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Blackjack can be played with one, two, four, or eight decks of cards. Many players who are new to the world of Blackjack often ask whether it is better to play with a single deck or multiple decks. If you are given the choice, it is always advisable to play with the fewest of decks possible. The reason for this is simple: The more the number of decks, the higher the casino advantage. And the higher the percentages of house edge, the smaller are the winning odds in the game. It is basically because the card counting trick becomes less effective with more number of decks.
Where two decks of cards will get you 104 (52 X 2 = 104) cards in the game, eight decks will get you a total of 416 (52 X 8 = 416) cards in the game. This means that if you are playing with two decks of cards, you’ll be playing with eight Jacks in the game. So, even if two cards of Jack have already been used, just a small mathematical calculation will reveal that there are six Jacks left in the deck. But in case of eight decks, if two Jacks have been used in the game, you still have to keep track of 30 Jacks in the game. With the constant shuffling of the cards it becomes very difficult and confusing to keep tabs on 30 Jacks as compared to 4 or 8 Jacks in the single or double decks respectively.
This, however does not mean that removing the number of cards from the deck will magnify your chances of winning in the game. As is seen in Spanish 21 which is played with the 48-card deck with all the 10s removed. Though a total of four cards have been removed from the deck, the probability of getting winning combinations is still on the lower side. It is basically because the cards having a value of ten are considered to be good cards in the game as they increase your odds of getting a Blackjack. For instance, if you already have an Ace, you can get a quick Blackjack if you draw another 10. So, if all the tens are removed from the deck, your chances of getting a Blackjack are reduced by four cards.
The upshot is that if the good cards are removed from the deck it will drop your winning odds in the game. On the other hand, if the number of decks are reduced in the game, it will definitely increase your odds in the game by reducing the house edge.