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FRONT PAGE - Back to THE ADVISOR PAGE GameMaster,
That means that 85% of hands are going to end up in
the last "mixed" category. I have to wait another 2
months for your article on these "mixed" hands, so
perhaps you are able to gain by relating the mixed
hands to the all-high or all-low categories.
Hi, James.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Of course I know that I still was lucky, because I was not supposed to win with that strategy, but I keep on working. I might also say that all I played was the 1$ Blackjack with a regular 6 deck.
Now as I played for such a long time, I also had several things that came to my mind. As far as I understand the basic staregy it is telling you the mathematical odds, how to minimize your losses and how to maximize your gains. Now here comes one of my problems. Imagine I get two tens and the dealer is showing a 6. As far as I know the dealer now is supposed to bust in about 66% of the cases. The basic strategy says that I should never split 10s. Because I will win in nearly all cases, as the dealer has to get 21 to beat me. But is it really more efficient not to split instead of splitting and then also doubling down (as we have to be consistent, and we actually have a 10 showing)? I mean instead of 1$ I would win at least 4 $ in 66% of the cases. This was just an idea and I do not know what you think about it. Because you also have to think that after splitting there might be another 10 coming up. I would really be interested in these odds (and maybe some other ones- especially when the dealer is showing a 5 or a 6). I mean the "normal" thing for the dealer is a bust. So if I even double when I have a 7 do I increase my chances or not? (Do not worry, I did not do any of these things- I played BS all the time, but these questions came up and the dealers did not have an answer). Hello, Alex. Regarding splitting 10s, remember that each card then receives an automatic hit and it's only after getting it that you may double. That being the case, the only card that will help you is an Ace, then you'd have 11 (or 12, don't forget) and a double might be in order, but any other card would make a double very risky. Doubling on a 7 vs. 6 loses 12.6% whereas hitting returns a profit of .034% and that's a 15% increase in total return, so keep hitting it. But if you want to experiment some, go over to our new site, The GameMaster's Arcade (www.gamemasterarcade.com) where you can play some pretty realistic games for play-money and split those 10s 'til your heart's content.
Yours for winning, Hi Gamemaster, It's spring break and I played in a blackjack tournament in Reno (small
weekly thing, $20 buy-in), and I was hoping you could give me a critique
for my play, especially because I'm scheduled to play in a big one in
Jean, Nevada this April. 3 players from each first round table advance to the semis and I was
fortunate enough to sail through without having to go through the second
round where you can buy in for another $20. Now, the semis is where it got
interesting, since only the top money winner gets to go through to the
final table. At around the 13th or 14th hand (20 deals per round) I was down to about
$300 of my original $500 and the leader had about $1000. He had started to
go small and so I decided I had to go all in (no points for second place,
right?). So I plopped down all my chips, and wouldn't you know it,
blackjack. Paid off at 2-1 and sudddenly I had $900. That's what I had
when they announced totals with 4 hands to go. It SEEMED that it was down
to me and the leader. 2 had blown themselves out, one was at $600 and
another was at $400. Well, after the next 2 hands I found myself in the
lead but the interesting thing was the leader was now in third because the
low man had bet his $400 and won twice. He did it again on the 19th hand
and won again, putting him in the lead, me at second, and the original
leader at third. Here's my question. For the last hand (fresh deck) they both went high, so
I bet the minimum, my rationale being that the house has the edge. But I
heard someone remark "Can't do that...(in a tournament)" What do you
think? In this case it didn't matter because the guy who was originally
down to $400 but was now the leader had bet the $500 maximum and gotten a
blackjack, so I couldn't have beat him even if I had bet the maximum (I
did not have a blackjack), but nevertheless, did I make a bad play? Also, I plan to make this my guiding philosophy regarding tournaments and
I wonder if you'd agree - Never buy in for another round if you get kicked
off after the first, because it is this second round that makes tournament
payouts a positive expectation thing and by paying double you eliminate
your edge, even if you give yourself additional chances. Thanks again, gamemaster. Do you get a commission for the BJ Risk Manager,
I was thinking ofgetting it (although prices have gone up) and it would
help my buying decision if I knew I'd be kicking a little something back
to you after all these years of invaluable free advice. Hello, Solomon. Regarding tournaments, first let me recommend that you get Stanford Wong's
excellent book, "Casino Tournament Strategy" since it has extensive
coverage on Blackjack tournaments as well as other types.
In your tournament, I gather that the leader had about $1200, let's say you
had $950 and the original leader had about $600 and you were last to bet.
So both #1 and #3 bet $500, correct? If that was the case, your only hope
was to bet small, because if you bet the max, and both you and # 1 won your
hands, he'd have $1700 and you'd have $1450 which is no good at all. But,
if you bet $25 and you both lost, you'd have $925 and he'd have $700.
