The foundation of winning at Blackjack is to utilize proper basic strategy in playing the hands.
“Proper” means that each decision you make on hitting, standing, doubling or splitting pairs is the correct mathematical play for that hand. There is no room for intuition, gut feelings or guessing when it comes to basic strategy; you must make the “percentage” play each time. Even if you’ve doubled an 11 against a dealer’s 10 five times in a row and lost, when that hand comes up a sixth time you must double. Consistency is a big part of playing a winning game, so resolve right now that you are going to make the proper play, regardless if the dealer rolls his eyes upward or the other players at the table groan quietly when you do it. You are there for the money — there’s no other reason to play blackjack — and the application of proper basic strategy is going to get that money for you; what others think of your play is not important.
The correct basic strategy for a blackjack game depends upon the rules of the casino where you will be playing. The strategy which applies to a single deck game in Reno, for example, is quite a bit different than the strategy for an eight-deck game in Atlantic City. I’m going to show you how to learn the basic strategy of your choice; exactly what that strategy is will depend on you. To select a basic strategy, go to the Blackjack Strategie Engine and simply fill in the blanks. Once your strategy is computed, print it out.
Here’s what that looks like for a fairly common game: Six decks, double on any first two cards, double after splitting pairs is permitted and the dealer stands on A-6.
Diese Ressource kann auch für Druckzwecke heruntergeladen werden.
Paare | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | T | A |
(A,A) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
(T,T) | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
(9,9) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N |
(8,8) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
(7,7) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
(6,6) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
(5,5) | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
(4,4) | N | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
(3,3) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
(2,2) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
Weiche Summen | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | T | A |
(A,9) | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
(A,8) | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
(A,7) | S | Ds | Ds | Ds | Ds | S | S | H | H | H |
(A,6) | H | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
(A,5) | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
(A,4) | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
(A,3) | H | H | H | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
(A,2) | H | H | H | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
Harte Gesamtbeträge | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | T | A |
17 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
16 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
15 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
14 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
13 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
12 | H | H | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
11 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | H |
10 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | H | H |
9 | H | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
8 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
This is the chart that you will eventually know as well as your own name — but don’t worry, you’re not going to memorize it in this form. What we are going to do is convert all this into what a “normal” person can understand. I call what’s above the “Basic Strategy Matrix” and you’ll use it in some of your training. But what we need to do in order to memorize this is to translate the information above into all-inclusive rules. Let’s do a few as examples.
Look at the strategy for a player’s hand of 9 on the matrix above; it says to double against a 3,4,5 or 6 und hit it against everything else. We can turn that information into a simple rule: “With a hand of 9, double versus 3 through 6, otherwise hit.” See how this works? We are going to take each player’s starting hand and convert the proper play of that hand into one easy-to-understand rule. Now look at a hand of A-2. Proper basic strategy says to double against 5 and 6 and hit it against everything else, so our rule for A-2 is “Double vs. 5 & 6, otherwise hit.” As a bonus, we can group A-2 with A-3 since the play for each is identical. So we end up with a rule like this “A-2 , A-3; double vs. 5 & 6, otherwise hit.” One more example; a pair of 3’s. When double after split is permitted, proper basic strategy says to split 3’s whenever the dealer is showing a 2,3,4,5,6, or 7. Against any other dealer up card, we do not split; we should just hit the hand. Thus, our rule for a pair of 3’s becomes “3,3; split vs. 2-7, otherwise hit”. Clear on all that? Good. Below is the basic strategy chart for the matrix shown above.
Diese Ressource kann auch für Druckzwecke heruntergeladen werden.
