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FRONT PAGE - Back to THE ADVISOR PAGE GameMaster,
The error (actually an omission) is in Lesson 16 on the Basic Strategy
Variations chart. The last entry says 9,9 vs. 7 -- split at ______.
The other problem/question I have is the last sentence of the first
paragraph in lesson 16. "Incidentally, the numbers also indicate that
splitting is best when DAS isn't allowed, though there isn't as big a
difference". To me, it seems that this says DAS somehow reduces your
expectation, or am I missing something?
Thanks for the great lessons. Hello, Andy.
The last sentence in paragraph 2 of lesson 16 is, indeed, written in a
confusing way. What it's trying to say is, "splitting is still better than
standing, even if DAS isn't allowed. However, the expected values aren't
as different: the EV for standing is -.537%
and for splitting (no DAS), it's -.493."
I hope this answers your question.
Yours for winning, Hello, Hello, Kris.
By counting the Ace as "0", you give up quite a bit on the Betting Efficiency and that's critical in multi-deck games, so I use Hi/Lo when playing them.
Yours for winning, Hello
Bet
From here do you go back to 5 stay on 15 or move on to 25?
I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person about progressions. They simply
do not work in the long run, so whatever you do doesn't make any difference.
Card counting:
Also I do not consider myself extremely stupid, but why is the player more
likely to benefit when there are a higher percentage of ten-point cards and
aces remaining to be dealt & vice-versa?
The player benefits because s/he is more likely to receive a 'blackjack'
and be paid 3 to 2 on the bet. The dealer is just as likely to get one, of
course, but the player only loses the original bet. Also, 10s and Aces are
helpful when doubling and splitting pairs, which is something the dealer
cannot do.
As a general point I fail to see where the dealer gets the advantage, what
are the casinos relying on to take more money on the card tables than they
relinquish to the players?
The dealer has the advantage because s/he gets to bust after the player and
still win. So, while both may bust their hands, the dealer collects the
players' $$$ anyway. The casino's edge is increased by their rules, such
as allowing double only on 10 or 11, no double after split., etc. Also,
players' mistakes also contribute to the casino's advantage.
Jeremy
Yours for winning, Dear Gamemaster:
It's always good to hear we've been of help. I use the Omega II advanced count, I can count down a deck in 30 seconds
and keep a side count of aces very well. I was wondering if also using a
side count of fives would improve my efficiency in playing, betting and
taking insurance? Or would it be easier to give the 5 a point value of 3, if
so would it throw anything off in terms of the count system strategy? Or
should I just leave it alone? Since 5s are already included in the count (and you should not change its
value), if you feel compelled to ad another side count, track the 7s. A
side count of 7s is helpful in playing some of those tough hands like 12,
13 and 14, but honestly, I'd just keep things as they are.
My second question happened during simulations, it was a one deck game
and 25 cards were dealt out I had a running count 5 and a true count of
almost 10. I bet accordingly to the true count and the dealer deals an Ace
and I have a 20, which intern leaves me with a running count of 1 and a true
count a little over 2 with 30 cards dealt. My question is do I take
insurance according to the most current count or do I base my insurance bet
on the true count before those 4 cards were dealt???? You should use as much information as possible when deciding on insurance,
so base it upon your current count.
Sincerely,
Yours for winning, Hi, GM.
I have perfected my counting skills, but still have one problem, my bankroll.
With my income it will take me about 4 years to save 12000. Is a loan over, say, 5 years for this amount too risky? If someone was starting their own business, they would go to the bank and get a loan, in theory it is the same situation. If I lose the bankroll, I will still have to pay the loan, but I would have had to save that much anyway.So it's like starting my own business. If no one ever started there own business in thier trade, there would be no successes in life. What do you think?
Hi, Steve.
Much like starting a 'regular' business, you need to make sure that yours has a good chance of producing a profit. That is much more measurable in Blackjack than opening a book store for example, but the 'fly in the ointment', so to speak, is your skill level and your ability to keep your "store" open (will you get barred after losing 75% of your bankroll and then have no way of making it back?). If this is a part time venture, the risk is obviously lower, because you'll still have the means to repay the loan. If you intend to quit your day job to do this, I'd advise against it.
Yours for winning, GM,
Should I learn single and multiple deck basic strategy? What are your views?
I always recommend learning the multi-deck strategy and you'll make the
right play 99% of the time.
Yours for winning, Greetings GM,
I have the basic strategy down well. I have the variations down pretty well for a +-5 count. Almost all the Casinos in the Wisconsin/Minnesota/Michigan have two decks double pitch. So, that is the game that I am trying to learn.
Two of my main problems are: When it comes my time to act on my hand, should I continue my count? I have been trying to learn to continue to count because I would like to someday be able to play with a base bet of $100.00 and at that level I believe most of the play will be head to head with dealer. Thus I wanted to always know the count. But counting and playing my hand, causes me to lose my count. Am I doing the right thing? Suggestions?
Yes, by all means, you must keep counting as you play your hand. The ability to do that is really just a function of knowing the Basic Strategy for your game almost as well as you know your own name and that's a direct function of how much you practice. Start with keeping the count only for betting purposes and don't worry about making changes to the Basic Strategy as you play your hand. The way I learned to do it was to deal hands to myself while keeping a count and making sure I was playing the hand correctly. You might want to consider getting a good Blackjack training program, like Casino Verite to help you.
2. The dealer burns a card. I count that card as a -1, and go from there. Is that good practice?
No, it is not. Treat a 'burn' card that you don't see just like you treat any cards that are behind the shuffle card. If you see a card, count it. If you don't see it, don't count it.
3. When I sit down at the table, if the dealer has a period of making 21 on everything, I get real frustrated and will often get up. Should I stay at the table and continue to play for my 4 hours session? Or should I get up and take a 20 to 30 minutes break?
If you find yourself getting emotional about the game, you're better off to get up and take a break. But that is treating only the symptom and not the cause of your frustration. The dealer is going to get 21s, no matter what you do. And sometimes those 21s are going to come hand after hand, but that's just part of the game. Now imagine this: I give you $1,000,000 to go play Blackjack at $100 per hand. Under those circumstances, would you be frustrated or upset if the dealer makes 21 in the first 5 hands of play? Probably not, because you are adequately financed for the situation and it's not your $$$, anyway. Generally players get emotional about the game for one of two reasons: fear and greed. Fear can be tamed by using proper money management, as I teach in my lessons and greed is tamed by mathematical analysis of the game you're playing, your betting schedule, etc. If you know that your expectation is to win an average of, say, $1 per hand, when you find yourself up by $200 after just 10 hands of play, you'll know that it's a mistake to expect such a rate of win to continue for very long. So, don't get greedy at that point. It all boils down to discipline and strong self-discipline is what beats the casinos.
Frustrated!
Don't be. Just practice and you'll do fine.
Yours for winning, |