By Jeffrey Taylor Jr.

Transcription

1 THE BLACKJACK MILLIONAIRE S MOST WANTED INSIDER SECRETS The System that will Help You Live Your Life the Way You Always Wanted! By - 1 -

2 THE BLACKJACK MILLIONAIRE S MOST WANTED INSIDER SECRETS This is NOT a Free ebook! Copyright 2006 & All Rights Reserved!! Reproduction or translation of any part of this work by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, beyond that permitted by the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher is unlawful. LEGAL DISCLAIMER NOTICE Use of this e-book is governed by specific terms and conditions previously made available to you and which are completely set forth at Any further consumption or use of this e-book by you constitutes express acceptance of those terms and conditions

3 INDEX INDEX 3 Introduction 8 The History Of Blackjack 8 Today s Game 9 THE INSIDES OF THE GAME 11 The Game s Equipment 11 The table 11 The Player s Seat 12 The Chips 12 The Player 14 The Dealer 15 Other Casino Employees 16 The Man in the Sky 16 The Object of the Game 17 The Deck(s) of Cards 18 The Value of the Cards 19 Shuffle and Cut 20 The Rules of the Game 21 Placing your Bets 21 The Deal 22 Hard and Soft Hands 23 Blackjack 25 Insurance 26 Surrender 29 Taking Decisions 29 Stand 30 Hit 30 Double Down 31 Split 32 The Settlement 35 Rule Variations 36 Side Bets 38 Minimum Rules Expectations 40 Player s Vs. Casino s Advantage 41 The Player s Advantages 41 The Casinos Advantages 42 ACHIEVING THE ADVANTAGE 43 Preparing to Win 43 If you are a beginner 44 If you are a regular Big L (Loser) 45 If you are an experienced player 45 Your Biggest Enemy

4 4 Rules Every Novice Player Should Follow Professional Tips to Give You the Edge 47 What to Expect from the Game 47 Why are More than 95% of the Players Losers? 49 Why are the Good Players also Losing? 50 What is the Average Winning Hand in Blackjack? 51 What Can You Expect from Your Original Hand? 52 How Many Hands can you Aspect in an Hour? 52 How Many Blackjacks Can You Expect in an Hour? 53 What is the Probability of Busting when Hitting? 53 How Many Hands Can You Expect to Win? 54 How Many Hands Can You Win in a Row? 55 How Much Can You Expect to Win? 57 The Blackjack Winning Formula 58 Self Discipline or Self Control Powerful Golden Rules 59 Game Selection 61 Finding the Best Games/Casinos 65 Money Management 68 Panic Pennies 70 How much money is enough? 71 Defining Your Goals 72 Fixing the Figures (Playing a Game with $100) 76 Realistic Examples on Money Management 78 Initial Goal to Jackpot in Action 81 Jackpot Strategies: 82 Tight Margins 83 Each Game is Unique 85 The Gaming Record Card 86 Why keep a record? 88 EXAMPLE of a Completed Record Card: 90 THE WINNING SYSTEMS 91 Non-Counter Winning Systems 91 The Non-Counter Strategy 91 I Will Summarize and Emphasize a Few Things 120 Learning the Basic Strategy: 121 Miscellaneous 123 Betting Systems and Methods for Non-counters 126 Flat Bet 126 The Martingale System 127 The d Alembert System 127 Progressive Betting Systems 128 Regressive Progressive Betting Systems 130 Two-Level Betting System 131 The Parlay System 131 The parlay progression system 132 The 2 of 5 System 132 Double Win System 133 Delayed and Up System 133 Card-Counting Winning Systems 141 Card-Counting Preview

5 The Most Powerful Card-Counting Systems 143 Hi-Lo Counting System 145 Hi-Opt I and Hi-Opt II Counting Systems 154 Betting Spreads 158 Betting Spreads 158 The Omega II Counting System 161 The Omega II System Pro 193 Tips & Tricks for Card Counters 205 Camouflage 207 Special Weapons and Tactics 211 The Free Hit 211 The Bottom Card 212 The Cut Card 212 The Burn Card 213 The Quadruple Down 214 The Five-Card Trick 215 Team Play 215 Tipping the Dealer 216 How to tip a dealer. 217 Tipping strategy 218 Glossary 219 Appendix 225 WARNING!! The e-book You have in your hands was not professionally proofread, so it might contain a few typos, Misspellings or maybe grammatical errors. However if they exist, they WILL NOT diminish the value of this Work. Period

6 A FEW WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR Welcome to the Incredible World of BLACKJACK! Welcome to the Most Wanted Insider Secrets Casino Owners Would Never Want You to Know!! First of all, I want to THANK YOU for honoring me with your trust and for deciding to study my new e-book. This E-book is about just one thing: How to win money at blackjack! It is not about how to play game ; it s about how to beat the game. Countless thousands play blackjack every day most as if they where happy to lose reckless to a fault. The e-book you have in your hands will teach you how to make every single bet available to you as an advantage blackjack player, and how to use all this information to win as often as possible. Even better though, you will learn every effective method of exploiting or manipulating the game of blackjack, whether by the player or the house, whether legal or not. A lot of money can be made at his game, and I am revealing here the most hidden tips and strategies to help you achieve an overwhelming advantage over the house and make a small fortune at the blackjack tables. Whether you are a novice or an experienced player, you will find this e- Book to be more than beneficial. And the best part comes now: this e-book reveals how to make money at blackjack with or without counting the cards. That s right... I will show you the ultimate strategies and systems Pro players use right now to make thousands at blackjack, without counting the cards. And later in this e-book you will also discover the most profitable card-counting systems I have used to make millions of dollars at blackjack. By taking the time to read the information provided and putting it to work for you, you will not only notice a significant improvement in your playing abilities but you ll also see your bank account growing and growing. Gone are the days of hoping you win instead, you will know exactly what it takes to beat the game! - 6 -

7 Interestingly, most people think you need a large wad of money to play but in truth, you can win without breaking the bank! The key is learning to set yourself apart from other players, by avoiding the fatal mistakes they are all making, which is exactly what you will learn in this e-book. With the game of Blackjack, you could describe it as being exciting, fun, frustrating, and definitely an adventure. Although the world has many skilled players, in reality, there are few experts in the game. While you might know an expert player or be searching to find one from whom you can extract all types of hidden secrets, this might not be the wisest choice. The reason is that true experts get very involved with all the intricacies of the game, far deeper than you should probably go. Typically, the expert will leave valuable information out accidentally or even on purpose. In addition, you will likely start hearing about the pros and cons of the game, last weekend s loss or win, what hotel to stay in, and all sorts of information that will do nothing for your game. The key to success is to gain a solid understanding of the game overall and not just one aspect. But don t forget that knowing how to play the game is not the same with knowing how to win. Becoming a know how to play player and then after that a know how to win player, is a continuous process. The first step is to learn the Insides of the Game. You have to know the rules of the game --- how the game is played. The second step is to learn how to achieve a Real Advantage over the House what to expect from the game, how to manage your money, how to react in important situations, how to control yourself and gain discipline etc... The third and last step is to read, learn and apply the Most Powerful Winning Systems and methods I reveal in this e-book these are systems I use right now to make millions at blackjack. I consider the whole game as a battle. I fight this battle against the giant (casino) with pleasure, and after so many years, I can still enjoy the game and most of all still enjoy beating the casinos. I hope you will have the same feelings after studying, learning, and putting into practice the Blackjack Millionaire s Most Wanted Insider Secrets. If you are serious about - 7 -

8 playing to win and want to make a profit playing blackjack, then this is the perfect e-book for you. Read on because we have a lot to talk about... INTRODUCTION This first part of the e-book concerns issues like the history of blackjack, how to play blackjack all the possible bets you can make and all the rules you must know are here. You will also learn how to place every possible bet and even get a very useful Player s Decisions Chart. Also included in this first parts are a lot of tips and tricks to help you understand the game and to generate an advantage you need to beat the house. Tip: If you already know how to play, please do not jump over this first part of the e-book, because the advices and tricks revealed here are very useful. THE HISTORY OF BLACKJACK Gambling with playing cards spread steadily throughout Europe after Johan Gutenberg printed the first deck of cards in Germany in 1440, and many of the games involved drawing cards to reach a certain total. Although the exact relationship remains obscure, blackjack is believed to have evolved from several of these early games. Baccarat, with the magic number 9 appeared in Italy about 1490, followed by the game of seven and a half, which seems to be the first game where the player automatically lost if he went over the desired number. The game of one and thirty was first played sometime before 1570 in Spain. The Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Queensbury and prime minister Disraeli, all played quince (15) in Crockford s, the famous English casino that flourished between 1827 and From France came trente et quarante (30 and 40) and finally vingt un (21), which crossed the Atlantic Ocean and was listed in the American Hoyle of

9 As first played in the US, blackjack was a private game, but by the early 1900s, tables for 21 were being offered in the gambling parlors of Evansville, Indiana. Acceptance was slow, and to stimulate interest, operators offered to pay 3 to 2 for any count of 21 in the first 2 cards, and 10 to 1 if the 21 consisted of the ace of spades and either the jack of spades or the jack of clubs. This and was called, of course, blackjack. The 10 to 1 payoff was soon eliminate, but the term remained, first as the name of any two-card 21 hand, and subsequently as the name of the game itself, although 21 would have been more appropriate. By 1919, tables covered with green baize and emblazoned in gold letters announcing Blackjack Pays Odds of 3 to 2 were being manufactured in Chicago and appeared in illegal gambling halls throughout the country. The popularity of the game grew slowly until gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931, and blackjack soon became the third most successful game, outstripping faro, but trailing both roulette and craps. Because of the prohibitive casino edge of 5.26 percent in roulette, discouraged players drifted away from the game, and by 1948, blackjack had become the second biggest casino moneymaker after craps. TODAY S GAME In 1956, Baldwin, Cantey, Maisel and McDermott published a book called Playing BlackJack to Win which contained a nearly perfect basic strategy. This was followed by Edward Thorp s book Beat the Dealer, which refined the strategy and added a counting system. Now, for the first time, the sophisticated gambler could learn to play nearly even with the house, and perhaps with a slight edge in his or her favor. This scientifically developed information sparked a nationwide interest in blackjack that made it the number one table game in America beginning in the 1960s and continuing through 70s, 80s, 90s and into the new millennium. Because the table is less than half the size of those required for craps, roulette or baccarat, with a corresponding reduction in both the number of players and casino personnel, blackjack is far less intimidating to the beginning player. Couple this with the simplicity of the basic rules both the player and the dealer draw cards and whoever comes closest to 21 without - 9 -

