miles@vax135.UUCP (Miles Murdocca) (01/22/85)
Can you still beat the house at blackjack in Atlantic City?
Blackjack, the books claim, is the only casino game in which the
player can beat the house. The reason for this is that the house assumes
that each draw of the cards is an independent event, which of course
is not true. The player can take advantage of this by keeping a
"running count" of high/low cards (one strategy) and changing betting and
playing strategy to put the house at a disadvantage.
The player's edge over the house varies with differences in casino
rules, and especially with how often the deck is reshuffled. I
memorized a table that put me at a -.4% advantage in Atlantic
City (compare with the house's usual 6% advantage since the house
always gets paid when the player breaks 21), and am now devoting
a good deal of time to learning a professional blackjack system.
Can I win big in Atlantic City the way the authors of blackjack
books (claim they) did a few years ago? Or have the rules changed
so much that the player will never have an edge? The professional
systems are supposed to give the player a 1% to 2% edge over the
house depending on the system used and the casino rules.
For those of you who are interested in a simple table to memorize that will
put you at a -.4% advantage in Atlantic City, here it is (don't play
multi-deck blackjack without at least knowing this table!):
BASIC STRATEGY FOR ATLANTIC CITY MULTI-DECK
(Four-, Six-, or Eight-Deck)
Your Hand Rules for Dealer's Up Cards
-------------------------------------------------
5 to 8 Always hit
9 Double on 3 to 6. Otherwise hit.
10 Double on 2 to 9. Otherwise hit.
11 Double on 2 to 10. Otherwise hit.
12 Stand on 4 to 6. Otherwise hit.
13 to 16 Stand on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
17 to 21 Always stand.
A,2 to A,3 Double on 5, 6. Otherwise hit.
A,4 to A,5 Double on 4 to 6. Otherwise hit.
A,6 Double on 3 to 6. Otherwise hit.
A,7 Double on 3 to 6. Stand on 2, 7, or 8.
Hit on 9, 10, or A.
A,8 to A,10 Always stand.
A,A Always split.
2,2 and 3,3 Split on 2 to 7. Otherwise hit.
4,4 Split on 5, 6. Otherwise hit.
5,5 Never split. Treat as 10 above.
6,6 Split on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
7,7 Split on 2 to 7. Otherwise hit.
8,8 Always split.
9,9 Split on 2 to 6, 8 or 9. Stand
on 7, 10, or A.
10,10 Always stand.
*Never take insurance unless you are counting cards.
I'll send the source for my blackjack game to anyone who responds.
Thanks!
- Miles Murdocca, 4B-525, AT&T Bell Labs, Crawfords Corner Road,
Holmdel, NJ, 07733 (201) 949-2504 {ihnp4}!vax135!milesbarmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) (01/24/85)
I took a blackjack course about five years ago, and they said that just
memorizing their table would give the player a fraction of a percent
advantage in Atlantic City. I think this is no longer the case, as the
Atlantic City rules are now the same as those in Las Vegas. I think
they changed some detail of doubling down a few years ago. Now the
house has the fraction of a percent advantage against non-counters. It
is still less of an advantage than most other games; the house has
something like a 5% advantage in roulette, for instance.
--
Barry Margolin
ARPA: barmar@MIT-Multics
UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmardoug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (01/29/85)
> Can you still beat the house at blackjack in Atlantic City?
I don't know about Atlantic City, but in Nevada if the house even
*suspects* that you are using a system, they will *throw you out*
after *taking your picture* and circulating it to their dealers
and the other casinos in the area. They don't take pity even if
your system is a big loser -- you and your money are not welcome.
--
Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug