Myth 10. Blackjack Is A Game Of Chance
While there are elements of both luck and skill in blackjack, it Can no longer be considered just another game of chance. As in many games, luck and skill are definitely factors. In darts, bowling, and numerous other such activities it is always possible to succeed through sheer luck; however, it is primarily skill that determines the consistent winners. Even so with blackjack; why else would casinos bar any players at all?
By barring counters the casinos are, in effect, welcoming unskilled players to the game with open arms while refusing skillful players the right to play at all. Upon reflection, this is an unconscionable act if they consider blackjack a game of chance, and totally unscrupulous if they believe skill is the determining factor. It’s kin to some sleazy carnival barker refusing you (who look as if you might actually be able to throw a ball hard and straight) the opportunity of winning a Kewpie doll. If only losers were allowed to belly up to blackjack tables, even these suckers would eventually learn to avoid the game.
Players at roulette or craps who vary their bet sizes or win money from the games are not denied further access, because management knows that these are games of chance, which mathematically cannot be beaten. If the casinos remain so greedy that they no longer allow a few skilled blackjack players to be winners (whether by restricting the rules or barring counters), then they are threatening the very existence of the game. It has been estimated that less than 2% of their net profits from blackjack are lost to counters. Surely this is an acceptable business write-off as long as it insures the popularity and continuing growth of the industry.
The fact that the game can be beaten through intelligent playing is precisely what draws hordes of gamblers and nongamblers alike to blackjack. Businesspeople who would not normally visit a casino at all are now willing to ply their skills at blackjack, because there is an acceptable risk coupled with the possibility of winning. This is the basic irony of blackjack; the biggest casino moneymaker of all table games is the only one that can be defeated through skillful play.
