The Men Who Beat Las Vegas Blackjack

In the history of Blackjack, there have been men who managed to devise strategies and write books with advice on beating Las Vegas Blackgack.

Roger Baldwin: the 1950s

Roger Baldwin published a paper in 1956 on the optimum strategy of the game. The paper appeared in the Journal of the American Statistical Association. But the strategy needed a computer to carry it out. Baldwin worked with three other people, to devise the classic strategy. The conclusion was that Blackjack was the game with the best winning odds, if the optimum strategy was followed. Later, the strategy was improved by Edward Thorp.

Edward Thorp: the 1960s

Edward Thorp was a mathematician fascinated with Blackjack. He was a lecturer at MIT, teaching mathematics and finance. Thorp created and ran simulations on an IBM 704, in which he included basic strategy and, too, card counting. In his theory, the running count of cards’ positive and negative effect was important. Thorp’s theory was called the “Ten Count” system and was published in his book entitled “Beat the Dealer”, in which the card counting strategy was explained. Thorp’s book became a bestseller and caused panic in the casino industry. Thorp and the businessman Emmanuel Kimmel practiced the system in real playing in Reno, Nevada, and doubled their money with the winnings.

The effect of Thorp’s book was that Blackjack rose to fame, from a side game played mostly by female players to one of the games in the spotlight for avid gamblers. Casinos had to change their rules for the game, but players boycotted casinos, so the original rules were reinstated. But some changes remained, such as preferential shuffling and multi-deck games.

Thorp’s strategy was not easy to master, so the effect of the excitement that casinos could be beaten actually increased casinos’ profits, as more players thronged to the Blackjack tables.

Julian Braun: the 1990s

Julian Braun was a computer programmer who read Thorp’s book and was thrilled by the idea of using mathematics in Blackjack. He asked Thorp for his computer program which analyzed each possible choice in detail, and showed the best strategy at the page bottom. Braun refined Thorp’s strategy and ran simulations with fixed and varying Blackjack strategies. He created Hi-Opt and Hi-Lo strategies. Thorp used his ideas in the second edition of his book, and Laurence Revere also used them in his book titled “Playing Black Jack as a Business”. In short, Braun’s strategy was that a deck with many high cards was in the player’s favor, and a deck with many low cards was in the casino’s favor.

Braun developed the Hi-Opt I blackjack count, published in “The World's Greatest Blackjack Book” in 1980. Casino profits started to shrink as players were armed with knowledge of the best strategy. It should be noted that experts give different advice on what is best in each situation, because the conditions are changing. But Braun’s contribution is definitely valuable.

Lawrence Revere

Revere, a hustler who used different names, was known as the person who made money not so much from playing as from teaching card counting. He offered simple advice for the average player. His series of charts with color codes were based on Thorp’s and Brown’s work, and showed the play for each Blackjack hand.

Ken Uston, Al Francesco, Keith Taft: the 1970s

Ken Uston, a genius in mathematics, was a player who resorted to card counting to win whopping amounts. He had an outstanding IQ, 169, and attended university since the age of 16. At 31, he already had a substantial yearly income, but he was fascinated with Blackjack, and joined a team of card counters. The team’s founder, Al Francesco, included women in his teams, as they were likely to be ignored in casinos as less likely to use card counting. Al Francesco is considered the the pioneer in Blackjack team playing. So he was Uston’s teacher in the technique of card counting, and as a team they reaped substantial winnings in the 1970s. The techniques they used are still popular with professional players, but do not look for them in books, they have not been published. In fact, the early ideas for card counting were published by Ken Uston together with another author, in “The Big Player” book, which caused a severe rift between Uston and Francesco.

Uston relied on the discovery players before him had made: Blackjack differed from other games, slot machines, Craps, Roulette, in that mathematical principles could help to master it. They found out that the changes in odds between the player and the house occurred depending on the changes in the card deck content. Uston left his lucrative job, as Vice President of the Pacific Stock Exchange, to play Blackjack as a full time occupation. Success was with him for several years. Then he met Keith Taft. Taft was an electronics engineer who had created a small computer that could be worn unnoticed and helped to play Blackjack perfectly. On the basis of that computer, Taft developed another gambling device called George. George could calculate the amount the player should bet on the basis of the house advantage for the next hand, and could also keep track of all the cards played.

After testing George at the Golden Gate casino in Las Vegas, Uston and Taft started to train people as “computer operators” – they pushed George’s buttons according to the cards dealt. They sent signals to a player standing at the table who received them from a unit hidden in his shoe, and played according to the signals. Uston recruited “operators”, and the team grew to include eight “operators” and eight players who were called Big Players. The team won impressive winnings, in 80 percent of the time played. The Big Players were pampered with luxury by the casinos, which thought they were high rollers. By and by, however, casinos started to suspect unfair play. Agents were used to track the Big Players outside casinos, so the team had to move to another area, Lake Tahoe. That was a mistake which would ruin their success. At Lake Tahoe casinos, Blackjack teams which placed such large bets became suspected very quickly. After whisking the Big Player, the casino guard found the devices and the wires. That was the end of the string of winnings, the players were charged by the police. Taft’s son was among those arrested, so Taft quit the team, and Uston retreated, too, but continued to play without a device. Then the Washington FBI stated the computers were not of cheating type. Taft invented other devices, and you can see them now at Barona Casino, Lakeside, California, in the Blackjack Hall of Fame Museum. Uston wrote a book titled “Million Dollar Blackjack”, including basic strategy and progressive betting knacks.

