Thanks from Playing 21

I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work here with the forums and within your site. Being a Blackjack professional and gaming expert it is great to have these forums where players may interact with one another and become better players. I enjoy reading what people have to say about and towards the game Blackjack.

I wish you continued success in growing the game Blackjack. If anyone has any questions about the game, feel free to ask away. I’d love to try and spread my knowledge of the game Blackjack with others and help out in any way I can, making players the best they can be.

Best of luck at the tables everyone,

Scott,
Playing 21

Welcome Scott! Can you tell us a little about your background? How long have you been involved in gaming? What games do you specialize in?

-Sonny-

Thanks Sonny - Just Keeping Busy

Thanks Sonny,

My (our) specialty is Blackjack but I am also an inventor, holding over 20 patents, most of which involve gaming. Four of my casino games have made the floors in Nevada and California. I am also the owner of the Playing 21 Computer Program and have spent the last ten years working within the gaming industry with and along side almost every large company within. I have had the pleasure to meet many of the most influential gaming experts in the world at one time or another, usually at the large gaming shows we continue to attend. The industry, as broad as it is, is very tightly knit.

My most latest of patents is for sale within the industry and is found at LottoIP.com, one of the various companies we own. We just do project after project, like Very1st.com, a search engine of ours. We have a portfolio set up at TheLastDotCom.com that has a select variety of the things that we do.

When it comes to Blackjack, MCB Duplin Enterprises has been studying the game for our entire lives. There is truly nothing about the game we cannot find out through the Playing 21 Program. Our story is a fascinating one, as fascinating as the game Blackjack itself.

So if I can help anyone in becoming a better Blackjack player, I’d love to help.

Keeping Busy,

Scott

Playing21 said:

I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work here with the forums and within your site. Being a Blackjack professional and gaming expert it is great to have these forums where players may interact with one another and become better players. I enjoy reading what people have to say about and towards the game Blackjack.

I wish you continued success in growing the game Blackjack. If anyone has any questions about the game, feel free to ask away. I’d love to try and spread my knowledge of the game Blackjack with others and help out in any way I can, making players the best they can be.

Best of luck at the tables everyone,

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Great, welcome Scott. What would you say is the most important elements for a newbie to learn about playing BJ? zg

Hi Zengrifter - Newbie's & The Basics

Hi Zengrifter,

When you refer to a “newbie” I’ll take it as someone who has some basic understanding of casinos, cards and Blackjack, but has yet to study the game, yet wants to play. A lot of new players are drawn to the game because they have heard that you can actually win at Blackjack. They’ve been programmed to this logic of thinking by movies, books, and casinos who “Barred Card Counters”. When people enter the casinos for the first time, Blackjack is the table game they see everywhere on the casino floor. If everyone is playing it and it has the most tables on the casino floor, it is the game they are likely to try first. Truth of the matter is that a lot of the other games offered involved poker and even after the Texas Hold’em explosion, many players just don’t know poker hand rankings and aren’t comfortable playing those games.

For someone first starting out playing Blackjack, they need to know the VERY basics, very general, rules of the game. These of course are their options such as Splitting, Doubling, Hitting, Standing, and then start relating those options to the hand they receive. By learning the basic play they can start to determine the difference between a good and a bad play. For instance, just because they have a pair of 3’s and they may split pairs, they don’t need too every time and why.

Any new player that I teach the game to starts out with a very simple rule. Always look at the “Dealer’s Up Card” before you play your hand. If the dealer has a 2 thru 6 showing, never hit to a hand you can bust out on, of course that means going over 21, so hard totals of 12 or more you will STAND on. If the dealer has a 7 or higher showing, HIT your hand up to you have 17 or more, then Stand. You can’t help a new player any more than that. This paragraph is the summary of an entire book called, “Blackjack for Newbies”.

From this point on, we are starting to learn the game. Once you get this part down pat and are confident, you are ready to start expanding yourself and learning the inner depths of the game Blackjack.

Thanks,

Scott

Playing21 said:

Hi Zengrifter,
For someone first starting out playing Blackjack, they need to know the VERY basics, very general, rules of the game. These of course are their options such as Splitting, Doubling, Hitting, Standing, and then start relating those options to the hand they receive. By learning the basic play they can start to determine the difference between a good and a bad play. For instance, just because they have a pair of 3’s and they may split pairs, they don’t need too every time and why.

Any new player that I teach the game to starts out with a very simple rule. Always look at the “Dealer’s Up Card” before you play your hand. If the dealer has a 2 thru 6 showing, never hit to a hand you can bust out on, of course that means going over 21, so hard totals of 12 or more you will STAND on. If the dealer has a 7 or higher showing, HIT your hand up to you have 17 or more, then Stand. You can’t help a new player any more than that. This paragraph is the summary of an entire book called, “Blackjack for Newbies”.
Scott

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I don't mean to be critical but you are teaching incorrect basic strategy. Players should hit a 12 v 2 and 3. I really hope that is not the advice given in this book called "Blackjack for Newbies"?

