Another of Brian Christopher’s Blackjack shorts was recently shared with the world here:
The second hand from this video yielded questions. Here’s two:
I’m wondering when you had 13 he could’ve stopped an 14 but he didn’t and busted. Why?
Steve M.
And
Why in the world would the dealer take another car on the second hand after he beat you? Is my math not mathing?
Vincent B.
With Blackjack, there’s a couple of things to keep in mind. First, dealers don’t play based on their hand vs. the player’s hand in terms of when to hit or not, and the reason is pretty simple – with multiple spots on the table, the dealer will often find themselves ahead of one hand but behind another. So the dealer stopping when ahead could put some players at a disadvantage if they’re the ones behind, vs. another player who may be ahead.
Instead, the rules of when a Blackjack dealer hits or stays are almost always the same. In every instance where a dealer has a total of 16 or less, they must hit. At 17, they will usually stand, except for what’s known as soft 17.
Because the rules for soft 17 can differ by casino or even by table within the casino, those rules are often declared either on the felt or on a sign at the table. In this video’s case you can see the rule declared on the table that the “dealer must hit soft 17.” (That rule is actually slightly more advantageous for the casino, as a dealer is slightly more likely to win under those rules, increasing the house edge.)
So in the case of the dealer showing a 4, flipping a 6, and then drawing a 4, even though at that point the dealer has 14 against Brian’s 13, the dealer is obligated to hit according to the rules of the game. And by drawing a card that was too big, the dealer busted.
If you’re new to Blackjack, our Explore Table Games section will be launching soon, with information from our own John Mehaffey on how to get started and learn the basics of each game!
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