We should point out that card counting is still not deemed illegal, although of course casinos disapprove of it. The No Mid-Shoe Entry rule was set up to prevent Big Players from invervening in the game at a strategic time.

Peter Griffin: 1978

Peter Griffin was another mathematician who engaged in card counting. He delved into two factors, Betting Correlation and Playing Efficiency, and achieved an accurate estimate of the potential win rate. He did not use computers. He penned a book, “The Theory of Blackjack”, which appeared in 1978 and has undergone many revisions.

Stanford Wong: 1970s-1980s

Wong followed in Thorp’s footsteps. He played Blackjack for a living in the early 1960s, but he did not make high bets. His strategy was to visit casinos early in the morning, when tables were empty. He is now known as Blackjack’s Godfather, and was inducted in the Blackjack Hall of Fame. He worked on tournament playing. His surname gave rise to the word "wonging" related to card counting. Wong managed to be among the first ones to beat Continuous Shuffle Machines. Afterwards CSMs were improved, but experts say they are still beatable.

Wong authored “Professional Blackjack”, replete with charts for Blackjack rules. He also wrote “Basic Blackjack”, dedicated to basic strategy and suitable for novices, but also offering more unusual rules, which were valuable for experienced players. Nowadays Wong hardly ever plays Blackjack and prefers sports betting.

The MIT Students Club: the 1990s

The MIT students’ team made millions of dollars in winings in the 1990s, in Las Vegas casinos. They gambled at weekends as high rollers. They were trained by a suspicious man, Micky Rosa. MIT had a lot to do with card counting: Edward Thorp developed his system there. The students played in teams, three or more in one team, and each had a special role. They managed to have one player, called Gorilla, bet when the odds were in his favor. That reminded of Uston’s teams. But when a private agency was hired by casinos, the students’teams were identified, after months long surveillance. The story was described for the “Bringing Down the House” book and movie, and in a documentary shown on History Channel in 2004.

The Blackjack Hall of Fame

The Hall was established in 2002. A group of experts were assembled and public voting online, with the final voting in 2003 at the Blackjack Ball event attended by high ranking Blackjack professional players. They composed the list of indictees for the Hall of Fame. Nowadays the Hall of Famers select the candidates and the final seven winners.

The Barona Casino established the physical Hall in 2003, with photos of inductees and brief information. Indictees are offered free food and beverages for their lifetime, plus free rooms, but they agree not to play Blackjack at the casino. The museum displays cheating devices.

Modern Card Counting

Casinos are working hard to counteract card counters in Blackjack gaming, and card counting is becoming more complicated, accordingly. Deck penetration, which has to be minimum 75%, and the Table Rules are essential. If the deck penetration is sufficient, it is possible to win.

Continuous Shuffle Machines are designed to counteract card counters, and reshuffle the cards after each hand. So Basic Strategy gets more important. One of the manufacturers of CSM has offered a $100,000 prize to a player that can beat machines via legal card counting or shuffle tracking.

Terminology used in Blackjack

Before we start the terminology list, let us remind you that no matter what your level is, this can be handy reference, to refresh your knowledge of what the terms mean. The terms, words and expressions below, are widely used in all sorts of Blackjack games. You can also read the list to get tips on how you can excel more and more in your playing. With the mastering of the terms, you will master the game further too.

Given that Blackjack is immensely popular the world over, the terminology used when it is played is popular as well. Being knowledgeable about the terms will aid you in your winning your hand. With it, you can understand each of the moves in the course of the game.

In the explanations you come across the words he, or his, or him, these are used to make explanations simpler, but they apply to both gentlemen and ladies.

Knowing the terms, and, too, the rules, will help to play successfully. So after learning the basic terms, or brushing up your knowledge of them, please also remember the following:

Before you start gaming, you must see the sign on the table, beside the Dealer. There you will see how the running of the game is done, what the dealer does, etc. Use that information, too, and check in the terms wherever you need.

One more rule is helpful. If the game course develops so that you start being dealt losing hands, better take a break to relax, and thus regain your concentration.