Zengrifter - Basics To the Extreme

You Are Right Zengrifter,

I didn't think your question was referring to teaching a new player strategy as much as a simple way to play the game Blackjack. I took it to the most extreme level. Teaching a person in a paragraph how to play was the apprach to your question that I took and not trying to confuse them (just yet anyhow) with each and every decision they can make in the game.

That is why I say, learn that paragraph first, if you are just starting out to you have confidence in yourself, then start branching out from there. If you are not card counting, you would be correct and those hands you mention are hits and not hands to stand on.

If you tell me any counting method I'll let you know if they remain hits and where they change to any other way to play the hand as almost every hand does change at some count. I love talking the game so fire away.

Thanks Again,
Scott

Good grief! A couple of priceless statements from the site:

"There is not a casino in this world that can beat us!"
"There is no such thing as heat from the casino."

QFIT - They Can't Beat You Either

Hey QFIT,

Thanks for your out "Quotes". I have always tried to stir up controversy. Telling it like I see it often pisses people off but it is a lot of fun. It always makes things more enjoyable. I listen well and I know from experience in life that one person’s opinion is just that, one person’s opinion! So I will never be one to pretend I know it all. That however will never stop me from pushing the envelope. They are just opinions.

As far as "No Casino Can Beat Us" it is true. No casino can beat you either or anyone who plays Blackjack the way it should be played. They can't beat the game and that is fact. I am talking about the industry as a whole and not just a game of Blackjack offered at some casino with a betting limit of $5 per hand. I am talking about the game as it is offered throughout. They, the casinos, all know it. I have personal spoken with hundreds of casinos executives at the gaming shows we continue to attend. They understand they can't win, but they also know their drop is what it is and remains strong. It is their number one casino table game! There are many reasons for this. The number one reason is most players don't care to count cards and take a serious run at the casinos. Those who don’t count cards out number those who do by hundreds to one. Just the way it is.

As far as you ever receiving "Heat" from the casinos for card counting, well, Griffin Investigations is used by the entire gaming industry to let the casinos know about the "Bad" people. It contains thousands of mug shots and people so security can identify risks. In all these years only thousands have made the list! Of those thousands the majority are convicts and criminals, people who have known to cheat the casinos in ways that don’t involve anything to do with card counting. If you are a good enough card counter to ever make Griffin Investigations list you don't have to worry about casino "heat" for you made your fortunes long before hand. Don't get too excited about casino "heat". Learn to count cards, play the game, have fun, and maybe make some money along the way.

Thanks,
Scott

Playing21 said:

Telling it like I see it often pisses people off but it is a lot of fun.

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I'm not pissed. Just amused.

Playing21 said:

As far as "No Casino Can Beat Us" it is true. No casino can beat you either or anyone who plays Blackjack the way it should be played.

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So how does your software beat CSMs? How do you beat Swedish casinos?

Playing21 said:

As far as you ever receiving "Heat" from the casinos for card counting, well, Griffin Investigations is used by the entire gaming industry to let the casinos know about the "Bad" people.

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Griffin, what's left of it, is not used by anywhere near the entire gaming industry. And the vast majority of players that are backed off are not in Griffin. The claim that "There is no such thing as heat from the casino" is outlandish.

I took a quick look through your site and I've come to the conclusion that you are no better than the casinos you are bashing for misleading the players. As an example in the section "How the casinos mislead you" you say the casinos are intentionally handing out incorrect strategy cards. You give examples of two player basic strategy cards with 13 different playing decisions. Then you say how you are stumped that the casinos can give out such misleading and differing advice and wonder if anyone can explain this. Well the reason is simple. One chart is for 1 Deck H17 NDAS and the other is for multi-deck S17 DAS. Are you not aware that basic strategy changes depending on number of decks, S17 or H17 and DAS or NDAS? Standing on 7,7 v 10 is the correct decision in a 1D H17 NDAS game, it is not an error. Hitting it costs you -.514818 while standing only costs you -.509739. Just curious are you pals with David Pom?

QFIT - About Griffin & CSMs

Griffin Investigations is who you see at all the Casino Gaming Conventions and I think more casinos use them then even lead on to believe and for the obvious reasons. Griffin has been attacked by players who feel they are unjustly targeted. I suppose the casinos, Griffin and the players can make fair cases and the argument on all sides is well beyond anything I have to say on the subject.

http://www.griffininvestigations.com/about.html

Griffin is used extensively within the gaming industry. How many casinos use them I don’t know for a fact, but this much is true, casinos are more worried about actual cheaters than card counters. A person cheating a lost machine can win a million dollars pretty quick if they go undetected for very long.
As far as the CSMs (Continuous Shuffling Machines) Shuffle Master has really hurt the card counter with their inventions. It was an ingenious idea and I wish I would have thought of it myself. You do have an option as to whether you play at tables or in casinos that use these machines. Casinos don’t like the cost of the machines and that is likely the biggest reason they will not be used everywhere. They are much faster however, so entire casinos have changed over, like in Quebec.

