The dealer/house has the advantage here because the dealer goes last and you don’t know what both of the dealers cards are. You have to try to beat what you think the dealer might have. The dealer just plays according to pre-defined rules for how they must play and those rules are designed to give the house the edge.
A dealer at a blackjack table has a statistical advantage over the player because of the rules of the game. One key rule is that the player must act before the dealer, which means that the player may bust (go over 21) before the dealer has to make a decision. Additionally, the dealer must follow a specific set of rules for how to play their hand, which limits their options and increases the chances that they will make a favorable play. Finally, if the player busts, the dealer wins regardless of the value of the dealer’s hand, giving the dealer an additional advantage.
That about the optimal strategy given no knowledge of the deck. If you were to “hit” on 17, you have the options of getting ace-4 and not busting. 5/13 cards is less than a 40% chance of not busting. It is too risky to hit, it’s less risky to stay.
Because the players play first, the dealer wins every time the players bust, while the players always have to be lucky to win (excluding card counting).
Plus, giving the dealer express instructions for every value they have keeps the dealer from being an unknown variable.
It’s because the player plays first.
Lets imagine a player who plays with the exact same rules that a dealer does (when to hit, when to pass, ect). Lets create a situation where the dealer and player get basically the same cards.
Dealer deals K and 7 to the player. Dealer deals Q and 7 to dealer. (both have 17)
Player plays first, knows they have a 17 so they hit. Get a J, so bust.
The game is now over, the dealer does not draw a card, player has lost and dealer has won.
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