How Many Decks Does It Take To Play Blackjack?
One of the most interesting things about the game of blackjack is that it can be played with anywhere from one to eight decks of playing cards. Of course, playing with multiple decks of cards is by no means the sole domain of blackjack; certain variations of poker have also been known to require more than one deck of cards. But blackjack is probably one of the more popular card games wherein multiple decks of cards are used.
Amazingly enough, you can play blackjack with one, two, four, six and even eight decks of cards! As you can imagine, playing with this many decks can introduce a great degree of complexity and excitement into the game…if you can manage to keep your cards straight that is!
Aside from the difference in the number of decks, single and double deck blackjack also differs slightly in the way that the cards are dealt. While the dealer typically holds the cards and deals them out to the players in single and double deck blackjack, a tray like box called the “shoe� is commonly used in multi-deck blackjack. Single and double deck blackjack also allows each player to pick up his or her cards, while players are not allowed to touch the cards in multi deck blackjack.
Many online blackjack players seem to have the impression that single-deck games are better than multi-deck games. The truth is however, that both have their advantages and disadvantages over the other. While multi-deck games have about half a percent disadvantage over a single deck game, a lot of this is because removing one card in single-deck blackjack has a bigger effect than when a single card is removed in multi-deck blackjack.
But then again, it is a lot easier to find multi-deck game with good rules and playing conditions. And while single- and double-deck blackjack games can be better than multi-deck or shoe games, it is easier for the casino to manipulate the results in their favor.
Many card-counters today avoid single-deck games as much as possible. While it is still possible to find beatable single-deck games, many simply do not allow bets that are several hundred dollars or more. Reno and Las Vegas in particular are some places where you can still find good single-deck game blackjack games. Keep in mind however, that it is a lot easier for dealers to cheat in hand dealt online blackjack games.
On the other hand, beatable two deck games are far more prevalent. Most casinos are quite tolerant of double decker games, and you can usually find yourself getting money on the table–even without being shuffled up on.
