BLACKJACK DIFFERENCES

I have been trying my hand in many casino games and I have earned a lot through this but black jack has proved the best source for making money. Here I want to tell all the newbie the difference between single and multiple deck blackjack.

As we have seen, the main variations in strategy take place with our doubling and splitting strategies - moves which entail an increased wager on the hand. Let's now see just why the single and multiple deck blackjack games are slightly different.

The greater number of cards used in a multiple deck game makes the removal of any particular card or cards less important for composition change purposes and, as a result, our doubling and splitting strategies are less aggressive.

For example, the removal of three cards (5, 3, 5) creates a favorable imbalance for the player in a single deck game and makes a 53 double vs. the dealer's 5 a profitable play. Not only will these cards be poor draws for the player's double but they're three cards the dealer needs to improve his hand. The effective removal of these three cards gives the player a better chance of drawing a 10on his 8 and, at the same time, increases the dealer's chance of busting. Thus, a single deck game, 53 vs. 8 is a favorable double.

However, the removals of these three cards are barely felt in a four deck game. There are twenty nine other 3s and 5s in a four deck game as compared to only five in a single deck. Thus, not enough of a favorable imbalance has been created in the multiple deck game, and the double down is not a correct play.

This lack of sensitivity to particular card removal accounts for nine strategy changes in the multiple deck game from the preceeding single deck master charts we just presented.

Except for the following nine changes in the doubling and splitting strategies, multiple deck basic strategy is identical to the single deck basic strategy.

ATLANTIC CITY MULTIPLE DECK

The blackjack games offered in Atlantic City differ from the Nevada games in several ways. For one thing, all the Atlantic City games are dealt from a 4, 6 or 8 deck shoe. They do not offer single or double deck games as in Nevada. Doubling allowed after splitting is standard in Atlantic City as opposed to Nevada, where only a few casinos offer this option. Resplitting of pairs is not allowed in Atlantic City. Nevada casinos generally allow the player to resplit pairs as often as they wish.

The Atlantic City game is singular in some other ways as well. To protect against collusion between the player and the dealer, the dealer does not check his hole card for a blackjack (as is standard in Nevada) until all the players have finished playing out their hands. This casino safeguard does not affect the player's chances of winning, for if the dealer does indeed have a blackjack, any additional money the player may have wagered on a doubled or split hand will be returned. Only the original bet is lost.

Another difference is that all player hands are dealt face up in Atlantic City. No casinos allow the player to physically handle the cards. The player must employ hand signals to convey his strategy intentions to the dealer. (Single and double deck games in Nevada are generally face down games where the player can handle his cards, while multiple deck games are played similarly to the Atlantic City face up game.)

The Atlantic City basic strategy is the same as Nevada multiple deck strategy except for more frequent pair splitting due to the player being allowed to double after splits.

EUROPEAN NO HOLE CARD RULES

These strategies are for multiple deck play and take into account that players may only double on totals of 9, 10 and 11, and also will double and split less aggressively when the dealer shows a 10 or Ace due to the no hole card rule.

In no hole card games that allow the player to double after splitting, the player will split more aggressively to take advantage of this favorable option. We'll also show that strategy in a master chart.

The Myths of Blackjack

Casino blackjack is catching the eyes of many gamblers across the planet as it proved to be the best option for making big money.

I could cite much more evidence, but that is not the purpose of this book. Every mathematical simulation done on blackjack will tell you the same thing-progressive betting will never make you a winner over the long haul. If the house has a 1 percent edge on a given game, then you will lose approximately 1 percent of your money regardless of how often you change your bets. In the short run, you might get lucky and push out the big guns at the right time. But unless you're counting, there's no reason to ever jump your bets and expect to gain any advantage by doing so. If progressive betting makes you happy and gives you a more pleasurable gaming experience, then feel free to continue frolicking. However, if your concept of fun involves winning rather than losing, then let me explain how card counting works.

CARD COUNTING 101

This section is markedly different from the earlier part of the chap¬ter because card counting is not just another false system. Indeed, the casinos would like people to dismiss card counting as just another one of the myths of gambling-one that is impossible to do without a photographic memory-or is an outdated technique that no longer exists because of six-deck shoes. If becoming a winning card counter were truly unattainable for us mortals, then my writing and you reading this book would be a complete waste of time. Yet it can be done-by people like me and by readers like YQU.

