Good game…or is it?

What defines a “good game” in blackjack? Because it’s certainly not losing $500, your shirt and self-respect to the dealer on duty, getting up, brushing the peanut crumbs off your chest, shaking the hand of the guy who was shaking his head after every one of your moves and telling the group “good game” before you head straight to the bar.

What we’re talking about is how much the rules of a particular game favor the player over the house. And if you get enough of those rules in your corner, then you’ve got yourself that elusive good game. So where to start?

The basics start out with the number of decks. Since players are trying to count cards to work a true count, generally speaking, the fewer decks the better for most games. You’re currently not going to find more than an eight-deck game out there, but if you do, I’d advice you keep searching for something smaller. Six decks is standard but still not great. Four decks is a good breaking point for what can be considered favorable to the player. Two and one-deck games are the best. This is for general play, not taking any side bets into consideration.

What the dealer is forced to do with his hand also can sway a table to the light or dark side. The soft/hard is the most common variation. If the dealer hits of soft 17, it’s bad for the players’ advantage. If the dealer must stand, that’s good news.

If you’re new to the game – and you probably are if you don’t know what constitutes a good table – then playing lower limit is preferred, since it extends the number of hands you can play with a constant bankroll, all other things equal. And if a casino such as The Bellagio is open around the clock, all the better. It lets your patience breath and you can learn at your own pace without worrying whether you’ll be booted out the door in 20 minutes.

Also, deck penetration is key. Great penetration can make up for all the bad rules I just mentioned. If you’re a shuffle-tracker or card-counter, penetration counts all the more.

So takes these things into account when you’re deciding where you want to test your bankroll. If you get at least 3 of the above on the “good” side, then you’re in the right spot, and after that you can worry about insurance, surrender, doubling and splitting options. First things first, though.