Basic Strategy Engine updated

K

Kasi

Well-Known Member
FLASH1296 said:
Faith is for gamblers, not "advantage players".
The math is crystal clear and not debatable.
Faith is for churches.
Facts are for Casinos.
Indeed, if you cannot do the math, at least try.
Click to expand...
Exactly.

Are churches those buildings that have high-ceilings and stained glass windows or the ones that have a bunch of tables and cards around - I get so confused?

A man of extreme faith once said:
"Pretty easy to figure out.... That is as long as you do not need a precise answer....
Now, which smarty pants Math Geek here wants to furnish a proper answer ? "

This can't be the same Flash, can it,? that said just a mere few weeks ago "Your actual R.O.R. is a complicated matter with a bunch of variables to juggle; BUT if you want a very approximate "Ball Park Figure"...." can it?

I'd really appreciate your help on juggling either one of those complicated 2 variables if you get the chance.

One of my favorite jokes though.

How about we maybe both agree that striving to minimize the need for prayer in a casino is a good thing? :)
 
KenSmith

KenSmith

Administrator
Staff member
Yes, 4 decks is better than 6. And, that is reflected in the negative house edge of -0.25% compared to the negative house edge of -0.19%.
(Early surrender makes these rules profitable for a basic strategy player.)
 
sagefr0g

sagefr0g

Well-Known Member
KenSmith said:
Yes, 4 decks is better than 6. And, that is reflected in the negative house edge of -0.25% compared to the negative house edge of -0.19%.
(Early surrender makes these rules profitable for a basic strategy player.)
Click to expand...
doohh, ok, yeah, negative he, we got the edge. duh.:eek:
 
1

1357111317

Well-Known Member
I have seen on some indice sheets that a A7 vs A is a stand if it checks for for BJ. This stratagy chart has a H for A,7v A. What is the official word on this?
 
FLASH1296

FLASH1296

Well-Known Member


Basic Strategy with all numbers of decks, H17 and S17:

A7 vs. 9, 10, or Ace is HIT

A7 vs. Ace has a fairly low Index [+1 or +2] for standing.

It is a cheap cover play standing against the Ace;
but against the 9 or 10 it is NOT cheap.
It is a blunder.

 
C

Cherry7Up

Well-Known Member
DD splitting 7-7 vs 8?

I am wondering if splitting 7/7 vs dealer 8 is correct in double deck games as the basic strategy calculator indicates.

Can someone explain the rationale (and the deviation indices) for this play?
 
bj bob

bj bob

Well-Known Member
1357111317 said:
I have seen on some indice sheets that a A7 vs A is a stand if it checks for for BJ. This stratagy chart has a H for A,7v A. What is the official word on this?
Click to expand...
Standing on A7 vs. A is correct BS only for the "ideal" BJ game i.e. the S17, SD game of Old Vegas. I haven't seen it dealt anywhere since the '80's. Too bad, too since it's +EV with BS. :cry:
 
bj bob

bj bob

Well-Known Member
1357111317 said:
Are you sure about that? On these zen indices found on Arnold Snyder's site the A7 vs A index always a S according to the soft double down totals.

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/content/Zen_Count_Indices.htm
Click to expand...
If you don't believe it, check out our own BS engine.
Soft double down totals? This play should fall into the Hit/ Stand category. Maybe there's some rare dd situation that I'm not aware of, but again that's why we're all here-to learn.
 
K

Kasi

Well-Known Member
FLASH1296 said:
A7 vs. Ace has a fairly low Index [+1 or +2] for standing.
It is a cheap cover play standing against the Ace;
Click to expand...
In a single-deck S17 game, the index number is so low it's actually negative lol.

In a single-deck S17 game, standing on A,7 vs Ace wouldn't even be cover lol.
 
K

Kasi

Well-Known Member
Cherry7Up said:
I am wondering if splitting 7/7 vs dealer 8 is correct in double deck games as the basic strategy calculator indicates.
Click to expand...
It depends on whether double-after-split is allowed or not.

If it is allowed, BS is to split them in single and double deck games in both H17 & S17.
 
K

Kasi

Well-Known Member
bj bob said:
Standing on A7 vs. A is correct BS only for the "ideal" BJ game i.e. the S17, SD game of Old Vegas. I haven't seen it dealt anywhere since the '80's. Too bad, too since it's +EV with BS. :cry:
Click to expand...
Nice catch on that lol. What a blast that must have been back then to have a game like that :)

A really nice 1D S17 game was alive and well on the internet - at least it was a couple or so years ago lol.

From what I gather a single-deck S17 game may still be being dealt today - I think alot of 6-5 BJ games may have that rule :grin:
 
FLASH1296

FLASH1296

Well-Known Member

It is important to know the plays that are close decisions
"off the top", and note that in some cases the BS is
different depending upon the number of decks.

The closest (cheapest) plays are:

12 vs. 4
Hitting this at all counts is my favorite cover play, especially as
ploppies and dealer alike are prone to commenting on this play.

A2 vs. 5 Just hit

A4 vs. 4 Just hit

16 vs. 0 Just wave it off.