Player’s Hand | Beschlüsse |
---|---|
5 bis 8 | Always Hit |
9 | Double 3 thru 6, o/w hit |
10 | Double 2 thru 9, o/w hit |
11 | Double 2 thru 10, o/w hit |
12 | Stand 4 thru 6, o/w Hit |
13 bis 16 | Stand 2 thru 6, o/w Hit |
17 or higher | Always Stand |
A,2 | Double vs 5&6, o/w Hit |
A,3 | Double vs 5&6, o/w Hit |
A,4 | Double vs 4 thru 6, o/w Hit |
A,5 | Double vs 4 thru 6, o/w Hit |
A,6 | Double vs 3 thru 6, o/w Hit |
A,7 | Double 3 thru 6, Stand vs 2,7,8 Hit vs 9,10, A |
A,8-A,9 | Always Stand |
2,2 | Split 2 thru 7, o/w Hit |
3,3 | Split 2 thru 7, o/w Hit |
4,4 | Split vs 5 & 6, o/w Hit |
5,5 | Never Split, treat as “10” |
6,6 | Split 2 thru 6, o/w Hit |
7,7 | Split 2 thru 7, o/w Hit |
8,8 | Always split |
9,9 | Split 2 thru 9 except 7; o/w Stand |
10,10 | Never Split |
A,A | Always Split |
Remember The Entscheidungsdiagramm für die Grundstrategie shown here applies only to the game described earlier; you must produce your own to fit the rules of your favorite casino.
Once you’ve made your Basic Strategy Chart, we can begin to memorize it. To do that, we will produce a set of “Flashcards”. Remember those? You probably learned how to add or subtract using those cards and they will also teach you how to win at Blackjack. You need to make one flashcard for each starting hand by reproducing the information above on a 2″ x 2′ piece of paper. (Manila file folder material does well for this.) Here’s what one looks like…
When you’re finished, you’ll have a pack of flashcards which will help you to memorize the proper basic strategy for the game you’ve chosen. Start carrying them with you and as you encounter those “lost” moments we each seem to have in our day — waiting for a plane, sitting at the dentist’s office or even while watching TV, pull your cards out and start reciting the rule for the hand shown. Check your accuracy by flipping over the card and then put it on the bottom of the pack. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you begin to learn all these rules.
I said this was a school, didn’t I? Well, you will also have some homework to do before we get together again next week. Here are your assignments
Flashcards: Spend a minimum of one hour each day going through the cards. Here’s a great resource if you want to create flash cards online or view other people’s blackjack flash cards.
Next lesson we’ll finish with how to learn basic strategy through a discussion and demonstration of additional training aids and exercises which will give you the means to check your accuracy. It is not necessary for you to have your chosen basic strategy memorized perfectly at that point; all you need to know now is HOW to learn basic strategy. Exactly WHEN you learn it is up to you, since each part of this course is separate and does not depend on you knowing perfectly what came before.
Das war ein großartiger Start für mich heute die Informationen sind genial
Sure glad you are still here and available. Got a good grasp of basic strategy from you several years ago….made one profitable trip up to the favored casino; again after health problems not so good. Back for another bite, this time I will get the count. You taught me quite a bit of useful info, and not only about blackjack. I’ll get more action, enjoyment and profit this time. Thanks again for being so clear and easy for me to learn and use.
So I’ve been working on learning the basic strategy for all possible rule combinations I can think of that I may encounter in the US. I made flash cards for BS pertaining to the following:
4 Decks, DAS, S17
4 decks, DAS, H17
(Same as both above, no DAS)
(All above rule variations with 2 decks and 1 deck)
I hope that makes sense, I was just feeling lazy and didn’t want to type out 12 variations. Just basically any combo with 1,2, or 4 decks, with and without DAS, and both S17 and H17. Also with surrender as an option with my cards explaining what to do if it’s not. I didn’t notice much change in surrender vs no surrender. My question is, is it necessary to learn all these combinations? Because I plan on going to both single and multi deck games eventually. I just don’t know what rule variations exist and which ones don’t. Also, am I neglecting any factors that may be valuable to me?
