The Number of Decks in Blackjack Explored

Certainly one of the most popular casino card games the world has come to know, blackjack has been around long enough to have the fortune of evolving, with each variation becoming that much more exciting. One of the many, and most favoured, ways to alter a blackjack game is by changing the number of decks, including a single deck, two decks, four decks, six decks and eight decks. The question is, what’s the difference and which one is the best option to play?

A Little History

If we look back at the start of the 60s, we can see that areas famous for their gambling establishments, such as Las Vegas in the United States, played blackjack with just one deck of cards. Around the same time, what was to become a best seller, Beat The Dealer, was brought out by Dr Edward O. Thorp and everything changed. Casino managers were shaken up and, after trying to change the rules of the game and failing miserably, decided to add more decks to the game of blackjack. As time went on, card counting got more and more popular, which pushed manager to add even more decks, until they finally stopped at eight.

Blackjack Today

Nowadays, you will still be able to find the single deck blackjack games, but it is not usually a good option as the rules are exceptionally poor for the player, with single decks giving you the option to only double down on 10 and 11. Six and eight deck games, on the other hand, allow players to double down with any two cards and after a split. Playing single and double deck blackjack won't let players double down after a split and the same goes for splitting aces - more decks mean re-splits for the player.

More Decks Mean More Money

With all of the above in mind, it is fairly easy to reach a conclusion that it appears that the more decks a game of blackjack has, the more options the player has in the game. If we think about it logically, more options for players could only mean that the winning opportunities for players are broadened as well. So if you're still wondering whether the number of decks matters and which is best, you'll simply have to ask yourself whether you have the skill and passion to win big.