10 going over wins and you can understand the popularity of the game. Actually, as of this writing, the popularity is actually diminishing a bit. Casinos are introducing variations to traditional poker and blackjack that compete with blackjack tables for space and players. Blackjack is unique among the casino games inasmuch as any player can make decisions that will affect the results of the game. In addition, it is the only game where the outcome of one hand influences the following hands. Since the type of cards that have been played determines the value of the cards remaining to be played, the probability of winning or losing is in a constant state of flux, and although chance is still a significant factor, the skilful player enjoy a marked advantage over the novice. Obviously, the casinos are profit making institutions, so why do they continue to offer a game where the player has a fair chance? Elementary, my dear reader, because over 90 percent of all players do not make a sufficient effort to learn the fundamentals of the game. Ironically, the fact that the game can be beaten is well known to the casino operators, but since very few players will be bothered to invest the necessary time to learn to play, blackjack and his variations have become the most profitable table games in house

11 THE INSIDES OF THE GAME In this chapter, I will tell you all the rules and all the possible actions to take in Blackjack. I will tell you how to make these moves. However, to know how to make them is only the first side of the coin. The other side I when to make these moves and which ones to make. We will talk about the what and when? in later chapters. To be a good player, you have to know what to do and when to do it. In addition, if you know why you are doing them, you are a great player! THE GAME S EQUIPMENT Before we start talking about the rules of the game and how to play blackjack like Pros do, we want to present you first in detail the blackjack equipment needed in order to make this game possible. THE TABLE The game is played on a modified semicircular /oval table (see figure 1.1). The seats are arranged around the curved portion, and the dealer stands (on rare occasions, sits) behind the table and faces the players from the pit. The pit is an area in the casino with a group of blackjack tables. The Figure to the right e shows

12 a typical Blackjack layout. This traditional Blackjack table has seven (or six, sometimes five) spots. There are as many seats as there are spots on the table. The table is covered in felt, usually green in color. THE PLAYER S SEAT The seat to the dealer s far left is called first base, and the seat to the far right is called third base. The player who receives cards and acts on them first is called the First Baseman. The player in the last seat, or if the table is not full, the player who acts upon his hand last, is called the Third Baseman or Anchorman. Note that if you are a beginner, you should not sit in the third base spot because that way you can avoid some ignorant players comments who might blame you for their losses, even if you made the right decisions. THE CHIPS In front of the dealer is the chip tray, which contains the casino chips, the gambling tokens issued by casinos to take the place of cash for betting purposes. Another name for a chip is a check. Although the chips can vary from casino to casino, the typical chips are:

13 $0.50 blue $5.00 red $1.00 white $25.00 green $2.50 pink $ black The higher valued chips are 500-purple, 1,000 orange, and so on. Some casinos use rectangular chips for these higher denominations. You can call the chips by their colors. In this case, white stands for the one-dollar chip, red for the five (fives are also called redbirds, or nickels), green for the twenty-five (which is called a quarter too), black for the hundred, and so on. The green felt contains the diagram of a rectangle (or square, or circle, or just the casino s logo) called a Betting Square where each player will place his chips in front of him for betting purposes. This represents a place or Spot for a player. Usually two or three rules of the game are printed on the green felt. The most common rules are that the Blackjack pays 3 to 2, the Insurance pays 2 to 1, and the Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17s (or the Dealer must draw to all 16s and soft 17s if the casino s rule is that the dealer must also hit all soft 17s). The cards already played (the discards) will be placed in a plastic case (Discard Tray) to the dealer s right. When a player comes to the table with cash, the dealer exchanges it for chips and then puts it through a Currency Slot where the cash is deposited into a drop box. Note that after you leave the table you cash in your chips at the cashier s cage, not at the table. Every casino sets its own betting limits. These limits vary from casino to casino and from table to table. The casinos allow you to bet between the table minimum and maximum. Each table has a Table Limit Sign stating the allowable minimum (smallest) and maximum (highest) bets. The table limits are different at various casinos. Here are some typical examples: min $5, $10, $15 max $300; min $25 max $500; min %50 max $1000; and min $100 max $2,500. Players speak often of tables according to their minimum bets. For instance, a ten-dollar table refers to the table where the allowable minimum bet is ten dollars. Fifty- and hundred-dollar table minimums are set up for

14 bigger bettors. Even higher limits are set up for high rollers (players who wager big money who play for large stakes). However, the higher table minimum does not necessarily mean better player sometimes just bigger bettors. In any case, I strongly suggest that before you sit down to a specific table, you make sure you know the table limit because it isn t very comfortable feeling when you put your ten-dollar bet up and the dealer says, Sorry sir, the table minimum if fifty dollars. Of the game is played with four or more decks, there is also the shoe on the table. The shoe is a plastic or wooden rectangular box that holds the cards. It is designed so that the dealer can deal the cards one at a time easily. The Shoe is always on the dealer s left. If the game is played with one or two decks, no shoe is on the table because the dealer deals from his or her hand. And additional box or slot is on the table. This is for the Tips. Every tip given by the players to the dealer goes into his box. THE PLAYER The blackjack table can accommodate one to seven players, but Blackjack is not a group game, and the players do not normally play as a team. The players do not compete against each other either, however. Each player plays against the dealer. Although up to seven spots are open for players, the game will begin even if only one player shows up to play. If open spots are available, additional players can take any of the vacant seats. But it should be noted that the so-called mid-shoe entry is forbidden in a few casinos, which means that entry to the game is only allowed once a new shoe beings. Otherwise no set rules exist as to where you have to sit down. If there is only one player at the table, only one person playing one-on-one with the dealer, the game is said to bet head-to-head or sometimes referred to as head up or face-to-face or head on

15 It bothers many people to play head-to-head with the dealer. This situation is perhaps particularly the case for beginners, and it is understandable. In fact, if you are a beginner, I do not recommend it. After a bit of practice, however, this situation can actually be appealing. Going headto-head is one of my favorite game options because I determine the speed of the game, and I do not have to adapt myself to anyone else s play. Many more hands can be dealt in a given amount of time, but more importantly, going head-to-head gives you a better chance to handle a dealer you can make him your friend. The dealer represents the casino and wears the house uniform (the house is another term for the casino). Usually a name tag with a photo of the dealer is attached to this uniform so that the player can know the name of the dealer. The honest dealer makes no decisions. The dealer simply needs to follow the rules. THE DEALER The dealer s duties are to change cash for chips, to change color (which means changing casino chips into smaller or larger denominations), to shuffle the cards and deal them, to pay off winning bets and collect losing bets, and to answer questions from the players. In other words, the dealer runs the game. When you go to the table, put your cash down on the table rather than handing it to the dealer, and place it so that the money is not in the betting box. Even though you can only bet with chips in the majority of casinos, don t take any chances that the dealer might think you are making a bet and start dealing cards to you right away. When you put your money down, say, Give me change or Change please. Generally there is no minimum buy in Blackjack. This means that you

16 can sit down with only one chip, but of course, this has to be at least the table minimum. OTHER CASINO EMPLOYEES There are a couple of other casino employees who supervise the game. The next up after a dealer is the Floorman. He usually does not wear the house uniform. The floorman supervises a group of tables within the blackjack pit, or again, an area of the casino consisting a number of blackjack tables. They deal with the players (credit, comp, etc.). If there is an argument between players and dealers, the floorman tries to settle it. Above the floorman in rank is the Pit boss check the picture above. As the name says, the pit boss is the boss of the entire blackjack pit. His decisions are always final. The pit boss is the dealer s supervisor. This person is responsible for the whole game and takes care of the game so that it is played according to the casino rules and policies. THE MAN IN THE SKY The man in the sky is jargon for the casino security system. From the moment you arrive, your face is on screens in a management control room. Watch out for the darkened-glass domes, fixed to the ceiling and walls. These conceal the cameras. There may also be rotating cameras as well

17 If you have a bad hair day, the guys in the control room will know. If you scratch your backside, that image will appear on an array of screens. They miss nothing! Listening devices also operate in some casinos. Security is important so much cash around. Very rarely, armed gangs have attacked casinos. Mainly, however, the cameras are there to prevent conspiracy and to resolve any disputes about what bets have been placed. The cameras ensure that neither you nor the employees are cheating the casino. THE OBJECT OF THE GAME When we discuss the object of the game, we talk about the object from the player s standpoint. The dealer has no object in the game because, as we said, the dealer must follow the rules of the casino. I firmly believe that the name of the game is to win money. We can also say, however, that the object is to make money. I like to use the phrase make a little bit better than win, even though the gist is the same. Bus anybody can win; he just needs a little luck. Only a very few of us can make money because this requires knowledge and skill. I hope after you finish this e-book, all of you will be able to make money. In order to make money, you have to beat the dealer. For this reason: the objective of the casino game of Blackjack is simply to beat the dealer. You can achieve this in two different ways: 1. The first way is having your cards total higher than the dealer s without your total exceeding 21 (if the value of your cards exceeds 21, you automatically lose)

