to win against the electronic shuffling machines. The same situation like with slot machines. Slaves of losing. Therefore, I don't play BJ so often anymore but rather roulette, baccarat, craps and sic bo.
Cheers Hermes

[hermes]

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