First of, if you are using card-counting as a tool to win, then avoid the eight-deck games when a six-deck one is available. Although the difference in reducing the house edge amounts to only a decimal of a percentage point, the count has significantly more variation, and that’s the area where you can gain an edge. An eight-deck count remains around -1 and +1 true count more.

Aside from that, something else we need to determine is whether the dealer hits on soft 17. It makes a statistical difference. If the dealer stands, even with an eight-deck game with the aforementioned penetration, you can make money, but you’ll certainly have to be aggressive with your betting at the table. That doesn’t mean necessarily playing more that one hand at a time, though. If the dealer hits on 17, it hurts you as a player, so the smartest thing to do is probably not get involved with that game, and try to find something with more favorable player odds.

The bottom line, though, is that the eight-deck black jack online game is a tough one, especially without a favorable penetration, whether you’re counting or not. And when other restrictive rules get put into place like a 6:5 payoff on blackjack, no surrender option, or the H17 rule, it makes it almost not worth it to sit at the table. It makes me wonder why casinos offer these games in the first place, but they must be making money from someone.

Avoid playing double hands if these are the rules at the table, too. All it will do is double the same weighted house odds against you. Sure, you get to see a few more cards, and that can statistically help you if you’re counting, but it’s not enough to justify the risk of putting up twice as much money with the probabilities stacked against you. If you can find a six-deck game, though, with a favorable penetration that you feel good about, playing a second hand isn’t out of the question at all.