I am going to run a few tests on the site and post an article in the next week or so and I will let you know here when we have it done. It will include the tests from the Playing 21 Program using Continuous Shuffling. What is clear is that if you can’t/don’t card count at Blackjack, you cannot win. Many casinos who use them are not loading the discarded cards from the discard rack after each hand, so you can count with weighted cards for two to three hands before the cards are actually shuffled back in. Again, I will show some variations from the tests and explain it in more detail there where I have much more room.

As far as the Swedish casinos could you please give me a few more details? I am unsure what is going on there that you are speaking about and I personally have not played in Sweden before. I am unaware of the differences in their Blackjack game but will be very happy to simulate any game they offer with the Playing 21 Program and share with you the results.

Thanks,
Scott

Everyone knows what Griffin is and what CSMs are. Your statements that there is no casino heat and you can beat any casino in the world would harm players, if they actually believed them.

Systems Trader - Casino Handouts

Thanks Systems Trader,

Actually the Basic Play Charts from the casinos do not state on them what game variations they are used for. Those are from actual casinos and they do not mention number of decks used. If they had stated or do state something to that affect, least then it is easier to determine the errors on the charts.

I will confirm what you say to be true “Standing on 7,7 v 10 is the correct decision in a 1D H17 NDAS game”. I will let you know if what you are claiming is fact.

Thanks,
Scott

This is really funny. After going on and on that no casino has ever run a Blackjack simulation, the site asks if any person has ever written one. And then says that if anyone has “We understand the ramifications for your safety and well-being, but we promise anything we receive will be held in the strictest of confidence between McB Duplin Enterprises, our legal counsel and you.” Gee, I never realized I was in such danger. I wonder if my housekeeper is a casino spy.

QFIT said:

Gee, I never realized I was in such danger. I wonder if my housekeeper is a casino spy.

Click to expand...

But wait, you’ve also written software for Pai Gow poker, football handicapping, Spanish 21, Craps and Roulette as well as the leading software for blackjack simulation, shuffle tracking and training. You’re a dead man! :laugh:

Go warn John Imming and John Austin! Hurry!!!

-Sonny-

Playing21 said:

Actually the Basic Play Charts from the casinos do not state on them what game variations they are used for.

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The BS cards that I bought from the casino explicitly say that they are for a 4D game with nDAS. It even gives the appropriate changes if you are playing with DAS. Obviously I can’t vouch for every BS card out there, but the standard ones that I have seen all have that information on them (see below).

Playing21 said:

I will confirm what you say to be true “Standing on 7,7 v 10 is the correct decision in a 1D H17 NDAS game”. I will let you know if what you are claiming is fact.

Click to expand...

Of course it’s a fact. Just check the Basic Strategy Engine on our website:

http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php

Or check the books by Thorp, Wong, Uston and/or just about any other respectable author. The correct basic strategy has been known for decades.

-Sonny-

I am still living in the stone age when it comes to computer speed. I took a look at your site but it loads very slowly for me. I took a look at your dealer probabilities table. It seems you are listing the results of a 500,000,000 round sim for 8 decks S17. You can get exact dealer probabilities for a full shoe as well as a depleted shoe by combinatorial analysis. Assuming your probabilites were for 8 decks S17:
I'm sorry I can't easily view more of your site but for this one example your sim seems accurate.

k_c

k_c said:

I am still living in the stone age when it comes to computer speed. I took a look at your site but it loads very slowly for me. I took a look at your dealer probabilities table. It seems you are listing the results of a 500,000,000 round sim for 8 decks S17. You can get exact dealer probabilities for a full shoe as well as a depleted shoe by combinatorial analysis. Assuming your probabilites were for 8 decks S17:

Code:

Overall dealer probabilities:

Sim 17:  14.53%   Actual 17:  14.52%
Sim 18:  13.94%   Actual 18:  13.93%
Sim 19:  13.36%   Actual 19:  13.36%
Sim 20:  17.96%   Actual 20:  17.97%
Sim 21:  07.29%   Actual 21:  07.28%
Sim BJ:  04.74%   Actual BJ:  04.75%
Sim bust:  28.18%   Actual bust:  28.18%
Sim total:  100%   Actual total:  99.99% (< 100% in this case due to rounding)

I'm sorry I can't easily view more of your site but for this one example your sim seems accurate.

k_c

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Or, for answers by dealer upcard use the free calculator at http://www.qfit.com/CVDPC.htm

Playing21 said:

Griffin Investigations is used by the entire gaming industry to let the casinos know about the "Bad" people. It contains thousands of mug shots and people so security can identify risks. In all these years only thousands have made the list! Of those thousands the majority are convicts and criminals, people who have known to cheat the casinos in ways that don’t involve anything to do with card counting. If you are a good enough card counter to ever make Griffin Investigations list you don't have to worry about casino "heat" for you made your fortunes long before hand. Don't get too excited about casino "heat". Learn to count cards, play the game, have fun, and maybe make some money along the way.

Click to expand...

Alright class: someone tell us how many inaccurate statements are in the above paragraph. zg