Dankeschön
Playable single deck is nearly extinct, except in northern Nevada, so unless you plan to regularly play in Reno or Wendover, forget about it. There aren’t many four-deck games left either. Your best bet is to learn double-deck and six-deck strategies and index numbers, easily learnable from Ken Smith’s cards:
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Blackjack-Strategy-Cards-Set/dp/0982119178
Hallo Ken,
I asked a couple questions about progressive betting and navigation of the blackjack school. And I want to thank you for the responses. I just came up with another question. So on this matrix a Hard16 vs 10 says to hit. So why is it when I plug the same game in to the engine, and turn on the option to surrender, the engine says to surrender on 10, but if that’s not an option, to stand(RS)?
Something I want to add, I saw a video of Henry Tamburin talking about the top five most misplayed hands. And when he mentioned the 16 v 10, he said to hit when you have a two card 16, but when your 16 is made up of three or more cards (5,7 &4 for example) to stand. I know counting will give you a better idea on what to do in these scenarios, but what is your take on this?
Siehe 16vT: RS, WTF?
Thanks for that! Makes a lot more sense now!
I’ve got a question regarding the charts. In the chart for the rules of: 6-deck, dealer hits on soft 17, double after split, late surrender allowed, peek, it says to double down on a soft 14 15 or 16 in certain scenarios, but what if they are 3+ card soft 14, 15, or 16s? (Then you CAN’T double down, of course.) Soooooo what happens then?
You’ll notice that some entries on the chart say “D”, while others say “Ds”.
“D” means Double if allowed, otherwise Hit. This is the most common doubling advice.
If you look at the chart for soft 18, you will find some exceptions.
Some of those decisions indicate “Ds”, which means Double if allowed, otherwise Stand.
Why are you telling people to follow basic strategy if they’re to be counting cards? They shouldn’t be following a simple hit-stand-double-split table, there should be a threshold in many entries. Like you double 10 against 10 if the truecount is over 4, you double 10 against A if the truecount is over 3, you hit 16 against 10 if the count is 0 or negative, stand if anything positive, double 11 against A if truecount is positive, don’t if 0 or negative, etc. I think it’s counterproductive to learn these things as fixed entries, they’re functions. It’s just, that “basic strategy” is the value of those functions when the truecount is 0. It is important to learn how close the thresholds are to 0 at the very least, which ones are borderline decisions. For one thing, you want the casino to think you’re a superstitious fruitcake. I do that all the time, I’ll be like “I know I shouldn’t, but I’m going to hit on this” (talking about hitting 13 against 3, with the truecount below negative 2 and 2 thirds) or “no way am I doubling, I’ve got a bad feeling about this” (10 against 9, count is -2 or lower), “I’m a do it! I shouldn’t but I’ll do it!” (splitting 9’s against an ace with a truecount over 3). And the funny thing is, it doesn’t hurt the optimality that badly if you don’t hold to the threshold exactly, so maybe sometimes you’ll split 9’s against an ace if the truecount is only 2.5, another time, maybe you won’t if it’s 3.5.
C’mon, it’s lesson ONE. You’ll get to all these strategy variations in later lessons.
I absolutely encourage EVERY player to start by learning basic strategy so completely that it is automatic. The variations are easy to add later, but you MUST have the basics down before muddying the waters.
hello Ken, thanks for everything! When i split Aces, i get only one card in each hand and no doubling. Is this on every casino? Do I still split A-A every time?
Getting only one card on split Aces is the normal rule. And yes, you should still split them against any dealer upcard.
Ken:
I would like to thank you for your knowledge and course. I read the course did the practice and it payed off big. Had a large bankroll to start $25k and get comps. in Vegas due to my slot losses on previous trips. I looked on websites for lowest house advantage, and started at Bellagio (-.252)6 Deck $25 game, dealer stands soft 17, DAS, Surrender, all the right rules. Played for six hours and noticed was being watched by pit boss after and hour( I am sure I was obvious as first time playing with all the rules and high low together), I varied my play using a 25-250 spread. I was up so I started tipping, staying higher bet after shuffle even made a few questionable plays as I knew they were on to me. Stayed for three days was up $6200 in about 30 hours of play at four casinos. (bellagio, MGM, Teasure Island and Aria)
Was wondering for a beginner like me what other advice you have to not look so obvious a counter to the man.
