zengrifter
Banned
These articles describe a simple refinement for improving insurance bet accureacy. zg
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The Victor Insurance Parameter, System-Specific
http://blackjackforumonline.com/content/victorinsurancesupplement.htm
By Rich Victor
Blackjack Forum Spring 2005
© Blackjack Forum Online
[Editor's note: The predecssor to this article, The Victor Insurance Parameter, can be found in the Blackjack Forum Library.]
http://blackjackforumonline.com/content/victorinsuranceoriginal.htm
My article introducing the Victor Insurance Parameter appeared in the Spring 2002 Blackjack Forum. Defined as the running count divided by the number of unseen aces, the Victor Insurance Parameter (VIP) is the optimal insurance parameter for ace side-counters who use a balanced primary count that disregards aces. The article presented user-friendly rules of insurance strategy-derived from VIP "threshold-values"-and summarized the VIP's benefits for blackjack players in terms of accuracy and especially simplicity. But the emphasis on simplicity does not preclude consideration of customized threshold-values and strategy for specific counting systems.
The originally stated threshold-values (0.5, 1 and 1.5, respectively, for count-levels one, two and three) may be characterized as "generic" in that none of them is tailored to a specific counting system. Yet they are reasonably accurate for every VIP-compatible system at their respective count-levels. Moreover, the generic threshold-values serve as baselines from which to compute customized, highly accurate threshold-values for specific systems.
The lower the insurance correlation of a given system, the more diverse the count-values assigned to non-tens-and the more volatile the running count. Greater volatility inflates the average size of both positive and negative running counts-increasing the number of seemingly favorable insurance situations and dictating a commensurately higher threshold-value. System-specific threshold-values are determined, therefore, by dividing the applicable generic threshold-value by the VIP-enhanced insurance correlation of the particular system. This process yields the following threshold-values: .57 (rather than .5) for HiOpt I; 1.08 and 1.15 (instead of 1), respectively, for HiOpt II and Omega II; and 1.63 and 1.65 (as opposed to 1.5) for the Uston APC and the Victor APC, respectively.
While the appropriate strategy rule from the original article will produce a sizable insurance gain, you may prefer the enhanced accuracy provided by the customized threshold-value for your system. If so, and if you are using Omega II or either HiOpt count, insure when the VIP exceeds the prescribed threshold-value. For users of the Victor APC or Uston APC, a shortcut is available without sacrificing accuracy: Insure when 60% of the running count equals or exceeds the number of unseen aces.
Whether you travel the generic or customized route, the VIP is your shortest path to insurance efficiency.
-----------------------------
The Victor Insurance Parameter, System-Specific
http://blackjackforumonline.com/content/victorinsurancesupplement.htm
By Rich Victor
Blackjack Forum Spring 2005
© Blackjack Forum Online
[Editor's note: The predecssor to this article, The Victor Insurance Parameter, can be found in the Blackjack Forum Library.]
http://blackjackforumonline.com/content/victorinsuranceoriginal.htm
My article introducing the Victor Insurance Parameter appeared in the Spring 2002 Blackjack Forum. Defined as the running count divided by the number of unseen aces, the Victor Insurance Parameter (VIP) is the optimal insurance parameter for ace side-counters who use a balanced primary count that disregards aces. The article presented user-friendly rules of insurance strategy-derived from VIP "threshold-values"-and summarized the VIP's benefits for blackjack players in terms of accuracy and especially simplicity. But the emphasis on simplicity does not preclude consideration of customized threshold-values and strategy for specific counting systems.
The originally stated threshold-values (0.5, 1 and 1.5, respectively, for count-levels one, two and three) may be characterized as "generic" in that none of them is tailored to a specific counting system. Yet they are reasonably accurate for every VIP-compatible system at their respective count-levels. Moreover, the generic threshold-values serve as baselines from which to compute customized, highly accurate threshold-values for specific systems.
The lower the insurance correlation of a given system, the more diverse the count-values assigned to non-tens-and the more volatile the running count. Greater volatility inflates the average size of both positive and negative running counts-increasing the number of seemingly favorable insurance situations and dictating a commensurately higher threshold-value. System-specific threshold-values are determined, therefore, by dividing the applicable generic threshold-value by the VIP-enhanced insurance correlation of the particular system. This process yields the following threshold-values: .57 (rather than .5) for HiOpt I; 1.08 and 1.15 (instead of 1), respectively, for HiOpt II and Omega II; and 1.63 and 1.65 (as opposed to 1.5) for the Uston APC and the Victor APC, respectively.
While the appropriate strategy rule from the original article will produce a sizable insurance gain, you may prefer the enhanced accuracy provided by the customized threshold-value for your system. If so, and if you are using Omega II or either HiOpt count, insure when the VIP exceeds the prescribed threshold-value. For users of the Victor APC or Uston APC, a shortcut is available without sacrificing accuracy: Insure when 60% of the running count equals or exceeds the number of unseen aces.
Whether you travel the generic or customized route, the VIP is your shortest path to insurance efficiency.