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1988-12-04
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BLACKJACK STRATEGY (version 1.1)
(copyright 1985, 1988, David Fibush)
A SHAREWARE PROGRAM
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
1.0 Getting Started 2
1.1 Option Menus 2
1.2 Basic Play 2
2.0 Changing Options 4
2.1 House Rules (first menu) 4
2.2 Point Count Weights (first menu) 5
2.3 Play & Display Options (second menu) 5
3.0 Manual Bet Inputs 7
4.0 Shuffle 8
5.0 Deal 8
6.0 Play 8
6.1 Insurance 8
6.2 Player's Blackjack 8
6.3 User Play 9
6.4 Dealer Play 10
6.5 End of Play 10
6.6 End of Game 10
6.7 Data Summary and Exit Options 10
7.0 Strategy 11
7.1 Hard Hands 11
7.2 Soft Hands 12
7.3 Hands That Can Be Split 12
7.4 Surrender 12
8.0 Bugs and Fixes 12
9.0 Copyright and Shareware Registration 14
10.0 Disclaimer 14
11.0 Product Support 14
APPENDIX A. Basic Rules of BlackJack 15
APPENDIX B: Bibliography 16
1.0 GETTING STARTED
System requirements: IBM PC, 128K, Mono or graphics display
Your master disk contains the following files:
BJ.EXE main program for the blackjack game.
STRATEGY.DTA strategy data used by the program.
OPTIONS.DTA options data used by the program.
BJ.DOC this documentation file in MS Word format.
BJ.TXT this documentation file in ASCII format.
Only the first two files are needed to run the program. The program
will create an OPTIONS.DTA file if it does not exist. STRATEGY.DTA is
a text file which can be created or modified with any text editor
however you must use the exact original as a template.
To protect your BLACKJACK STRATEGY game you should always operate
using a working copy of the program disk. Use the following procedure
to make the working copy.
1. Format a blank disk. Include your operating system if you wish to
boot your computer from the work copy.
2. With your master disk in drive a: and the formatted disk in drive
b: copy all programs from the master to the work copy using the
command Copy a:*.* b:
3. Place your work copy in drive a: and at the prompt A> type the
command BJ <carriage return>.
1.1 OPTION MENUS
As soon as the program has loaded into computer memory you will see
the first option menu (shown in figure 1) which displays the House
Rules and Point Count Weights data from the file OPTIONS.DTA. If you
do not wish to change the options enter 0 <carriage return> or just
<carriage return> to continue to the Play & Display Options menu
(shown in figure 2). Again you may enter 0 if you wish to go directly
to the game without changing any options. Use the original default
conditions to start playing the game immediately and become familiar
with its operation.
1.2 BASIC PLAY
With the original default conditions you are the third player at a
five player table, bets are automatically made at 10 units so you need
only play your hand. Press F1 for a display of the possible actions.
See section 6.0 for detailed playing instructions.
*** HOUSE RULES *** *** POINT COUNT WEIGHTS ***
* DEALER PLAY * 11. Weight for A = -1
1. Dealer hits soft 17 N 12. Weight for 2 = 0
13. Weight for 3 = 1
* SPLITTING * 14. Weight for 4 = 1
2. 1 card only on split Aces Y 15. Weight for 5 = 1
3. Allow split of unlike 10s N 16. Weight for 6 = 1
4. Allow more than 1 split Y 17. Weight for 7 = 1
18. Weight for 8 = 0
* DOUBLING * 19. Weight for 9 = 0
5. Allow double on split Y 20. Weight for 10 = -1
6. Allow double 10 and 11 only N 21. Weight for J = -1
7. Allow double on 3+ cards N 22. Weight for Q = -1
23. Weight for K = -1
* DECKS & SHUFFLE *
8. Number of Decks 6
9. Shuffle Percent 80
* SURRENDER *
10. Allow surrender N
Item to change or 0 for no change _
Figure 1. First Menu
*** PLAY & DISPLAY OPTIONS ***
* TYPE OF PLAY * * DISPLAY *
1. Position 6 5 4 3 2 1 10. 1st card down on autoplay N
User ? N N N Y N N 11. Player hand point count Y
2. Number of Players 5 12. Player present bet size Y
3. Manual bets for player N 13. Player present holdings Y
4. Speed of play (1 to 20) 10 14. Number of cards not dealt Y
15. Number of hands played N
* GENERAL VALUES * 16. Size of dealer's bank N
6. Number of Hands 100 17. Point count of cards shown N
7. Basic bet size 10 18. Record of decisions made N
8. Initial player holdings 1000 19. Sound on Y
9. Strategy file STRATEGY.DTA
20. Return to House Rules menu
Item to change or 0 for no change
Figure 2. Second Menu
2.0 CHANGING OPTIONS
When each menu is displayed you may change a value by entering the
corresponding item number. You are then prompted to enter either a
value or a yes/no response. A carriage return will give the default
value. The menu is then reprinted showing the new value and you may
enter more changes or continue to the next step. If you have made any
changes they may be saved before the game starts.
