The GameMaster Advisor

GameMaster,
First of all I just stumbled across your site - GREAT STUFF!
But tell me, how do I modify the 6-deck chart in lesson one to reflect the strategy for other decks?

Thanks,
Bill

Hello, Bill.
Glad you found us. Welcome aboard!

The good news is that all of the info in my lessons applies to games that use 2 decks or more, so no changes are needed, unless you're going to play single deck games, in which case you should get a copy of Stanford Wong's book, "Professional Blackjack" or you can use the Blackjack Strategy Engine to generate a chart for you. Once you have the chart you want, just substitute that for the one in my lessons.

If you're new to counting, you might want to give some thought to getting a copy of the new DVD I just made. Further details are available on my site.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/26/02

Sir,
Would you possibly consider recommending a couple of Vegas casinos that have the best odds for a novice BlackJack Player ?

I will be in Vegas for 3 days beginning this Saturday the 22nd and would prefer not to pick a casino "at random".

Thanks for your help.
Regards,
R.G.

Hello. R.G.
I don't know how much experience you have at playing "pitch" games where the players hold the cards, as opposed to those games where the cards are dealt face up, but that is definitely the place to start. If you're going to be "downtown", play some single-deck at the Horseshoe. The minimum is $5 and it's really a blast to play. Check out the Four Queens' game while you're there. If you're going to be on "the Strip", you can find good double-deck games that are also dealt in this way at Treasure Island and the Flamingo Hilton. A well-kept secret in Vegas is the double-deck game that's at San Remo on the south strip. Unfortunately, they typically have only one table of DD, but their six-decker isn't bad and the betting limits are low (usually $5 minimum).

Be careful of the single-deck games at the Flamingo Hilton, Paris, Bally's and Caesar's where a blackjack pays only 6 to 5, because that increases the casino's edge to about 1.5%, which is ridiculous. If money is no object, Bellagio has a good double-deck game, but the minimums are usually $50.

I'll be happy to give you more info if you know where you're staying, so just let me know.

But before you go, get a Basic Strategy chart from www.blackjackinfo.com and take it to the table with you. People may snicker, but it's your $$$, so to hell with them.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/19/02

Sir,do you have any suggestions for us baccarat players???

Hello.
Not really, because the casino has a built-in edge at the game that cannot be overcome without cheating, so there are no legal ways of beating it.

That said, Baccarat is not the worst choice one can make when choosing to gamble, due to its comparatively low house advantage. However one does need a certain amount of luck to do well at it.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/17/02

GameMaster,
Does the counting technique differ if they use a cutting card and get six new decks after the card is reached? Since they don't use all the six decks can counting be accurate? Do all casinos do this?

Hello.

Yes, all casinos use a shuffle card like you described. That's why I stress the importance of penetration in my lessons. If they do not deal at least 65% of the cards, you're probably wasting your time in trying to beat the game. The counting is accurate because we are basing our bets upon the count per remaining deck, whether we actually see the cards in those decks or not. If they were to deal out 100% of the cards, our edge would be so high that the casinos couldn't afford to offer the game.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/10/02

GM,
What can you tell me about progressive betting, i.e. doubling my bet after a losing hand?
John

Hello, John.
The only thing I can tell you about progressive betting like you've described is this: No form of betting can overcome the casino's edge in the long run. Raising your bet after a loss is what's called the "Martingale" system and the only thing it will accomplish for you is to make you lose your $$$ quicker. You're much better off learning how to count the cards so that you can bet small when the casino has an edge and bet bigger when you have the advantage. My Blackjack School can teach you how to do this.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/10/02

Hi GameMaster,
I want to say that the blackjack school that you have set up, WORKS! I have all of the basic strategy memorized, I can count cards, (I prefer a faster dealer so I can get more hands in and it is easier to me to count vs. a slower dealer) I am struggling just a bit implementing your strategy variation, it's alot to keep track of but I have not lost yet since I have been counting. The best True Count I have yet encountered was +10. After increasing the bet I won 5 out of 7 hands with 1 blackjack! Is there anything else that will increase my odds, patience, anything more that you could suggest!

Thanks for the help!

Hello, Robert.
I'm really glad to hear that you've had a successful start in your Blackjack "career". It's always nice to know that we've been able to help. What next? Well, obviously, you should continue practicing all your skills until they are honed to a fine edge. You should also spend some time reading the articles that are archived on the Blackjack page of my site, plus the Blackjack-related articles on the GameMaster's Secrets page so that you can learn some of the tricks of the trade, like playing two hands when the count is high, etc. That's the joy of this game: there is an almost never-ending list of refinements you can make.

Let me know if I can help.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/10/02

Hi GameMaster,
I came across your course by accident but after starting to go through it I was fascinated, I read all 19 lessons in one go and then started practising (and reading). I found learning the BS no problem but am still struggling a bit with the counting - I can do a deck in about 40 seconds but obviously need to work on this. Something which caught me by surprise was calculating the true count - I suddenly found dividing 17 by 3.5 did not come that easily, so its a bit of arithmetic practise too!

So last night I went down to the local casino and played Blackjack for the very first time in my life. No counting, just BS. After playing 4000 hands on a BJ simulator, BS is really no problem. I lost the bit of money I took but was expecting this anyway - I just went for the experience. I even had a drunk guy placing max bets in my box which was quite funny cause he tried to argue about the way I played.

The rules at the casino are as follows: 6 decks, double any 2, double after split and early surrendering is allowed and dealer stands on soft 17

That would mean an edge of -0.54 + 0.14 (for DAS) + 0.70 (for early surrender) = + 0.30 is this right? If this is correct, would flat betting with perfect BS beat the house? Would this be an acceptable way to play? (Why does surrendering carry such an advantage?)

The tables are R25 min, which would require a R15000 bankroll for a 1-12 spread. This is a lot of money, in fact too much for me to make available for a bankroll. How does the spread affect the edge? Is there any way of getting away with a smaller spread?

Your advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Greg (hooked)

Hello, Greg.
Your timing couldn't be better! We are about to release my Blackjack School on a DVD, June 15 and on it I demonstrate many exercises and practice drills that will help you with your speed in counting and you'll also learn several ways to quickly and accurately figure the True Count. Like most other things in life, it's all a matter of practice.

Those are excellent rules at your local casino and, yes, the player that uses only Basic Strategy has a small edge over the game, even without counting. The software I use to calculate that (BJEdge by Stanford Wong) shows a player advantage of 0.22%, but the difference between that and 0.30% is minor. Question: Does the casino use what we call the "European Hole Card rule"? If so, that will require some changes in the Basic Strategy that you use. Get back to me if you don't understand this and I'll be happy to explain.

Flat bets will give you an advantage, but you won't make a lot because the edge is tiny. To answer your question regarding bankroll requirements, these very favorable rules allow you to use a 1-8 bet spread and that will be enough to give you a healthy edge in the game. Don't forget, so long as the True Count is at 0 or more, you'll be playing with an advantage!

Surrender is valuable to a counter under any circumstances, but early surrender is worth so much because you have to opportunity to get half your bet back, even if it later turns out that the dealer has a "blackjack". Any hand where your expectation is to win less than 50% of the time, so to speak, is improved by surrendering.

Good luck in your studies and don't hesitate to write me with any questions you may have.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/8/02