Category : Tutorials + Patches
Archive   : GAMB15.ZIP
Filename : C2.TUT

B L A C K J A C K

BASICS

Blackjack is the most popular table game in the casino. It is
played with a dealer and from one to seven players. The players
place their bets in the circle on the table for their position
and the dealer deals everyone two cards. One of the dealer's
cards is face-up for player reference. The dealer's second card
is face-down underneath the other card. These are called the up
card and hole card respectively.

Dealer's Cards Player's Cards
+-------+ +-------+ +-------+ +-------+
|.......| |A | |6 | |7 |
|.......| | | | | | S |
|.......| | A | | S | | E |
|.......| | C | | I | | V |
|.......| | E | | X | | E |
|.......| | | | | | N |
|.......| | A| | 6| | 7|
+-------+ +-------+ +-------+ +-------+


The player's objective is to have the point value of their cards
be closer to 21 than the dealer, but without exceeding 21. When
the players do this they get paid 1-to-1. Blackjack is also
called 21. All face cards (King, Queen and Jack) count as 10.
Aces count as either 1 or 11 as chosen. All other cards count at
face value.

An initial two cards that consist an Ace and any Ten, Jack, Queen
or King is a Blackjack. Show this hand immediately and the
dealer will pay one-and-a-half times the bet (3-to-2) unless the
dealer also has a Blackjack. Then as with all ties, it is a push
and neither the dealer or player wins.

Table betting minimums will normally be posted. These may run
from $2-$3-$5-$10-$25 or more. When initially starting to play,
place the buy-in money near but not in the betting circle for the
position. The dealer will change it into casino chips as
appropriate although something else may be requested.

Each player starting from the right will play their hand, either
standing or taking one or more additional cards or "hits" before
standing. The procedure to signal standing or hitting depends on
the casino.

If cards are dealt face down, players handle them. In this
situation, the player requests a hit by scratching the cards
against the table's felt top in a direction toward them. To
stand, they slide the original two cards face down under their
bet.


If cards are dealt face up, players do not handle them. In this
situation, the player requests a hit by scratching their finger
on the table felt top in the direction toward them. To stand,
they will wave their hand palm down. The reason for these
procedures is to allow the casino's video cameras to witness the
play. Verbally telling the dealer to hit or stand will not be
acceptable.

If hitting and a point value over 21 is reached, this is called
"busting" and the hand is lost. If handling the cards, turn them
face up on the table immediately. The dealer will collect them
along with the bet. If the cards are dealt face up, the dealer
will automatically pick them up along with the bet. After all
players have completed their hands, the dealer will play their
hand.

There are two situations, dependent on the original two cards the
player receives, that the player may take other actions. If the
two cards are a favorable starting number, they may place them
face up in front of their money and double their bet. This is
done often with a 10 or 11 because the probability or odds are
good it will result in a 20 or 21. The dealer will then deal
one additional card and move on to the next player. This is
called "doubling down."

The other situation is when the player receives a pair of cards
of the same value. If for example two eights are received, a poor
hand, they may elect to split them by placing a bet equal to
their original bet next to it. Then the two hands are played out
individually, hitting and standing. If another pair should be
drawn while splitting, most casinos will allow it to be split
again and additionally a fourth time if appropriate.
Additionally some casinos may allow a split hand to be doubled
down on if the player feels it is desirable. There is one
exception to pair splitting regarding Aces. Valued as an 11, the
player will only be given one card on each with no chance to draw
an additional card or split another time.

The dealer has fixed rules on how they must play their hand. The
players use skill to play theirs. Generally dealers must hit
hands that have a point value of less than 16 and stand on 17 or
better. Casinos vary on whether this includes a Soft 17 made up
of an Ace valued as 11. Some require their dealers to stand on a
Soft 17 while others will hit it. In a given gambling area this
rule will usually be consistent but individual casinos may vary.
The dealer may not split any pairs.

Players who do not bust, and have a point value closer to 21 than
the dealer, win. If the dealer busts, all players who are still
in the game win. The casino has an advantage in that the players
must play out their hands before the dealer. Players who have
the same point value as the dealer push, neither winning or
loosing.


When the dealer's face up card is an Ace, the dealer will pause
and ask the players if they wish "Insurance." The insurance bet
is a separate side bet on whether the dealer's face down card is
a 10 value. Players can make an insurance bet up to one-half of
their regular bet. The payoff is 2 for 1 or equal their original
bet. That is how the name insurance has developed. The bet's
name adds to frequent player misunderstanding of it. If the
player has a blackjack and the dealer's face up card is an Ace,
the player may take Even Money at most casinos. This is the same
as insurance as if the dealer has a blackjack the player pushes
on the regular bet but earns 2 to 1 on the insurance. If the
dealer doesn't have blackjack the player losses the insurance bet
but gets paid 3 to 2 on the blackjack. In either case the result
is the same.

