Cream of the Crop 11/Cream of the Crop 11-1.iso/games/marvin01.zip/BJ.PPA

Text File | 1995-11-01 | 17KB | 334 lines

                 BLACKJACK IS FOR BRIDGE PLAYERS


Can you believe this: The casino game of Twenty-One, popularly
called Blackjack, has a minuscule mathematical advantage for the
casino! In fact, a single-deck game played with the rules in
general use on the Las Vegas Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard) has no
house advantage whatsoever. It's a fair game! While single-deck
games are uncommon these days, even the multiple-deck games have
only a small mathematical edge for the house. It's nearly even-
steven, with this proviso: You must play your hand in accordance
with a simple set of rules, known collectively as "The Basic
Strategy."

How can this be? Surely a casino is not going to conduct a game
that has little or no house advantage! How is it going to make a
worthwhile profit? The answer, also hard to believe: Not one player
in a hundred comes close to playing correctly. The inferior play
of the typical tourist gambler gives the house a profit of 3% or
more on each bet. This represents a nice take, considering how fast
the game goes. Another measure of the casino's advantange due to
bad play is that, of all chips purchased for Blackjack, only about
75% are redeemed by the cashier. The house thus retains 25% of the
money put into the "drop box" at a Blackjack table. Not bad.


                        Why Do They Lose?

There are many reasons for the poor performance of Blackjack
players:

-- Only in recent years, with the aid of computers, has optimum
Blackjack strategy been determined. Older books on the subject are
laughingly incorrect, even those written by "authorities."

-- The right plays include some that don't look right. Most
gamblers would never split a pair of eights when the dealer's up-
card is a ten, or split deuces when the dealer has a seven showing,
yet these plays are correct. Failure to make such plays is giving
money away.

-- Most casino personnel do not know proper Blackjack play. Why
should they? Pit bosses (table supervisors) are paid to watch for
mistakes and skullduggery. Dealers are paid to deal cards and
handle money, with no mistakes and no skullduggery. Neither is
expected to know the fine points of Blackjack, and few do. Any
advice they give is usually wrong.

-- Gamblers aren't readers. The typical gambler hasn't cracked a
book since dropping out of high school. The wealth of Blackjack
knowledge available in books does not reach him.

-- Most of those who do read up on Blackjack are not capable,
intellectually or emotionally, of acting according to expert
instruction. They can't concentrate at the table. They forget the
right plays. They bet too much. They are superstitious, believing
in streaks. They accept the free drinks that befuddle the mind.
They lose.

The last item brings me to the reason for this essay: The personal
characteristics and skills necessary for playing Blackjack well are
precisely those that are typical of good bridge players. If you
play bridge well, you can play Blackjack well. More on this later.


                     Can the Game Be Beaten?

If you are with me so far, I may lose you now when I say that
casinos can be beaten in the game of Blackjack! Here's how:
Although the game has a small house advantage on average, the odds
actually fluctuate during the play through the deck(s). Sometimes
the odds favor the house, sometimes the players, and sometimes they
are about even. All a player has to do is bet more when the
remaining cards figure to favor him, and less when they don't.

For instance, if all the aces are played early on, the player is
at a disadvantage. He can't get a Blackjack, resulting in a 2%
increase in house advantage. Accordingly, he should either leave
the table or make a minimum bet. It happens that fives in the deck
are good for the dealer. If all the fives are played early on, the
remaining deck(s) favor the players (by about 3%). Now is the time
for a large bet.

To a lesser extent the same sort of thing is true of most other
cards. Some favor the player, some the dealer. Aces, nines, tens,
and face cards (which count as tens) are good for the player. Small
spot cards, two through seven, are good for the dealer. Eights are
neutral. By evaluating the status of the remaining deck(s) on the
basis of cards that have been seen, and betting accordingly, a
player can win in the long run.

But who has the computer sort of brain that can evaluate the
deck(s), with some favorable cards gone, some unfavorable, and come
up with a precise assessment of the existing advantage or disad-
vantage? No one that I know. Instead, we have a gimmick for this
purpose: a point count! Just as we use a point count in bridge as
a tool for hand evaluation, so can we judge the status of a
Blackjack game by assigning point values to the various card ranks.


                      Blackjack Point Count

There are many Blackjack count systems, but here's the good news:
The simplest counts work nearly as well as the more complicated
ones. A favorite, used by many professionals, is the "Hi-Low"
count: Aces and ten-value cards are -1 each; 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are
+1 each; while 7, 8, and 9 cards are ignored. You count the
dealer's up-card and your first two cards when you look at them.
Then you merely keep a running total, adding or subtracting for
other cards as they are turned face up on the table (all cards
dealt get faced on the table eventually).

