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The GameMaster Advisor
February, 2002

GM.
The only games in my area are 4 and 6 deck,double 9,10,11 only.European no hole card rules, DAS,one card to split aces and split to 4 hands.

The penetration is 75% and dealers don't seem to be too fast.

I am new to blackjack and am just learning to count.I think the house edge is about .60% for 4 deck and .65% for 6 deck

Is this game worth playing? Have you any advice for me?
Gerry

Hello, Gerry.

You are correct that the casino's edge is about 0.60% and 0.65%, respectively, on those games. The bad news is, that even when using a 1-12 bet spread, about the biggest long-term edge you'll be able to get in the 4-deck game is roughly 0.50%. I'd forget about the 6-deck game, if I were you. This 0.50% edge in the 4-deck game assumes you "play all", that is, you play through negative counts and basically never leave the table when the count drops. If you are able to leave the table when the true count drops to -1 or lower, you can improve your results a bit, but it'll still be a tough go.

The problem with having a long-term advantage of less than 1% is that you might experience some 'normal' losses in the beginning of your playing career and it could take 100,000 hands or more of play for your edge to exert itself. That said, remember, you'll still be playing with an advantage, so if you can get ahead of the curve quickly, the game is at least beatable, although it offers nothing more than an interesting form of recreation.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/28/2002

GameMaster,
I have been following your advice and practicing the card-counting system you describe so well on-line.

Unfortunately, when I went to my nearest Indian Casino here in Washington state, I found to my dismay that they use a Shuffle King automatic re-shuffle shoe.

Basic Strategy works just fine hand-to-hand when choosing to stand or hit with a dealer up-card...but knowing the mix of high vs. low in the remaining deck seems just impossible!

Other than driving several hours to the next reservation, do you have any suggestions: playing or reference books?

Thanks for your help. Bon Chance.
Oakharbor Jim

Hello, Jim.

If the machine you're describing is what we call a "continuous shuffle machine" (csm), then card counting is rendered useless. This is the type of machine where the dealer takes the discards of the previous one or two hands and feeds them back into the machine so that they are mixed in with the remaining decks. In effect, they are offering a multi-deck game with only about a half-deck of penetration. On the other hand, some casinos use machines that shuffle 6 or 8 decks of cards as a unit, so that when the shoe is over, they merely swap in the other decks and they don't lose time shuffling. This is what we call an auto-shuffler and it does not affect the counter.

If your local casino uses a csm, my suggestion is to avoid playing Blackjack there and let the management personnel know you're not playing because of the csm. A lot of casinos have removed these devices due to their cost (they lease them on a monthly basis) and because many gamblers feel uncomfortable playing against them although there is no evidence that csms alter the house edge in any but the smallest way.

For more info. on this, go to www.thewizardofodds.com/. He has written a good article on csms.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/23/2002

GM,
Congratulations on a very in-depth site on Blackjack. Your school demands considerable effort and time to learn your system. Therefore I perused through some books on card memorization and Blackjack. Most weren't too favorable. I believe some of the authors were... J. Patterson,....Stuart Perry.

Can you provide any hands on statistics (versus theoretical/technical) for the average person in terms of utilizing your recommended memory card systems?

As I recall, Patterson put card memorization in terms of being successful to the tune of $10 an hour.
TNX

Hello.

If I understand what you're looking for, I'm afraid all I can offer is theoretical numbers. For example, if you play Blackjack at a rate of 60 hands/hour and your average bet is $10 per hand, your total bets per hour are obviously $600. Now, if you play only an approximation of the proper basic strategy, as most gamblers do, the casino will have an edge over you of about 1.2%. That means it's costing you $7.20 an hour to play the game. If you learn (and use) the proper playing strategy for your game, the casino's edge, depending upon their rules, will be about 0.5%, so now it's costing you only $3.00 an hour to play. However, if you learn how to count and can get a 1.25% edge over the casino and your average bet remains $10, your expected profit will be $7.50 an hour, which is a net gain of $14.20 per hour.

