3 tips for getting the most from casino blackjack

Compared to other games, blackjack can actually have pretty good odds, if you know what you're doing. Here are some simple tricks to help you get the most from blackjack, both at the table and on the casino floor.

• When you enter a casino and start playing for the first time, make your initial bets higher than what you would normally.
• The pit boss assumes that this is your usual betting pattern. They'll use this to calculate your comp eligibility — that is, what kind of freebies the house might offer.
• Not surprisingly, the hotel's generosity is a direct function of how much it thinks you're going to bet per hour.
• You can always settle into your more modest wagering habits as time goes by. The pit bosses rarely have time to check in on you later.

• Cruise the Vegas strip and you'll see a growing number of places shouting the wonderful news that they pay 6-5 for a natural blackjack.
• That means if you're dealt an ace along with a 10 or face card at the blackjack table, you immediately win $6 for every $5 you put up. Not bad, huh? Actually, it's terrible.
• Throughout modern gaming history, a natural blackjack has paid 3-2 just about everywhere in the United States and Canada, and it still does in most casinos.
• If math wasn't your best subject, take our word for it that a 3-2 payoff is much better for you than 6-5.
• So much better, in fact, that the shift to a 6-5 natural blackjack payoff ups the casino's advantage by so much that it turns into a bad proposition.
• So before you sit down at a blackjack table, make sure that natural blackjack pays 3–2.
• If there's no indication, ask the dealer what the payoff is. If it's 6-5, go somewhere else.

• Machines are even more likely to short-change you in their natural blackjack payoffs, sometimes going even lower than 6-4 down to even money.
• Unless you find machines that pay 3-2, forget about video blackjack.
• Consider the difference: if you have a $50 bet up and get dealt an ace and a king, you'll win $75 at an honest 3-2 table, but only $50 at an even-money machine.
• The casino counts on hordes of clueless gamblers not knowing or caring about the difference. But from now on you're not one of them.

With some simple math and a sharp eye for benefits, blackjack could become the best game for you to play at the casino. Be sure to know the odds and play smart. And remember to set a limit and stick to it.