18 2. The second way is to have any valid hand (the player s cards in a card game) while the dealer busts (which means the total value of his cards exceed 21). This second way is just as important as the first. Some players think the object is to draw cards that total 21 or to get as close to 21 as possible. This ideal is completely wrong and you should forget it forever. You can even read this misinformation in many casinos gaming guides. It is just not true. Now that you have made yourself familiar with the table and the people at the table, along with the object of the game, let s take a detailed look at the next section! THE DECK(S) OF CARDS Blackjack is played with an ordinary deck (/or decks) of 52 cards. The jokers have been removed. The four suits of cards (spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs) have no material value, and they can be disregarded. Currently in the majority of casinos, multiple decks (normally 4-8 decks) are dealt. The decks are contained in the shoe, and all cards to players are dealt face up. Players are not allowed to touch the cards at all. The Single- and double-deck (one and two) games are still available in many casinos. The dealer holds the deck(s) and deals from his hand. The cars to players are normally dealt face down. The players pick up their cards and check them in order to make their decisions. I strongly suggest that you don t play the one- and two-deck games until you have a fair bit of experience. These types of games put more pressure on beginners and are usually not available at tables with lower table minimums

19 THE VALUE OF THE CARDS Every deck has thirteen cards in each suit: the Ace, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, jack, queen, king. Cards have individual values for counting the value of the hand. The numerical cards (2-10) count at face value. A 7 is worth 7, a 2 is worth 2, and so on. The jack, queen, and king count as ten points. We call these cards face cards also known as picture cards. A 10 and the face cards each have the same value (10), and therefore we will call them the 10-value cards (the tens). To repeat It one more time: the 10-value cards are 10,J,Q,K. the 10s dominate the game. Why? Because there are only four cards of each rank of sixteen 10-value cards. We will pay extra attention to them. The Ace is the only card that has a dual value. It can count as 1 or 11 points, and it is your option how to count it. The Ace having this dual value, when combined with any 10-value card becomes a Blackjack, the strongest of all hands (more about this later), and thus the Ace is the most powerful of all cards in Blackjack!

20 I would like to bring these facts to your attention one more time: There are sixteen 10-value cards + four Aces = 20 cards. This accounts for percent of the total cards (52). In other words, the dealer will show up an Ace or a 10-value card on average almost 2 out of 5 times!! Don t be surprised! You have to expect and accept that this is how it will happen. Remember, when players are complaining at the table, An Ace (or 10 or face) again? when they see two or three in a row that this means that they did not expect it. They did not say anything other than, We are the weak players. SHUFFLE AND CUT Before a new deck or shoe is dealt, the dealer will shuffle up the cards, and the way that cards are shuffled could vary by casinos. Some casinos use shuffling machines, which speed up the game. I personally don t believe that anybody can keep track on the shuffle, and unless you re a genius or can see through the cards, I suggest that you don t waste your time trying to learn any of the techniques that are supposed to allow you to know where the cards end up after as shuffle. And if a shuffling machine is used, attempting to keep track is obviously useless. After shuffling, the dealer presents the decks to any one of the players to cut the deck. If does not matter who cuts the cards. If you don t want to (are you superstitious?), you don t have to. You may refuse. In the case of a single-double deck game, a player simply cuts the cars. In multiple-deck games, the cut is made by inserting a colored card. This card of course cannot be played. After dealing, if this colored card if reached, it

21 indicates to the dealer that the shoe is over, and it is time to shuffle again. When the cut card appears, the dealer announces, Last hand of the shoe. After shuffling and a player cuts the cards, the dealer removes the first cards (burns it) and puts it out of play, pacing it into the discard tray or at the bottom of the deck. With the burning of the first card, a game has been started. The dealer has to make sure that each player who wants to play has made a bet. Because it is common for some players to skip a hand(s), the dealer may say, Place your bets. THE RULES OF THE GAME This chapter reveals the rules of Blackjack and you will learn how to approach every possible game situation by taking the right decision at the right time. A very valuable Player s Decision Plan is also revealed inside this chapter.. let s start with the beginning, and see how you can place your bets at the blackjack table: PLACING YOUR BETS Bets are made with casino chips, and all players place their bets in front of them in the betting square. All bets must be made prior to the cards being dealt and must be at least the table minimum allowed at the table without being more than the maximum. A player may play more than one hand, but most casinos require twice the minimum bet if playing two hands. When you are playing in a casino, there will always be someone who bets more than you do, and such a player could be at any of the tables including yours. High rollers might bet thousands of dollars on each hand, but don t be

22 influenced by them. Play your own game and bet at your comfort level. Remember, it is much better to be a hundred-dollar winner than a thousanddollar loser. A small profit, after all, is better than no profit, let alone a loss. After all bets have been made and the player s chips are in the betting box, the dealer is ready to deal out the cards. THE DEAL The dealer deals out one card to each player, starting with the first basemen proceeding to the third baseman (in other words, the dealer deals clockwise). After each player has received one card, the dealer deals one card to himself and then repeats the process. After the second card has been given to all players, the dealer gives himself the second card. In a multiple-deck game - as you know all the cards are dealt face up except one of the dealer s two cards. The dealer s card that is dealt face up is called the up-card, and the second card, which is dealt face down, is called the hole card. If the cards are dealt face down, one of the dealer s cards is still dealt face up. The first two cards the player gets are called the original hand. Let s examine the original hand a little bit, because from that point of the game all your decisions depend on your original hand and on the dealer s upcard. First, let s check the player s (your) cards

23 HARD & SOFT HANDS The dealer makes known the total value of all hands, but you have to calculate your hand total. One playing mistake (mostly made by rookies) is caused by mishandling Aces when calculating your hand total when it contains an Ace. You have to calculate your total not only after you receive the original hand but later when you get more than two cards as well. Therefore, let me show you how to do this: The easiest way to count the Ace is to consider it a 1 and calculate your hand, and the not add a 10 for any Ace in the hand. Examples: Ace 4 gives you 5 or 15 Ace, 4, Ace gives you 6 or 16 Ace, 4, Ace, 2 gives you 8 or 18 Any hand that contains an Ace that is valued at 11 is a soft hand. If the hand contains more than one Ace, at least one of them is counted as an 11. The total of a soft hand is a soft total. Here are several examples: Ace, 2 Soft 13 Ace, 5 Soft 16 Ace, 5, Ace Soft 17 Ace, 6 Soft 17 Ace, 7 Soft 18 I would like to show you two special soft hands: Ace, 8 Soft 19 (count as 9 or 19) Ace, 9 Soft 20 (count 19 or 20) These two hands are special because they are theoretically soft, but practically never count them as 9 or 10. Always cont them as 19 or 20 and

24 don t take any more cards! More about this later. Note that the lowest soft hand is 12 and the highest is of course 21. Any hand that does not contain an Ace, or contains an Ace but it is counted as 1, is a hard hand. The total of a hard hand is a hard total. Here are several examples: 5,7 Hard 12 10,4,2 Hard 16 10,4,2,Ace Hard 17 Ace, 2,10,Ace,5 Hard 19 If you have a hard total 12,13,14,15, or 16, then you have a breaking hand. This means that if you ask for additional cards you can go over 21, even by getting only one more card. We call these hands (hard 12-16) stiff hands. (Stiff hands are not your favorite, mostly if the dealer s up-card is 7 or higher). Note: the player never has to announce that he has a soft or a hard total. A soft hand can turn into a hard hand, and here are a couple of examples: You have A, 3 (soft 14) and get a 10, and the hand becomes a hard 14 (A,3,19). You have A,4,2 (soft 17) and get a 9, and the hand becomes a hard 16 (A,4,2,9). You should also note that a hard hand can become a soft hand as well, but it has no serious meaning in the game since these hand totals are less than 10 when you ask for an additional card anyway. For example, if wyou have 2,3 (hard 5) and get an Ace, and the hand then turns into a soft 16. As you saw, the original hand could be a soft or a hard hand. There is one more possibility: this is the name of the game

25 BLACKJACK If the original hand (first two cards) consist of an Ace and a 10-value card (10,J,Q,K), you have a Blackjack (it is also known as a Natural, or in slang terms, a Snapper). This is the strongest hand in the game. It is an immediate winner for the player unless you re unlucky enough and the dealer has a Blackjack in the same hand too. If you win, it pays 1.5 times your bet (as it is printed on the table: Blackjack pays 3 to2). Now you know your original hand. Let s check the dealer s up-card. There are three possibilities: 1. If the up-card is 2 to 9, nothing happens. The game continues, as we will discuss later. 2. If the up-card is a 10-value card. The dealer peeks at the hole card to see if they have a Blackjack. If he does, he turns the Ace over and takes all the player s bets that do not have Blackjack. If somebody has a Blackjack, it is a tie no money changes hands. If the dealer doesn t have Blackjack, he continues to deal the game. 3. If the up-card is an Ace, the dealer will ask the players if they want insurance, announcing, Anyone want insurance? or Insurance is open. They make this request before peeking the hole card. Since this bet is one of the most misunderstood, let s see it in detail

26 INSURANCE I must begin by saying that the insurance wager is generally a bad bet for the player! The insurance is offered only if the dealer s up-card is an Ace. You can insure your hand against the dealer s Blackjack against the possibility of the dealer having been dealt a 10-value card as a hole card. Many players think that they are insuring a good hand, but let us make it very clear that You do not actually get any insurance. You are not insuring anything. You are making a side bet. In fact, all the players are betting on is whether the dealer s hole card is a 10-value card. Therefore, the name insurance is misleading. Since the casinos allow you to make an additional bet, if the dealer s up-card is an Ace, the dealer should ask, Does anyone want to bet that I will have a Blackjack by having a 10-value hole card? The players are allowed to bet only on e half of their original bet. The payoff is 2 to 1. For example, if your original bet is $10, your insurance bet is $5. If the dealer has a Blackjack, and you don t, you lose your original bet. However, your insurance bet wins the $10 back. The bet if referred to as insurance because if the dealer has a Blackjack and the player doesn t, the insurance bet saved the player s original bet. Note: the insurance bet has nothing to do with the original bet. Regardless of the side bet, the original bet is won or lost in the usual way. The insurance bet has to be placed in the semicircle labeled Insurance. see the picture above. After the insurance bets have been placed, the dealer announces, Insurance is closed. They check the hole card. There are two possibilities: 1. The dealer has a Blackjack (10-value card in the hole). He pays everybody who has insurance and collects all the original bets except for those with Blackjack, and the game is over