I will say, however, that counting cards is a skill that will last for the rest of your life, so some effort now can pay dividends for a long time to come. Don't fall into the trap that is described in the old saying: "Knowing the price of everything, but the value of nothing". Even if you never want to be a "pro" at Blackjack, just knowing that you can beat the game sure makes it a lot more fun to play. How much you can ultimately earn is dependent upon how large a bankroll you can accumulate, the types of games you play and so forth, but there are many people out there right now who are making $40-$50 an hour or more at casino Blackjack. Like most things in life, it's really a matter of how much you want to commit to this endeavor.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/21/2002

GameMaster,
Hello there, just been reading your blackjack school lessons and have a few questions. I have just recently come upon these lessons and dont have alot of time before I go to Vegas. I go to Vegas quite often and have won more times than lost and mainly play just blackjack. I usually play downtown with single or double deck and am very patient, sometimes staying at tables for up to 10hours at a time. I dont really have a specific question but rather inquiring about some advice you might have for me to better increase my odds since I will not have time to learn all your lessons. I can get the basic card counting system down but the rest is quite confusing right now. Any advice? I will be there in a week so if possible to respond as quickly as possible would be appreciated . Thanks for you time

Matt

Hello, Matt.
In the archives of the Blackjack page of my site, you'll find an article, "I Am Not a Blackjack Fanatic",which will be a big help to you. It describes a simple counting system that'll work well for the game you're going to play.

Good luck on your trip and let me know how it goes.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/21/2002

GameMaster,
I've been playing at Global Player and notice that they are fully simulating dealing from a shoe. Is it fantasy to imagine that the software is placing 6 decks (or is it 8?) in random order and dealing them out just like at a casino? I was keeping the count in my head just for practice and it sure "felt" like it behaved in this manner.

Do you know if this is the case at Global Player or any other on-line casino?
Thanks.

Hello, Joe.

Yes, Global Player Casino is doing all it can to replicate an actual brick-and-mortar casino experience, including dealing into the "shoe" on their multi-deck Blackjack games in a random manner. It varies from game to game, but the penetration they offer is 50% or more and you can see when the decks are shuffled by observing the discard tray. Shallow penetration lowers the effectiveness of card counting, but it sure is fun to practice it! Other casinos, such as Stanley Acropolis, and most casinos that use Cryptologic software (at their multi-player tables only) also offer some penetration.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/21/2002

GameMaster,
I stumbled onto your blackjack course while online, and I'm impressed so far. I love the casino, but have grown tired getting my brains beat out at the craps table lately. I'm going to really put forth some effort over the rest of the year to become a counter, and your course has gotten me off to a good start. I've always been a good basic strategy player, but I had a question about one of your practice exercises. Namely, the one page full of practice hands and the dealers up card, and the student has to decide what to do.

The game played in my area is 6 deck, DAS allowed, no surrender, dealer hits soft 17 game. On the 3 card soft hands (like A-2-3 versus a dealer 5), you can't double down. Does the fact that you can't double change the playing strategy? I'm assuming that you would still take a hit (especially on the example that I gave you above). But on an A-3-4 against a dealer 6, would you still hit this? My guess is yes, since you can still improve your hand, and if you don't, the dealer is still in a supreme bust position. Thanks for the clarification.

I have to get back to my counting practice now. : )
Joel

Hello, Joel.
Welcome aboard! Hopefully I'll be able to convince you to give up craps forever.

Anyway, to your question. On the Blackjack page of my site, you'll find an article in the archives called "Multiple Card Soft Hands" and that will give you two simple rules for situations like you've described. And, no, you wouldn't hit A-3-4 against a 6. The article will clear all of this up for you.

Now go practice, Grasshopper! Glad you found us.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/20/2002

Hey Gamemaster:
I've been hitting a A7 hand when the dealer is showing 9,10,A. I'm sure you've seen the eyes roll on this one. Am I doing this right?

