strategy

Im not a card counter so what gives me my best odds when using basic strategy. a six deck shoe with about, 4 deck, or 8 deck all between 50% to 2/3's penetration. are they all the same or would say playing half of the 8 deck shoe be best since it has the most cards.

While there is an off-the-top difference between six-deck and eight-deck games, with the statistical nod going to six-deck for the player, I think the best strategy for a basic non-counting player is to get into the slowest game possible and milk it for comps. For a non-counter, the worse penetration, the better. That just means more down time while the cards are being shuffled, which translates to fewer hands played at a disadvantage. Here are a few tips:

1. Look for crowded tables with slow players and slow dealers;

2. Look for games with lousy penetration;

3. Play as slowly and deliberately as possible;

4. Waste as much table time as you can talking to the dealer and the other players;

5. Take mid-shoe bathroom breaks and stretch them out as long as possible;

6. Make odd bets to slow down the dealer on payoffs, especially for blackjacks;

5. The only time the off-the-top house advantage is important is if all other things are equal. You are better off to choose a slow game with a slightly larger house advantage than you are to choose a fast game with a lower house advantage.

There are other things you can do, but the main idea is to think s-l-o-w.

Just look for the cheesy sweaty casinos you talk about that have 50% pen(what a joke) and bet the minimum. You'll lose less and get comped more due to downtime of shuffling every 10 minutes.

so then, if 6 decks have an edge over 8 would 4 decks have an advantage over 6 decks. also would 8 decks with 50% penetration be better than 6 decks with 2/3's penetration.

you are going to see 4 decks of play before each shuffle. 1/2 of 8 decks is 4, 2/3 of 6 is 4. So, in terms of number of hands played between shuffles, they are the same. However, since the 6 deck has a lower edge, you are better off to play it. On the other hand, an 8 deck shuffle usually takes longer to do. I am not certain how those pros and cons can be weighed. Just follow the advice of the others and play a slow game. If you are milking comps, frequently ask for advice from the dealer on how to play the hand. This will slow your game down and give you the appearance of being a novice, which is important to ratings if they think you are at a greater disadvantage than you really are. Also, if you really want to look like a rookie, spill your drink on the table, that'll slow things down and make you appear to be drunk, which is great because they usually consider that when rating you, because they know a drunk gambles more foolishly. Hell, spill your drink anyways just to get a reaction.

Penetration has little if any effect on the house edge for a basic strategy player. It affects a card counter because it means he is betting in neutral or negative counts far more often and he has less opportunity to get his big bets out in favorable counts. Poor penetration is good for a BS player because it means he is playing fewer hands overall, so it costs him less money per hour.

The exception to that would be preferential shuffling, which is when the dealer prematurely shuffles up only in high counts. That does affect every player at the table in a negative way. If you find yourself at a table where they are shuffling before they get to the cut card, shuffling when a player raises his bets, or shuffling in what appears to be an inconsistent manner, find another dealer or, better yet, another casino. There is a good chance that you are being cheated by a preferential shuffle.