Hard 16 vs. 10

Kaiser

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Now instead, let's suppose the dealer's got that 10 up and you're dealt a 7/5. So you hit and catch a 4 to make 16. If you think this 7/5/4 is the same thing as a 10/6, think again. When you held the 10/6, two cards that would bust you if you hit (the 10 and 6) were out of play. But when you hold 7/5/4, the 10 and 6 are still lurking somewhere while that 5 in your hand (one of your potential 21s) and the 4 (a potential 20) are now dead. On a hand where the right play is such a close call, this is enough to turn a correct hit into a correct stand. Mathematical and computer analysis studies have backed this up.

The Rule of 45: In fact, your 16 doesn't even have to contain both a 4 and a 5 to make standing the right play against a 10. Either of them, the 4 or the 5 is enough to do the trick. If you have 9/4/3 or 8/5/3 or 9/5/2, etc. -- any 16 that contains a 4 or a 5, stand against a dealer's 10. Doing that, you'll pull an extra hand, and a terrible hand at that, out of the fire every once in a while. But just hit any other kind of 16, such as 6/8/2 or 3/10/3 or 8/7/A. That's known as the "Rule of 45" and it takes the game one small step beyond a basic strategy chart.
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That's from this article:

Consistency Is Not the Best Thing with 16 Against a 10

Actually, check this page out, it's an archive of articles by Fred Renzey. Some great stuff in there.
 
R

Renzey

Well-Known Member
Rule of 45

The "Rule of 45" for 16 vs. 10 applies to any number of decks, but makes more difference with fewer decks. It's a consolidation of the correct composition-sensitive basic strategy for the more than 40 iterations of two, three and four card 16's against a 10. It's not perfect -- but close to it.

This rule appears in a chapter of the book called "What comes after Basic Strategy?", which is intended for the vast herd of players who want to progress beyond B/S, but aren't ready for card counting. It contains strategies for interacting profitably with other players hands, recognizing a qualifying low card layout, etc.

In defense of the Rule of 45, understand that the first level of awareness for blackjack players is plain vanilla basic strategy. The next level up is composition-dependent basic strategy, which overrides the vanilla flavor. The next level above that is board counting for the "Magnificent 7 Hands" (playing 7 different hands according to the exposed cards on board), which overrides composition-dependent B/S. And the next level is card counting, which overrides board counting. All have their niche according to the level of the player.
 
C

Canceler

Well-Known Member
Excellent!

Renzey said:
...understand that the first level of awareness for blackjack players is plain vanilla basic strategy. The next level up is composition-dependent basic strategy, which overrides the vanilla flavor. The next level above that is board counting for the "Magnificent 7 Hands" (playing 7 different hands according to the exposed cards on board), which overrides composition-dependent B/S. And the next level is card counting, which overrides board counting. All have their niche according to the level of the player.
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And there we have it. Thank you, and welcome, Mr. Renzey! (I was hoping you'd find your way over here!)
 
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