2.1 HOUSE RULES (first menu)
* DEALER PLAY *
Option 1. Dealer Hits Soft 17 - this gives an advantage to the house
since there is a good chance to improve the hand. If this is set to
"N" the dealer will hit all 16s and stand on all 17s.
* SPLITTING *
Option 2. Allow 1 Card Only on Split Aces - split aces are a powerful
hand, some casinos will only give you one card for each hand in this
case.
Option 3. Allow split of unlike 10s - this means you can split a
combination like Jack - Queen. Although this might seem to be an
advantage it is never advisable to split 10s as 20 is a very good
hand.
Option 4. Allow more than 1 split - definitely an advantage to the
player hence limited to one split by some casinos. In Blackjack
Strategy the maximum amount of splits is two with five or less players
and only one split with six players due to screen size limitations.
* DOUBLING *
Option 5. Allow double on split - this gives an improved advantage to
the player since you only double if you have a good chance to win. If
this is set to "N" a double is not allowed on split hands.
Option 6. Allow split on 10 and 11 only - many casinos have this
restriction.
Option 7. Allow split on 3 or more cards - a fairly unusual option of
considerable advantage to the player.
* DECKS & SHUFFLE *
Option 8. Number of decks - a number between 1 and 10 as determined by
the house management. Some casinos have tables with different numbers
of decks. The smallest number of decks is advantageous to "card
counters" however when one deck is used it is often shuffled about
half way through to limit the counter's advantage.
Option 9. Shuffle percent - the point in the deck which triggers the
next shuffle when a hand is completed. Generally around 80% for
multiple decks and as low as 50% for a single deck. You may select a
value between 50% and 99%.
* SURRENDER *
Option 10. Allow surrender - you may surrender your original hand for
one-half of your bet. This action takes place after the dealer has
checked for a blackjack when your turn to play comes. This is
advantageous to the player with a bad hand when the dealer has a high
card showing.
2.2 POINT COUNT WEIGHTS (first menu)
Options 11 through 23 on the first menu allow you to set the weight
for each card in a suit to be used for card counting. The weights
chosen will depend on the system you wish to use, see the bibliography
for reference material. Blackjack Strategy will keep track of the
point count and either display it continuously or momentarily at your
request.
2.3 PLAY AND DISPLAY OPTIONS (second menu)
* TYPE OF PLAY *
Option 1. User Inputs - Each of the active player positions (there can
be up to 6) will be played either automatically by the computer or
manually by you, the user. By setting just one position to "Y" you
simulate an actual game where you are playing that position. Note that
positions are numbered from right to left which is the dealing order
at the blackjack table. If you wish to play more than one position for
more practice at making play decisions then set the desired number of
positions to "Y".
For completely automatic play set all the positions to "N" and the
computer will play all the hands. This allows you to sit back and
watch or let the computer play a few thousand hands to evaluate the
automatic strategy or one of your design.
Option 2. Number of Players - Values from 1 to 6 are allowed. Due to
screen space limitations, splitting a second time can only take place
if there are 5 or less players. You would be surprised how common this
can be if you are using 6 to 10 decks. Other numbers of active
positions are available to suit your desired playing conditions.