That's all there is to it. When the count is a high plus, the
remaining deck(s) favor the player, so you bet more--the higher the
plus, the bigger the bet. When the count is low, zero, or negative,
you make little bets (or go to another table). Result: You're a
winner! Not every playing session, but in the long run.

There are easier count systems than the Hi-Low, and harder ones.
Like bridge bidding systems, they all work. Choose one that suits
your inclinations and ability, but be sure to start with something
simple. Play for minimum stakes until you've had some table
experience. A computer Blackjack game is great for practicing.
Don't use those in the casinos, however. They employ a terrible set
of payoff and play rules, and will quickly take your money.

Counting in Blackjack has another use besides bet-sizing: It can
also be an aid for playing each hand. Although the basic strategy
should usually prevail, there are times when a player would do
better to deviate from normal play. The point count is used as a
guide for such departures from basic strategy. You don't have to
make such play variations in order to win. It's just a way to add
a little more to your winnings.

For most players, the insurance wager is a sucker bet. Those who
always take insurance will lose 6% of the money they put out for
it, on average. Casino personnel and most fellow players will tell
you to take insurance if you have a Blackjack yourself. This is
wrong. "You can't lose," they will tell you. True, because insuring
a Blackjack earns you an even money payoff whether the dealer has
a Blackjack or not. However, you won't win as much in the long run.
Giving up the 3 to 2 payoff in exchange for even money would be a
fair bet only if the dealer had one chance in three of getting a
Blackjack when he has an ace up, but his chances are not that good.
Point counters can use their count to tell them when insurance is
a good bet (about one-third of the time that the situation arises).


                        Rules Variations

Variations on the rules of the game are common. Many casinos have
a rule that the dealer must hit a "soft" hand that totals 17. A
soft hand is one that contains an ace that can be counted as 11
without going over 21. For instance, a two-card holding of A,6 is
a soft 17. The dealer's hitting of soft 17's is slightly beneficial
to the house. Some casinos have restrictions on the doubling-down
option (doubling the bet and taking one card only), also of benefit
to the house.

There are some rules variations that favor the player, e.g.:

-- After splitting a pair of non-aces, a double-down is permitted
during the play of each split hand.

-- A player may "surrender," throwing in a bad two-card hand and
giving the dealer just one-half of his bet.

-- After splitting aces, if another ace-pair results the player can
split those also. Usually permitted for non-ace pairs only.

-- A six-card hand totalling 21 or less is an automatic winner.

-- Doubling-down permitted with any number of cards. The usual rule
permits doubling-down only with the first two cards.

Such favorable rules are not well-advertised. You generally must
(and should) ask the dealer about the house rules. Downtown Las
Vegas rules tend to be slightly worse (e.g., hitting soft 17's,
which adds 0.2% to the house advantage) than those on the Las Vegas
strip. Northern Nevada casinos usually hit soft 17's and restrict
doubling-down to hands totalling 10 or 11 only, with no doubling
of soft hands permitted. Even when using a single deck, these rules
give the house a 0.5% advantage. Using four decks ups this to a
full 1.0%, a game to be avoided.

A Blackjack counter can beat all these games, but it pays to play
where the rules are most favorable and only one or two decks are
used. Contrary to popular belief, it is not harder to employ a
point count for six decks instead of one. After all, you are merely
keeping a running count in any case. However, the longer the
running count must be maintained, the easier it is to make
mistakes. Moreover, the "running count" must be divided by the
number of decks remaining to obtain a "true count," which adds a
complication. This division means that advantageous situations are
less frequent in games with many decks, especially if a shuffle
occurs with multiple decks remaining undealt.


                              Comps

If you find that Blackjack counting is too difficult, remember that
the better games are about even if you play the correct basic
strategy. You can have a lot of fun without losing much money
overall. Of course you might win or lose on a particular trip, but
should be close to even after many trips. You can have even more
fun if your bankroll is big enough--you can have comps!

What are "comps"? The word is short for complimentaries, the
freebies that casinos hand out to those who bet significant
amounts. If you are what they call a "player," betting $25 or
perhaps $50 on each hand of Blackjack, they will be happy to
provide you with free lodging, gourmet food, drinks, and shows. In
the large casinos on the Las Vegas strip, 25% of the rooms are
comped. Some places will even reimburse "players" for their airline
tickets. Just ask any casino host for details, which they will be
happy to provide.