• 21, or Twenty-One: The other name the game is known by; also, the total you must strive for in it.
• 5-6-7 Card Charlie: A combination of 5, 6, or 7 cards which total 21, or less, taken together.
• Action: The total bet amount made for a specific time period. The comps you get will be based on it in the Blackjack session.
• Action Jackson:  If a player plays for hours, he is an Action Jackson.
• Anchorman: The player sitting closest to the dealer's right. The anchorman is dealt the last, before the dealer. Not recommended for novices. If you choose that position, do not let the other players confuse you. The best position which is auspicious for card counters.
• Automatic Shuffle Machine: The machine doing the shuffling after penetration point, or cut card is reached. Differs from a Continuous Shuffle Machine.
• Back Counting: Counting when not in the game, and usually waiting to join the gaming when the opportunity comes.
• Back Line: A wager held among players, discouraged by casinos, as nothing comes to the house.
• Back of the House: The casino areas for staff; not for players: the cashier’s office, the vault, the areas inside the tables.
• Backing Up: Reconstructing done to the original hand. It is done by the dealer to prove the total.
• Bankroll: The starting money for a player, money used to bet. Often used to mean buy-in. The chips in the dealer’s rack is the house bankroll. "To bankroll" means to give a player money for betting.
• Bar: To exclude a player from the specific game, or from the speciifc casino.
• Barber Pole: A bet with chips of diverse denominations, also referred to as Rainbow Bet.
• Basic Strategy: A computer-based playing method for Blackjack, easy to memorize without card counting. In fact it is a mathematical system, with the goal of bringing the house edge to the lowest.
• Batch Shuffle Machine: A machine using two card sets. One set is used for the shoe; the other set is shuffled continuously. This machine is different from an Automatic Shuffle Machine.
• Betting Limits: The wagers that are minimum and maximum at a table, allowed by the house. The limits can be, too, the ones applicable for all the casino tables.
• Betting Ratio: The comparison between the highest and the lowest bets by a player; can be useful for exposing card counters.
• Betting the Count: Betting a number of units that equals the current count value.
• Blackjack: A hand of an Ace plus a 10-value card (10, Jack, King, Queen). The total is 21 and usual pay is 3-2, except after Aces splitting. Payout rules vary for casinos. Please also read about Payout Ratios.
• Bottom Dealing: Usually a cheating method; in it, the dealer deals a card, or cards, taken from the deck bottom.
• Break – Broke: Taking "hits”to get your total to over 21. That is an immediately losing hand.
• Break Down: Dividing a chips stack to make counting easy. Breaking down can be by color, and then the stacks of the same color can be broken into amounts that can easily be totaled.
• Breaking Hand, or Breakable Hand: A hand in which breaking, or going over 21, can be accomplished with a one-card draw.
• BSE: Abbreviation for Basic Strategy Edge.
• Burn Card or Cards: The first card, or cards, in a deck which is newly shuffled, and not dealt, but discarded immediately. Such cards are not usually shown face up, and that can affect card counting.
• Burned: Discarded: used about the first card after deck cutting, so the player cannot see the card’s value.
• Bust, or Busted: A losing hand in which the value is over 21. If a new card brings your total to over 21, you "bust".
• Bust Hand: A hand with a total of 12 or higher which can "bust" in the following hit. Or a hand which, if hit, will likely bust.
• Bust Out: Leave the game after losing your whole stake.
• Buy In: The money amount, in cash or chips) you use to enter the game.
• Cage: The cashier's cage, where you can redeem chips for cash, cash checks, get credit, etc.
• Card Sharp, or Card Shark: An expert on cards.
• Charlie: See more in 5-6-7 Card Charlie
• Cheque: The same as a chip.
• Chip: A plastic disk substituting money and used to bet. Denominations usually include $1, $5, $25, $100, $500.
• Comp: Complimentary. If you bet large amounts, you get comps like a free room or food.
• Continuous Shuffle Machine (CSM): The machine which shuffles cards continuously; also used as the shoe. After several hands the discards go into the machine, and are shuffled into the deck again. Differs from Automatic Shuffle Machine.
• Counting Cards: The player’s ability to memorize the cards played, and judge which cards have remained in the shoe. By counting the player can grasp when the game is becoming favorable for him, so that he can, accordingly, place larger bets or change his strategy. Many casinos will send players doing it away, though this practice of counting is not illegal.
• Cut: To split the deck before dealing.
• Cut Card : A solid plastic colored card the dealer gives to a player to cut the deck after shuffling.
• D9: Double on 9, or double on 10, or double on 11; only for hard hands.
• D10: Double on 10, or double on 11; only for hard hands.
• Deal: To give out the cards in a hand.
• Double Down: Double the initial bet and get just one more card. After that, no more hits are allowed. Double Down applies for the first two cards. The signal meant for the dealer, when a player wants to Double Down, is when the player doubles his bet.
• Double Down Rescue: Only for non-standard Blackjack variations, e.g Spanish 21. You can take back the last bet portion you have doubled, forfeit the other half, and end the hand. Another term is Surrender.
• Double Double Down: Only for non-standard Blackjack variations, e.g. Spanish 21. You can take hits following the first Double Down, by doubling your bet for one more hit.
• Double for Less: Double Down for a lesser amount than your original bet. But typically you can raise by any amount up to your original bet.
• Double On Anything (DOA): This doubling is done on your first two cards.
• Draw: Add a card, or take a hit, to get nearer 21, but not exceed it. Another term is "hit".
• Drop Percentage: The win percentage for the casino expected, on basis of house percentage. Or the player’s first stake that he will finally lose. The percentage is about 20%.
• Early Surrender: Surrender even when there is a Blackjack with the dealer.
• Even Money: When you have a Blackjack, and for the dealer an Ace is showing, there is a potentiality of a Blackjack. When the dealer pays your Blackjack 1-1, not 3-2, that is Even Money, and your payout is guaranteed, though lesser than expected. Refer also to Payout Ratios.
• Face Card: A Jack, or Queen, or King, with a value of 10.
• First Base: That is the first seat, to the dealer’s left. The player sitting there is the first to act on his hand.
• Flat Bet: This bet is never changed by you. Opposite to is Progressive Bet.
• Foreign Chip: That chip is issued by one casino, and then can be accepted by another casino as cash.
• Full No Peek: When the dealer does not check for Blackjack until before all the players have had turns, no matter what the dealer’s up card is. Compare with “No Peek" and "Peek".
• Grinder: A player betting small.
• Hard Count : True face value for a hand.