Remember you can manually play any or all of the positions.
Option 3. Manual Bets for Players - If you want to modulate your bets
set this to "Y". In that case you will have to supply a bet input for
each position you are playing. Bets must be multiples of 2. When
placing your bet a <carriage return> gives the value of the Basic Bet
if desired. When Manual Bets is set to "N" the computer automatically
bets the Basic Bet each time.
Option 4. Speed of Play - A value which controls the speed of the
game. The highest speed will play about 3000 individual player hands
per hour with all positions in automatic play which is useful for
evaluating different strategies. The slower speeds will help you learn
to count cards. Try different numbers to get the effect you like.
* GENERAL VALUES *
Option 6. Number of Hands - This specifies the number of hands that
will be played before the program automatically stops and offers an
exit point or various continuation possibilities. Large numbers are
useful for evaluating strategies or just not being bothered with
restarting the game. There are interrupt methods to access the exit
options at the end of each hand or at any point in the game you have
the following control possibilities:
Control-S stops action, hit any key to restart.
Control-C quits the game and returns to the operating system.
Option 7. Size of Basic Bet - bet size to be used if no manual input
is given. This value must be a multiple of 2.
Option 8. Initial Player Holdings - this is how much money each player
starts with. Don't lose more than you can afford.
Option 9. Strategy File Name - If you have a number of different
strategies you may select the desired one. The program will check to
see if the file exists but you are responsible to insure that the data
is all correctly located in the file.
* DISPLAY OPTIONS *
Various values can be displayed on the screen as the game is in
operation. A setting of "Y" displays them and a setting of "N" keeps
them off. Each is described below.
Option 10. First card down on automatic play - For a more realistic
(but less informative) display you can have the first card dealt down
on hands you are not playing. At the appropriate times (bust, end-of-
hand, etc) the card will be shown with a delay so you can see what it
was. If you are using this option it would make a more realistic
situation to set option 11, hand point count, to "N".
Option 11. Hand count values - this will show the point value of each
hand just above the first card as play progresses. Turn this off if
you are doing some serious practicing.
Option 12. Bet size - shows the present bet value for each player.
Option 13. Player holdings - shows how much money each player has.
"There's time enough for counting when the dealings done". Unless you
are about to run out and want to double or split. (The bank will
"lend" you the money as negative holdings are possible)
Option 14. Cards not dealt - a graphical display that shows the number
of quarter-decks used and those that have not been dealt. The
exclamation point indicates the quarter-deck that contains the shuffle
trigger point.
Option 15. Number of hands played - shows the number of hands played.
Option 16. Size of dealer's bank - shows the amount of money in the
dealer's bank. The dealer starts with 10,000.
Option 17. Point count of cards shown - a continuous display of the
sum of the weights of all cards whose faces have been displayed since
the previous shuffle. This value is available on a momentary basis if
requested by the player during play of a hand.
Option 18. Record of decisions made - each action taken by the user-
player is compared against the strategy. If the action does not agree
with the strategy the computer will beep to let you know of your
"error". A running count of the actions and percent correct may be
displayed.
Option 19. Sound on - the beep described in option 18 may be turned on
or off.
3.0 MANUAL BET INPUTS
If you have selected the option for manual bet inputs a screen similar
to figure 3 will be displayed at the start of each hand. Only even
numbers from 2 to 100 will be accepted. The figure shows that Player 1
bet 20, Player 2 bet 10 and Player 3 is being asked for a bet value.
The function keys allow easy input for multiples of the basic bet.
Push F1 for a help menu.
Deck [..*****************!****]
Place your bets.
Multiples of 2 only.
Player 4 Player 3 Player 2 Player 1
Your bet?
Bet=10 Bet=20
Hold=355 Hold=780 Hold=600 Hold=1255
Figure 3. Manual Bet Screen
4.0 SHUFFLE
This is automatic at the start of the game, if the end of the deck is
reached during a hand or and when the cards left with the dealer at
the end of a hand are less than the calculated amount based on the
Shuffle Percent (see option 9 in the first menu). Also there will be a
shuffle if there are not enough cards left for 4 per hand to be played
including the dealer. Each shuffle is a computer representation of
cards randomly chosen from the decks to be used. Cards are then placed
in that order to be used until the next shuffle.