Actually the better play would be to keep one more chip than # 1 and bet
the rest. So, your ideal bet would have been $225 (I'm assuming $25 is the
minimum bet). Then, if both you and # 1 lost, he'd have $700 and you'd
have $725. If # 3 won, he'd have $1100 and the play would be to you. If
you had a 'natural' (paying 2:1), you'd be at $1175 and would win. If you
didn't have a natural, you'd double any hand to try and win. As far as "buybacks" are concerned, it's obvious that you understand how to
figure your 'equity' in a tournament and that's the way to decide if it
makes sense or not. I've written a couple of articles on tournaments in
the Blackjack section, so read them when you get a chance. I hope this helps and, no, we do not get a commission on BJ Risk Manager.
It's still a great program, though.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Hello, Ron.
Yours for winning, Hi, Tell me, if there is a way to somehow figure out the real count, and if I should place my bets according to the real count, then.
There is also another question. As I am not jet a card counter, I do not know the best for insurance. What do you suggest, when playing the A-5 count. No insurance, only if you have out a high bet, always insurance....?? I appreciate your time and many thanks. Hello, Alex.
Learning the proper Basic Strategy is the key and then the Ace-5 count will help you get close to even in the game. As for "following the running count", I'm not totally sure what you mean, but if you're asking if the Ace-5 count can be turned into a 'True Count', it probably can, but you're better off following the betting method I showed in the lesson. Regarding insurance, the Ace-5 count doesn't have the ability to identify times when you might take it, so while using the Ace-5 count, never take insurance, regardless of the bet size.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Hi, Tony.
The best game seems to be on the Sun Cruz ship that operates out of Riviera
Beach Marina, but all the boats offer pretty much the same game: 6 or 8
decks, double on any first two cards, double after split and the dealer
stands on A-6. That gives them a 0.43% edge. The closest to Ft. Meyers is
out of St. Pete. and their rules are similar.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Hi, Terry.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Many thanks in advance for your help.
Hello.
Yours for winning, Hi. I've been playing Blackjack for a few years now using
basic strategy. After reading one of Uston's books I
became interested in learning to count. I just found
your page about a week ago and have since been working
on learning to count. Your lessons have been very
helpful, I also found a program to assist me in
learning. I had a few other things to mention in my e-mail as
well. First of all for your amusement I suggest you go
to
(http://www.blackjack-winner.com/kiss.htm and
free.htm)
The page has a "sure fire" way to win money starting
with a bankroll of $310. It also has some funny views
about counting. The second thing I wanted to mention was an
interesting program I just purchased. It's called Sage
Blackjack (http://www.s-a-g-e.com). It has many
different functions such as inputting different
strategies and then allowing the computer to run
trough millions of hands. The other thing it has is a
training program within it that helps you learn basic
strategy or to count. It follows the methods you
suggested. You can go through basic strategy flash
cards or have cards flipped up to you which you count.
At the end you have to input the value of the
remaining two cards. Of course you can do this
counting practice without the program but it makes it
easier to do. There are also many other features to
the program and it has a lot of versatility. It could
be helpful to other Blackjack players so you might
want to review it. Sorry this turned out to be such a long e-mail it just
sort of grew and grew as I was writing it. Thanks for
having such a great page and keep up the good work. Hello, David.
Yours for winning, Concerning online Blackjack:
Hi, Will.
Yours for winning, GameMaster,
As a video poker player at the mostly 25-cent level, I am curious.
Hi, Gwen. Yes, the vast majority that I know treat it as self-employment, file a schedule C and deduct the costs associated with the creation of income such as travel expenses, etc. A few claim nothing and I think that's foolish. I'd much rather pay my taxes and not have to hide my $$$, but that's my opinion. I've written several articles on this; one of them is "Gambling, Inc." which you can find in the GameMaster's Secrets section.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, In downloaded sites, you can switch from .50 to 1.00 to 2.00 to 5.00 coin sizes in about 1 second. This allows you to attempt to manipulate the odds a bit (while in a real casino, switching your bet usually means cashing out, moving to another bank of machines, and hoping there is a seat available at the right kind of payscale). When I have had a string of losing hands, or the wins start coming fast, I often increase my bet size. In many instances (not all) the larger bets make catching up quicker or make a winning streak more profitable for me. I also have to admit that increased bets have sometimes accelerated the losses (but that is usually only a problem when I act like a gambler instead of an investor; letting the losses continue past my usual limits). What do you think? Am I crazy or lucky? Is there a statistical or virtual reason behind my luck that warrants an article?
FrankP
Hi, Frank.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Very much so. Exactly how much you can make is a function of your average bet size, your advantage and the length of time you're able to play. 2) Why can't players make money using the following betting scheme: start with a ten dollar bet, then double your bet each hand (20,40,80,160,320,etc...) until you win. Once you win, start back at ten again and play the same scheme until you win. This would seemingly result in a ten dollar win (or 50 or more if you started with 50 or more) on each winning hand. It would seem to me that if you kept doing this you would win over time because it is unlikely that the dealer will be able to beat you, say, a dozen hands in a row. So even if you got into the thousands, you would still win eventually, right? What's wrong with this scenario? The problems are several, the first being the casino's maximum bet limit. If you're at a table with a $500 maximum bet limit and you start with a $25 bet, you'll be at $400 after the 5th loss. Even at that point, you're betting $400 to win $25. This is called the "Martingale" system and it gives you a series of small wins that are eventually wiped out by a big loss. And, no, there aren't any casinos without betting limits; they know about the Martingale also. But now, you can try it for yourself! Go to our new site, The GameMaster's Arcade (www.gamemasterarcade.com) and try it on the single-deck Blackjack game you'll find there (it's game #2). You'll have $2000 in 'play' money to start, so give it a go. If you have a chance I would really appreciate your answers to these questions...Thanks a lot and keep it up!!!