Nochmals vielen Dank!
The number one way to extend your playing lifetime is to keep your sessions short. If possible, spread your action across casinos and across shifts and keep your sessions just under an hour.
If I am playing in the European style, with no hole card and I am the last player in the table. I have 16 against a dealer 10. Basic strategy says you must hit. But in the European style, the next card can be for the player (if he hits) or for the dealer (if he stands). If the player hits good cards for the player are A, 2, 3, 4, 5. But, except for the Ace, all other is also good for the player since it is possible he bust with the next card. It is the same for a 15 against 10, or a 15 against 9 etc.
My question: Should I change the basic strategy in this case? In which cases.
No, do not change basic strategy in any of these situations. By deciding to take or leave the next card in the shoe, you cannot impact the dealer’s expected outcome in any way. Think of it this way. If the dealer always burned a card before drawing, would it make any difference? No. Play your hand by basic strategy. That’s all you can do.
Hallo Ken. Ich spiele schon seit Jahren Grundstrategie und fange gerade an, richtig zählen zu lernen. Ich mache eine Reise nach Connecticut und spiele bei MS. In der BSE steht, dass man 16 gegen eine 10 aufgeben soll, das verstehe ich, aber es steht auch, dass man bleiben soll, wenn man nicht aufgibt. Ich habe noch nie mit 16 gegen eine 10 gepasst, ist das wirklich mathematisch korrekt?
Danke,
Glen
Ich bin mir auch nicht sicher, ob es H17 oder S17 ist, aber wenn es H17 ist, soll man aufgeben oder mit 17 gegen ein Ass bleiben. Ok, also ich habe nie auf 16 gegen 10 gestanden und ich habe nie eine 17 aufgegeben. Können Sie mir helfen, diese 2 Spielzüge zu verstehen?
Nochmals vielen Dank,
Glen
Für 16vT, siehe den Artikel, den ich in meiner letzten Antwort verlinkt habe.
Für die Übergabe von 17vA (korrekt, wenn der Dealer eine weiche 17 trifft), nun, 17 gegen ein Ass ist eine sehr schwache Hand. Es wird sogar noch schlimmer, wenn der Dealer eine weiche 17 trifft, weil er keine 6 umdrehen kann, um einen sofortigen Push auf die Hand zu bekommen. Das ist gerade genug, um die Zahlen leicht zu Gunsten des Aufgebens gegenüber dem Stehen zu verändern. Nochmals, das gilt NUR für das H17-Spiel. Im S17-Spiel sollten Sie mit 17vA stehen.
Das ist die merkwürdige Situation bei den Strategietabellen, die hier mehr Post verursacht als jede andere.
Siehe 16vT: RS. WTF?
Danke, Ken. Ich habe den Artikel gelesen und werde tun, was Ihr BSE sagt. Ich wollte nur sichergehen. Meine Frau und meine Freunde werden mich seltsam anschauen, wenn sie diese Stücke sehen.
Ich liebe Ihre Website,
Nochmals vielen Dank,
Glen
Viel Glück! Denken Sie daran, dass die 16vT-Ratschläge auf einem Spiel basieren, bei dem Sie aufgeben können. Wenn es kein Surrender gibt, dann schlagen Sie alle 16er mit zwei Karten gegen eine Zehn des Dealers, und Sie können bei allen 16ern mit drei oder mehr Karten gegen eine Zehn stehen.
Hi again Ken.
I was using your trainer with surrender as an option to practice BS and was going to practice a little counting as well but when surrendering it doesn’t show the dealer’s hole card. Is there a way to get it to show the dealers hole card or should I count it as a -1, or 0?
Ignore any unseen cards. It essentially reduces penetration by one card. The new version of the trainer won’t have this issue. Thanks for reminding me!
If the casino does not pay out 3 to 2 for blackjack after splitting Aces, do we still proceed to split ace pair?