5.0 DEAL
Cards are dealt in the usual order. The first card to the dealer is
shown "down" as are the first cards to automatically played hands (if
that option is chosen), all the rest are up. After the cards are dealt
various optional values are displayed, such as, hand number, player
bets, etc.
6.0 PLAY
6.1 INSURANCE
If the dealer is showing an Ace, all user controlled hands are asked
if they would like insurance. Acceptable responses are:
F9 or Y or y for Yes
F10 or N or n for No
Insurance is a side bet for an amount equal to one-half the present
bet on the hand. If the dealer has a blackjack, insurance pays 2 to 1
hence you break even if your hand (say a 20) would have lost to the
dealer's 21. At that point the screen is cleared and a new hand is
dealt.
When the dealer does not have a blackjack you lose your side bet and
play continues. Automatically played hands do not take the insurance
bet.
6.2 PLAYER'S BLACKJACK
Any players that have blackjack are immediately paid at 1.5 to 1 and
their first card is shown, if necessary, and then the cards removed
from the "table".
6.3 USER PLAY
If hand point count values are to be shown it will be displayed at the
top of the hand in the form "NN H" for hard hands or "NN S" for soft
hands. As the individual hand is played the value will be updated as
an aid in decision making. The hand values are also displayed on
automatically played hands.
The user is then asked to make play decisions based on their cards and
the allowed possibilities by answering the prompt "Action" with the
following choices available:
F1 displays a one line help display of these responses.
F2 or E or e to go to the exit options at the end of the hand.
Normal play continues.
F3 or L or l for look which will momentarily display the decision
programmed into the strategy. This is like learning from flash
cards, you can always look at the answer if needed.
F4 or V or v to view the hand count value. This is of interest if
the hand count option is off. It simulates asking the dealer for
the count.
F5 momentarily displays the card count based on the weighting system
being used.
F6 or Q or q to surrender (or quit) only with the original hand if
that action is allowed by the house rules.
F7 or Y or y will split the hand. If the player has a "pair" they
may be split and played as two hands with the same bet required
on each hand as the original bet. When the hand is split each
hand is played separately. If a second pair were to be dealt on
either hand and a second split is allowed (provided there are 5
or less player positions) and then there are three hands played
for that position.
F8 or D or d for double when allowed by the house rules. If this is
selected the bet is doubled and only one more card is dealt to
that hand.
F9 or H or h for hit which deals another card to the hand.
F10 or S or s for stand which ends the decision process for that
hand.
Following the action determined by the decision the hand value is
calculated. If the total is greater than 21 the hand is bust which is
indicated in the hand value location and the cards are removed from
the "table" after first showing any down card. If the total is 21 or
less, further action is requested in the case where the previous
action was a hit.
Since all this action happens automatically if no user positions have
been specified there is another "escape" to the exit options. If you
hold the space bar or any other key down during the end of the hand
you will interrupt the action and move to the exit options by entering
a <carriage return> when requested by the program.
6.4 DEALER PLAY
After all hands are played the dealer's hand is played. First the down
card is shown then the dealer hits 16 and stands on hard or soft 17
depending on the house rules option setting.
6.5 END OF PLAY
Each hand still active (not blackjack or bust) is compared to the
dealer's to determine win, lose or push. Player's holdings and the
bank are adjusted accordingly.
6.6 END OF GAME
New hands will continue to be dealt until the hand count reaches the
maximum set by the options. Shuffling will occur as needed. Once the
hand count maximum is reached a summary of the data for that run of
hands will be displayed along with the exit options.
6.7 DATA SUMMARY AND EXIT OPTIONS
Figure 4 shows the data summary and exit options. The highest, lowest
and final holdings are shown for each player along with the hand at
which those holdings occurred and the "efficiency" at that point.
Efficiency is defined as winnings divided by the total amount bet
expressed as a percentage. This calculated value can be used to
evaluate the quality of your strategy as modified by the "laws of
chance". The values shown are typical for the built in strategy
contained in the file STRATEGY.DTA.