27 2. The dealer doesn t have a Blackjack (there is no 10-value card in the hole). He collects all the insurance bets, and the game goes on. I started this chapter by saying that playing an insurance bet is a bad bet. After you know how the insurance bet works, I am going to show you why it is a bad bet. Let s look at the single-deck game, which is the most favorable to the player. There are 52 cards, of which 16 are 10-value cards and 36 are non -10s. If the dealer shows an Ace up-card, he will get a 10-value card in the hole, on average, 16 out of 51 times. If you take insurance, you will win 165 times (2 to 1 units = 32 units), and you will lose 35 times (1 unit = 35 units). Your net loss will be 3 units, which is roughly 6% advantage for the casino. That s why insurance as a bad bet. You have to talk about a special case: the player has Blackjack when the dealer s up-card is an Ace. Should we insure your won Blackjack? Now, one of two things can happen: 1. If you don t make an insurance bet and the dealer has a Blackjack: Blackjack vs. Blackjack. Nobody wins, you have the best hand possible, and you don t make money, which doesn t sound too good. And, of course, if you don t make an insurance bet and the dealer doesn t have a Blackjack, he pays 1.5 times your original bet. 2. If you make an insurance bet when we have a Blackjack, it doesn t matter if the dealer has a Blackjack or not. Either way we re going to win your original bet. Here is why: your original bet is $10 and your insurance bet is $5. If the dealer does not get Blackjack: we lose the $5 insurance bet (-$5) but win $15 on the original bet (+$15), and so $15 - $5 = $10. If there is a Blackjack for the dealer: you win $10 on your insurance bet (+$1ß) and break even on the original bet Blackjack vs. Blackjack (+/-o). Since you win your original bet on your Blackjack anyway, if you want to insure it, you can ask the dealer for even money

28 So should you insure or not insure your Blackjack? You shouldn t!! Why? Because the odds are against you. The dealer will have Blackjack 4 times out of 13 (four ten-value cards of the total %) and won t have Blackjack 9 times out of 13 (69.2%). So if you don t take even money, you won t win 4 times, but otherwise, you make 50 percent more. ($15 instead of $10)! I have to tell you that the insurance bet is not only one of the most confusing bets for a rookie but one of the most arguable bets of the game. When it comes to taking this bet, even the biggest experts are completely divided on opinions. Only one thing is sure: never take insurance on weak hands (less than 19). This situation is hard for me to tolerate, emotionally, having the best hand possible and not making money. I am guaranteed of winning an equal amount of my bet. However, many experts would say it this way: I am guaranteed of winning less. Here is what to do: Take insurance (even money) if you have Blackjack, but don t take it at any other time! In some casinos, the dealer won t peek at the hole card until all the players have not acted on their hands (European Style). However, anybody can make an insurance bet the same way as we discussed, but then the players play out their hands (occasionally adding more bets to their original bets with doubling or splitting as you will learn in a bit), and finally the dealer checks the hole card. If the dealer has blackjack, he collects only the original bets. The players will not lose their additional bets. If the dealer takes all bets, I do not suggest playing that game. You can make additional bets with doubling or splitting if the dealer has an Ace upcard - but let me tell you something: it is not the best idea taking actions against the dealer s Ace. However, insurance is one of the player s options, and before the game goes on, there is another one we must discuss:

29 SURRENDER Once, this practice was standard in casinos. These days, however, it is not permitted in most casinos, but it is still offered by some of them. Simply stated, this rarely found rule says that if the players think they are too weak to fight, they give up half of their original bet, the dealer removes their cards, and the game is over. We can talk about two kinds of surrenders: Early Surrender: the players can surrender before the dealer checks for a Blackjack holding an Ace or a 10-value card as their upcard. Late surrender: the player can surrender after the dealer checks for a Blackjack and the dealer doesn t have a natural. TAKING DECISIONS If the dealer doesn t have a Blackjack, the game goes on. You now have the original hand of two cards. The dealer continues to deal the cards clockwise, starting with the first baseman again. From now on, it is the player s (your) decision what to do. I would like to declare emphatically that your decisions cannot depend on your feelings. Playing by your feelings is a foolish way of gambling. All of your decisions depend on the dealer s upcard and on your original hand! I should write these words twice as big. They are so important! Your decisions have to be based on facts and not on feelings. Now you can exercise your options. Here are four more player s options. Each player may elect to: 1. Stand: Draw no additional cards. 2. Hit: Draw additional card(s) to your hand. 3. Double Down: Double the size of your bet and receive only one card

30 4. Split: Make two hands from a pair. Let s explore them one by one. STAND Also called Staying Pat, Sticking. Stand is a player s decision not to draw any additional cards. If you know you have a hand with the best chance to beat the dealer, you do not ask for additional cards. You stand. How do you know it? I will show you later. If you want to stay, just wave one palm down over the cards (face down game: put the card under the chips you have already bet) indicating to the dealer you don t need more cards. The dealer will respect the signal and pass by. Why do you stand? There are two reasons: 1. The hand is strong enough to win (19,20,21) or high enough (hard 17,18) to have a good chance of going over The dealer has a strong chance of going over 21. In this situation you give the dealer the chance to go over (for example, if the player s hand is 10,4 and the dealer s upcard is 6, you stand). Why do you not stand? Never ever stand just because you feel the next cards has to be a big one and you will go over (for example, the dealer s upcard is a 9 and the player s original hand is 10,5 = hard 15). If you could feel (figure out) the next card, the casinos would not have stayed in business. But they are here. HIT Also called Draw. To request one or more additional cards from the dealer. Why do you hit? You are asking for more cards in order to improve your total. A player may draw as many cards as he wants, as long as the total does not exceed

31 If you want to receive another card, scratch the surface of the felt with your finger (face down game: with the card) toward you. You can also tap the table or pint to the cards with your index finger to indicate put it here. The player can only have a valid hand if his total is 21 or less. If by taking an additional card the player s total exceeds 21, his hand loses immediately regardless of the dealer s total. The dealer takes your cards and your bet right away! To hit a hand and go over 21 is called busting. It is also known as breaking. Note that it is impossible to bust your hand if you stand on your two first cards. When you bust, you have lost and are out of the game for that round. But note if the dealer busts, he loses only to those players who still have a valid hand. What a difference! For this reason, if the dealer and the player both bust, the player still loses. This is the biggest edge the casino has over you. You cannot do anything to combat this. It is just a part of the game rules. Here is a question that you might ask: Why would I risk a hit if I can bust and lose immediately? As you saw, you don t hit all the time when you can bust. But if the dealer probably will have a 17 or higher total, there is no reason to stand on a stiff total. You have a good chance to lose your bet anyway without even trying to improve your hand. DOUBLE DOWN This option allows the player to double the size of his bet and receive only one more card. It means that you may make a second wager no higher than the amount of your original bet. Why are you doubling? You try to make twice as much money when the dealer is weak! Remember forever that you re not doubling to get a good card. The odds are against you getting a good card most of the time. I m not saying that I m happy camper when I get a 5 doubling on 11, but it s not the end of the world. After all, most of the time you are doubling because you hope the dealer will bust

32 The rules of doubling are different at each casino. Some of them only permit this practice with a two-card total of 10 or 11 (or 9,10,11). Many permit doubling on any two-card hand. The less you can double, the greater the house s advantage is. Any restriction on doubling increases the house s advantage. When one of the two cards is an Ace, which is referred to as Soft Doubling because the player has a soft hand initially. You can also double for less than the initial wager; however, it is not a great idea. You are doubling to make more money; therefore, if doesn t make sense to double for less. If you want to double, simply put out an additional bet (equal to the original) next to your chips (in a face down game: turn over your cards and put out your bet). Never pout your bet on top of your original bet. You are not allowed to remove or touch the wager during the player of a hand! When you are doubling down, you will receive one additional card only. The dealer will give you a card and place it perpendicular to the original two cards. You cannot hit one more time. Remember, after doubling you cannot hit, just like after you hit you cannot double. With doubling down, you of course win or lose the double amount of your original bet. SPLIT This option allows the player to separate the first two cars dealt if they are a pair (two 2s, two 8s, etc.) creating two separate hands. Any pairs can be split, and for purposes of determining pairs, all 10-value cards are considered as pairs. For example, a queen and a king are considered pairs. BUT! Don t even think about that; don t split faces,. If you still split and get an Ace, the hand is not a Blackjack but counts as ordinary

33 When someone receives a queen and a king and asks if he can split them, he not only reveals that he is a very weak player but also that he doesn t even know the rules. In other words, it is almost like saying out loud, I m such a bad player that I don t even know the rules. After splitting, you are now playing two different hands. If you split and your fist card is the same value, you can split again in most casinos. You hit and complete the first hand before you hit the second. All stand, hit, split, and double down rules apply to each new hand. For example, if the first hand busted, it is an automatic loser and you continue with the second hand. The rule of thumb is to treat both halves of a split the same way you would a regular hand. Why are you splitting pairs? The reason is the same as what I said about doubling: you are trying to make twice (or even four times) as much money when the dealer is weak! Some players think that if they have been dealt a pair, they should (or have to) split. No. No. No. never split the pair just because you get them! Casino rules vary on how many times a player may split his cards. The maximum is three, creating four hands. A special rule applies to the splitting of Aces, however. When a pair of Aces is split, you normally receive only one card on each hand. You are not allowed to split again if you get another Ace. In addition, if the player receives a 10-value card on one of both of the split Aces, the hand counts as 21 and not as a Blackjack (and you remember the definitions of Blackjack: if the original hand consists of an Ace and a 10-value card, then it is a Blackjack)

34 - THE PLAYER S DECISION PLAN - If you want to split a pair, simply put out an additional bet (matching the original wager) next to your chips (face down game: turn over your cards and put out your bet). Do not try to separate your cards physically. You are not allowed to touch the cards, if you see anybody trying to touch his cards, it shows not only that he is a beginner but that he has failed to learn even the basic rules of the game

