The GameMaster Advisor

Hi GameMaster,

I've got a question for you. I've been going through the blackjack school online that you wrote. First of all I want to thank you for writing that and putting it online. It has really helped me out. I'm still learning and I'm averaging 30 sec on a single deck drawing 2 cards at a time. In lesson 5 you talk about being able to count a single deck in 10.8 seconds. Is that drawing 2 or 3 cards at a time?

Also, you said that you use the Hi OPT 1 method of counting for single deck play. Which book is the best to learn the basic hi/lo and the hi opt 1? I have looked at the two books "World's Greatest BlackJack Book" by Humble and Cooper and "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong. These both look like good books but also Ken Uston's books look good to. The problem with the WGBB and Uston's books is that they were written so long ago. What do you think about those books? Are they worth reading? Should I stick with online info? I did buy Thorp's book, just to get a good foundation on the subject. Anyway, I'm sure I will be asking you questions later on and I appreciate all the help.

Thanks,
Nick

Hello, Nick.

My counting is done by laying the deck face-up in the palm of my left hand and then pulling off two cards at a time. You can see exactly how I do it in the DVD I made and we have a 30-second "clip" of it on the DVD information page of my site. It's in Lesson 4.

Regarding the books, "WGBB" is the only book that covers Hi-Opt 1 completely and Wong's "Professional Blackjack" is THE book for Hi/Lo, so get one or the other, depending upon which count you want to use. Neither book is outdated, so don't worry about the publishing dates. There have been some improvements in how we approach the game, but the basics remain pretty much the same.

Kenny Uston's books are good for "tales from the trenches", but not necessary, unless you want to learn one of his counts. Hell, I own probably 50 books on Blackjack and have usually learned something from each of them, so it's more a matter of how much you enjoy reading about this crazy game, than what you really need. One of the first two is all you really need, or both if you want to use both counts.

Ask your questions whenever they come up, because that's what I'm here for.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
8/28/02

Hi GameMaster,

Hi, I live in Colorado and play blackjack at the casinos where there is limited stakes gambling. Currently the limit is only $5.00 per hand and the table minimum is also $5.00. Most tables are multi-deck.

What is the best strategy to use? Will counting cards help under the circumstances outlined above?

Thanks for any help.
Mel Traina

Hello, Mel.

The best strategy to use is to play each hand properly, according to the Basic Strategy for the rules they have out there. Counting can help you a little, when it comes to playing the hands by what we call the Basic Strategy variations. But the real power of counting lies in betting small when the casino has the edge and betting bigger when you have the edge. You can't do that, of course, but perhaps you can get a bit of a spread by playing more than one hand at a time. If that's possible, you can probably get close to break-even in the long run.

But it's still worth learning to count, because the limits in your state may change someday and/or you might go to Vegas or another place where the betting limits aren't so restricted, plus what's wrong with walking into a local casino knowing that they no longer have an advantage over you? Sure, it's true that you aren't going to clean out their vaults, but it's a lot more fun to win most of the time and you can make that happen if you study some.

All of what I mentioned above is covered in either my "Blackjack School", or can be found in the archives on the Blackjack page of my site, but if you have any more questions, just let me know.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
8/26/02

Hi GameMaster,

Few questions if I may: I've recently been to a casino that removed the first 5 cards of a deck after each shuffle. I know that it's a regular thing and want to know how it affects, if any, the count.

It doesn't affect the count, but it does affect the penetration, because you'll treat those cards like they're behind the shuffle card. You can only count cards that you see and, because you don't see these, you can't count them.

In 6 decks if the casino has 0.19% edge over the player the engine states to split 8,8 against a 9,10,ace... how can it be correct percentage wise?

Splitting a pair of 8s has nothing to do with the casino edge, so I'm not sure I understand your question. However, it is the correct play from a percentage point of view, because if you stand with 8,8 vs. 10, you'll lose 53.7% of all the $$$ you bet in that situation, but if you split, you'll lose 24.2% on each one, which totals 48.4%, a definite improvement. The numbers are similar against a 9 and Ace.

I'm a student and thus dont have a huge bankroll... I used to bet with 100$ bankroll in a 5$ minimum tables and figured that 20 units is enough... after reading your lessons im pretty much convinced that i should bet with a larger one. does 50 top bets is essential in your view? can I use a 1-6 spread and therefore work with 1500$ bankroll? can I play with even less?

The biggest reason why counters lose is being underfinanced. Spreading just 1-6 is not enough to give you a suitable edge in the typical 6-deck game, so you'll probably lose and then walk away thing this counting stuff doesn't work. You'd be better off to continue practicing your skills as you save up for a bigger bankroll. I really do mean it when I say that $3000 is a minimum bankroll.

I really liked your statement that you are not a gambler but an investor and that emotion has no part in playing blackjack...my feelings exactly :-)

With thanks in advance,
kobi

That's true if you are adequately financed.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
8/13/02

Hi GameMaster,
Great site. I do have a question. Almost all casinos do not mention what their rules are for playing so I don't know how to evaluate their game before making a trip. I also don't know which strategy table to become familiar with first, since I don't have this information. I was wondering if you could please tell me what casino in Vegas has a table with the best odds for the player (based upon lesson 11) or where I might be able to find this information.
Thanks.
Robert

Hello, Rob.
Glad you like the site. Come back and visit us often.

When it comes to Vegas, all types of games are available there, so it largely depends upon where you'll be staying (downtown or the Strip, etc.), what size minimum bet you prefer and so on. In my lessons, the Basic Strategy I teach is a good "generic" strategy for all multi-deck games (two or more), so the only thing that should concern you is if you want to play mostly single-deck games, because you're staying downtown, which is where most of them are located.

If you're going to be out on the Strip, the best games are, for the most part, double-deckers at Mirage, Bellagio and other casinos like that. For a good rundown of the rules of the games out there, go to Stanford Wong's site at www.bj21.com and get a free, trial copy of his monthly newsletter, Current Blackjack News. He does sell single copies of it, so you can always get that before you leave, but at least the copy you get now will give you an idea of what to prepare for.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
8/9/02

GameMaster,

Where can I find everything I need to know about how to win at video poker? Also, do the techniques apply to video poker machines at bars or just at casinos or are they all the same?
Thanks

Hello.
Probably the best place to start is on the Video Poker page of my site, if for no other reason than it's all free. In the archives you'll see a series of articles entitled, "Video Poker Primer" and they discuss many of the basics about the game. That series and a lot of my other articles will help you choose a game that you might want to specialize in, because the big difference in the VP games are the pay schedules. Regarding the machines found in bars, probably the big differences will be in the pay schedules and that's what ultimately will determine which games you should play. Some bars undoubtedly have good games and others probably have games that suck, but what you have to learn how to tell the difference.

Once you've decided upon a game you'd like to learn (if you're located in Las Vegas, it should probably be Deuces Wild), it'll be worth the investment (a couple of bucks at the most) to buy a strategy card for that game. Part 2 of the "Primer" tells you where you can get them. There is also some very good software available to help you and I talk about that as well.

Being successful at Video Poker requires that you play only good games and play them properly, plus you have to be adequately financed. Beyond that, it's all a matter of time, discipline and learning a few tricks of the trade. You'll find plenty of those on my site.

Good luck and let me know if I can help in the future.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
8/1/02