At this point you have three exit options:
[E]nd the game and return to the operating system.
[N]ew options essentially restarts the game by returning to the
options screen and resetting the hands played to 0.
[P]rint will send a copy to the data summary to your line printer.
c/r <carriage return> will continue the play until the maximum
number of hands is reached or on a hand-by-hand basis if the
hands are already at the maximum.
DATA SUMMARY Strategy file name = STRATEGY.DTA
Player 6 Player 5 Player 4 Player 3 Player 2 Player 1
Highest
holdings 2015 1800 1735 1920 1710 2075
at hand 6036 1586 2028 1496 2023 4243
efficiency 1.39% 4.19% 3.02% 5.11% 2.93% 2.10%
Lowest
holdings 865 285 135 590 -70 740
at hand 40 5764 5547 5843 5482 129
efficiency -26.47% -1.03% -1.30% -0.58% -1.63% -16.56%
Final
holdings 1920 530 635 785 250 1415
at hand 6140 6140 6140 6140 6140 6140
efficiency 1.24% -0.64% -0.50% -0.29% -1.02% 0.56%
Total Amount Won = -465 Total decisions = 0
Total Amount Bet = 443250 Total correct = 0
Total Hands Played = 37671 Percent correct = 100.00%
Overall Efficiency = -0.10%
[E]nd game, [N]ew options, [P]rint summary, or c/r to continue
Figure 4. Data Summary and Exit Options
7.0 STRATEGY
The strategy used for automatic play (and as a prompt if you "look"
before making your decision point) is determined by characters in a
text file approximately shown in figure 5. You may change the
controlling characters with a text editor but it is critical that each
one be in the correct location for proper operation. Make a copy of
STRATEGY.DTA under some other name and then use your text editor in
the overwrite mode. The name of the new file may then be entered under
option 9 of the second menu or you may rename the altered file to the
default name STRATEGY.DTA for use by the program. Each table has the
dealer up card values across the top and player hand values shown on
the left and in the middle. Action determining characters are <S>tand,
<H>it, <D>ouble, <Y>es do split and <Q>uit as in surrender.
If no strategy file exists on the disk a "dumb strategy" of hit 16 or
less, stand on 17 or more will be used.
7.1 HARD HANDS
These are hands that do not contain an Ace valued at 11. If they
contain only two cards or if a double is otherwise allowed by the
house rules the right side of the first table is used. Only player
values down to 4 need to be considered as lower values must contain an
Ace and would be determined in the second table.
7.2 SOFT HANDS
These hands contain 1 Ace valued at 11 which could be reduced to 1 if
the subsequent hit were to cause a "bust". Only values down to 12 need
to be considered as 2 Aces is the lowest soft hand.
7.3 HANDS THAT CAN BE SPLIT
In this table the "Y" stands for, yes do split. The other characters
indicate the action of choice rather than split and are assumed to be
<N>o in automatic operation. Only even values for the player
considered as they are all pairs. The only soft pair is 2 Aces.
7.4 SURRENDER
"Q" for quit is used for surrender to differentiate it from the other
choices. When the "Q" occurs in the table it will be interpreted as an
"H" if surrender is not allowed by the house rules option setting.
Therefore you do not want to put a "Q" in a location that should be
split, double or stand except when actually using the surrender
option.
8.0 BUGS AND FIXES IN VERSION 1.1
1. Printed data summary shows "overall efficiency = 0%" when it
should be something else. (fixed)
2. If you have used the exit command the dealer takes his cards
up too quickly to see. (fixed)
3. On manual played hands when player declines insurance and
dealer wins the bet is not collected from the player. (fixed)
4. Doesn't always beep on a strategy error. Example is hit a pair
of nines. (not fixed)
5. One-deck shuffle at 75% occasionally causes screen to go crazy
during the shuffle. (not found)
6. When using a strategy which never doubles or splits, more is
bet than the expected 10% per hand. (fixed relates to 3 above)
7. When entering bets manually the first digit of the user input
does not show on the screen but is entered. (fixed)
8. Deck meter (upper right hand corner of display) now expanded
to full length for all numbers of decks.
