Black Jack

and how to win

The Game
Played with 1 , 2, 6, or 8 French Decks
A is 1 or 11, 10-K is 10, everything else is face value
You get two cards
Dealer gets one face up card, one face down card
If dealer has A showing and you dont have blackjack (A, any 10), insurance is
available
If dealer has A showing and you DO have blackjack, even money is available
If dealer has blackjack, you automatically lose/push main/ win insurance
If you have blackjack, you win 3/2 right away
You go first
Take as many cards as you like
If you go over 21, you lose right away
If you stop with a hand < 21, Dealer will take cards until they reach 17 or higher
If the dealer is > 21 or you are > dealer, you win!
The Game
Strategy is a
known
mathematical
problem.
Given
completely
random cards
here is correct
strategy:

The Game
Basic strategy is most commonly proven by running simulations on
a few million hands and analyzing the results.
Also some great combinatorial analysis at www.bjmath.com
Averaged House advantages of perfect basic strategy given the
many rule quirks surrounding surrender, doubling, and splitting:

Number of Decks House Advantage
Single deck 0.17%
Double deck 0.46%
Four decks 0.60%
Six decks 0.64%
Eight decks 0.66%


History of Play
An adaptation of the game 21 (Same game, no
blackjacks)
First written reference found to a game of 21 was in
1602 by Miguel de Cervantes the author of Don
Quixote.
21 a popular game in French and Spanish gambling
houses through ought the 18
th
and 19
th
centuries.
In the early 20
th
century, American casinos started
offering a bonus for an ace with a black jack
By the 1950s it surpassed roulette as the most popular
casino table game.
Counting Systems
How they generate an advantage
The casinos greatest advantage is that the player goes
first (if both bust, casino wins)
The players greatest advantage is that the dealer must
hit 12-16 (making them go bust)
When there are enough high cards left in the deck, (10-
35% of the time), the players advantage outweighs the
casinos advantage
Along for the ride on this big wave of advantage are
certain strategy decisions that increase the advantage a
bit more when there are allot, or few, large cards left in
the deck
Counting Systems
BC or Betting Correlation: the advantage gained from
increasing your bet at the right time
PC or Playing Correlation: the advantage gained from
playing correct strategy at the right time
Level: How many different values are in the counting
system. (+1/ -1 = Level 1, +1+2/-1-2 = Level 2, ect.)
Side Counts: Some systems call for counting Aces on
the side. Also, some counts are modified to take into
account opportunities to place side bets such as
Dealer Bust or Over Under 13 that also correlate to
the count
History of Counting
MIT professor and mathematician Edward Thorp first widely
published the idea that a skilled player could gain an advantage
over the house in Beat The Dealer, 1966
Thorp and Shannon discovered the original Hi-Lo counting system in
1963
Charles Einstein in 1968 threw out Aces and 2s to create the Hi-Lo
Opt 1
A thorough mathematical analysis was released by Peter Griffin in
1979 in The Theory of Blackjack, that gave the foundation for a
variety of subtle adaptations to the original counting techniques.
First un-balenced system was the Red-7 system (still popular today)
in Black Belt In Blackjack (1982), by Ken Uston
The Illustrious 18 strategy plays were documented in 1986 by Don
Schlesinger.
Most popular professional counting system today is the Omega II
counting system (Level 2 balanced count with ace side count) by
Bryce Carlson

Counting Systems
Modern straight BJ counting systems

Card
Strate
gy
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10, J,
Q, K
A
Hi-Lo +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 0 0 0 1 1
Hi-
Opt I
0 +1 +1 +1 +1 0 0 0 1 0
Hi-
Opt II
+1 +1 +2 +2 +1 +1 0 0 2 0
KO +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 0 0 1 1
Omeg
a II
+1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1 0 1 2 0
Zen
Count
+1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1 0 0 2 1


Legal History
Not illegal inside the US
Use your mind only
No help from people not playing on the same table
However, it IS legal for casinos to ban you prom the
premises and charge you with trespassing should you
return
Getting beat up stopped in the 1980s after a series of
successful law suits by players against abusive casinos
Atlantic City casinos are prohibited by a successful state
supreme court case there from banning known card
counters, as a result they have the hardest rules on
their games
Counting Systems
Hi-Lo Basic
Most basic balanced system out there
Requires running count to true count conversion
Generic strategy all day long
Hi-Lo ++
At true count +3, take insurance, dont hit 12 ever,
surrender 14 v 10, 15 v 9 and 16 v 8, double 9 vs 3,4;
double 8 vs 6
At true count -4, hit 12 against 4, 5
This will yield ~.3% player advantage over the house
depending on number of decks, cut penetration, and
skill
Counting Systems
KO Basic
Most simple Un-Balanced count around
Memorize initial running count for the number of decks
you are against. (2 = -4, 6 = -20, 8 = -24)
Memorize pivot points for the number of decks (2 = 0, 6 = -
4, 8 = -6)
Generic strategy all day long
KO Preferred
At running count +3, take insurance, dont hit 12 ever,
surrender 14 v 10, 15 v 9 and 16 v 8, double 9 vs 3,4;
double 8 vs 6
At running count < initial running count, hit 12 against 4, 5

Cat
Casinos implement several techniques to identify counters
Dealers call out sudden large bet increases
Dealers call out extremely aggressive plays such as doubling
hard 12 or splitting 10s
High tech casinos use surveillance to track cards and bets, count
along with you, and detect if you are a winning player
Once a counter is identified
Level 1: A stern glare from the pit boss
Level 2: Rule changes to make the game less profitable
See list on next slide
Level 3: Banned from playing blackjack
Level 4: Banned from the casino, it is common at this level to
(illegally) be detained and have your picture taken.



and Mouse
Counter counter measures
Keep playing sessions so wins are within the standard deviation of possible
lucky play. ~ 1 hour or less
No playing at the same casino in the same day
No playing during the same shift in the same week
Dont withdraw money from casino atms
If you win allot, cash out the chips slowly over an extended period of time
Try to look as not young, white, American, in good shape, alone, introverted,
and/or intelligent as you can.
Lots of various disguises and acts
Down up betting strategy
If stared at by pit bosses, stare back and engage them in friendly conversation
Tip the dealers and they usually keep their mouths shut
Research target casinos in online blackjack forums before playing
Try and find ways to Wong without getting noticed, i.e. counting by sound
Bank-Roll Management
A good rule of thumb for any counting technique is to
expect a standard deviation of +- 500 minimum bets (unless
you spread more than 1- 10)
To play 5$ minimum you will need at least a 2500$ bank roll
To make enough to live off of, you will need to be betting ~
100$ minimum and need 50,000$ 100,000$ in a
dedicated bank roll.
Losing streaks happen allot, winning streaks happen slightly
more often
Kelly Betting meaning you bet your spread on a ramp
according with how much of an advantage you have. Based
on the mathematical principal Kelly criterion, this
equalizes the risk of ruin.
Lets Practice!
New game with a side bet
Side bet cannot exceed main bet (standard rule)
For correct basic decisions 1 1 payout on side bet
For correct preferred decisions 2 1 payout on side bet
For incorrect decisions you lose side bet
One round with cheat sheets
One round without
20$ of seed money, plus whatever else you all agree to
chip in, winner takes all
Good Luck!