• Hard Hand: A hand with no Ace, or an Ace which can be counted as 1 only. Compare with Soft Hand.
• Head On: Playing with the dealer only, one on one.
• Heads Up: Playing with the dealer only, one on one.
• High Roller: A player placing large bets.
• Hit, or Hit Me -- To add a card to the hand when you want to approach 21, but not go over. You can say "hit me", or scrape your cards on the table.
• Hole Card: It is dealt always face down, usually the first card the dealer takes.
• House: The casino.
• House Edge (Percentage): The casino's percentage, or advantage in the game. That is the mathematical edge that the casino will have, so the probability for winning is the edge, or the advantage. When the casino wins, the player loses. You will find the advantage shown in terms of percentage. For players, the advantage comes when a strategy is applied, so the player can reduce the casino’s, or house’s, edge.
• Late Surrender: Allowed only after the dealer has done the checking for a Blackjack. If it is seen he has Blackjack, the effect for the player is losing the entire bet. The opposite situation has a less unfavorable effect for the player: he loses half his bet.
• Marker: Also IOU: credit line by the casino provided for a player.
• Mid-Shoe Entry: When a player enters the game in progress. Card counters can benefit from it.
• Natural: The Natural is the total 21 you get for the first two cards that are dealt for you, an Ace plus a 10-point card.
• No Peek: When the dealer does not check for Blackjack if the card up is 10, or sometimes 10 or Ace. Read, too, "Full No Peek" and "Peek".
• Pair: Formed by a player’s first two cards when they have the same number.
• Pit: The area which is enclosed between the gaming tables.
• Point Count: In card counting, the net counted at the hand’s end, of the cards played in that hand.
• Preferential Shuffling: Making the deck to be less favorable for you and the other the players. It is not done when it is unfavorable.
• Press: To increase your bet size. See more at Progressive Betting below.
• Progressive Betting: A bet increase system. Players can double bets after wins, reduce them following losses, or, after 3 wins consecutively, return to the original bet.
• Push: A tie, made between the dealer and the player, when no money will change hands.
• Rainbow Bet: A bet with chips having diverse denominations. Or a stack of chips with different colors, stacked improperly. Another term is Barber Pole.
• Rich Deck: A deck which is partial and has an excessively high percentage of Aces and ten point cards.
• Resplitting of Aces (RSA): Resplitting of Aces allowed.
• Running Count: Refers to card counting. Done from the start of the deck or shoe. This counting is possible after the cards have been exposed.
• S17: All 17’s for the dealer, soft or hard.
• Scratch: It is done on the table, when you want to request a hit.
• Second Base: A player sitting between other players, who is not the first or the last, or sitting dead center and directly opposite the dealer.
• Second Dealing : Generally a cheating technique: the dealer deals not the first, but the second card.
• Settlement: The end of the hand and the bet payout.
• Seven Card Charlie: Refer to 5-6-7 Card Charlie.
• Shill: An employee for the house pretending to be a player and betting to attract customers. Shills can be easily noticed: they follow the same rules as the dealer.
• Shiner: A device with reflective properties, whose purpose is to enable the glimpsing at the hole card of the dealer.
• Shoe: A box where up to eight card decks are kept. The shoe is used in multi-deck games.
• Shuffle: Remix the cards, typically by cutting and riffling them.
• Shuffle Up: Shuffle prematurely, to harass a player that attract suspicion as a possible card counter. That is done before the cut card appears. Refer also to Preferential Shuffling.
• Silver: Silver dollars, or metal tokens for gaming used instead of $1 chips at some casinos.
• Single Deck: One deck comprising 52 cards.
• Six Card Charlie: Refer to 5-6-7 Card Charlie.
• Size Into: To use a chips stack which has been counted already; that is a measure for another, not counted yet, stack.
• SME10: Means that only the same tens can be split.
• Soft Hand: When the player has an Ace counted as 11, the hand is soft. The player cannot bust by means of taking one more card. 11 plus any other card will always total less than 21 or equal to it. Compare with Hard Hand.
• Soft Game: A game with many unskilled players taking part.
• Spanish Deck: A deck having 48 cards, like standard decks, but without without the tens.
• Split Hand: The player can make two autonomous hands. One begins with two cards with identical value. For the second hand, a new bet is made, and is played separately.
• Split Pairs: When the player’s first two cards have identical values. The player adds a new bet, identical to the original bet, to the second hand. The hands are played individually. Your doubling the bet is a signal for the dealer that you intend to Split the pair. For Split Aces, only one hit for each is allowed.
• Spooking: When the player stands behind the dealer, with the aim of taking getting a peek of the hole card, to give information to another player of the table; a cheating technique.
• Spread: Place more than one bet, before the card dealing.
• Spread The Deck: The cards on the table are arranged face up, spread out, so players can check the decks are complete. That is a typical action in the opening of a table.
• Stack: A stack comprises 20 chips in the rack.
• Stake: The starting amount for the player, the amount he is going to bet with.
• Stand: Also called Stay. Indicates the player’s satisfaction with his hand, so that the player wants no more hits. When you want to request a stand, you sweep your hand, with the palm down. Or, when you are holding cards, you pit the cards on the table, with a corner that is tucked under your bet.
• Stay: Refer to Stand.
• Steaming: The making of mistakes when a player is upset.
• Stiff: A hand which could go bust, or total over 21, when one more card is added. With a stiff, the chance of winning is small, no matter how the hand is played.
• Straighten The Rack: To order the chips in the rack, in 20-chip stacks, to enable the pit boss to easily count their total value.
• Strategy: The strategy for playing which can minimize the house edge, with no card counting, no dealer tells, or no shuffle tracking.
• Stripping The Deck: Shuffling in which a couple of cards are dropped alternately, from the deck top and the deck bottom.
• Suit: Refers to any of the four catefories for cards: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades.
• Suited: Having the identical suit.
• Surrender: Available in some casinos; must be done before any hits are taken. For more details, read about Early Surrender and Late Surrender.
• Tell Play: Watching the dealer’s expressions and body language, to guess his hand.
• Third Base: At the table, the last seat, in the position immediately located to the dealer’s right. The player there will act the last. Other names are Anchor, or Hot Corner.
• Toke: To tip the dealer.
• Up Card: The dealer’s Face Up card in his original hand. It is an important one, and players must factor it in, when they plan their further course of playing.