It seems to me that only an A,2 or 3 improves this hand. Most other cards give you a worse hard hand. Whats the concept here? I'm going for a deeper understanding of the game.
Thanks,
Eastwind

Hello, Eastwind.
Don't worry about the rolling eyes, because you're playing the hand correctly. But don't forget that not only does an Ace, 2 or 3 help you, so does a 6 and a 7 (in that order or vice-versa), as does an 8 and a 5, etc. The numbers speak for themselves: Stand with A-7 vs. 10 and you lose 18%, hit it until you get "hard" 17 or more and you lose only 14.3%.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/20/2002

Hi GM,
I've been playing some on the online casinos (casino on net) and haven't been able to figure out their algorithm. I would like to know if they use a certain numerb of decks and if they shuffle after each deal. also wonder if each card or hit is generated by a random number generator if the deals are generated that way. In other words, if i stand on a 16 and the next player hits and draws a 5 would that card have been mine had i hit or was it generated at the instant the player was dealt the card.

Does this make any sense?
Thanks
steve

Hello, Steve.
Yes, it makes sense. As far as Casino On Net is concerned, to the best of my knowledge they use a 4-deck game and the cards are shuffled after every round of play, a 'round' being all the players' hands and the dealer's hand. I would think that the 5 you referred to would have been your card, if you had chosen to hit, but it doesn't matter either way, because you didn't hit and therefore didn't get the card. To try and "psyche out" the cards is an exercise in futility. I think it's safe to assume that they use a random number generator that gives each remaining card in the decks the same opportunity to appear as any other, just like in a 'real' game and all you can do is play the proper Basic Strategy for the game. If there were some sort of exploitable pattern in this game, it would have been found and "burned out" a long time ago.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/20/2002

GameMaster,
Recently you had a question about video poker at Native American casinos that read...

"I like to play dollar bonus poker in Vegas but also at an Indian reservation nearby. My problem is I have been losing 400-500 dollars a day lately. I need some advice to help improve my play. Are the machines set up so that they will be hotter when playing only one coin or would you get the same hand if full coins were played?"

I am writing because I have been told, but unable to confirm, that the video poker machines at these casinos do not have to be "random" as the machines in Las Vegas, but rather can be set to pay back a preset percentage.

Have you ever heard of this?
thanks for your time
Weave

Hello, Weave.

The number of coins bet will make no difference in an honest game. Further, if the game is manufactured by one of the companies that is approved in Nevada, (like WMS, IGT, Bally, etc.), it's not likely that the games are non-random in nature.

However, I, too, have heard what you've heard about Native-American casinos, but have never seen any proof of it. I wrote a series of articles called "Is This Game Rigged?" that can be found on the GameMaster's Secrets page of my site. Part 2 covers how to check for cheating at Video Poker, so you might want to take a look at it.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/18/2002

GameMaster,
Maybe I missed it but can you help me find out where can I find a listing of blackjack rules by Vegas Casino? I want to know where the best odds might be found. We are going out at the end of the month. If you could help I would appreciate it.

Dan

Hello, Dan.

You need to get the latest issue of "Current Blackjack News". It costs about $12 or so and is available at www.bj21.com

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/16/2002

Gamemaster,
I've been enrolled in your blackjack school for a couple of months now, and I'm very pleased with your method of teaching. However, a friend of mine (a non counter) brought up a very good point. If, after Thorp released "Beat The Dealer", and the casinos changed the rules, why did they keep the discard tray? It seems that casinos could hamper a counters ability to calculate an accurate TC very simply by just removing it. Just wondering.

Thanks for your time.
-Jeremy

Hello, Jeremy.
I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the course.

When Dr. Thorp published "Beat The Dealer", almost all of the Blackjack games were single deck, so the casinos didn't use discard trays. But there are now some casinos, mostly in Asia and Australia, where the dealer takes the used cards and places them in a discard tray that is behind the table. I don't think that idea would fly in American casinos, because the players here want the cards in sight at all times as assurances against "stacking the deck", etc.

