Blackjack was the game that I was most interested in learning or playing when I was a kid. It’s much simpler than poker and I thought that given the simple structure and advice it was a game that I could master. Plus, you don’t play against people and hence avoid the randomizing and personalizing that comes with poker. Instead you play against a house who has given rules that it has to follow.

Over the years I’ve noted more and more things that I have in common with my father. My mother plays slot machines, which I don’t usually find very interesting. My father though has played a lot of blackjack. Probably the same things appeal to him as appealed to me; the simpleness of the game, the mathematics of the strategy.

This is part of the series of posts that I wanted to make looking at other forms of gambling. I’ve looked at Roulette, Chaos theory and the Observer effect, and the the Gambler’s Falacy in  previous posts. I really can’t say more than the Wizard of Odds does. He’s pretty comprehensive in his coverage of various situations. (By comparison, take a look at his Texas Hold’em poker section. Another version of the basics, but I prefer mine. Mine is simpler for the absolute beginner, but goes into a lot more depth once you start to work past the raw beginner stage.)

All things considered, if I were still thinking about a game to play at casinos, I’d still look at blackjack. If you can memorize the tables, adjust for the particular rules/decks of that particular casino, and even count cards to some extent, you can expect to have a chance to not lose too much over the long term.

Still, for me blackjack doesn’t compare with poker, both in terms of complexity matching my own mind-type and for its opportunities to win at poker.

In blackjack you are still competing against a fixed house with a fixed edge, whereas in poker the house takes a rake but you still win long term against the less-trained players.

• Aggression increases your risk, but is it gambling?
• Games of chance, or skill?
• Gamble less, not more
• Chaos Theory, Observer Affect
• Non-poker gambling; the Gambler’s Fallacy
• More thoughts on Problem Gambling
• Embrace losing
• Gambling with marbles
• The Dagwood Bumstead financial plan
• Poker player, or gambler