The GameMaster Advisor

GameMaster,

There is a single deck game I found that the dealers deal through the entire deck. They only shuffle when all cards are gone. The only variation is they pay even money to any blackjack you make. If a player and dealer both has BJ it is a push. This looks easy if someone can count. What is your opinion of this game?

Jon

Hello, Jon.

By paying only even-money for a natural, the casino is raising its edge by 2.3%, so it's probably safe to say that you're bucking at least a 2.5% casino advantage. Yes, that can be defeated by a combination of deep penetration and a big bet spread, but you also need to remember that the casino could choose to restrict both at almost any time. My suggestion is to see just what kind of bet spread players can get away with on a regular basis. I ran a quick simulation with a 1-20 spread , 52 of 52 cards dealt and the counter's edge was 1.62%. So, if you can do that, it's not a bad game, but the swings in your bankroll will be substantial.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
7/24/02

GameMaster,

Your school is a great help. But if I get a pair of 8s against a 10 up and my bet is several units up or say 5 units, should I still split the 8s? I understand splitting with a minimum bet or if I were a flat bettor, but if my bet is larger than usual I feel I am risking ruin. What is the correct bet?
Thanks
Jon

Hello, Jon.

Basic Strategy does not take the bet size into consideration, so the proper play is to split the pairs. Now, if you are using the count to size your bet and using the count to vary the play of your hand, then there may be a time when you would stand with 8,8 vs.10. However, I want to point out that it would be a big mistake to do that if you are not counting the cards. Splitting 8s is one of those hands where you reduce your losses by betting more and it's tough to make, I know. But, if you want to win at this game, you have to make all the right moves, not just the moves you're comfortable with.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
7/17/02

GameMaster

I was looking at your spreads and how you recommend leaving a table if the true count is -1 or less. Would a strategy of playing only one hand at 0 or less and 2 hands at +1 or better work out so you wouldnt have to table jump as much?

Thanks for the great site and info

Hello, Tony.

Your question ties in perfectly with the question that is in our new section, "The GameMaster Tutor", so you might want to refer to that for more background. But to answer you, what you propose helps somewhat, but it doesn't have the same effect as leaving.

What I did was run another simulation of the game detailed in the "Tutor" using the bet schedule you propose. It shows an overall advantage of 0.90% and a SCORE (explained in the article) of 32.97. That compares to an advantage of 0.65% with a SCORE of 14.44 for a "never leave" strategy and an advantage of 1.28% with a SCORE of 54.64 for the same game where you leave at a TC of minus 1.

The best way to look at the concept of getting up when the TC drops to -1 is that the casino is paying you to walk around! Every player has to decide for himself if he is there for the $$$ or the "playing". Either is fine, so long as you recognize the difference, but the big bucks come from getting up whenever appropriate.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
7/13/02

Hi GameMaster!

I was interested in getting some blackjack software. Right now I have the Ne plus ultra Master Course & Practicum. I was considering Casino Verite but was wondering if you might have some suggestions. I use the Hi Lo count exclusively right now. You recommend the HiOpt 1 for single deck I'd greatly appreciate it if you could give me a little more insight as to why this system works so well on single deck

Thanks again!

Hello, James.

Personally, I don't use any software for my practice (something to do with an old dog and new tricks, I suppose), but I have always heard that Casino Verite is excellent, although I don't know how it compares to what you have now. I do believe that you can get a free, trial copy of it so you might want to do that before spending the $90.

I like the Hi-Opt 1 count for single-deck games for several reasons. First, it's not a huge departure from the Hi/Lo count, so making the transition to it is fairly simple and vice-versa. Secondly, it has a much higher Playing Efficiency (PE) than Hi/Lo because the Ace is counted as 0 and PE is important in a game where it's difficult to get a big bet spread. Even then, the Aces can be tracked "manually" (I use my feet to count them) so you'll also get a good Betting Correlation as well. Keeping a side-count of Aces is just too taxing in a multi-deck game, but very easy to do in an SD game, otherwise I'd use Hi-Opt 1 all the time. For more information, you might want to read the series, "Counting Systems" that is archived on the Blackjack page of my site.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
7/12/02

GameMaster,
I like your idea with the $3000 dollar bankroll and would like to use that betting schedule. I have the cash but would like to leave when I have lost a couple hundred. Can I still win this way or is the "bankroll" idea the amount you're willing to lose? Thanks.

Hello.

The idea behind the $3000 bankroll is that it's an amount that should allow you to play "forever" while using the $5-$60 bet spread I outline. On any given visit to a casino, you probably don't need to take more than $500 or so, assuming 8 hours of play.

When to leave is really up to you, so if you feel more comfortable leaving when you've lost $200 or so, then do that. It's not my intention to suggest you should stay and play until all your $$$ are gone, but so long as you have the edge, the more you play, the more you'll eventually earn.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
7/5/02

GameMaster,
Thanks for the excellent information on your site. The question I have is , having been looking around the web, the wong halves and some other betting systems seem to be more powerful than the hi-low. If I use these systems, when I have a true count of say +1, do I use the same basic strategy variations, bets etc as I would with the count I get with the hi-low. Thanks for your time.
BS

Hello, Bruce.

If you use a different counting system, it will most likely have different index numbers for the Basic Strategy variations. For example, if you use Wong's Halves Count, the strategy variations are listed in his book, "Professional Blackjack". In regards to betting, you can use my chart, because that is based upon the edge you have over the casino, as measured by the count. Just be careful that the count you use gives the player a 0.5% increase in edge for every increase of 1 in the True Count. Halves does, but counts like the Zen Count values an increase of 1 in the True Count as a 0.25% increase in your edge, so the numbers would be different.

There are many counts that are more powerful than the Hi/Lo, but most are also more complicated to use, so you may make mistakes and that could negate their advantage. Also, some counts are better for single-deck games than multi-deck games, so consider what type of game you'll be playing most often before you choose. I did a series of articles entitled "Counting Systems", which may help you. It's archived on the Blackjack Page of my site.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
7/5/02