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rec.gambling.blackjack FAQ |
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consensus has emerged as to how the more sophisticated performance parameters
actually translate to advantage at the tables as in the simulations.
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Q:B18 What counting system is easiest to use?
A:B18 (thunk)
Background: Lots of systems are available. There is an important tradeoff
between complexity and theoretical power, as more complex systems are harder to
use and more error-prone.
Answer: You pick 'em. A rec.gambling.blackjack study was accomplished that
compared different systems, and here a summary of what came out:
Complexity is a subjective measure with guidelines described in the results
paper. Power is the integer closest to p/0.05%, where p is the % advantage of
the strategy one-on-one in a single deck, dealer hits on soft 17, no DDAS,
resplitting-allowed game that's dealt down to 20 cards and using a 1-4 betting
spread. 15,000,000 hands guarantee correctness to within 1 point 99% of the
time.
name complex power card weights reference
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X
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BASIC 0 -5 Steve Jacobs
UNBALANCED 10 2 13 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -2 Steve Jacobs
SUPER-SIMPLE OPT-I 2.5 16 1 1 1 1 -1 WGBJB (1)
REVERE PM 3.5 16 -1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 PBaaB
RED SEVEN 3.5 19 -1 1 1 1 1 1 R:1 -1 BiB
OPT1-6+6 5 18 1 1 1 1 -1 WGBJB
WONG HIGH-LOW 5 19 -1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 PB
ZEN 5 19 -1 1 1 2 2 2 1 -2 BiB
HORSESHOE 6 14 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3 MDB (2)
REVERE POINT COUNT 6 17 -2 1 2 2 2 2 1 -2 PBaaB
OPT1-6+6 W/ ACE 7 23 1 1 1 1 -1 WGBJB
ANDERSEN 9.5 16 -2 1 1 1 2 1 1 -1 -1 TtToLV
USTON APC 10 22 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3 MDB
WGBJB: "World's Greatest BlackJack Book" by Humble and Cooper
PBaaB: "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere
BiB: "Blackbelt in Blackjack" by Arnold Snyder
PB: "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong
TtToLV: "Turning the Tables on Las Vegas" by Ian Andersen
MDB: "Million Dollar Blackjack" by Ken Uston
(1) with modifications by 'thunk'
(2) with modifications by Paul C. Kim
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Q:B19 What BJ counting system is most effective?
A:B19 (Adbul Jalib M'hall, Jeff Jennings)
The playing efficiency, betting correlation, and insurance correlation is
listed below for several counting systems. These numbers give an indication of
the effectiveness of the counting system. When two numbers are listed, the
second number results from adding an ace side count in addition to the "main"
count.
See answer B3 for definitions of "betting correlation", "playing efficiency",
and "insurance correlation".
EXPLANATION OF COUNTING SYSTEMS
===========================================================================
COUNTING COUNTING VALUES "BEST" EFFICIENCY CORRELATION
SYSTEMS 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A SOURCE PLAY+ace BET+ace INSURE
-------- ---------------------------- ------ -------- -------- ------
Griffin 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 0 Griffin 64-64+ .85-.95 .85
Hi-Opt I 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1 0 Humble 61-63 .88-.97 .85
Hi-Opt II 1 1 2 2 1 1 0 0 -2 0 Humble 67-67+ .91-.99 .91
High-Low 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1 -1 Wong 51-63 .97 .76-.85
Ita 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 -1 -1 -1 Sys.Res. 53-63+ .96 .69-.76
Red 7's 1 1 1 1 1 ** 0 0 -1 -1 Snyder 54-64+ .98 .78-.87
Unbal 10's 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -2 1 Roberts 61-61+ .73-.94 1.00
Uston +- 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 -1 Uston 55-64+ .95 .76-.85
Uston APC 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3 0 Uston 69-69+ .91-.99 .90
Wong Halves 1 2 2 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -2 Wong 57-67+ .99 .72-.85
Zen 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 0 -2 -1 Snyder 63-67+ .97 .85-.91
** red 7's +1, black 7's 0
Note: Playing efficiencies have a practical maximum of about 0.7.
"Unbal 10's" is short for "Unbalanced 10 Count"
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Q:B20 Does penetration have any effect on basic strategy expectation?
A:B20 (Steve Jacobs)
Probably not. Unless the dealer is cheating, the cards will be in a random
order after the shuffle. If the player is not counting cards or using other
techniques to gain an advantage, it will not matter if there are several rounds
or only a single round between shuffles. But, if the dealer if using
preferential shuffling, this will hurt the basic strategy players as well as
the card counters.