As you play, you will find more terms, and you will pick more terms, especially slang ones. The list above is an attempt for the basic terminology.

Some terms are easy to grasp, even for a novice. By and by you will learn the essential terms. The game can often get intense, so knowing the proper terms will help you not to lose your confidence. Then you will stay in control of decisions in the game.

For more practice, you can also look for movies showing the game, like the “21” movie. Blackjack becomes increasingly more understandable when you know what language is used, so each opportunity to revise or learn terms is to your benefit.

On the odds of winning in Blackjack:

Casino’s House Edge

It is a number which is calculated when they take all the bets made, and multiply the amount by the percentage that would be kept by the casino.

What is Payout Percentage

It is also known as Return Percentage and points out the percentage the player will keep of his bet, or the amount that will return to the player.

The House Edge and the Payout Percentage are calculated assuming the players’ decisions will be statistically correct. If the Payout Percentage is, for instance, 95%, the House Edge will be 5%.

The importance of variables

There are variables that impact the odds. They are cumulative: the House Edge is combined with the rules for and against your favor. The cumulative is the real House Edge. Accredited software on casinos

Software used on casinos is accredited, so randomness is guaranteed. That is another factor you must remember.

How your strategy can impact the Casino’s House Edge

Basic Strategy is your tool with which you can impact the odds. You will learn to spot what you need and how to play accordingly.

On Basic Strategy and upping odds

This strategy is based on logical conclusions with regard to the cards dealt already. Strive to exceed the total count for the dealer’s hand, without going over 21. You can hit, to add more cards, but basic strategy will help enormously, too. You will add your skill to the chances. The basic moves you can make after the dealing of the first two cards, before the dealer’s opening the Face Down card, are hitting, standing, doubling, splitting, or surrendering. Make your choices of moves based on your two cards. Strategy will help to take sensible decisions regarding your moves.

If you deem your cards are good enough, you must stand. If you double, you increase your bet twice, and you get one more card. You can split when the cards dealt to have the same rank; each of these cards will become the first one for a new hand, and your wager will double, too. When you think your two cards will not likely get you a win, you had better surrender: the benefit is you will get back half your bet.

House Rules at the Blackjack table

House Rules, or Blackjack Conditions, are the rules at the table. The rules for the game of Blackjack are different with different tables. They will impact your odds: your odds will be better on some casinos.

Below is a helpful table with odds: the ones with plus are to your benefit, the ones with minus are to the casino’s benefit. For the odds below, 8 decks are used, and Double Down is allowed on the first two cards dealt only, after splitting, and resplitting for total 4 hands.

House Edge on Insurance

The rule you must first and foremost abide by is to never buy insurance. You must not do that, even if you have a Blackjack (take exception if you are card counting). The House Edge on Insurance is cumulative, and to the benefit of the casino. That is additional to the standard edge, so please subtract it from the percentage of your odds.

Deck Number and House Edge

With each card coming from the shoe, the advantage may change, to favor the player or the house. With more decks, the odds are more auspicious for the casino. That is additional to the standard edge, so please subtract it from the percentage of your odds.

The House Edge and Continuous Shuffle Machines

When CSM are used, it is like having a fresh shoe for each hand, and that is to the player’s benefit (not if you are card counting). The house will compensate for that with the dealer dealing around 20% more hands in an hour, and the advantage will increase with the hands dealt. For you as the player the losses will be higher.

Some more factors impacting your odds

According to computer simulations, the dealer breaks 28.23% of the time (based on millions of rounds, but so many rounds are unlikely in practice.)

According to a Harvard mathematician, 7 shuffles are needed to randomize a deck. It follows that 8 decks will not be shuffled, until they are totally randomized. The dealer’s break ratio will get to a very low percentage compared to computer simulations results.

Card counting will up your odds, but you may be banned by the casino if they spot you.

After being dealt with your two cards and you decide it's too low from 21, you can hit or get an additional card to add to your total. If you believe that your two cards are good enough then you"stand". A double is doubling your bet and getting one more card. A split is allowed when you're dealt with cards dealt that have the same rank. If you opt to split your hand, each card will be considered as the first card of two new hands to come out of the split. The wager is also doubled in this move. Now, if you think the two cards dealt you has very little chance of winning, you can opt to surrender and take back half of your total bet. These are the basic moves and they can be used to maximize your chances at winning when selected with the basic blackjack strategy in mind.

Basic Blackjack Strategy

Finally, we've come to the strategy part. Here is where you will learn to identify the possibilities and your options in trying for a win in each deal. Now that you have familiarized yourself with the basic moves, take a look at these approaches in applying what you know. The more you practice, the more approaches and new strategies you can come up with to increase your.