HARD HANDS Dealer Shows
|....Can not Double........| |.........Can Double.......|
Player 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
21 S S S S S S S S S S 21 S S S S S S S S S S
20 S S S S S S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S
19 S S S S S S S S S S 19 S S S S S S S S S S
18 S S S S S S S S S S 18 S S S S S S S S S S
17 S S S S S S S S S S 17 S S S S S S S S S S
16 S S S S S H H Q Q Q 16 S S S S S H H Q Q Q
15 S S S S S H H H Q Q 15 S S S S S H H H Q Q
14 S S S S S H H H Q Q 14 S S S S S H H H Q Q
13 S S S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H
12 H H S S S H H H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H
11 H H H H H H H H H H 11 D D D D D D D D D H
10 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H
9 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H
8 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H
7 H H H H H H H H H H 7 H H H H H H H H H H
6 H H H H H H H H H H 6 H H H H H H H H H H
5 H H H H H H H H H H 5 H H H H H H H H H H
4 H H H H H H H H H H 4 H H H H H H H H H H
SOFT HANDS Dealer Shows
|....Can not Double........| |.........Can Double.......|
Player 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
21 S S S S S S S S S S 21 S S S S S S S S S S
20 S S S S S S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S
19 S S S S S S S S S S 19 S S S S S S S S S S
18 S S S S S S S H H H 18 S D D D D S S H H H
17 H H H H H H H H H H 17 H D D D D H H H H H
16 H H H H H H H H H H 16 H H D D D H H H H H
15 H H H H H H H H H H 15 H H D D D H H H H H
14 H H H H H H H H H H 14 H H H D D H H H H H
13 H H H H H H H H H H 13 H H H D D H H H H H
12 H H H H H H H H H H 12 H H H H H H H H H H
HANDS THAT CAN SPLIT Dealer Shows
|......Player Hard.........| |.......Player Soft........|
Player 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
20 S S S S S S S S S S 20
18 Y Y Y Y Y S Y Y S S 18
16 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 16
14 Y Y Y Y Y Y H H H H 14
12 H Y Y Y Y H H H H H 12 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
10 D D D D D D D D H H 10
8 H H H H H H H H H H 8
6 H H Y Y Y Y H H H H 6
4 H H Y Y Y Y H H H H 4
Figure 5. Strategy Text (approximate)
9.0 COPYRIGHT and SHAREWARE REGISTRATION
BlackJack-Strategy is copyright 1985, 1988 by David K. Fibush.
The BlackJack-Strategy (Program) is protected by copyright laws and is
a proprietary product of J.P. Enterprises and David K. Fibush. This is
a shareware program. If you received this program from a source other
than J.P. Enterprises you are expected to send the $15 registration
fee to:
J.P. Enterprises
3877 Hancock Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95051
10.0 DISCLAIMER
Use of this program acknowledges this disclaimer of warranty:
The Program is supplied "as-is". J.P. Enterprises
disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied,
including, without limitation, the warranties of
merchantability and of fitness of this program for any
purpose. J.P. Enterprises does not warrant that the
functions contained in the Program will meet your
requirements or that the operation of the Program will
be either error free or appear precisely as described
in the Program documentation. J.P. Enterprises assumes
no liability for damages direct or consequential,
which may result from the use of this program.
11.0 PRODUCT SUPPORT
This program has been thoroughly tested. If you find the program does
not work as described in this documentation, or if you have
suggestions for improvements, please write to:
David K. Fibush
J.P. Enterprises
3877 Hancock Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95051
APPENDIX A. Basic Rules of BlackJack
A.1 THE OBJECT OF THE GAME: The player attempts to beat the dealer by
obtaining a total of cards equal to or less than 21, such that
the player's total is higher than the dealer's. Note that the
idea is to BEAT THE DEALER, not get as close as possible to 21.
A.2 NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Generally the game has a dealer and one to
seven players. BlackJack-Strategy allows up to six players.
A.3 NUMBER OF DECKS: One to six decks are common. "Card counters"
prefer a one deck game.