But even if a casino did do that, we would all switch to "unbalanced" counts like Red 7, KO and so forth, which do not require a True Count adjustment.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/14/2002

GameMaster,
Please explain why you stick with a pair of sevens against the dealer's up card of ten in single deck blackjack?

The mathematical answer is that you lose 51.0% of all the $$$ you have bet in that situation by standing and 51.6% by hitting. One reason those numbers work out that way is that you will need a 7 to beat the dealer if s/he has a 10 and you've already got two of the four 7s in the deck in your hand. Of course, we don't know what the dealer has in the 'hole', so the play is based upon all the possible cards you could get and all the possible cards the dealer can get and standing is the better choice. Considering that you'll get 7,7 versus a 10 only about two times in every 1000 hands of play and you'll lose only 6 cents of a $10 bet by playing it wrong, go ahead and hit it if standing makes you feel uncomfortable.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/13/2002

Hi GM,
You said in your BJ lessons it is better to find a game with high penetration, but how do you know how high the penetration is going to be at the start of a deal? Can't the dealer decide to reshuffle when he wants and can't he vary this so one time he reshuffles after 50% penetration then next after 85%?

Cheers

Hello.

In most multi-deck games, the dealer inserts a yellow "shuffle card" into the decks, which is the indicator to finish the round of play and then shuffle. Consequently, most do not have the discretion to shuffle-up whenever they like, so you can usually get consistent penetration. It might still be poor penetration, depending upon the casino's policy, but at least it will be measurable.

What you have described applies more to "pitch" games that are dealt from the dealer's hand and those typically use one or two decks. Yes, the dealer can alter the penetration at will, but again, the casino usually has some sort of policy established to control it. The only thing you can do is try and determine the average penetration a casino offers and then decide whether or not you should play there. If it appears that the average penetration is reasonable, the trick is to then "shop around" for dealers who may go deeper into the deck(s).

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/13/2002

GameMaster,
I have been practicing your card counting methods, but now I need to know how to use this tool to beat the dealer. Thanks for your help and tips.

Hello.

You need to finish my course. Counting the cards and playing your hand properly are just the first steps in beating the dealer. You also have to work out a betting schedule, like I show you in my lessons and then use some or all of the "casino playing tactics" that I discuss.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/7/2002

GameMaster,
I read and learned your blackjack school and I have 2 questions : Why are you doing this? I mean it's a lot of work and you don t get rewarded.

My site is supported by advertising, so the more people like the school, the more they come back and ad "impressions" go up when people visit on a regular basis. I'm not getting rich, but it pays the bills and I like helping people.

Could you tell me which is the best online casino or does card counting work at any casino ? And if so how do i see the deck s played ?

Counting cards works only at a few casinos on the 'Net and they don't deal very far into the decks before shuffling. If you want to get an idea of how it works, get the Global Player Casino software (help us out by clicking on one of their ads on our site) and you can play for free, with no obligation and no cash required. Try the Atlantic City game and you'll know they have shuffled when the discard tray empties. I think Global Player is a great place to play online. I also think that Stanley Acropolis Casino is worth trying. They, too, deal into the decks a bit and they also show you when they have shuffled.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/7/2002

GM,
Just wondering if there is a list of casinos in Las Vegas with one or two deck BJ games?

Hello, Kevin.
Yes, there is. It's called "Current Blackjack News", which is a monthly publication that you can get at www.bj21.com

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/6/2002

GameMaster,
I have enjoyed your pages for quite some time. You had a free program on your site "flashcards" by Graeme Griffiths. I liked it very much and am in the process of teaching my wife to count. I think this program would be of help but can't seem to get to it from the link in your archives. Any chance you could post the new link ( if available) on your website or if you still have the program on your equiptment make it available .

Thanks and keep up the excellent work.
Mike

Hello, Mike.
Here is the link:
http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/customhouse/59/
Remember, the family that counts together stays together.
Good luck.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
2/3/2002