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Does it ever get easy?
Hello, Richard.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Glad to help. At Harvey's in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I noticed an IGT Double Double Bonus .25 cent machine. The Royal and 4 aces with 2,3,4 kicker are progressive, Royal starts at about 4400 credits (always somewhat different after Royal is hit) and sometimes reaches 7000 credits before hit (only 10 machines in bank). Aces with kicker starts at 2000 credits and is usually hit before 2400 credits. These machines pay 9 for full house, 5 for a flush (compared to 6 for a flush at Ameristar) and 4 for straight. With a 4400-coin Royal and the Aces at 2000, the return is 98.07%. If the Royal is at 7000 and the Aces are at 2300, the long-term return is 99.91%. At Harveys I also play an IGT Jack or Better progressive .25 cent machine. The Royal starts at about 4400 credits and can reach 7000 credits. These machines pay 7 for full house, 5 for flush and 4 for straight. This is a killer. A 7/5 Jacks game with a 4400-coin Royal returns only 96.35%. If the Royal is at 7000, the long-term return is 97.83%. For this to return 100%, the Royal has to be at 11,000 coins or $2750 on a quarter machine.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, The basic payback on this game is 98.98% with the progressives at their reset levels. With the Royal at 4500 and the Aces at 2200, the long-term return is 99.49%. Over 5% of the total return comes from those two hands, so you're playing a game with about a 94% pay back until they hit. For future reference, each additional 500 coins on the Royal adds 0.25% to the return and each 100 coin increase in the Aces adds 0.10%. At Harveys I play an IGT Double Bonus .25 cent machine. The Royal, straight flush and 4 aces are progressive, Royal starts at about 4300 credits and is usually hit before 5400 credits. Straight flush starts at 250 credits and is usually hit before 400 credits. Aces starts at 800 credits and is usually hit before 900 credits. These machines pay 9 for full house, 6 for flush and 5 for straight. This game is the 'fooler' that I referred to in my column "Games to Avoid". The basic payback is 96.38% with the Royal at 4000 coins; if it resets at 4300, it's still only 96.6%. Even with the Royal at 5000, the SF at 350 and the Aces at 850, the long-term return is a measly 97.4%. Definitely a game to avoid.
Please let me know how close these machine come to full pay. As you can easily see, neither is a bargain but the Double Double Bonus has some redeeming qualities.
Yours for winning, GameMaster, Well, I'm back from my trip. Made a successful return to gaming - paid for our airfare, hotel, meals, taxis, tips, shows, everything! It was a GREAT vacation. I have never been on such a hot streak in my life. Thanks for the good info. Perhaps the biggest thrill of the trip was getting comped for a couple of meals. I followed the advice of your correspondent. I dressed well, and I asked for a comp. The pit boss gave a meal to my wife and me with no hesitation. I was also told that next time in town I'll be given the casino rate to start off with. I now know that I should have started asking earlier for more, but I'm thrilled with the results of following your advice. May your tribe increase!
Thanks again! Hi, Jim. Thanks for getting back to us It's great to hear that you had a good vacation. Let us know if we can help in the future.
Yours for winning,
Hi, G'day, Ashley. Glad you like the site. The "Martingale" betting strategy to which you refer will not work for very long. There may well be times when you have some success with it, but eventually, you'll see a streak which will wipe you out. This 'system' is why the casinos place maximum bet limits on their games. You'll be much better off to first learn the proper playing strategy for your local game (we call that the "Basic Strategy") and then you can learn a very simple method of counting the cards which is known as the "Ace-Five" count and is described in my article "I'm Not a Blackjack Fanatic" which is on the Blackjack page of this site, in the archives. Those two skills will put you at about even with the 'house' and, though there will be times that you'll lose, there will also be times where you have nice wins. Both should even out over time, but at least you can have some fun and maybe you'll enjoy that so much that you'll become a full-fledged counter and make some nice profits from the game. All the information you need to accomplish that is right here, so visit us often.
Yours for winning, Dear Gamemaster
Hello, Deborah.
Yours for winning, Dear Gamemaster: Since the dealer has a 42% of breaking with a 6 upcard and a 43% of breaking with a 5 upcard, it seems the correct play would be to double against the 5. I'm getting my break percentages from Ken Uston's "Million Dollar Blackjack" book.
How am I missing the boat?
Hi, Mac.
Yours for winning, |