A.4 VALUE OF CARDS: Each card has the same value as its spots except
for the ace and picture cards. All 10s and picture cards are
counted as 10. The ace can be valued as either 1 or 11, at the
option of the player. A hand containing an ace that can be
counted as 11 (that is, by counting the ace as 11, the hand does
not exceed 21) is called a "soft" hand. All other hands are
"hard" hands.
A.5 THE DEAL: Each player is dealt two cards in sequence, one at a
time, either face-up or face-down, depending on the rules of the
house. The dealer's card that is face-up is referred to as the
"up-card" and the value of this card is the key piece of
information used to determine the playing strategy. Additional
cards to the players are dealt face-up, one at a time based on
the players choices during the play.
A.6 BLACKJACKS: If the first two cards dealt to a player are an ace
and a ten-valued card, the player has a blackjack and receives
one and one-half times his original bet. If the dealer has a
blackjack and the player does not, the player loses the total of
his original bet. If both the player and the dealer have a
blackjack, the hand is a tie or a "push". In most casinos and in
BlackJack-Strategy, hands with a blackjack are settled
immediately.
A.7 HITTING OR STANDING: A player may draw as many cards as he wants,
as long as his total does not exceed 21. "Hitting" is when a
player asks for an additional card and "Standing" is when no
additional cards are requested.
A.8 BUSTING: If the player's cards exceed a total of 21, he has
"busted" and loses the hand regardless of the dealer's total. If
the dealer busts, all players who have not busted win the hand.
A.9 TIES: If the player and the dealer have the same total, the hand
is a tie or a "push". No money settlement takes place.
A.10 DEALER'S PLAY: The dealer must draw cards until he has a total of
17 or above. In some casinos the dealer may hit a soft 17 in
others he must stand on any 17.
A.11 DOUBLING DOWN: In most casinos a player may double the amount of
his bet after looking at his first two cards. He then receives
only one additional card. Many casinos allow doubling only on
totals of 10 or 11, some allow doubling on any hand.
A.12 SPLITTING PAIRS: If the player's two cards are identical in
value, the player may "split" them by betting an amount equal to
his original bet on the second card. Each card is then played as
a separate hand except that if aces are split, only one
additional card is allowed on each ace. Some casinos allow
splitting only once and some up to three times, for a total of
four hands. BlackJack-Strategy allows splitting two times (three
hands) when there are five players or less in the game. With six
players BlackJack-Strategy only allows splitting once for each
player.
A.13 INSURANCE: If the dealer's upcard is an ace, the player may make
a side bet called an insurance bet. The amount of the side bet
may be as much as one-half of the original bet. If the dealer has
a blackjack the casino will pay two to one on the insurance bet,
therefor, the player loses his hand but wins on insurance and
"breaks even" if he bet the maximum amount on the side bet. If
the dealer does not have blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and
the play of the hand continues. In BlackJack-Strategy an
insurance bet is always one-half of the original bet. (This is
why only even numbers are allowed for bets, it the keeps numbers
as integers.)
A.14 SURRENDER: The player may surrender his original hand for one-
half of the bet. This action takes place after the dealer has
checked for a blackjack when your turn to play comes.
APPENDIX B: Bibliography
1. R. Baldwin, W. Cantey, H. Maisel , and J. McDermott, "The Optimum
Strategy in Blackjack", Journal of the American Statistical
Association, 51, 429-439, (1956).
2. L. Revere, Playing Blackjack as a Business, Lyle Stuart, Inc.,
New York, (1973).
3. L. Revere, The Revere Advanced Point Count Strategy, Paul Mann
Publishing Co, Las Vegas, Nevada (1973).
4. E.O. Thorp, Beat the Dealer, (2nd edition), Random House, New
York (1966), also in paperback Vintage Books, (1966).
5. E.O. Thorp and W. Walden, "The Fundamental Theorem of Card
Counting", International Journal of Game Theory, 2, 2, (1973).
6. C. Ionescu Tulcea, A Book on Casino Blackjack, Pocket Books, New
York, (1982).
7. K. Uston, Million Dollar Blackjack, SRS Enterporises Inc,
Hollywood, California, (1981).