Deviation is a statistic that is used to measure the difference between the actual results of a given hand of blackjack and what would be expected based on the odds of that hand. Deviation can be positive (meaning that the hand is above average), negative (meaning that the hand is below average), or zero (meaning that the hand results in exactly what would be expected based on the odds).
Deviation can be used to help determine whether a given hand of blackjack is worth pursuing further. For example, if a player’s deviation is high (meaning that their hand is above average relative to the odds), it may be worth betting more aggressively in order to improve their chances of winning.
Conversely, if a player’s deviation is low (meaning that their hand is below average relative to the odds), it may be worth betting less aggressively in order to avoid losing too much money.
Deviation can also be used as a predictor of future performance. For example, if a player’s deviation goes up after making a particular bet, it may indicate that they are more likely to win than lose on that particular bet.
Conversely, if a player’s deviation goes down after making a particular bet, it may indicate that they are less likely to win than lose on that particular bet.