Later chapters will cover the how of card counting. At this juncture all I will cover is the why. It's important this concept is fully understood before you try to improve your blackjack skills, because if you truly believe it can be done, then you will be far more motivated. It is only natural that some people are skeptical of card counting. Almost every game of chance has its share of quacks selling books with a secret system guaranteed to beat the house. Unfortunately, they forgot to put the truth in the blurbs-that the only way they got rich was by selling suckers their book, not by using their anniversary date to beat the lottery. I suggest you check out the credentials of anyone who wants to sell you a book showing how to win easy money. My guess is few of their tax returns would measure up to their claims.

MEMORY

I consistently won because blackjack is different from other casino games. This quirk that allows people to exploit the game is best illustrated by two key words-dependent and independent. Those terms aren't used just to explain the status of your relationship after you return home from an all-night gambling bender. They also have some applications in mathematics and show why the game of twenty-one differs markedly from other table games.

Craps and roulette are the best models to illustrate the concept of independent trial processes. Simply put, it means each new roll or spin is totally independent of any previous results. This is intuitive to most people, yet commonly ignored.

For example, a shooter may be hot as a pistol at the craps table.

Yet the odds against him throwing another seven on his next roll is exactly the same as when he started-5 to 1. The dice have absolutely no memory, and the past does not affect the future:

The flip side of that example can be found in roulette. A tourist may be monitoring the sequence of numbers that have hit over the last few hours at the wheel. He has noticed that his favorite number (22) hasn't come up once, so he assumes it is due and starts betting it heavily. However, the odds again remain unchanged. The hence of hitting 22 remains fixed, no matter what has transpired earlier in the’ day, since the little ivory ball has no memory.

International Blackjack Opportunities

Casino offers many games for gamblers with a chance of earning lot of cash and in quick time too. I’ve been playing all the casino game for more than six years and out of all the games I like black jack as it proved to be the best for me.

Some of the casinos in Puerto Rico were exceptionally generous, and I not only received free room and meals, but also got my airfare camped up front. However, the rules were bad. Players could only double on 9, 10, or 11 and weren't allowed to respite pairs. These restrictions cost me about :25 percent over the average shoe game I .normally played back in the States.

Was gambling in Puerto Rico worth it just to get a tan? It's a tough call. I played about twenty hours on each trip, so my expected return was reduced by about a thousand bucks because of the inferior rules. Yet I did get several thousand dollars in free benefits (ocean-view suite, gourmet meals, and cute drinks with pink umbrellas).

My advice is this-if you're already planning a vacation to a hot beach spot like Aruba or the Bahamas, then playing some blackjack can be a very smart move. The downside is that when the cards go bad, it can really put a damper on your family vacation. Losing is never fun, but it's especially aggravating when you're dumping money like crazy in a game that you'd normally not even play back home.

I had two particularly brutal beatings at the blackjack tables in Puerto Rico. One ended up as the worst day I'd ever had gambling, and it 'came just before Christmas. The joy of spending the holidays festively in the islands with loved ones quickly evaporated into questioning the wisdom of mixing business with pleasure.

Of course, there were many other trips during which I won big and still got free waffles every morning for my kids. Those are the fun times that make it seem worthwhile. But a general principle is this-you are usually better off playing only the best games and taking your vacations away from the green felt jungle to some place like Hawaii.

THE BOTTOM LINE

However, you still should incorporate foreign casinos into your schedule. The best games are almost always at places that lie off the beaten path. By traveling frequently, serious blackjack players greatly increase their odds of finding that rare gem that will fatten their bankroll-especially if they can milk the game before some big-money team discovers the game and burns it out.

I have had the good fortune of unearthing several gold mines over the years, one of which was a small casino in the Dominican Republic that no other card counter ever stumbled across (at least while the fantastic conditions were in place). Other adventuresome counters I know have also found riches by going the extra mile.

One player won over a million dollars in Malaysia before the casino pulled the plug. And the Czech team found many incredible opportunities, including a French casino that dealt every card in the six deck shoe. So I'm convinced the potential rewards outweigh the risks and difficulties of playing blackjack abroad.