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The GameMaster Advisor
November, 2001

Gamemaster,
I discovered your wonderful website while searching for opinions about www.intercasino.com, which you reviewed favorably. I am hoping you can answer a question regarding blackjack at InterCasino. On their website (on their BJ Help page) can be found basic strategy tables which differ from the strategy recommended by you (and the linked basic BJ strategy engine) in regard to splitting 99's; the InterCasino website indicates it is correct to split 99's versus the dealer's ten or ace. Players are not allowed to re-split pairs in their BJ games, which I thought might REDUCE the number of situations in which splitting is correct rather than increase it. Is their recommended basic strategy table incorrect?

I also noticed that they provide blackjack "tips" within their casino interface software which appear incorrect (and conflict with the basic strategy tables on their website).
Thanks,
Mike

Hello, Mike.
Intercasino is a good operation, but their Basic Strategy chart is, indeed, incorrect. Use the chart generated by the strategy engine when you play and you'll be lowering the casino edge to its minimum.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/25/2001

GameMaster,
I went to Atlantic city on Wendsday for the first time in my life since I turned 21 just a month ago. I read through your Black Jack school and memorized the basic strategy chart. I also read about card counting but was unable to use it during the game. I still won $350 dollars at the $15 dollar minimum table which was great. What was surprising was that at Bally's, the casino that I played at, the table has 8 decks. Do you know any casinos in Atlantic City that have less deck tables and preferable any with 1 deck. Thank you

Hello, Gary.
I'm glad to hear it went well for you, but I'm sorry to say that there's not a single-deck game of Blackjack within 500 miles of A.C.

The best you can find there is a few 4-deck games at the Claridge, but the minimum bet for those is usually $100, otherwise it's all 6- and 8-deck shoes.

Go west, young man! Nevada is still the "home" of single-deck BJ.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/7/2001

GM,
Thank you for replying to my message. I have another question. I think I have memorized basic strategy and am now looking for the best counting system. I understand that slow and steady wins the race, so if i need to learn an easier system and move on, that's fine too. What is your opinion of Ken Uston's work. His is the first and only book I've read on counting. I just wanted an outside opinion on which counting system works the best. Again, thanks for your time.

Hello, David.
Starting with and staying with the Hi/Lo count will serve you well for a lifetime, so that would be my recommendation.

Ken Uston's work is top-notch and I learned a lot from him. For an insight, see the article "A Blackjack Sting" on the GameMaster's Secrets page of my site.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/21/2001

GameMaster,
I am just wondering what's the best online casino for blackjack, the one with the best odds to win the most money.

Hello.
What you're saying is, "Hey, GM, tell me where I'll make the most $$$ at on-line Blackjack" and I wish it were that simple.

For example, the casino with the best "odds" ( house or player advantage, as determined by the rules of their game) may or may not have a good reputation for paying the players who win there.

You have to also concern yourself with the basic honesty of the game, because great rules might indicate that the game is "rigged".

Also, you want to win "the most money". Are you a high-roller who bets $500 a hand, or are you looking for a game with a $1 (or lower) minimum bet? You need to define your risk and reward ratio by establishing some goals. Are you willing to risk $200 in order to make $50 or are you looking to make $500 off that $200? (Yes, I know the answer: "As much as possible", but you need to remember that is a wish, not a goal.)

What you should do is research this topic yourself and arrive at your own conclusions, because only you know what type of Blackjack game you're looking for. Most of the resources you'll need are found at our sites. First, visit the Blackjack page of the GameMaster's Casino Directory (www.gamemasterlist.com) where you'll get a good overview of the types of games available at many Internet casinos. Secondly, check our Blacklist page for a list of places to avoid and then go to the "Introduction to Online Gambling" section for a lot of helpful information.

Then spend some time checking our Online Gambling Message Board and visit similar message boards, like those at Casinomeister (www.casinomeister.com) and Winner On Line (www.winneronline.com). Then go to the Online Players Association site (www.onlineplayersassociation.com) to check their "recommended list" and their "not recommended list". Consider joining the OPA, because you get a lot of benefits for very few $$.

Finally, take a look at the "Gamblin' With The GameMaster" section at www.gamemasteronline.com/, where I recommend what I believe are some good places to play. If your homework agrees with mine, all you need to do at that point is get a copy of the proper Basic Strategy for your game, recognize that the casino probably still has a long-term edge over you, decide how much you can afford to lose and you're set!