               Bridge Skills are Blackjack Skills

Now let's review the factors that enable a good bridge player to
do well at Blackjack:

-- Bridge players are used to counting and keeping track of cards.
The 4-3-2-1 point count, counting trumps and other suits during the
play, and being aware of high cards that are still unplayed, are
all done with no great mental strain. The sort of counting that is
necessary for winning at Blackjack is simple by comparision.

-- Excellence in bridge requires a knowledge of how to play a great
number of card combinations. From general rules such as "eight
ever, nine never, and "lead the top of a sequence," to detailed
rules for safety plays, the bridge player must remember a much
larger number of correct plays than is necessary for Blackjack.

-- Knowledge of Blackjack play must come from books or classes. You
can't learn much by just playing, and you can't learn anything from
fellow players or casino personnel. Bridge enthusiasts are used to
getting knowledge from books, magazines, and teachers, knowing they
can learn more in a few hours than from months of play. They also
know that some bridge skills cannot be developed by merely playing
the game; instruction is necessary. Bridge is a difficult subject,
however. Reading and profiting from a Blackjack book will seem easy
be comparison.

-- Blackjack play requires discipline, both in the betting and in
the play of the hand. Those who bet wildly out of impatience or
boredom, and those who vary from correct play because of a
superstitious "hunch," will lose. Bridge players are accustomed to
discipline in bidding (analagous to betting) and play. They follow
the rules, deviating only with good reason. They know that in the
long run it pays to go with the percentage bid or play. This is
precisely the sort of discipline necessary for success in Black-
jack. Most gamblers, even those who read books, don't possess it.

-- Blackjack players must be able to concentrate for long periods
of time without tiring. One expert advises playing Blackjack for
no more than six hours a day, because "no one can concentrate
longer than that." Baloney! I have seen bridge players sitting at
Blackjack tables for eight, ten, or even twelve hours a day,
exhibiting as much skill in the last hour as in the first. Of
course there is no need to play that long, but the more you play
the more you win. Anyway, a day's Blackjack play is much less
demanding of one's stamina than an afternoon and evening spent in
a bridge tournament.

-- A good Blackjack player must be aware of what's going on at the
table. In bridge it's called "table presence." A dealer may
inadvertently show a card that is not supposed to be seen, or give
away his down card by some inadvertent mannerism, facial expres-
sion, or body language. Cheating is unlikely, but dealers do make
mistakes that must be caught. Bridge players, always aware of what
the opponents are up to, are unlikely to miss anything at the
Blackjack table.

-- Sobriety is a must in Blackjack, as in bridge. The casinos know
that alcohol dulls the intellect and destroys discipline. That is
why they offer free drinks at the tables. Even a good Blackjack
player's advantage over the house is quite small. It takes very
little alcohol to change this little advantage to a disadvantage.
Successful bridge players seldom play "under the influence." The
typically sober bridge player will have no difficulty turning down
the proffered booze--at least until he is ready to quit for the
day.


                           Camouflage

There are three basic arts in Blackjack, just as in bridge. For
bridge the arts are bidding, dummy play, and defense. For Blackjack
they are betting, play of the hand, and camouflage. "Camouflage"?
Yes. If the pit boss thinks that you play well enough to win
regularly, he may ask you not to play Blackjack in his casino. You
can even be barred from entering the casino for any reason. Isn't
that something? A game of skill in which skill is outlawed! As a
result, you must employ camouflage: betting, playing, and acting
in a way that will not look suspiciously expert, but still win.
Books on Blackjack usually include instruction for this important
skill.


                     Sources of Information

The only source of complete instruction on the game of Blackjack
that I can recommend is a fellow pseudonymsly named Stanford Wong.
His publications and computer programs related to Blackjack and
other games are of the highest quality. Moreover, he is an
experienced professional who has invaluable practical advice about
where to play and how to play. He is also a good source of
information on "freebies" and other good deals that casinos offer
from time to time. For a brochure describing his products, write
to the following address:

                          Pi Yee Press
                          7910 Ivanhoe Ave #34
                          La Jolla, CA 92037-4511

I especially recommend his "Basic Blackjack" (for beginners),
revised in 1995, and "Professional Blackjack," a classic that he
updated in 1994. The latter includes instructions for card
counting. Both books include the correct basic strategy for various
numbers of decks and house rules. He also publishes an excellent
monthly newsletter, "Current Blackjack News," covering current
information on Blackjack play in casinos all over the United
States. His book "Blackjack Secrets" explains how to get away with
playing a winning game without getting kicked out.

I have no connection whatever with Stanford Wong, although I used
to contribute to some of his publications, so this recommendation
is an unbiased one. Be especially wary of books in the library,
which are often woefully outdated and sometimes completely wrong.
(Just like their bridge books!)