CASINO PERCENTAGE ADVANTAGE

Blackjack is popular with players because players
make decisions that influence their winning or losing.

Blackjack is popular with casinos because players
make decisions that influence their winning or losing.


These statements appear contradictory but they are not. The
problem lies with players who don't know or choose not to follow
the correct strategy in making decisions. There is a correct
play for every situation. They are based on computer analysis of
the remaining cards in the deck after making up the hands shown.
Players often stand when they should hit, hit when they should
stand, fail to double down when its to their advantage or make
other errors of skill.

This is very unlike games like craps or roulette where the only
player decisions to make are how much and where to bet. Because
of the skill factor, the casino has no fixed percentage advantage
or "PC" in blackjack.

In the short run, chance will be the most significant influence
on success. In the long run, it is not what cards the player
gets but what they do with the cards they get. Often making the
correct play will not work. However in the long run it will work
more times than not following it. This will make a major
difference in long term success playing blackjack.

The casino can increase their general advantage with certain
steps. They include increasing the decks used, hitting a point
value of Soft 17 and placing limitations on doubling down. The
more decks used statistically reduces the number of blackjacks.
The reason for this is with the greater number of cards there is
a small but significant difference in the probability of
receiving two or more specific cards together. Hitting Soft 17
gives the dealer a better chance of being closer to 21 than the
player. Limiting doubling downs limits favorable situations.


SMART GAMBLER STRATEGY

The first consideration to playing blackjack is to select the
very best game available. Before beginning to play at a casino
or table, do a little looking around. There may be games that
are significantly better than others to play. This will
influence long run results greatly. If playing at an isolated
casino, on a river boat or in other limited locations, there may
not be a selection.

The fewer number of decks used provides the statistically better
game. Assuming the player plays the correct strategy, casino
percentage advantages are approximately:

One deck -0.01%
Two decks -0.35%
Four decks -0.50%
Six decks -0.60%
Eight decks -0.70%

The main reason for this is the number of blackjacks received.
In a single deck the player can expect a blackjack approximately
4.8% of the time. This drops as the numbers of decks increase.

Another key consideration is whether casino requires the dealer
hit a soft 17. This should be displayed on the table. If soft
17 is hit, this is an additional -0.19% casino advantage.

The last consideration is any limitations on doubling down. Most
casinos in the Las Vegas and Atlantic City areas permit doubling
on any first two cards. Most casinos in Northern Nevada only
permit doubling when the player's first two cards total 10 or 11.
This adds another approximate -0.28% casino advantage. Within
these areas there are exceptions both ways. Outside these areas,
either practice or other variations may be found. In summary,
the typical games available are:

Hit Double Approximate
Decks Soft 17 Downs Disadvantage
----- -------- ------ ------------
1 No Any - 0.01 %
1 Yes Any - 0.20 %
1 Yes 10 or 11 - 0.48 %
2 No Any - 0.35 %
2 Yes Any - 0.54 %
2 Yes 10 or 11 - 0.82 %
4 No Any - 0.50 %
4 Yes Any - 0.69 %
4 Yes 10 or 11 - 0.97 %
6 No Any - 0.60 %
6 Yes Any - 0.79 %
8 No Any - 0.70 %


What is the difference of playing a correct -0.01% game and a
correct -0.60% game? These are typical of what can be found in
Las Vegas, often in the same casino.

Situation: Three day gambling trip, 15 hours of blackjack play,
average 100 hands/hour, average bet of $10. Playing the -0.01%
game, the cost for the entertainment of playing will average
$1.50 for the entire trip! Often the player will come out a
winner but over the very long run they will lose an average of
$1.50 per trip. Playing the -0.60% game, the player will lose an
average of $90.00 per trip. Multiple this by four trips a year
for ten years and the difference is $3540.

Continuing the subject of using skill to play the cards.
Remember the object of the game is to beat the dealer by getting
as close to 21 as possible without going over 21. This means
sometimes standing on a stiff hand of 16 or less when the dealer
has a good chance of breaking. The dealer must always hit their
hand until reaching 17.

The following chart shows the correct play to make in a given
situation. This is called the basic strategy and was developed
using computer analysis. The Dealer's face-up card is shown
horizontally on top with X being any 10 value card and A an Ace.
The Player's initial cards or total point value as appropriate is
shown vertically. The player action codes are:


"S"=Stand "H"=Hit "D"=Double down "P"=Pair or split

Dealer> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
9 H D D D D H H H H H
10 D D D D D D D D H H
11 D D D D D D D D D H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
P 13 S S S S S H H H H H
L 14 S S S S S H H H H H
A 15 S S S S S H H H H H
Y 16 S S S S S H H H H H
E A2 H H H D D H H H H H
R A3 H H H D D H H H H H
A4 H H D D D H H H H H
A5 H H D D D H H H H H
A6 H D D D D H H H H H
A7 H D D D D S S H H S
22 H H P P P P H H H H
33 H H P P P P H H H H
66 H P P P P H H H H H
77 P P P P P P H H H H
99 P P P P P S P P S S
(Always Stand on 17 or greater and Split 88 and AA)



To print only this chart or the practice hands later, center it
on the monitor and do a Print-Screen. This typically may be done
by pressing the Shift key and Print Screen keys together.