I apologize for making this such a long answer, but as I said in the beginning, your question isn't all that simple.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/20/2001

GameMaster,
I was wondering if you can suggest an Ace-Five Count betting ramp for DD games. Your article about Ace-Five gives a betting ramp for 6 deck games and subsequently mentions that Ace-Five can be quite effective in DD games; however, the link included in the article for "Grinders Blackjack Simulation Warehouse" is dead. Thanks much for all of the great info. on your site.

Hello, Kevin.
I found the sims and they are here:
http://frontpage.inxpress.net/grinder/warehouse.htm?gamblemag

Thanks for the kind words about the site.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/20/2001

GameMaster,
You say that we should walk away whenever the count reaches -1. What if you're playing in a casino that only has 2 tables and the other table is a $25 minumum (out of range for my current bankroll)? Should I just sit out until the count goes positive again? Wouldn't that raise eyebrows? Love your website thanks for the help.
Jagermaster.

Hello, Jagermaster.
In your situation, it's going to be difficult to walk away and it certainly will look suspicious if you stop playing when the count goes negative. Just try to minimize the number of hands you're playing at low counts by taking frequent bathroom breaks, etc., etc.

Remember that it's cheaper to not play than to play when the casino has an edge over you.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/19/2001

Dear Gamemaster,
Thank you for answering a previous question. Your website has great info on it.

I do have one more question about online BJ, pertaining to the estimation of the true count. I've attempted to estimate the number of remaining decks based on counting the number of hands dealt, which I find much easier than counting the cards dealt. Based on a small sample size, I estimated the average number of cards per dealt hand to be 2.7 Can you tell me how close this estimate is to the correct number?

It occurs to me the number would be somewhat affected by the number of players dealt in each round, since each hand receives only two cards when the dealer gets a blackjack. Thus, the more players dealt in per round, the fewer cards per hand on average. Is this a big factor? Four hands per round (3 players and the dealer) seems typical at the online tables I've seen.
Thank you,
Mike

Hello, Mike. The average number of cards used per hand is almost exactly 2.7, so you were very close in your estimation. The number of players has very little effect, because while a dealer's BJ does reduce the numbers as you mentioned, the splitting of pairs, double after splitting, etc. balances that out. For what you want to do, 2.7 is a good number

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/7/2001

GM,
How do you get the true count? I know how to count down a 6 deck shoe, but I don't understand how to calculate that to the true count. If I have a running count 6, do I divide that by how many decks I have left to get the true count? If that is the way that I do it, I would like to know if there is a better way?
Thanks for your help.

Hello, Todd.
Think of the True Count as the "count per remaining deck." You have the concept down correctly: with a running count of 6, you divide that by the number of decks remaining to be played.

The only way to avoid calculating the True Count is to use what is called an "unbalanced" counting system. It's not necessarily better, but it is easier. You can read more about them in my series, "Counting Systems", which is archived on the Blackjack Page of my site.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/3/2001

GameMaster,
I don't play this game often, but I was wondering if someone has been able to figure out a counting strategy for this. I am not mathmatically inclined. I follow the strategy and counting procedures you recommend. Since I do this, I don't like to play this game, but human beings often find ways to get an advantage. If this is mathmatically impossible just call me blonde.

Your course has things I already knew, but it makes me a disciplined rather than emotional player and that is a big plus. I am into money management rather than just playing. Thanks for offering this page. All the best to you.

Joanne

Hello, Joanne.
The counting strategy is the same, but obviously, the Basic Strategy is different. Like any other game of Blackjack, the rules and penetration have a considerable effect on your potential profits, but with all of the bonuses, etc. each increase in the True Count is worth more than a "regular" BJ game. An increase of 1 in the TC normally adds 0.50% to the player's edge, but in Spanish 21, it's more like 0.65%, assuming one is using the Hi/Lo count. Counting would be used for determining the bet size only, because to the best of my knowledge, no one has taken the time to create indices for variations to Basic Strategy.

This can be a decent game, given good rules, but the Basic Strategy is very complicated. However, most casino supervisors think this is a "sucker's" game, so it provides good camouflage for the counter as well. You might want to see what the Wizard of Odds has to say about Spanish 21: http://www.thewizardofodds.com/game/spanish21.html

He offers correct Basic Strategy charts for both games: H17 and S17.
I appreciate your kind words about our site and I'm glad we've been able to help you.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
11/3/2001