35 If you do not want to, you do not have to talk at the table. As you saw, no verbal commands are given to the dealer. The whole game can be played silently with the signals I mentioned earlier. In the Player s Decision Plan above, I demonstrate all the possibilities and the associated decisions you should make. THE SETTLEMENT After every player has completed playing his hand, the dealer plays out his own hand. However, the dealer never makes decisions. The dealer has to follow the casino s rules: he must hit his own hand if the point count is 16 or less and must stand on 17 or more (except if it is a rule to his soft 17), regardless of the hands held by the players. The dealer cannot split or double down. After completing his own hand, the dealer compares the total with that of the players. Here are all the possibilities: 1. If the player busts, he loses hit bet regardless of the dealer s final total, and of course, the player s wager is taken simultaneously with his busted cards. 2. If the dealer busts, all hands (that have not busted) win. The winning hands are paid even money: Let s repeat what you know already: when you bust, you have lost and are out of the game for that round. If the dealer busts, he loses only to those players who still have a valid hand. For this reason, if the dealer and the player bosh bust, the player still loses. This is the biggest edge the casino has over you. 3. If the dealer does not bust: a. All hands that have not busted and that have a higher total than the dealer s hand total win. The winning hands are paid even money

36 b. All hands that have not busted and that have a lower total than the dealer s hand total lose the amount wagered. c. If both the dealer and the player have the same total (not exceeding 21), then hand is a Push (also known as Tie or Standoff), and no money changes hands. The dealer typically indicates the tie to the player by tapping the table several times. After playing of collecting all wagers, the dealer removes all used cards, and placed them in the discard tray. He does all this in such a way that the hands can be reconstructed in case of any kind of dispute. After each hand is concluded, players can remove their winnings with their original wagers. With this act, the play of one hand has been completed, and the process is repeated until the end of the deck or shoe. RULE VARIATIONS In the previous pages we discussed the general rules of the game, repeatedly point out that the rules do change from casino to casino. In fact, the rules change not only by casino, but also from city to city and vary by countries and continents. You don t have to get frightened, however. The general rules of Blackjack that I have mentioned so far are basically the same all around the world. The game is played according to these rules everywhere. The difference shows in how much of the total rules are in effect at a given casino. Thus, in general, the rules do not change. The rules that influence you the most in terms of your chances against the casino are usually connected with the doubling down and split and whether a dealer hits on soft 17 or not. Later in this e-book I ll show you exactly how these rules variations affect the player s advantage

37 Why Do You Have to Know These Rule Variations? Because, most importantly, when you decide in which casino you want to play, you don t chose a casino where the rules don t match up with your expectations. In any case, when you walk into a casino, not to mention when you sit down at a table, you should always check the rules. You can do this more than one way. A lot of the time, the basic rules are written on the tablelimit sign on the table. You can also ask for information from the pit crew. Finally, every casino has its own gaming guide in which the basic rules are stated. Before you sit down to play, you have to be clear about the rules adopted at the specific table at which you intend to play. I will say it again: if the rules aren t suitable, don t play. I will show you these rule variations, as well as how they influence your chances, according to the following: 1. Standard rules 2. Bonus option 3. Side bets 4. Special rules Standard Rules All the proceeding standard rules are favorable to the players. Even though these rules are favorable to the players however, don t forget your biggest disadvantage: if the dealer and the player both bust, the player still loses. For now, if we simplify these facts, we can say that the game is almost an even one between the player and the house. As stated previously, the sets of rules offered by the casinos around the world are different, but the basics are always the same as follows: a. Dealer hits all 16 (and under) b. Player can bet according to the table limits c. Blackjack pays 3 to

38 d. Ties are pushes. e. Player may split pairs. f. Doubling down is permitted. g. Insurance pays 2 to 1. Bonus Options As the name indicates, these are good options for the player, which the casinos introduce periodically in an attempt to attract business. Usually, you don t have to put up a side bet in order to get the bonus payoff. Here are a few possibilities: 1. Six-Card Winner: the player is an automatic winner if the gets 21 or less with six cards, regardless of the dealer s hand. 2. Five-Card Charlie: If the player gets 21 with five cards, as a bonus, the payoff is usually 2 to Triple Seven: there are two different variations: If you can get three sevens of the same suit, the casinos usually pays a nice bonus. If you get only three 7s on any suit, the casino pays a small bonus. 4. Suited 6,7,8: In order to get a bonus for this hand, don t chance your basic play. 5. Double down on any number of cards: For example, the player s original is 5,2 and hits and gets a 3 for a total of 10 and is permitted to double down. This says it all. 6. Two for one for Blackjack: Blackjack pays 2 to 1. SIDE BETS From time to time, casinos offer many types of rules on top of the regular rules. The game goes as usual, but the player can make an additional bet, the

39 side bet. This side bet, just like insurance is completely independent of the original bet. The side bet has nothing to do with the original bet. Here are a few of them: 1. Over or under 13: you make a side bet that the next original hand will be either over or under 13. Aces count as 1, and the dealer takes all hands of 13. The dealer s hand is irrelevant. 2. Red or black: you place a side bet on whether the dealer s upcard will be red or black. There is a push on the deuces. 3. Progressive Blackjack: for a side bet, you can win a progressive jackpot. 4. Blackjack jackpot: for a side bet, you can win if you receive a fist hand A,J of a specified suit, and so on. 5. 7,7,7: you place a side bet on whether the first, the first two, or the first three cards will be a seven in your next hand. These are only a few of the many blackjack variations that have come and gone through the years. Generally speaking, all the side bets are favorable for the house. The casinos usually introduce them in order to initiate players (mostly novices) to the game. Let them play. I strongly suggest that you never play these options, never take a side bet! Special Rules A few more different types of Blackjack are available. The rules are radically different from the regular blackjack game. Let s examine a couple of them: 1. Double Exposure: All the cars are dealt face up, including the dealer s hole card. It sounds good, doesn t it? A Blackjack pays even money. Usually the pairs may be split, but resplitting is not allowed. The dealer hits soft 17, and the player wins Blackjack ties. But here is the bad news: all ties go to the house. I just wouldn t like to play a game in which I have to hit my 20 because I seed the dealer s 20. I don t recommend this game. Not just because I don t want to play, but also because knowing

40 the value of the dealer s hole card can t equalize the house s advantage created by the rules. 2. Multiple Action Blackjack (also known as Triple Action Blackjack): In this game, the player plays three hands against the dealer s upcard. The dealer keeps the same upcard but gives himself three different hole cards. The dealer plays each hand separately. The player gets only one hand, but makes three separate wagers. All the other rules are the same as in the normal game. Therefore, if you play this game, play it as a normal game. If the player busts, all three bets are lost. If the player does not bust, he can win, lose, or push on each hand, depending on the dealer s play on each new hole card. They offer this game in relatively few casinos. Since this kind of game is much faster than the usual, you can lose or win faster. If you cannot play it on a regular basis, I so not recommend it since it is harder to correct the occasional loss. MINIMUM RULES EXPECTATIONS Now that you have gone through all the rules and all the possibilities, let s take a look at the rules that have to exist - at least if you sit down to play. In other words, here are the rules I am looking for, and if the given casino doesn t offer them, do not play: 1. Dealer stands on all 17s, including soft Dealer has one exposed card, and if he has a Blackjack, he wins only the initial wager. 3. Double down is allowed on any two cards (soft doubling is allowed). 4. Player can split any par at least two times, creating three hands. 5. Double down is allowed after split

41 PLAYER S VS. CASINO S ADVANTAGE In this chapter we ll analyze the advantages and disadvantages a player has against the casino e vice versa. THE PLAYER S ADVANTAGES The player has skill. Luck will balance out during your lifetime, but skill won t even out over a lifetime. Skill is something that you always have, and it ll override the unlucky sessions. Casinos don t possess skills. Dealers have to deal by the rules. They can never make decisions. The player has the privilege of quitting. You can quit at any time. The casino must continue to play. If you feel that any circumstances make you uncomfortable, then quit. Don t quit hours later after losing saying to yourself that I should ve quit a long time ago. If you feel like it, just quit. Right away! Don t wait one more hand or shoe. Quit right away. And, of course, if you are up You can quit! You can double, but the casino can t. I don t know how many times I ve heard players say, I never double. Leave them in their ruts. I would like to make one thing clear for sure: you don t double to get a good card! You double to make twice as much money if the dealer is in trouble. You can split put more money against the dealer. The reason why you split two cards is the same reason that applies to doubling

42 THE CASINOS ADVANTAGES The main advantage that the casino has over you is, you have to take a card fist, if you bust, your bet is automatically lost, even if the dealer s hand busts later too. In other words, if both of you bust, the player is still in the losing position. The casino has an unlimited bankroll. They can t get wiped out, even if the dealer busts ten or more hands in a row. The rules of the game, which are set up by the casinos. The casinos have a huge advantage that you can call a psychological edge. As I said earlier, most players go to the casino to have fun. They don t pay attention to the fact that when they go to a casino they enter a place run by very smart, professional businessmen whose job is to separate them from their money. The businessmen do this job using everything that is necessary (free drinks, no clock to make you feel timeless, loud music, etc., etc.). You have to see clearly that the casino s advantages are facts. You cannot do anything against those factors; you cannot change them, but you have to know them to be able to accommodate and deal with them. And since you cannot influence these factors, you have to work on the things that give you the advantages and that depend on your behavior and knowledge. You have to know everything about these factors. You have to make an effort to be perfect. It is not enough to know just some things. You have to know everything

43 ACHIEVING THE ADVANTAGE This second part of the e-book will show you step-by-step everything you need to know in order to gain a colossal advantage over the other blackjack players and over the casino. This is the engine of the e-book. Without reading and learning the tips and advices in this chapter, the last chapter of this e-book containing the winning systems has now effect what so ever with other words, this chapter will help you become a real winner. Period PREPARING TO WIN This chapter will show you why 95% from all casino players are losing in the long run and what you have to do in order to not become one of them. You will learn what winning is all about and how to avoid the mistakes that most casino players make. And much more Blackjack is fun. But it s more fun when winning. Losing hurts, sometimes real bad!! Playing to win does not depend on advanced math, so don t take your calculator to the casino. If you think it might help take your lucky rabbit s foot. Casinos are full with superstitious people. Personally, I have no superstitions in casino. I have no lucky tables or dealer, no lucky casinos, no lucky times, no lucky places at all. For every bad run, I believe there is a good run. My philosophy of winning is simple as this: Winning money is about not losing it! Does that sound obvious? My next theory on Playing to Win is that You must win more when you are wining than you lose when you are losing!

