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GameMasters Secret's Page
The GameMaster's Secrets
Team Play at Blackjack

In the last column, I told you about a method of team play at Blackjack that two friends and I used in Atlantic City, but I didn't cover the money management aspect of such an arrangement. Team play is a much better way to approach the game -- from a monetary point of view --than just a single counter operating alone. Let me give you an example.

Suppose I have two friends who are card counters and we all feel comfortable with each other's level of skill. Convinced that we each play a winning game of blackjack, we decide to join forces and treat our play as a team effort. Let's say that each of us was playing on our own with a $3000 bankroll, so we will combine all that into a bankroll of $9000 total. The dynamics of team play allow us to treat that bankroll as though each of us had a bankroll of $9000. Where our top bet might have been $60 for our individual play, now as a team each of us can bet a maximum of $180 per hand. Prudence might cause us to trim that to a top bet of $150, but you can still see the leverage we've gained by combining bankrolls. The bonus is that we're actually lowering our overall risk by doing so! This is possible because having more players cause a "smoothing" effect in the bankroll fluctuations. I can remember sessions where I lost hundreds of dollars on hand after hand but after reporting in, discovered that others on the team had won a lot more and we were actually up for the session! That's a nice intangible to team play: the moral support which comes from teammates who have all been through tough, losing sessions.

Some controls must be set up within your team agreement in order to prevent catastrophic losses; we always had a rule regarding the maximum any player could carry as a "session" bankroll. With an initial bank of $9000 and a top bet of $150, a session bankroll ought to be about $1500. By setting such a limit, a player cannot go on "tilt" and lose a good portion of the bankroll in one wild afternoon; $1500 is all s/he can drop. Our team always agreed that if any player went beyond the stop-loss point, he would make up the difference out of his own pocket. Consequently, we never had a player lose more than a session bankroll.

As the bankroll increases, the team must make a decision to either increase the top bet or just keep it the same, thereby reducing the overall risk of losing the entire bankroll. Each has its advantages, but it's more the prevailing conditions at the casinos that will decide the issue. Back in Atlantic City during the late '70s and early '80s, it was no big deal to bet $200 or more per hand. In many casinos, $200 is the maximum allowable bet. So, it really boils down to how high the team can bet without attracting undue attention. And believe me, bets above $100 a hand are going to be noticed everywhere. The question is, will they be tolerated?

But that's not the way to start with team play at blackjack. My advice is to get 2 or 3 friends and have each put up $1000 and operate with a $60 top bet. If you can all get away with a betting spread of $5-60, you sure won't get rich, but it should be big enough to give your team a good shot at doubling the bank.

We always used to keep the bankroll intact until we doubled it. We would then "break the bank" and pay off everyone involved. Payouts were based on the amount each person put in (the "investment"), how many hours each member played and how much each member won. A good formula is to pay 50% on the investment, divide 25% proportionately for the hours played and 25% based upon how much each member won. Since the simplest form of team play does not require everyone to play together, it allows those who can put in more "table time" to do so and they are rewarded for the effort whether they win or not. But winning $$$ is the name of the game, so those who bring in the bucks are paid a bonus. Here's an example of how a bank might be handled:

Player Investment Hours played Win / Loss
Bob $1000 25 $850
Jerry $1000 20 $1250
Bill $1000 30 $900

Since the bank was doubled, a profit of $3000 will be distributed. Each player will first receive $500 as a return on their investment. Since a total of 75 hours of play was required to double the bank and $750 (25% of $3000) is allocated to hours, each player will receive $10 for each hour played. Another $750 is available for the amounts won. Since all three won money during this bank, each will receive a proportionate share. Bob won $850 or 28%, so he would get $750 X .28 = $210 and the others' portions would be figured in the same way. Here's a recap of the payout:

Player Investment Pay Hours Pay Win Loss Pay Total
Bob $500 $250 $210 $960
Jerry $500 $200 $315 $1015
Bill $500 $300 $225 $1025
Grand Totals: $1500 $750 $750 $3000

Few things feel better than breaking a bank and setting plans for a new venture; it's a real feeling of accomplishment.

A note on expenses. We used to subtract any expenses "off the top", but you better all agree on what will be reimbursed and what will not, because nothing -- besides theft -- can chew up a bankroll quicker.

In the next column I'll show you some ways for the team to play together, make a bunch of $$$ and the casino won't have the slightest idea of what's going on.

 

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