 
K

Kasi

Well-Known Member
bj bob said:
Soft double down totals? This play should fall into the Hit/ Stand category. Maybe there's some rare dd situation that I'm not aware of, but again that's why we're all here-to learn.
Click to expand...
Well, for A,7 there's always 2 sets of indexes depending whether soft-doubling is allowed by rule or not.

Of course it wouldn't matter which set he looked at vs dealer Ace.
 
FLASH1296

FLASH1296

Well-Known Member
With all credit to Alan Krigman:

Basic Strategy in blackjack sometimes differs little from next best
By Alan Krigman​

Surprisingly few blackjack buffs actually know what's behind Basic Strategy. Ask around.
Representative answers range from polling the experts about their preferences in every instance
to watching lots of games and seeing which decisions win most often.
In reality, the rules are based on the "expectation" for each triad of two player cards and one
dealer up-card. Expectation is a statistical average that accounts for probabilities of winning and
losing various amounts. In blackjack, it's expressed as a percentage of the initial wager, before
the deal. It's like an edge on each hand. Positive or negative values show players or the house
favored, respectively.
Expectation calculations are only practical with a computer. One standard method is to simulate
each three-card set separately, millions of times, then tally results and generate corresponding
statistics. Another approach uses a program that systematically cycles through all possible draws,
in a "combinatorial" analysis. Both techniques have been applied to different size shoes and
house rules, with bettors standing, hitting, doubling, or splitting. All credible gurus get the same
answers either way, and there's no question as to the validity of their findings.
Since expectation for each set of cards – executed in the alternate ways – is known, it's easy to
identify the decisions yielding the most promising expectations. An example for a strong hand is
10-10 versus six-up. In an eight-deck shoe, expectation is +70.31 percent standing, +43.18
percent splitting, -85.26 percent hitting, and -170.52 percent doubling. Basic Strategy is to stand,
for the greatest average win. A typical weak hand is nine-eight versus eight-up. Players are
underdogs no matter how they choose to go. With eight decks, expectations are -38.61 percent
standing, -50.24 percent hitting, and -100.48 percent doubling. Basic Strategy is to stand because
38.61 cents on the dollar gives the least average loss of any of the options.
Some cases are close enough that sacrificing expectation by ignoring Basic Strategy and making
the next best pick might be warranted by other factors. The narrowest margin is on ace-two
versus five-up. Basic Strategy, to double, has an expectation of +13.636 percent. However, the
value when hitting is +13.633 percent. With a starting bet of $100, the difference would be three
tenths of a cent. You could hardly be faulted for hitting if, say, you were nervous about putting
$200 up for grabs.
The next closest call is 10-two versus four-up. The rule in an eight-deck game is to stand, with an
expectation of -21.110 percent. Hitting has an expectation of -21.116 percent. You're praying for
a miracle either way. The projection is to average a mere six tenths of a cent per $100 bet worse
loss by hitting, if the table is rich in 10s and you're convinced a low card is due.
The difference in expectation for the Basic Strategy decision and the next best alternative is less
than 1 percent, a penny per dollar or a dollar per $100 bet, in 14 situations. These are shown in
the accompanying table, with data for eight-deck shoes.
Expectations for Basic Strategy and the next best decision for
the 14 cases in which differences are under penny per dollar bet

Hand____Basic Strat'______Next Best___Difference:
A-2 v 5 double: +13.636% hit: +13.633% 0.003%
10-2 v 4 stand: -21.110% hit: -21.116% 0.006%
9-7 v 10 hit: -53.651% stand: -53.772% 0.121%
A-4 v 4 double: +6.138% hit: +5.936% 0.202%
A-7 v 2 stand: +12.343% double: +12.067% 0.276%
T-6 v 10 hit: -53.597% stand: -54.083% 0.486%
A-6 v 2 hit: +0.039% double: -0.474% 0.513%
A-7 v A hit: -9.474% stand: -10.026% 0.552%
8-4 v 4 stand: -20.787% hit: -21.364% 0.577%
9-3 v 4 stand: -20.880% hit: -21.492% 0.612%
7-5 v 4 stand: -20.466% hit: -21.111% 0.645%
7-2 v 2 hit: +7.569% double: +6.791% 0.778%
5-4 v 2 hit: +7.704% double: +6.793% 0.911%
6-3 v 2 hit: +7.674% double: +6.751% 0.923%

Arguably, the only useful entries in the table are the seven involving choices between doubling and hitting or standing.
There, solid citizens give up little in edge by holding back instead of doubling, or going whole hog rather than hitting or standing. These are conditions under which players may believe reducing or increasing immediate bankroll swings trumps the long-term impact of expectation.

As the poet, Sumner A Ingmark, noted:
Those who adhere to rules too blindly,
May find that luck behaves unkindly.

COL0912: © 2009, ICON/Information Concepts Inc
211 S 45 St, Philadelphia PA 19104 USA, fax 215-349-6502

[email protected]

May not be copied, printed, or otherwise reproduced other than for personal use without written permission of the
copyright owner.
 
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