44 The aim is to lose less when you go down than you win when you go up. Playing to Win is built round this simple idea!! IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER If you have never played blackjack, the E-book you have in your hands will definitely help you. Don t be impatient. Don-t run before you can walk. Patience is a vital quality in winning at Blackjack. Finish this book before you start betting. And most important: Practice! Practice! and again Practice! How to practice without losing money? These days you can practice at no financial risk by playing for fun in Internet. You will get use to placing the bets and testing out different betting strategies. To play for free, check on the web under casino or Use the Internet as the nursery before risking your hard earned money. Here you can practice the systems and money management strategies I will teach you later in this e-book. Free play is a very valuable experience. You must find out as much as possible about the player inside you. Are you impatient? Are you cautious, an optimist or a pessimist? This self-knowledge will help you achieve the most vital quality a Pro Player must have: Discipline! Pro players win not because they are better players or use better systems, it s because they all got Discipline nothing beats that! Proved Fact: Winning at blackjack is all about planning, laying down procedures for different situations and sticking to them being disciplined and being patient

45 IF YOU ARE A REGULAR BIG L (LOSER) You ve been playing and losing and so you have decided to buy this e- book? Well, I promise you that we will change your fortunes together. You must be hard with yourself. Admit your mistakes! If you asked me to guess why you had usually lost, I d expect you to say: stacking up the chips during a losing streak and still losing; betting after too much alcohol, impatience and greed. Why do I say that? Because I ve been there too! Buying this e-book is just the first step. Reading it properly is the second but winning your own battle with yourself is the most important. Tip: Only by learning from your own mistakes and from listening, reading and watching can you be able to win consistently. IF YOU ARE AN EXPERIENCED PLAYER I am 100% sure that even experienced players can pick up some new ideas with improved results. Some of my ideas will definitely provoke inspiration, leading to greater success. YOUR BIGGEST ENEMY Who is your biggest enemy in the casino? You think the enemy is the mean-faced dealer, the casino manager at the MGM or the pit boss who stared at you and made you feel unwelcome. You re wrong! The enemy is you yourself!! You and your greed You and your impatience You and your desire to impress You and your excess drinking whilst playing

46 You and your failure to cut your losses You and your tiredness You and your play with too high stakes and too little money You and your ignorance of the rules You and your ignorance of the decks of cards played You and your lack of cash control You and your ignorance of whether you are up or down You and your belief that the law of averages will save on even Tip: You are your own worst enemy! If you never played blackjack, remember this hit list of sins. Avoid them! If you have played, how many of these deadly sins plagued your play? Is that why you ve been losing? In contrast to most players, casinos are not: Greedy for quick profits Drunk Impatient Show-offs Impulsive Emotional Ignorant Short of funds This is why casinos win so much more than the odds in their favor. This is why you go home cleaned out and Caesar s Palace announces record profits!

47 4 RULES EVERY NOVICE PLAYER MUST FOLLOW Rule # 1: Don t play to impress. Play to win! Rule # 2: Never lend money at a gaming table. Rule # 3: Never gamble with money you cannot afford to lose. Rule # 4: Never borrow money at a gaming table. 20 PROFESSIONAL TIPS TO GIVE YOU THE EDGE There is only a very significant amount of difference separating the winners from the good players. By following the next tips you will make the step to professionalism much easier. Read them all and learn them one by one, because they will be very important later when you are playing against the casino. After you finish this e-book and you learn the most powerful wining systems, you can come again here and read these tips one more time. So important are they Tip#1: The objective of the casino game of blackjack is simply to beat the dealer. Tip#2: It is much better to be a hundred dollar winner than a thousand dollar loser. Tip#3: All your decisions depends on the dealer s up card and on your original hands. Tip#4: It is not enough to know just some things. You have to know everything. Tip#5: Blackjack is not a game wherein you can win big money fast, and certainly not on a constant basis. Tip#6: Do not confuse what you would like with what you know. Make goals of your dreams not dreams of your goals. Tip#7: If you use the basic strategy, you will not be right all the time, just most of the time

48 Tip#8: Never let yourself be influenced by the size of your bet if it comes time to double down or split. Tip#9: Nobody can knock out the giant, but you have to try to cut a piece of the cake. Tip#10: A winning player always know how to quit as a loser. It doesn t matter how good a player you are, and it doesn t matter how successful you are, losing sessions are unavoidable from time to time. Tip#11: The bankroll is not decided by the minimum bet, but rather, you will decide the minimum bet according to your bankroll. Tip#12: If somebody is over betting, they have no control over their money. Do not let the casino control your money. Tip#13: The inadequate bankroll/initial goal/stop limits, is the most important reason that the majority of people leave the casino as a losers. Tip#14: The goal of playing Blackjack is not to get action. The goal is to make money. Tip#15: Do not play if the casino is too crowded. If you don t feel comfortable from any reason, do not play. Tip#16: To be prepared mentally is one of the most important factors when we are talking about playing Blackjack. Tip#17: Without a game plan, the game will control you and not you the game. Tip#18: Do not chase your losses because they will catch you (emotionally) before you catch them. Tip#19: The most important factor that separates the winning players from the losing ones is discipline. Discipline is nothing more than following the rules that you already know. Tip#20: Dreamers are losers. The guys who are going for a big win usually don t have any money the next day. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE GAME Before we start this chapter, let s get something clear: There is NO way to win more hands than the dealer in the long run. Period! A very important key to success is to know what to expect from the game, and not just in the sense of knowing what you can get from certain cards but also as regards to: How often certain cards appear

49 How often certain combinations happen How frequently the dealer will bust How frequently the player will bust Your chances of winning 2,3,4, or more hands in a row How big a win can you expect How big of a loss should you acknowledge and accept Knowing these things will make you understand that you can t go to the casino with $200, play with $10 chips and aspect to win $1,000 or more. This could happen, but in no way is this typical and I only want to talk about things that are typical. Blackjack is a 120% EMOTIONAL game. So what you definitely have to understand is that the big fight is not between you and the casino, but between you and yourself. That is why you have to know what to aspect from the game, in order to handle successfully your emotions. WHY ARE MORE THAN 95% OF THE PLAYERS LOSERS? Before I answer this question, let s see how many types of players exist. You can generally divide the players into two groups: Group#1: the Good players they are familiar with the game and they are also divided in two categories: the Pros they know every aspect of the game and win consistently (these are less than 5 percent of all players) the Recreational players -- they have a very good basic knowledge of the game, but don t know the whole picture. These players win occasionally, but in most cases they just play even with the casino. These are a very significant percentage of the players (about 40%). Group#2: the beginners also called the bad players they are the regular losers and the biggest percentage of the players (about 60%)

50 WHY ARE THE GOOD PLAYERS ALSO LOSING? If somebody is a bad player he is a sure loser. However, if somebody is a god player, this alone, for the most part, isn t enough to be a regular winner. Therefore, let s see what is the reason for losing: Reason#1: People tend to expect more from this game than it has to offer. They think they have more chances than they actually have, and they think they can win more than the game has to offer. Blackjack is not a game in which you can win big money fast or indeed win on a constant basis. You have to build your success step by step, over and over again. Reason#2: The second biggest reason for losing is not related to basic knowledge, but the rest of the factors that are not directly connected to the play at the table that affect you mentally and those that these players don t pay enough attention to. This is at least as important as knowledge of the game, and after reaching a specific playing level even more important. Reason#3: The reason why people go to the casino is the next reason many of them lose. The reason you are going to the casino is to win, win and win again, and not to get action

51 WHAT IS THE AVERAGE WINNING HAND IN BLACKJACK? For the beginning, please take a look at the table bellow: Dealer final-hand value % Cumulative total (%) Blackjack Bust What you are most interested in is the bolded number The dealer, in percent of the cases, will have an 18 or higher card. Thus, if you have 18, you cannot beat the dealer. So, if in percent of the cases you cannot beat the dealer, then you can only beat him in percent of the cases. That is a lot less than 50 percent. This result is why you should not go for a constant hand of 18. Eighteen is just not enough on average to win if the dealer does not bust. Or it can be put this way: The dealer will beat you with a 19 or higher percent of the time. The dealer will lose to you with a 17 or bust percent of the time ( ). (13.81 percent of the hands will be a tie of course, when both of you have 18). Consequently, you will be losing 0.31 percent of the hands with a constant 18 over the long run. This means, that the average winning hand in blackjack is over 18, which is 19, 20, 21 or blackjack. Let you also remember one more thing: the dealer will bust less than 30 percent of the time!!