To master the chart, first learn the hard total standing section
for Player hands 12 through 16. Note the difference between a
Dealer's face-up card of 2 through 6 versus 7 through A. The
reason is in most all cases the dealer must take a hit if they
have a 6 or less showing. There are more tens in the deck than
anything else so there is a good chance that the dealer will bust
or go over 21. Study the chart and rewrite that section. Do not
guess at an answer. If the correct play is not known for sure,
check it until that section is mastered.



Next learn the double down section, Player hands 9-10-11. Much
of the profit will come from proper double down play. After
mastered the hard double downs learn the soft double downs, A2
through A7. If the plan is to play at casinos that do not allow
soft doubling, there will be no need to learn this section.



Finally learn the pair splitting section. Often pair splitting
is a defensive move, breaking up a losing hand in hopes of
building two hands that may win or at least break even on the
combination.



The chart must be absolutely trusted and followed. It will not
be right all of the time just most of the time. Often a player
will notice that if they had not followed the chart they would
have won. Pay no attention to this. Over the long run, if the
correct basic strategy is followed, the player will do the best.





To learn and practice the above basic strategy, go down the
following practice hands and recite the correct play. The
player's cards or point value as appropriate is shown in the left
column. The dealer's face-up card is shown next to it. Do not
guess! If the correct play is not known, recheck the basic
strategy chart. Practice it until all combinations are known.






A4 2 | A4 4 | 11 3 | A7 4 | A5 5 | 14 X | 15 5 | 14 7
11 5 | 99 8 | 15 2 | 33 5 | A6 2 | 66 3 | A3 6 | A6 4
14 A | 16 3 | 12 6 | 12 9 | A4 3 | 15 7 | 15 9 | 13 2
A5 6 | 16 5 | A3 5 | 13 A | 66 6 | A2 5 | A7 6 | A2 3
A7 5 | 12 X | 14 9 | 99 9 | 14 2 | 9 3 | 9 2 | 16 A
A5 3 | 66 5 | 14 6 | 10 8 | 14 8 | A7 2 | 66 4 | 16 4
16 8 | 99 2 | 9 6 | 9 4 | 15 8 | 15 X | 13 5 | 22 5
A5 2 | 99 3 | 12 A | 13 6 | A6 3 | 11 X | A4 6 | A2 4
A3 3 | 66 7 | 33 3 | 12 2 | 10 7 | 15 A | 22 7 | 77 3
11 4 | A3 2 | 99 6 | 99 X | 12 3 | A2 2 | A2 6 | 77 7
99 7 | 77 4 | 10 4 | 15 4 | 13 9 | 10 3 | A6 5 | 16 X
12 5 | 99 4 | 15 6 | 33 7 | 12 7 | 16 7 | 11 A | 11 2
13 3 | 77 2 | 16 6 | 99 5 | 10 2 | 14 3 | 33 2 | 14 4
12 4 | 66 2 | A3 4 | 16 2 | A6 6 | 10 5 | 15 3 | 10 6
11 7 | 22 2 | 22 3 | 13 7 | 11 9 | 77 6 | 11 8 | A5 4
33 6 | 22 6 | 10 A | 33 4 | 22 4 | 13 X | 10 9 | 16 9
11 6 | A7 3 | 14 5 | 10 X | 77 5 | A4 5 | 9 5 | 13 4
9 7 | 99 A | 9 A | A2 7 | A7 X | 9 9 | A5 7 | A7 8
A3 7 | A7 7 | A7 A | 9 8 | A6 7 | A4 7 | A7 9 | 9 X


For the insurance side bet, there is one simple rule. Never take
insurance. Remember the player is betting solely of whether the
dealer has a 10 valued card under the Ace. The player's cards
have no bearing on the play. There are 16 ten value cards and 35
non-ten value cards in the deck. The odds therefore are 35:16
(51 total cards not counting the Ace showing) that the dealer
will have a 10 valued card. However the payoff is only 32:16 or
2:1. The probability of winning 2 times 16/51 plus the
probability of losing -1 times 35/51 equals a -5.88% casino
advantage.

The dealer may recommend insuring a blackjack because the player
can't lose but in the long run the player will be giving up a
significant percent of their money. In this situation, because
the blackjack cards that are held can be discounted, this
calculates into a -8.00% disadvantage when having a blackjack and
taking insurance.

Blackjack correctly played is the best casino gambling
opportunity. Even if only a -0.60% or -0.70% game is available,
it is still significantly better than other table games. The
effort to learn correct play is well worth it in the long run.
Follow the Smart Gambler strategy and experiences at the
blackjack table will be enjoyable and successful.

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