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The GameMaster's Secrets
Some of the Best Blackjack I Know

I recently visited Biloxi, MS., a lovely city on the Gulf of Mexico where I found some excellent single-deck Blackjack. It was at the President Casino in Biloxi and, while there are very good games at other casinos down there, this one was, for me, the best.

Many of you may be unaware that there is a very active Blackjack 'underground' on the Internet where those of us who count cards swap information on good games, playing conditions, etc. Probably the foremost site for that is Stanford Wong's Blackjack Page which can be found at www.bj21.com/. Mr. Wong and I go back a long way and I am the St. Louis area reporter for his electronic publication, "Current Blackjack News" which is, to the best of my knowledge, the most comprehensive listing of Blackjack conditions in print. Virtually every major casino center has a 'reporter' and most of the information is updated monthly. If you are a serious Blackjack player, you should check this site out.

In the listing for Biloxi in Current Blackjack News, the President Casino has a notation: 'Easy to get barred here.' What this means is that, in the opinion of the local reporter, the casino supervisory personnel at the President are quick to ask those players who are suspected of counting cards to leave. To some of you, such a policy may seem unfair, since the casino is allowing 'losers' to play, but the minute someone who's skillful shows up, they ask him or her to leave. It is unfair, but it's the only alternative to having lousy games. If a casino is dealing a very beatable game (beatable by card-counters, that is), and just anyone is allowed to play, unrestricted, that game will cease being profitable for the casino and they'll either eliminate it or change it in a way to make it unbeatable. So, I'm all in favor of allowing casinos to selectively 'bar' players, even though it's patently unfair.

Thus, knowing the reputation of the President, I figured it had to be a pretty good game if the casino was protecting it so aggressively. But, the only way to find out for sure was to go there and see if they would catch on to what I was doing. I did just that recently, and I can tell you this is an excellent game, the best I've seen in a long time. While the rules aren't anything special, the number of cards which are dealt out is exceptional.

For those of you who aren't card counters, you need to know that the further a casino deals into the deck, the better it is for us who track the cards. A complete discussion of 'penetration' can be found on The Blackjack Page of this site in the lesson 'Evaluating Games'. Anyway, that's the key to the attractiveness of the President's game: they don't waste time shuffling, they deal the cards damn near to the end of the deck! They also know that card-counters can beat such a game, so they protect it by barring suspected counters. The casino sets out a plate of cheese and the mice try to snatch it without getting caught in the trap.

Now, card-counters, especially new card-counters, have some bad habits which make this situation much worse than it should be. (What's this!!?? The GameMaster taking the casino's side?) To a degree, yes. But only for my own purposes. You see, a lot of card-counters think they're entitled to win, because they put so much effort into developing their skill, a skill which, admittedly, few people possess. So, sometimes counters are arrogant and they get 'in the face' of the casino; others feel so guilty about the whole thing (just so you know, card-counting is NOT illegal) that they think any kind of scrutiny from the casino personnel is directed at them, because they're a suspected counter. The other bad habit of some counters is greed. They'll go into a casino and 'burn-out' a game in return for a few weeks' profits. I hate it when that happens; it's literally killing the goose which is laying the golden eggs. Look, all I want to say here is that the casinos are companies that are out to make a profit. Any company has a right to protect their areas of profitability and Blackjack tables are no exception.

Forewarned, I went to Biloxi and found a very, very good game. It's a game which can be 'tapped' on a regular basis by a skillful counter who isn't greedy, is good at hiding his or her skill and whose hair doesn't frizz easily. Man, it's hot and humid down there in August! The President has both single- and double-deck games (as well as six-deck shoe games, but why bother?) which are hand-dealt, facedown to the players.

I think that fact alone counts for most of the scrutiny of these games by the casino personnel. I know of at least 15 ways to cheat the casino at a hand-held game, so how many are known by someone who has larceny lurking in his heart? I don't need to cheat to win, but what of those who do? The casinos have seen all the tricks and that's primarily why they're watching you, to see if you're cheating. In my considerable experience, damn few casino personnel can count cards and maybe one dealer in a million can count and deal at the same time. Counting is about the last thing on their mind as they're watching you. If you're betting big and winning, their first thought is Is s/he cheating?

That being the case, the smart card-counter plays in a way that dispels any hint of cheating. The smart card-counter only uses one hand to hold the cards, and keeps his other off the table. The smart card-counter keeps her chips well back from her bet. The smart card-counter handles the cards delicately, s/he doesn't bend, fold or crimp them. In short, the smart card counter sits there as though butter wouldn't melt in his or her mouth. Polite, considerate and aware of the casino's concerns, the smart card-counter doesn't give the casino anything to worry about.

I played in Biloxi 'til my heart was content, though I didn't win a bunch of $$$, but I'll be back. If you're a good counter, you should check it out. If you're not a counter, you should check out my free lessons and learn how to do it, especially if you live near Biloxi.