• If you are dealt with an Ace, the best way to go is to hit so that you can get a new card and increase the total of your hand.
• If the dealer is showing a high card like a 7 or more then take a hit if your hand is less than 17. This is risky but somewhat worth it because there's a big chance the hole card (dealer's faced down card) has a high value too.
• Always split when you have two aces.
• You can do a double if your card total is larger than 10 and the dealer's hand is less than that.
• When you have a hand value higher than 9 and the dealer's is lower, it's wise to"stand". If you hit, there's a risk that you will get busted. Instead let the dealer deal more cards for himself and hope he gets busted.
• When you have a soft ace, you can do a double and if that's not allowed, you hit.
• Never purchase insurance unless you're sure that most of the naturals and aces have been dealt already. This means that you're already doing some card counting.

Remember, the more you practice, the more you can develop your style with some new approaches and techniques in employing the basic blackjack strategy.

Tutorial on Cards Counting in Blackjack Games

First, have a clear idea of what counting cards means. It is the calculation of how rich the deck part with the cards still undealt is in high cards, or whether many low cards remain in it. Many high cards mean a perk for the player, and many low cards a perk for the dealer. What is more important, if the deck part with remaining cards is filled with low cards, there is a very slim chance of a Blackjack.

In card counting, a number is assigned to each card denomination: a plus, or a minus. After the deck shuffling the count will start from zero again. After the exposing of the cards, you must add, or subtract, the number going with the denomination from the count. The updated number is caller Running Count.

Below please see an instance of the Hi-Opt I system of counting, with the following numbers which go with the cards:

In short, tens count as minus 1. The cards from three to six count as plus one. The other cards do not participate in the counting.

We offer an instance of the Running Count for two hands in a game:

As you can notice, in the second hand, a lot of tens are dealt: so the Running Count is negative. In another example, if most cards dealt are between 3 and 6, it will be positive. A negative count for the deck means there is an abundance of low cards, a positive count means most low cards have been already dealt.

The existing counting systems are different; not all start from zero, and with a deck newly shuffled. Some systems are balanced, because if you get a complete deck and count the whole of it, the final Running Count will be zero. There, too, are unbalanced counting systems, which do not finish at zero, when the counting is done for the whole deck.

Use the Running Count for judging how much you should bet, and, too, to judge what you should do, hit, or stand, or double. The Running Count can help you to understand if the deck has many high cards, so there is a great likelihood of a Blackjack to be dealt. Card counting is effective when it is used with Basic Strategy. So if you do not abide strictly by that strategy, it is not good to decide using card counting as a tool.

Most commonly, multiple decks are used. Then you should alter your Running Count and get what is termed the True Count. You must alter, or adjust the Running Count, taking into consideration how many decks remain. You should also apply another factor, called Penetration: what portion of the deck is dealt, before the dealer does the shuffling. When more cards are dealt, prior to the shuffling, the Penetration is higher, so your count will tell you most accurately what you must expect. You should not rely on Penetration which is 70% or less.

After dividing the Running Count by the number of remaining undealt decks, you get the True Count. For instance, with Running Count of 10, and 2 decks left, you get a True Count of 5.

You can do your progressive betting with the True Count as basis. That means you will bet higher with the increase in the count. The table below illustrates using progressive betting on the basis of True Count, for a normal bet of $10 per hand:

You must also note the availability of failsafes in progressive betting. For example, one failsafe is not to up your bet if you are not winning. The progressive strategy has a lot of components, so we cannot recommend you a specific strategy, or say that a specific strategy is the best. Our purpose is to inform you about the options you have.

Finally, we must advise you to do the counting very quickly. Card counting does the best work when at the table there are fewer players. So if the deck is favorable, you must not feel afraid it will be diluted by the players, before the time comes for dealing your cards. To get better, you must practice in an environment with distractions, for example at home, when the TV is on, and when your household members are distracting you with their talking. You must practice until you get the knack of counting really quickly. When you can already count fast, you will not attract suspicion at the table. Casinos dislike card counting, so if you arouse suspicious, you risk being banned.

To sum it up

Card counting can be useful, providing you with an advantage in playing. It is a simple technique, but practicing is needed before you become a veritable master.

Do not join the opinion that counting the cards in gaming has a lot to do with memorizing. Fortunately, this is a system with which you can keep a kind of record of the ratio that is formed of the two types of cards, high and low ones, and using that, you can decide what action you must undertake.

Let us once again make a kind of plan regarding your future line of action in the counting process:

• First, you must assign a value to each of the cards.
• Second, you must do the Running Count regarding the cards dealt.
• Thirdly, the Running Count gives you information, so that you can make out the count per the deck, also called True Count.
• Finally, you can use the information to change the bets in the game, as the True Count goes up.

You must always remember the important fact: casinos do not favor this technique. So you must learn to do counting imperceptibly. Although card counting is not ruled as illegal, the casino where you are playing will not like your use of the technique and can take measures to stop your gaming there. With practice you can learn to make out the situation and take decisions very quickly. Thus you can avoid being noticed as a player using the technique to gain advantage.

We wish you success in the mastering of counting the cards. With more and more practice by the Blackjack table, you will become better and better and will be able to work out the ratio of the cards, whether the ones remaining in the shoe are mostly high cards, so that you can up your bet, or when the ratio is in favor of low cards, and bet a lesser amount, or, if necessary, not bet at all.

