What are the probabilities in blackjack

One of the most popular online casino games is blackjack, probably because it is based on the game of pontoon which many of us played as children often for matchsticks or something similar. The game of blackjack is so easy to play and we all know the basic rules, but how many online blackjack gamblers have actually studied the mathematical probabilities of certain cards being drawn, or indeed the most common two card hands dealt. At onlinecasino.ie we like to encourage online gamblers to get to know any casino game as well as possible before they play with anything but minimal stakes. It is often said that the blackjack gambler is at an advantage because the dealer must draw on 16, but how many realise that the dealer still has a nearly 40% chance of not busting. He only needs any of 5 cards out of the possible 13 to stay in the game. What about the most likely two card hands that could be dealt. The least likely is of course 2, because there is only one combination of cards that can give his hand, whereas there are eleven combinations which add up to 20. If we look at the other possibilities, the next highest number of combinations to make a particular hand is eight, which applies to hands of 12, 13 and 14, followed by seven combinations to make 15 or 16. These hands are therefore the most likely hands to be dealt, and of course are generally considered to be the most difficult for the blackjack gambler to make a decision. Maths is not everyone’s favourite subject, but it is worth getting to know something about the odds of making a potential winning hand of 17 to 21 from drawing a card, or indeed the odds of the dealer making more than 16 from his first card. Give it some thought and enjoy the game.