Yes, you should still split Aces. The rule you describe is used in almost all casinos. Blackjack is only possible on the first two cards, not after splitting. If you draw a ten to a split ace, the hand is just a normal 21, and does not get paid 3:2. In addition, when splitting Aces you will be dealt only one card on each hand. (Some casinos allow resplitting if that card is another Ace.) Even with these restrictions, splitting Aces is still the correct play.
Zuerst möchte ich mich für die Sache mit meiner Sicherheit entschuldigen, das war einfach nur Blödsinn. ich habe ein bisschen getrollt, mein Land ist nicht gefährlich, ich liebe Kolumbien. aber manche Leute werden wütend auf dich, wenn du BS spielst. ich habe noch eine andere Frage, hier in meiner Stadt gibt es eine Nebenwette, die du spielst, um ein Paar zu bekommen. Wenn man ein gemischtes Paar (rot und schwarz) wie eine Karo 6 und eine Spike 6 bekommt, wird das 6-fache des Einsatzes ausgezahlt. Wenn man ein Farbpaar (rot und rot oder schwarz und schwarz) wie eine Karo 6 und eine Herz 6 bekommt, wird das 12-fache des Einsatzes ausgezahlt und wenn man ein perfektes Paar (dieselbe Karte) wie eine Karo 6 und eine Karo 6 bekommt, wird das 25-fache des Einsatzes ausgezahlt. Meine Frage: Lohnt sich das?
Wie die meisten Nebenwetten ist sie ziemlich teuer. Der Hausvorteil bei sechs Decks in der von Ihnen beschriebenen Auszahlungstabelle beträgt 5,47%.
Mein Rat zu Nebenwetten ist ganz einfach: Ignorieren Sie sie.
i dont understand, is the BS always used or just when playing alone against the house, and if so, why???
when im studying BS i see suicidal hands
Die Basisstrategie ist per Definition die mathematisch beste Art und Weise, jede Entscheidung zu spielen, ohne weitere Informationen über die Zusammensetzung der verbleibenden Decks. Sie gilt unabhängig davon, ob Sie Heads-up oder an einem Tisch mit mehreren Spielern spielen.
Aber was ist, wenn ich zum Beispiel eine 14 gegen eine 8 habe und es drei niedrige Karten in einer Reihe gab, Sie wissen, dass eine 10 erscheinen wird, also werde ich platzen, aber BS sagt mir, dass ich schlagen soll. Sollte ich trotzdem schlagen?
Das Problem ist, dass Sie NICHT wissen, dass die nächste Karte eine Zehn ist. Es gibt keinen magischen Kartengott, der dafür sorgt, dass eine vierte niedrige Karte nach den drei Karten davor nicht auftauchen kann. Ist es weniger wahrscheinlich, als wenn die anderen kleinen Karten nicht ausgegeben worden wären? Ja, denn Sie haben die 3 kleinen Karten aufgebraucht. Aber seien Sie sich darüber im Klaren: Es liegt NICHT daran, dass sie zufällig alle gerade in einer Reihe auftauchen. Bei 14v8 gibt es einfach keinen Umstand, bei dem man stehen bleiben sollte. Schlagen Sie einfach zu.
Bei engeren Calls können Kartenzähler Informationen über das verbleibende Deck nutzen, um manchmal korrekt von der Grundstrategie abzuweichen. Aber praktisch alle Anfänger überschätzen, wie oft dies angebracht ist. Fast alle Hände sollten mit der Grundstrategie gespielt werden, auch wenn Sie Karten zählen.
Hey, aber was ist, wenn die wahre Anzahl +3 ist und ich eine 14 gegen eine 8 habe. ich bin der letzte am Tisch und es sind 5 niedrige Karten in einer Reihe erschienen, ich weiß, dass eine 10 erscheinen wird, wenn ich sie treffe, werde ich platzen, aber wenn ich sie nicht treffe, werde ich verlieren, in diesem Fall ist es das Klügste, aufzugeben, richtig? oder ein selbstmörderischer Bomber zu sein, der Blackjack spielt?