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Q:B21 What is the correct strategy for late surrender?
A:B21 (Adbul Jalib M'hall)
Basic strategy for late surrender in AC multi-deck games is:
Surrender hard 16 (but not 8-8) vs. 9, 10, ace
Surrender hard 15 vs. 10
If you are the least bit risk-averse, you should also:
Surrender hard 15 vs. ace
At some casinos you can surrender your first two cards. You lose half your bet
in return for not having to play through the hand. With early surrender, you
get back half your bet even if the dealer has blackjack, while with late
surrender you lose anyway when the dealer has blackjack.
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Q:B22 What is the correct strategy for "multi action" blackjack?
A:B22 (Steve Jacobs)
Multi Action blackjack allows the player to place up to three bets
simultaneously on the same blackjack hand. The player is dealt a single hand,
and the three bets are played out against the same dealer upcard, but with
different "drawn" cards for each bet. Many players feel nervous about hitting
stiff hands against a high dealer's upcard (7 or higher), since they will lose
all three bets if they bust. However, basic strategy is COMPLETELY UNCHANGED
for this game, and the correct strategy is no different than if the player had
only a single bet at risk.
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Q:B23 What is "Over/Under" Blackjack?
A:B23 (Steve Jacobs)
Caesar's Tahoe introduced the Over-13 and Under-13 side bets that are allowed
at some blackjack tables. These bets are based on the player's total for the
first two cards, when aces are counted as one. Over-13 bets win when the
player's cards total 14 or higher, while under-13 bets win when the player's
cards total 12 or under. Either bet will lose when the player's total is
exactly 13. These bets are placed at the same time as the blackjack bet, and
usually the side bet can be no larger than the bet on the blackjack hand.
Over/under games are usually dealt from a 6 or 8 deck shoe, and the player's
first two cards are always dealt face up. Although these are "sucker" bets for
basic strategy players, with a house edge of 6% to 10%, special card counting
strategies can be used to give the player a significant edge on these bets.
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Q:B24 What is the counting strategy for Over/Under blackjack?
A:B24 (Steve Jacobs)
The card weights used for the Over/Under count are as follows: count +1 for
Ace, 2, 3, and 4, and count -1 for tens and face cards. The deck becomes
favorable for counts of +2 and above, and for counts -4 and below. Over-13 bets
should be placed when the count is +3 and above. Under-13 bets should be placed
when the count is -4 and below.
When playing Over/Under blackjack with this counting scheme, virtually all of
the player's profit comes from the over-13 and under-13 side bets. This
counting scheme is very poor for playing the blackjack portion of the bet, and
will only allow the player to play about even with the house on the blackjack
bets. However, the over/under bets can be very profitable if the game has good
penetration. A 6-deck over/under game with good penetration can give the player
an advantage of 1.5% or more. Single deck over/under games with good
penetration (very rare) can give the player an edge of over 4% when using the
over/under count.
Snyder's "Over/Under Report" discusses the over/under game in detail, and is
available from RGE at an outrageous price.
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Q:B25 What are some good/bad books on Blackjack?
A:B25
The individual book reviews given below are grouped according to the person
doing the review. If you have an opposing view or wish to express another view
of any of these books, write your own review and send it to the maintainer of
the FAQ list, and it will be included. Reviews of books that are not mentioned
here are especially welcome.
There are undoubtedly many good books that are not listed here, as well as many
terrible books that are not listed here. These reviews are only the opinions of
the reviewers, and your mileage may vary.
Review by Michael Dalton (as reported by Adbul Jalib M'hall)
Dalton, Michael. Blackjack: A Professional Reference. Spur of the
Moment Publishing, PO BOX 541967, Merritt Island, FL; 1991. (1964
pages)
Written by a NASA computer systems engineer, this book is a
comprehensive reference to the game of blackjack. Over 1000 entries
listing books, magazines, publications, newsletters, articles,
reports, videos, software and other products available for serious
players of the game twenty-one. Also included is the most
comprehensive blackjack dictionary ever compiled explaining blackjack
terminology, system and strategy descriptions, rules, and
miscellaneous blackjack trivia. Complete basic strategy charts that
cover most blackjack games in the world are also presented. Fully
cross-referenced with recommendations.
Reviews by Edmund Hack:
Blackjack Video: Winning at Blackjack with Bobby Singer, JCI Video,
1987, 103 minutes. This video is a tape of a sales pitch/introduction
to card counting seminar hosted by Bobby Singer, billed as the
"World's biggest winner at the game of Blackjack" on the back cover.