52 WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR ORIGINAL HAND? As you already know, the winning hand in Blackjack is 19 or higher. Let s take a look at what probability you can get near this hand. Original Hand Frequency (%).7 11 or less Always hit Decision hand Hard standing Blackjack 4.8 Total You can see from these figures that you only get a winning hand in less than the smaller part of the possibilities. If these percentages don t say to much by themselves, then I will show you how you can translate them into cases where, for examples, you play for one hour in the casino. For this you have to know the number of hands you will play. HOW MANY HANDS CAN YOU ASPECT IN AN HOUR? How many hands you can get in an hour depends on a few things like: The number of players at the table (the fewer players you get more hands/hour) The number of inexperienced players t the table (the more inexperienced, the slower the game) Depends on the number of decks (if there are fewer number of decks, more shuffling is required) Do they have a shuffling machine (if the do the game will go faster). Last but not least, it depends on the speed of the dealer. With all these factors taken into consideration, I can say that in an hour there will be anywhere between 30 and 100 expected hands. With an average of 6-8 decks and with 5 players at a table, you can expect an average of 60 hands an hour

53 HOW MANY BLACKJACKS CAN YOU EXPECT IN AN HOUR? You can expect a Blackjack in 4.8 percent of the cases. So on average you get a Blackjack on every 20 th hand. In an hour you can count with roughly sixty hands, thus you are supposed to get an average of three Blackjacks an hour. On average!! This means that you should take it as totally normal if you don t get a Blackjack in two or three times as much time. Taking the average into consideration, it is very easily imaginable that an hour could pass before you get a Blackjack. WHAT IS THE PROBABILITY OF BUSTING WHEN HITTING? Let s investigate what chances you have of busting when you hit a hand. The next table shows what are the probabilities of busting when hitting. Hand Value Bust If Hit (%) 11 and under Naturally you cannot bust if hitting a hand in which the total is 11 or lower. In the table, the part bellow the second line has no significance. I just show that so the table is complete. Because, if your hand value is 17 or higher, you will not hit anyway. Therefore your chance to bust is zero. In other words, the busting percentages with hands 17 or higher are only theoretical. The critical hands are the stiff hands (hard 12-16). When to hit these hands depends on the dealer s up-card. The table shows that in the cases of 14,15,16 your chances to bust if you hit is higher than 50 percent. But as you will see later for some sealer s up-cards you just have to hit, or else you will lose big

54 time. Ok. Let s see now when will you have an advantage or disadvantage against the dealer. Check out the table bellow: Dealer s up-card Dealer will bust (%) Player advantage (+) Player s disadvantage (-) % % % % % % % % ,J,Q,K % A % % Dealer s final hand bust Probabilities overall The important thing is that the dealer will bust more than 40% of the time if his up-card is a 4,5,6. Of course, corresponding to that is, the player has the biggest advantage against the dealer if his up-card is a 4,5 or 6! HOW MANY HANDS CAN YOU EXPECT TO WIN? In the long term average, you can expect the following figures. Suppose you play 100 hands, you will: Win 44 hands off 100 Lose 48 hands Push 8 hands This means that the house will win an average of 52 percent and you will win 48 percent of the hands played. Nothing wrong with that. You have to expect the casino to have an advantage over you, since they would not be in business for very long if the odds were even. You should just never forget that you are the underdog. Remember: there is now way to win more hands than the dealer! The only way you will win at the blackjack table (without card counting) is to vary your bets the right way at the right time

55 HOW MANY HANDS CAN YOU WIN IN A ROW? Total Hands Played 20,000 hands % Win (including blackjack) 8,842 hands Lost 9, Push 1, Total No. of blackjack Out of total pays 3:2 896 Took even money 32 Push 11 Total No. of Double Down 1, Out of total win 826 Lost 479 Push 109 Total No. of Hands Split Winning consecutive hands How many times in 20,000 hands Total No. winning series: Losing consecutive hands 1,216 How many times in 20,000 hands Total No. 1,236 winning series: NOTE: when I counted a series, I did not Took into consideration the pushes

56 The tables above illustrates the analyses of 20,000 hands played in the casino. Some more statistics mostly just for your interest: The number of hands in the longest alternate win, lost, win, lost series: 14 hands A winning series followed by a losing series immediately: 309 times A losing series followed by a winning series immediately: 292 times The longest streak without splitting: 133 hands The longest streak without doubling: 68 hands The most Blackjack in a row: 4 The most Blackjack in one shoe: 6 Out of 100 Hands The Most The Least Win Lost Push 13 5 Blackjack 9 1 I think that the numbers just shown say it all. You know now how many hands you can expect to win in a row. Advice: Be realistic. Don t dream of playing for the long winning streak only. If such streaks happen, that s fine, but they just don t happen very often. The total hands that were involved in any kind of winning series were less than one quarter of all hands

57 HOW MUCH CAN YOU EXPECT TO WIN? All of us, without exception, go to the casino to make money (win) whether you admit it to yourself or not. I firmly believe that one of the foremost reasons why people leave the Blackjack battlefield as losers is because they expect much more than is possible or than they can realistically expect from this game. So what can you aspect? Well, according to the data discussed earlier, I achieved a 75 percent winning rate. This isn t a small percentage. On average, I won three out of every four sessions. And now the main point. Please take it very seriously. Remember it, and don t expect more from this game! In the long run, it s possible to achieve 2-3 units per hands profit, and no more. So if you want to make a bigger amount, then never imagine doing that on the $10 table. Decide how much you want to make, and choose your initial bet according to that figure. Then, 2-3 units for every hands can be yours on average. Remember: Later in this book you will also learn secret counting strategies to use in case you would like to win even more units per hour. But before I ll show you how to beat the blackjack, let s see what is the secret formula I have used so many years to make big bucks at blackjack

58 THE BLACKJACK WINNING FORMULA The formula bellow is the most powerful weapon you can use against casino, in order to beat the odds and achieve a real advantage over the house. Read it, learn it and apply it every time you enter in a casino or you want to risk your hard earned money playing online. Without following this combination, disaster is as close as the next spin. As you can see in the formula, to beat the game of blackjack you need five powerful things: 1. Game Knowledge 2. Self Discipline 3. Money Management 4. Game Selection 5. Appropriate Wining System The rest of the E-book contains detailed information on these three weapons every Blackjack Pro must posses in order to play blackjack as a business. About the first weapon we have just discussed in the previous chapters where you have all the details on how to play the game and what to expect from the game of blackjack. We ll go on with the next weapon called Self Discipline

59 SELF DISCIPLINE OR SELF CONTROL This is one of the most important factors you should consider before sitting down at the blackjack table. Before taking action you have to be mentally good prepared. To be prepared mentally is one of the most important things when we are talking about playing advance blackjack. To be ready to play means: being prepared physically and mentally. To be prepared physically means you can t be tired and your body has to be ready to play at least 3 to 6 ours a day. If you feel tired or sleepy, stop playing. Many people think they have to be in action always because they ll miss something. You can t miss anything, believe me. All those casinos will be there tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and so on. You will never miss anything, only your lost money if you play when you are not mentally prepared. You have just arrived. Are you ready? No. even if you have just driven an hour, you have to prepare yourself for the game. Cool down! Take a short walk, discover the casino even if you are there for the thousandth time go to the washroom, and look around maybe a couple a friends are there. Acclimate to the circumstances. Get ready to play. Blackjack is an emotional game even if you are prepared to play. But if you aren t? you need concentration and you have to able to control your emotions. If you just jump in, you control nothing. Focus on your game before you start to play. Think one more time about what is important: why you are playing, how long you want to play, the amount of you current bankroll, what the initial bet will be, and so on. You have to be there totally. 10 POWERFUL GOLDEN RULES My rules have developed not simply from playing and watching in casinos as far apart as Sydney, Las Vegas, London, Paris, Monte Carlo, and the riverboats south of Chicago. They have developed from watching big winners and even bigger losers, from listening to casino staff, casino managers and talking to other players whether at the bar or at the tables

60 The rules I put forward have been fine-tuned like a Formula One racing car by listening to wise counsel and by ignoring the drunken boasts of occasional winners or by the curses of the perpetual looser. They do not even all involve blackjack - they can be applied to any casino game. The incidents from casinos around the globe all helped to shape my thinking. Study them carefully. Rule#1: Winning at blackjack is all about planning, laying down procedures for different situations and sticking to them being disciplined and being patient. Rule#2: Self-discipline is the most powerful weapon blackjack millionaires possess, and is the most important task you must accomplish in order to have a chance against the casino. Rule#3: Don t throw away what you have won! Leave as a winner. Rule#4: Don t play on the numbers straight-up. Many people think they can win big just like in the movie. Unfortunately the reality is deferent, much different. There are three reasons why you should definitely NOT play numbers if you are a novice in blackjack: Reason#1: because novices have no understanding of the wheel, the odds, the footprints and the hedged bets used by experienced players in these positions. Reason#2: even if good win paid at 35-1 hits, the money will almost certainly not be kept as winnings, but will be lost in the following spins, resulting in another example of the casino cleaning up. Reason#3: inadequate funds and lack of money management. Rule#5: Winning is about You and the size of bets you make and when you make them. Rule#6: Bad players win sometimes but not for long!! Take the trouble to learn how to play well

61 Rule#7: Only by learning from your own mistakes and from watching and listening you will be able to win constantly. Rule#8: Alcohol kills judgment. More importantly, greedy winning-goals are rarely met! Rule#9: If you don t want to run into financial problems from playing, your only chance is to educate yourself. By following these rules you can prove to yourself how strong your will really is the will to make hundreds or even thousands of dollars a night playing blackjack. It is all Self Discipline, and that is what separate the real winners from the other type of players. The next part of the e-book will show you how to select the best games possible wit the best conditions this will increase your advantage over the house drastically. GAME SELECTION Where you choose to play can make a huge difference to your retirement plans. Playing at a casino simply because you like it s décor or enjoy the pirate theme can potentially be devastating to your blackjack career. A true Pro player who really wants to make serious money at blackjack seeks out only the very best games if he/she wants to become a winner rather just another sucker donating the contents of his wallet. In this chapter you ll learn how to find the best possible games and how to exploit the most profitable situations a casino could offer. As I told you in the