Eine andere Sache, gestern im Casino wurden einige Leute wütend auf mich und beleidigten mich, weil ich eine 13 gegen eine 10 bekam (ich war der letzte am Tisch) und es waren 4 hohe Karten hintereinander erschienen, ich wusste, dass eine niedrige Karte kommen würde, wahrscheinlich eine 5 oder 6, die das Haus in 15 oder 16 verlassen würde und wahrscheinlich platzen würde. aber ich folgte dem BS und ich bekam die 6, die mich bei 19 ließ. zur überraschung machte das haus dann 20. wenn ich nicht getroffen hätte, hätten alle gewonnen, stattdessen wurden alle sauer auf mich. was soll ich tun, wenn ich fühle und wahrscheinlich weiß, dass eine niedrige karte kommen wird? ich fühle und weiß es, und es ist passiert. bitte helfen sie mir, ich will nicht wieder beleidigt werden, ich lebe in einem land der dritten welt und die leute, die in die casinos gehen, sind gefährlich, vielleicht bekomme ich ja probleme
Sie sagen: "Ich weiß, dass es eine 10 geben wird". Nein, das weißt du nicht. Es sind noch viele kleine Karten im Schuh. Es gibt keinen Zauber, der besagt, dass die nächste Karte eine Zehn sein wird, nur weil 5 niedrige Karten hintereinander aufgedeckt wurden. Schlagen Sie einfach zu. Es gibt keinen Zeitpunkt, an dem Sie mit 14v8 stehen bleiben sollten.
Wenn andere Spieler wütend werden, weil Sie richtig gespielt haben, können Sie nicht viel dagegen tun. Versuchen Sie vielleicht, nicht an der dritten Base zu sitzen, wo sich der meiste Ärger auf das konzentriert, was mit dem Dealer passiert. Aber spielen Sie nicht schlecht, nur um die Vorstellungen anderer Spieler zu erfüllen.
Anhand Ihrer IP-Adresse sieht es so aus, als ob Sie in Kolumbien sind. Ich war vor ein paar Wochen in Medellin. Wahnsinn! Was für ein schöner und erstaunlicher Ort. Ich habe es geliebt!
Spliting 8s against a ten? Isnt that a sucker play? I mean your going up against the highest card a dealer can have isnt that just asking for punishment?
This hand is ugly no matter what you do, but it is definitely better to split here.
If you hit the pair of 8s against a dealer ten, you’ll lose about $5.35 on a $10 bet on average.
If you stand, you’ll average a loss of $5.37.
If you split and put another $10 bet up, the average combined loss on the two (or more!) hands is $4.75.
Basic strategy is a game of pennies. You play every hand in the way that wins the most on average, or in this case, loses the least.
Split ’em.
i dont understand the charts, please help, im a total begginer
To understand the charts, start at our Strategie-Engine, and read the instructions for the strategy cards.
ohhh, thanks a lot
Ken, when trying to print this lesson, the charts don’t print in color. Not sure why, but it shows up fine on-screen but just doesn’t print in color.
Thanks for pointing out this issue. It is fixed. Printing will now show the colored decision text.
Hey Ken, I have a question.
In your basic stategy matrix you write to split the 8,8s against a T or A, but in a matrix for a UK casino would just hit. What is the difference between them?
In the UK, the dealer does not deal a hole card, and any doubles or splits are vulnerable to a possible dealer blackjack. In the US, the dealer checks for blackjack immediately before play begins, so you can’t double or split if they have a blackjack. This difference makes it unwise to double or split in the UK when the dealer has a ten or an Ace showing. One exception: In the UK, still split Aces against a dealer ten.
To get the appropriate strategy for these games, you can use the Strategie-Engine and choose “No Peek”.
How frequently should we move on to the next lesson?