The tape covers 5 areas: Basic Strategy, Card Counting, Money
Management, Team Play and Casino Awareness. Unfortunately, the
information is incomplete. For example, the basic strategy section
only covers hard and soft hands and the card counting section only
covers the card values for the Hi-Lo count, but no bet sizing or
strategy adjustments. The rest of the information is available for
$149.00. For this price, you get a set of notebooks with lessons and
audio tapes covering the Hi-Lo count and an 800 number you can call
to find out where the best games are in the city you plan to play. I
rented the tape for $1.50 and maybe got my money's worth.
One interesting point covered in moderate detail is team play. Singer
advocates playing 4 deck or up shoes with the "Big Player" approach
pioneered by Uston and others. He advised using a counter at one or
more tables who flat bets and uses hand signals (i.e. scratching the
head) to call in a big money player. The current count is signaled to
the Big Player by the stacking of chips in front of the counter in a
particular way. The Big Player can then play out the rest of the
shoe, presumably free of heat. If the count goes bad, the big player
leaves, proclaiming a trip to the restroom is needed. The home study
course is said to have info on bet sizing related/risk of ruin for
teams and individuals.
The Winner's Guide to Casino Gambling, Edwin Silberstang, Plume, 1980
and 1989. This is a general overview of casino gambling with chapters
on casino operations, comps, junkets, credit and the games offered.
Detailed sections on craps, baccarat, roulette, keno, slots, video
poker (89 edition only) and blackjack give the staff, rules, and
procedures of each game, the house advantage, a glossary, and the
best plays for each. In addition, there are anecdotes about playing
the games. As the author has separate books on poker and sports
betting, there is little information on them here and Red Dog and Pai
Gow poker are not covered. The blackjack section has correct basic
strategy information for 1,2, and 4+ deck games with and without DAS,
and a discussion of Strip, Reno and Downtown rules variations. He
presents the Hi-Opt I count (not by that name) and how to use it for
bet sizing and insurance bets, but no strategy adjustments. There is
a section written by a professional blackjack player on how to hide
the fact that you are counting and life as a pro. If you want a
single book as an introduction to casino gambling, this is it. [Note:
there are 2 versions of the book out - a small green paperback from
1980 and a black trade paperback from 1989 that has been updated.]
Reviews by Adbul Jalib M'hall:
Fundamentals of Blackjack by Chambliss and Roginski - this book is
pretty much a standard blackjack book, but it has exceptionally good
tables of information. I advise buying this book as a supplement to
whatever book you use for your counting system (probably either
Professional Blackjack, The World's Greatest Blackjack Book,
Blackbelt in Blackjack or Million Dollar Blackjack.) The counting
system discussed in "Fundamentals..." is not one that you would
actually want to use, but the tables don't assume this system is
used. Unfortunately, many of the tables were generated using Snyder's
Blackjack Formula, and so the accuracy is not as good as would be the
case with computer simulations.
Card Counting for the Casino Executive by Bill Zender - this book is
written for casino executives, as you might suspect, which makes it
insightful reading for card counters. The book goes into detail about
how pit critters should go about identifying and discouraging card
counters. It also lists all kinds of ways the players can win, both
honestly and by cheating. The author is fairly counter-tolerant,
which is refreshing. Alas, the book is spiral bound, only 138 pages
long, and *full* of white space.
Reviews by Steve Jacobs:
Million Dollar Blackjack by Ken Uston. This is a good all-around
blackjack book, although the advanced counting scheme is much more
difficult than most. Ken gives a balanced view of blackjack, without
the exaggerated claims that many BJ authors are fond of.
World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Humble & Cooper. This is a good
book with a pretty reasonable counting scheme. The authors are _way_
too paranoid about cheating, to the extent that they attribute
virtually all of their losses to cheating. Otherwise, it is a good
book. These guys have absolutely nothing nice to say about Lawrence
Revere, so if you've read Playing Blackjack as a Business and would
like to read an opposing viewpoint, this is the book for you.
Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder. The Red Seven count in this
book is simple, and quite effective against single deck games. The
Zen count is more difficult, but more powerful. Snyder includes some
interesting ideas that aren't found in other books, such as "depth
charging". This book is probably not as good for beginners as are the
previous two books, but is a good book for more advanced readers.
Theory of Blackjack by Peter Griffin. This is one of the few good
books that cover the mathematical considerations of the game. This
book is either a complete must or a complete waste of time, depending
on how you feel about mathematics.
Beat the Dealer by Edward Thorp. This book is a classic, and is still
worth reading. The card counting schemes are now somewhat dated, but
it is still a good book for card counters.
Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong. Some people really like this
book, but I didn't find it all that exciting. It is considered a
classic, and has a lot of good material.
Playing Blackjack as a Business by Lawrence Revere. This is one of
the most accurate books for basic strategy, and the color charts are
very nice. The numbers in the tables were provided by Julian Braun,
and are about as accurate as any available, but don't believe the
numbers that Revere gives for player's expected gain. Revere's
counting scheme isn't widely used today, and Revere's "I'm right and
everyone else is a dope" attitude is very annoying, although
partially justified if you account for the date of first publication
and the scarcity of good books at that time. Revere also makes many
inflated claims about player's expectation, which Humble & Cooper
would attribute to character flaw.
Scarne on Cards by John Scarne. This book is simply wrong when it
comes to blackjack, and Scarne was too arrogant to even consider the
possibility that he might have been wrong. He spends a lot of time
trying to discredit Thorp. This book has _negative_ value for serious
blackjack players, and should probably be avoided completely.
Turning the Tables on Las Vegas by Ian Andersen. This is an
entertaining book that describes techniques for disguising your play
to avoid detection by pit critters.
Casino Tournament Strategy by Stanford Wong. This book combines
previous Tournament Blackjack and Tournament Craps book together at a
reasonable price. Covers many of the unique situations that come up
in tournament play. Worth reading if you plan to play in tournaments.
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Q:B26 What are some other sources of blackjack/gambling information?
A:B26 (Jonathan Rosenberg, Adbul Jalib M'hall, Jack Mcgee)
RGE Publishing, 414 Santa Clara Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610, (510) 465-6452
Publishes Blackjack Forum, $30/year (4 issues). Call for their very interesting
catalog. Includes books, videos, PC based BJ practice programs, analyzers and
simulators, and back issues of Blackjack Forum.
Current Blackjack News, by Stanford Wong. $95/year (12 issues). Available
through RGE.
Blackjack Confidential Magazine, 513 Salsbury Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
$99/year (10 issues).
Win Magazine, 16760 Stagg St. #213, Van Nuys, CA 91406, (818) 781-9355 Formerly
Gambling Times. $36/year (12 issues). Covers all gambling and gaming topics.
[Some reports of irregular publishing schedule]
The Experts Blackjack Newsletter, Gambling Times Incorporated, 16760 Stagg St.
#213, Van Nuys, CA 91406, (818) 781-9355 New, advertised in WIN Magazine.
$30/year (6 issues)
The International Gamblers' Club Newsletter, P.O. Box 73, Thornhill, Ontario,
Canada L3T 3N1 $24/year (4 issues). Founded by Lance Humble. They'll send you a
free but dated sample if you write. Mainly BJ but contains some sports betting
information. (I wasn't impressed with my sample).
Gambler's Book Club, 630 South 11th Street, Box 4115, Las Vegas, NV 89127,
(800) 634-6243. Not a newsletter but call for their awesome, awesome, awesome
catalog containing not only just about every blackjack book ever written but
practically every book ever written on any gambling topic. They also operate a
book store at the above address in Las Vegas. [And they have gambling experts
(including card counters) working at the store most of the time, willing to
answer questions -- Adbul Jalib M'hall]
Las Vegas Advisor, Huntington Press, PO Box 28041, Las Vegas, Nevada 89126,
(702) 597-1884. $45/year (12 issues) (add $5 for first class delivery).
Produced by Anthony Curtis. Lots of information on deals and freebies available
in Las Vegas. Sometimes includes valuable coupons or arranges special deals for
subscribers. (I have personally more than recouped the cost in actual cash back
from coupons for about half year's worth of the subscription. -Hall)
Casino Player, 2424 Arctic Ave., Atlantic City, NJ 08401, 609-344-9000. $24/yr,
(12 issues). It covers most gambling jurisdictions, with particular attention
paid to AC and LV. Articles on all games, by Wong, Caro, Frome, Malmuth,
Snyder, and others. It's a full color, slick, well produced magazine, about 60
pages.
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Q:B27 Is Ken Uston dead?
A:B27 (John Schwab)
Yes. He was found dead in a rented apartment in Paris, France, on September 19,
1987. The cause of death remains undetermined, since an autopsy was not
performed and the body was cremated. The local police found no evidence of foul
play. Alcohol and drug abuse were strongly suspected by several people who knew
Uston intimately. Reference: Stanley Roberts, "A Double Dose of Death",
Roberts' Rules (column), _Gambling Times_, Jan./Feb., 1988, pp. 8, 41
That article is the only printed mention that I have seen on Uston's death.
Maybe someone else has the citation for the Card Player article?
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