Please note that to avoid arousing suspicion on part of the casino, you must not increase your bet by a 1 for each of the points in the tally increase. Should you raise your bet more drastically, you will make yourself noticed quickly.

Tutorial on playing Blackjack

This tutorial is useful to read before you launch into playing Blackjack. Learn the rules and find free demos for basic information, and then you can go on and play.

Step one: Bets placing and cards dealing

The game will start as the players put their bets. Lay your chips in the place specified for betting, a circle or a square. If you are slow to do that, you will get help from the dealer, for instance, in showing you where you must put your chips, or may deal you out. A minimum and a maximum amount are in effect for the bets at Blackjack tables. `You must bet between the minimum margin and the maximum one. You can, too, make more bets, not just one, and play multiple hands.

After the bets placing, the cards dealing takes place; that is done by the dealer. The box for keeping the cards is called the Shoe. You, and each other player, too, will get two cards. It is a must not to touch the cards, or you will be thought to be a cheater. Two cards will be lying before the dealer, too, one of them face down. Only in the Double Exposure variation both cards lying before the dealer are with their face up. The card lying face down is the Hole Card, the name the other card is called is the Up Card.

The player’s goal

You, the player, must devise a way of the best playing to win. The other name Blackjack is known by is 21, because your cards total should be the nearest possible to 21; the total must not be beyond it. If your total is over 21, you will bust, that means you automatically lose. The bets will be taken, the players will get turns, finally the dealer will show the Hole Card. Don’t Bust even before the dealer plays. You will Bust when you take more cards, not on your first two ones.

What is Hard Hand and Soft Hand

The value in points for each Jack, King, and Queen, or face cards, is 10 points. With the other cards, what counts is the number on the card, that is the face value. The Ace makes an exception, with 1 or 11 points; choose either, as you prefer. The Soft Hand has an Ace with total less than 21 or equal to it, whether you count it as 1 or as 11. Soft is used to mean that for the hand, two totals are possible. For instance, with an A-6, your hand’s total could be 7 or 17, according to your preference. With A+1, 1+6=7, and with A=11, 11+6=17. For the first deal, Soft occurs f you get an Ace. But you will not manage to exceed 21 with another card.

In a Hard Hand, only one total is possible. If, when you count an Ace 11, you get over 21 as total for that hand, you must count the Ace as 1. With no Ace in your hand, it is hard. Another example of Hard Hand is an Ace you must count as 1.

The dealer's hand

For the first dealing, the highest number always is for the hand of the dealer; the Ace is 11. The only exception depends on the options for the dealer’s Hitting or Standing on a Soft 17. That rule is well known, displayed on the table. With A-6, the dealer will have it count as 17, remain on 17, not get more cards, and attempt to get a higher total.

But for Hit on Soft 17, the dealer’s A-6 will count as 7; when the turn comes for the dealer, what he or she will do is take another card. The rule is not beneficial for players. It is better if at your playing table it is Stand on Soft 17 for the dealer.

Winning, losing and payouts

Your goal must be to strive for a total with which you will surpass the dealer’s total, and will not get beyond 21. When, for instance, there is 17 for the dealer, and you finish with 18, you are to win. Should you both get 17, you push (known, too, as tying): your bet will stay; leave it for the next bet, remove it, or add to it. That is the rule for standard Blackjack. The exception is in Blackjack variations; in some variation the opportunity exists for the dealer to win some ties. If the dealer gets 17, and you get 16, then you will lose.

What does it mean to get a Blackjack

Blackjack occurs with two cards which, taken together, total 21. So it is, too, called Natural 21. Only the first deal gives the opportunity for a Natural 21, or the Blackjack. It ranks higher compared to a 21 comprising three cards, or more than three cards. If the combination for the dealer is a three-card 21, and for you the combination is a Natural 21, you win. Another benefit is your payout will come with a more lucrative rate. But on different casinos diverse exceptions are applied, as casinos strive to drive more money in their own coffers.

Ace showing for the dealer

In such cases, several rules apply: Insurance, Even Money, and, more rarely, Early Surrender.

What is Insurance

With Ace showing for the dealer, you can buy Insurance, after the cards dealing, but before the players have started taking hits. This represents a side bet: you bet assuming that with the dealer there is a Blackjack, and that the hidden card’s worth is 10 points. Proceed to make another bet, with up to half the size of your original bet. When the players have finished taking turns, making, or declining an Insurance bet, the dealer will disclose what the hidden card is. If the Blackjack is with the dealer, all the Insurance side bets will win, with a 2:1 payout rate.

The Insurance will enable you to retain part of your betting amount, to avoid losing everything when the case is a Blackjack with the dealer. When the dealer uncovers an Ace, and when you assume there is a Blackjack with him or her, that will beat you, so think about buying Insurance. But be cautious, because things will rarely work ideally. Very often there may be no Blackjack for the dealer, and unfortunately you will lose both the bets.

The Insurance will not affect the regular bet you make. In practice, winning one bet and losing another bet is possible; in worse cases, you may lose both. Winning both the bets is very unlikely: the exception is a Blackjack variation where the player having a Blackjack ties, but that is unusual.

When the dealer has a Blackjack, it leads to the following: the players that do not have it will lose; those with a Blackjack tie, unless they have taken Even Money. Finally the hand’s end comes, and the new hand must be started.

In the event of no Blackjack in the dealer, the players having Insurance bets lose, and the players with Blackjack win.