The GameMaster originally used these lessons in a weekly course, so one lesson a week is a reasonable plan. However, since the material varies widely in its breadth lesson by lesson, you can easily just adapt the schedule to your progress.
Hallo,
What about cutting the decks half? Many internet casinos cut the 8decks to half. Does that nulify card counting also?
Actually, most internet casinos shuffle after every hand. If you play an online live dealer casino, you may find 4 decks being dealt out of 8.
In that case, counting works fine, although you will need a big spread to beat the poor penetration.
I have a question about penetration and keeping track of the TC
I play an eight deck game. The dealer probably discards about 3 1/2 decks when he shuffles and the player cuts . I am considering both the pros and cons of hi & lo and KO. With KO for example, the count starts at -28 ( 4-4*8). What I usually do is I start the count at 0. And say the RC is 28 ( including the 7s as +1), I now know that the shoe is getting warmer if it goes to +4 ( or in other words +32 -28), I raise my bet because now allegedly the deck is rich in high cards. Here where I am confused : if the dealer discards almost half of the shoe aka bad penetration, I rarely see a positive count as high as what I described . I am doing something wrong by not accounting for the bad penetration ?
Thanks all !! First time poster 🙂
Love this forum
That’s exactly the problem with poor penetration. You get few chances to raise your bet, because the shoe rarely reaches a positive situation. If you are only occasionally seeing opportunities to raise your bet in a 4.5 out of 8 deck game, you’re probably doing it right! The KO count itself (or alternatively the Hi-Lo true count) already accounts for the poor penetration.
Thanks much Ken 🙂
Appreciate your prompt response. I might’ve better served hitting the other casino an hour away then ( a total of two hour drive) . I play with a dealer at this one who deals at the other casino and he commented on the poor penetration by comparing to where he deals stating that it is way better. Is my approach of starting at 0 using KO and subsequently subtracting or in fact adding positives to negatives valid ?
Also what would you suggest in this case because I really like this casino . All the dealers and Pit bosses know me by name and I feel like they genuinely root for me and always ask me not to return any purples once they are in my pocket . I am not naive but I do feel they are small town America type of folks and genuinely friendly and accommodating. I have never raised an eyebrow when I won big but then again when I lose I also lose big at times . Any other words is there a way to account for poor penetration say you multiply by 5 instead of 8 ( decks ) in KO?
Yes, starting KO at zero is perfectly fine once you adjust the other key numbers. In fact, I would venture to guess that most people who use KO do this to avoid so much thinking in negative numbers.
There is really not anything you can do to improve the local game. Don’t monkey with the numbers in KO, because that would have you raising your bet into negative situations. This is just a poor game, and the casino almost always has the edge. To beat it for a reasonable hourly earn rate will require a bigger spread to offset the infrequency of the opportunities. Unfortunately that also creates much higher variance in a game where your edge is quite thin. You could play that game perfectly for a long time and still lose money if you’re even a bit unlucky. What’s the old adage? You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
What do you mean about Continuous shuffle machines and a regular shuffle machine? whats the difference?
A continuous shuffler is where the dealer is constantly putting the used cards back into the shuffle machine after each hand. Cards can reappear very quickly.
Contrast that with a regular shuffle machine where the dealer finishes the entire shoe, and then puts the entire decks into the shuffle machine at once.
The latter is just a faster way of shuffling traditionally.
Do the majority of modern casinos have regular shuffle machines or continuous shuffle machines? It seems to make sense that casinos would prefer the continuous shuffler in an effort to thwart card counting.
can you please look at betfair online live casino i don t think they have a shuffling machine is.is there good to play pls take a look
There are quite a few online casinos that deal live games. Unfortunately, as far as I know none are yet available in the two US states where online casinos are legal (Delaware and New Jersey). I did try these kinds of games years ago, before the law changed in 2006. At that time, they were painfully slow, likely under 30 hands an hour. I can’t participate now, but I hope they improved the speed. You should be able to watch and see how the shuffle is handled, and how deeply the games are dealt to decide whether it is worth the trouble.
danke