HAL tightens up blackjack rules

[zdgp]

Playing blackjack on HAL is less attractive than it used to be. Previously, the dealer stood on all 17's. Now the dealer hits a soft 17. This increases the house edge from 0.45% to 0.66% The change may not seem like much, but it amounts to a 47% increase in your expected rate of loss.

[tom-n-cheryl]

Carnival made the same switch several months ago. They are also now using the CSM's (which I tend to prefer - oddly enough!)

Even though I would rather see the dealer stand on soft 17's - I have had many occasions where the dealer shows a 6, so I stand on my (let's say) 13. The dealer flips an ace - in those cases I am VERY happy to give him a chance to BUST!

Tom

[zdgp]

By hitting a soft 17, the dealer will, obviously, bust more often. However, this is more than offset by the times the dealer improves his hand.