Even Money

If you get a Blackjack, and, too, for the dealer an Ace is showing, you can get an Even Money offer for that Blackjack. Get that chance for obtaining a guaranteed win, with a smaller payout. The payout is 1:1. It is not 3:2. You will get the offer from the dealer before he or she checks for a Blackjack.

The common advice you will get is not to grab the offer. You have a more favorable chance if you stick to the higher payout opportunity. But you can decide not to rely on chance, and opt for Even Money, where the payout will be guaranteed.

Early Surrender

With dealer’s Ace showing, the option of Early Surrender is great, though not often observed in casinos. It is often said that this option is especially great if you count cards. You can opt for giving up, not playing that hand, and you will forfeit half of the size of your bet. That is suitable if you are afraid your loss is almost certain, and is an option for reducing that loss by half. Surrendering will always take place before the dealer’s taking other cards additionally to the first two ones. The offer of surrendering will come immediately after the dealing, and before the check the dealer makes for a Blackjack.

Besides Early Surrender, there are also Late Surrender, and, too, Surrender Anytime.

You can be offered Late Surrender after the dealer’s checking has been made for a Blackjack, and when your turn is coming. But if you opt for taking it, you must do that before you have taken other cards additionally to your first cards.

Surrender Anytime enables your surrender, even after taking hits. The number of the cards that you have drawn does not matter here. That is supported at most Blackjack tables, unlike Early Surrender or Surrender Anytime.

When your turn comes

The actions described above happen almost instantly, without many words said. You must notify a dealer you are still learning, and your choices will be explained for you. Otherwise you will be treated like an experienced player.

After the first options, the crucial part comes, after the dealer’s turning over the Hole Card. Players get the chance of taking additional cards, Splitting Pairs, Doubling Down, or Late Surrender.

Splitting Pairs

When you get a matched pair, for instance, two Eights, two Kings, two Aces, it is your right to Split Pairs. Only one variation is possible, for unmatched Tens.

The rule for Splitting is to have the exactly matching card number, regardless of the suit. Examples of exact matches are: two Tens, two Jacks, etc.

Split Pairs means you make one more bet, further to your first bet, and you bet an amount of the same size. When you place the second identical bet, and the two bets are side by side, the dealer knows you want to Split Pairs. The cards will be split for you into two hands; each will have one card and one bet. For each hand, you will play individually.

When you are Doubling Down on a matched pair, it is good to show clearly your intention to the dealer, lest the dealer assumes you are Splitting. Your placing the additional bet over the first one is a sign you are Doubling Down. You can also show Split intentions, by putting them side by side.

After Splitting Pairs: Rules

When you Split Pairs, the variations are many.

After splitting, you may not enjoy the opportunity to Double Down.

Sometimes a Blackjack is not counted Blackjack

There are instances in which a Blackjack will not be taken as Natural 21, for example, in the event you Split a Pair, and, then, get a Blackjack. So its rank will be lower than that of a Blackjack when you are dealt. The common payout on split Blackjack is 1:1, not the common 3:2.

According to the rule common for European Blackjack, a player’s Split Blackjack loses against a casino’s Natural Blackjack. The rules vary with the diverse tables.

Double Down

That is doubling your bet, and you will take just ONE more card.

Doubling Down is achieved when you put another bet, of identical same amount, alongside your first bet. Then one more hand will be dealt for you, for the hand currently on. For Doubling After Splitting, the will continue with your next hand, or with the next player’s hand.

There are different rules for Doubling Down in different casinos: in some, on first two hands only, in others, even after having taken a hit. You may do it on any hand total, or only on a hand totaling a specific amount. You may be able to Double Down after Splitting Pairs.

Late Surrender

Above we have mentioned Late Surrender. When the dealer has checked, if you know he or she has no Blackjack,  but before taking more cards. You will give up, you will lose half your bet, and will not take hits. If another hand is remaining, the game will go towards it, or else move towards the next player.

Taking Hits

After all the options have been offered, you must Hit or Stand. Hit is taking another card, Stand is not taking more cards, just going on with your hand. Hit is also called Draw. When your total is under 12, there is a risk for you of Busting, or going over 21, for each Hit. When you opt for Busting, you will lose the hand, your bet, and, too, your cards will by rule go to the dealer. The continuation will be either with your next hand, or else with the next player’s hand.

Before a Hit, think what your winning chances are, whether there is a likelihood of winning as your hand stands, or it is better to consider getting a higher total. The risk the dealer is faced with, of going Bust, is also present at all times.

The dealer must proceed with the taking of hits, until he or she gets 17 minimum. With total 15 or 16, the big chance for Busting is present for the dealer, after taking a Hit.

The dealer’s Standing on Soft 17 occurs on reaching 17. The cards taking by the dealer will stop, no matter whether there are Aces equal to 1 or 11. Hitting on Soft 17 means the dealer has 17, but should there be an Ace, it could be taken as less than 17.

Hand end and payouts

The end of players’ playing hands comes after they have had Split, Double, Bust, or have their cards lying on the table. Now, turning over the Hole Card, the dealer starts taking Hits, and that will go on until the dealer reaches minimum 17. Should the the dealer Bust, not go beyond 21, all the remaining hands will win. Otherwise, a comparison will be made of the dealer and each player, what hands they have. The owner of the higher total wins; the exceptions are when that is a tie. The task will be for the dealer to take the bets done by all the losing hands; the winners will be paid; the round will now be finished.