62 introduction part of this e-book I will teach you how to beat the blackjack game with or without card-counting. It remains to your decision how you want to make the big bucks. That is why in this chapter I will show you how to chose the best game for you from a card-counter perspective as well as from a non-card-counter point of view. FINDING THE BEST GAMES (FOR NON-CARD-COUNTERS) If you want to beat the house at blackjack without card-counting or cheating this chapter is essential for you. As maybe already know, dealerbreaking tables and player-favorable games exhibit evidence of winning. This evidence can be quantified as factors factors that point to winning tables. In the next pages I will describe those factors for definition and description, which are key to establishing and maintaining an advantage over the dealer. Factor#1: The Chips When looking for a playable game, look at the chips in front of the players. Learn how to identify the average buy-in sizes. If the players appear to have more chips in front of them than the average buy-in, you are looking at the game where players have probably been wining. In evaluating player s chips for winning activity, use 20 times the table minimum as a guide. In a $5 table, if a player has more than $100 in front of him, there is a good chance that he is a winner. Also, look at the chips in the dealer s tray. If there are a lot o chips missing, make sure that the amount of chips in front of the players roughly matches the amount missing from the tray. That is a sign that the chips have been won at the table. If the amount of player s chips is much less than the amount missing from the dealer s tray, the chips may have been won or bought and taken away. Learning how to pay attention to what is happening with the chips on the table will help you find winning games

63 Factor #2: The Game The game factor is the key to finding winning tables. Here you are looking for signs that the game has what we will call integrity. This means, essentially, that the game is going our way. Look for a game where the majority of the payers are making their hands, where the dealer is breaking often, and where the dealer is not getting a lot of 10 value cards or aces where you see this, you are looking at a game with good integrity. Look for games where the players are betting more aggressively, putting out money for double-downs and splits without deliberation. This indicates that the players have been winning and expect to win more. Where you see players deliberating over their bet decisions, passing up chances to double sown or split their hands, these are signs that the game is going badly and should be passed over. Factor#3: The Player Talk to players at the tables you are evaluating. Getting information from the players is vital to finding winning tables. You want to find out if there is activity at this table right now! Don t be afraid to talk with players most people are more than happy to tell you how they are doing. Just be specific in the questions you ask. Don t just ask: How is going here? You will get an equally general OK, or Not so good. Instead, the more specific you are, the more specific the information you will get back. Ask questions such as, Did the dealer break any of the four or five hands? While looking at the chips in front of the players, you might ask them how much they bought into the game for. Ask whether the players have been making their splits and double-down plays the last three to five hands. The information you will gain will be valuable and will help you decide whether the table is playable

64 Factor#4: The Dealer The dealer is an important element to finding favorable games. Talk to the dealers when you are looking for god games. Often the dealers will tell you if they have been beating the players or not. A dealer s job is often boring, and they are grateful to players who are pleasant and who make the game be more interesting. Keeping a dealer s attitude in your favor can mean a more even game, with less variation in the shuffle and the chance of keeping a good game going longer. Factor#5: The Rules The numbers in the table bellow represent the percentage of how the different rule variations affect the player. The bigger the number, the bigger the effect. From these base points, you can have an idea of the house or the player s edge according to the rules that you are playing with. How Rule Variations Affect the Player Favorable for the Player Advantage (%) Early surrender Dealers stands on all 17s Double on any three or more cards Drawing any number of cards to split Aces Doubling down allowed after split Surrender Resplitting of aces Unfavorable for the player (%) No doubling down on 8 or less 0.00 No respliting of pairs Dealer takes no hole card Doubling down on 9,10,11 only No soft doubling No splitting of Aces Dealer hits soft Doubling down on 10,11 only No splitting of pairs Doubling down on 11 only Dealer wins pushes

65 Of course, the casinos aren t in business to make your life really easy. After you have studied table above, I would like to bring to your attention that only two of the rules that are favorable to the players are common in many casinos. These are dealer stands on all 17s, and doubling down allowed after split. Fact: Any restriction on doubling down strongly decreases your chances, and one more thing (I don t think I even have to tell you) if the house takes the push, just don t play that game. FINDING THE BEST GAMES (FOR CARD-COUNTERS) Here is a table listing the positive or negative consequences of some common rule changes. If you want to make big money with card-counting you should definitely this table in consideration: Positive Effects Double Down after splits +.13% Resplit Aces +.06% Late surrender +.06% Early surrender +.63% Negative Effects 2 decks -.32% 6 decks -.51% 8 decks -.53% Dealers hits on soft % No resplitting -.03% No soft doubling -.11% Double on 10 or 11 only -.25% At first glance, it might not seem worthwhile to take the time and expense to fly halfway the across the country just to gain an extra few tenths of percent advantage. But let s take a look at a typical scenario and see how much you gain or lose. All of the following examples are based on $50 average bet and one long weekend of play 1500 hands. All of the changes are measured against a benchmark single-deck game with Las Vegas Strip rules, which was an essentially break-even proposition for

66 basic strategy players (it actually offered a slight advantage of.02 percent to players). Unfortunately, this game is very hard to find in this days. In the tables bellow, the number in the top far right of each table shows how much you would win or lose by just playing basic strategy against that particular combination (rules and number of decks). Barona (San Diego) (W $7) Single Deck +.02% Hit on soft % Double down after a split +.13% Late surrender +.06% Casino edge +.01% Golden Nugget (Laughlin) (L $135) Single Deck +.02% Hit on soft % Casino edge -.18% Circus (Reno) (L $322) Single Deck +.02% Hit on soft % Double down on 10 or 11 only -.25% Casino edge -.43% Mirage (Las Vegas) (L $143) Two decks -.32% Double down after splits +.13% Casino edge -.19% As you can see in the examples above, the difference add up very quickly, especially if you take several weekend trips a year. However, none of the previous tables factor card counting into the equation. For a basic-strategy player, the best game would simply be the one with the lowest house advantage. But rules are only one of the criteria for card counters. I ll give you a few general guidelines and then share some examples to show how I decided where to play. Gudeline#1: The first parameter is very simple. The fewer decks being used, the better. In other words, one deck is easier to beat than two, and two decks is much stronger than six. Eight

67 decks should be avoided as much as a visit to your mother-in-law. Guideline#2: The second guideline is to always seek out the best rules. Options such as surrender, double any two cards, or double down after a split always favor the player. Any restriction or negative changes to the normal standard rules hurt the player and help the house, such as hitting on soft 17 or not being able to double down on any two cards. Guideline#3: The third principle is penetration, or how deeply the cards are dealt before shuffling. In my mind, this is the most important of the three main criteria. Good rules usually don t make up for mediocre penetration. For example if a casino offers a six-deck game with all the bells and whistles (surrender, double down on anything, resplitt aces) but only deals out half the shoe (three decks) before shuffling, it would be a waist of time for any serious player. So with these three principles in mind, let me explain how I decide where to play. I typically go wherever I can achieve the highest return per hour of blackjack play. The best rules normally are found wherever a glut of casinos provide plenty of competition. This force owners to offer more favorable options. Historically, Las Vegas and Atlantic City have been good picks for basicstrategy players who are looking for the clubs with the thinnest house edge. They normally stand on soft 17 and allow players to double on any two cards. Common sense would assume that pros only visit the clubs with the very best rules, as the difference can be half a percent or more. That axiom would be accurate for basic-strategy players. Yet as stated earlier, there are other factors besides good rules for card counters. The trick comes in learning how to juggle all three variables (penetration, number of decks, and rules) to size up the best opportunity for your blackjack buck. With experience comes better judgment and discernment on this issue. I feel one of the biggest reason novice card counters fail to win any serious

68 money is because they play inferior games. You absolutely have to be ruthless in this category if you want to succeed. In the next chapter well talk about how to manage your bankroll and how to use a powerful money-management formula to keep your winnings and keep losses down. MONEY MANAGEMENT Do not think that you can simply take on the casino with just 100 chips and within a few days automatically achieve the same success I have after years of practice. When many casinos expect a 5 chip minimum bet, 100 chips is a small number to use. You could easily lose the lot in mere 20 consecutive rounds. Yes even on a near chances, the dealer can be stronger 20 times in a row and sometimes more! I had saved up my cash for a Gambling-Capital of 1,000 chips. It was there, a sleeping giant, available if I had perpetual runs of misfortune. I never needed the 1,000 chips because I started with tiny bets, fighting to protect my 100 chips. Later, I shall set out the essentials of how much you need and why. You may be able to follow my suggestions and strategies, and impatiently start with 100 chips with nothing in reserve and get away with it. I don t recommend it. One of the many reasons why people lose is because they have to little money to save them through the bad runs. Casinos have bad runs to. The difference? They have the cash reserve to ride the storm. Ok, let s see which is the best way to manage your money like Pro Players do. We ll start with the beginning, with your gambling-capital or Bankroll

69 YOUR GAMBLING-CAPITAL OR BANKROLL Important Note! The money management tips, tricks and strategies revealed in these pages can (or must) be used for all the systems I will teach you later in this e-book (card-counting systems or non-card-counting systems and strategies). Before I start I want to thank Dr. Raymond J. Wilson author of the casino bestseller Roulette Advantage System for allowing me to borrow his genius money-management formula my own money-management formula is much complicated and it would take me too many pages to explain it to you (maybe in my next e-book). Now let s talk about money and how much you need to start your new adventure. The Gambling-Capital is your money that you are ready to risk against the might of the casino. Used properly you can never have to much. I d rather have 1,000,000 chips and aim to win 1% (being 10,000 chips) than have 100 chips and a target of winning 30% or 30 chips. I want my Percentage Goal to be as low as possible!! Tip: If you play blackjack with just $20, there is a chance that you will, at some point, be ahead. With such limited funds, if you want to win rather than play you should play the smallest stakes in the house and if ahead, quit quickly. But you won t most of you, that is because doing well and being up $5 isn t a turn-on so you play on and lose everything! Why? Because you see it as only fun money: heck, I m here to have a good time. Who wants to win just five bucks? Ain t gonna change my life! What s with 20 lousy bucks anyway? There you have it! That s a deal casino bosses love: they want your money. You don t care if they have it. Fabulous!! Sure you ll find someone sitting at the bar and tell you they know someone with $20 who won enough to buy a Ferrari. OK, it can happen, like winning the lottery. You ve got $20? My view? Don t gamble with it! Be patient. Ply for free as practice in internet and save as much as you can over a few weeks. Save until

70 you have a decent roll of notes. $100 is really too little unless you re happy winning $15 still a good percentage but not going to buy you much more than a buffet these days. I d say $1,000 could be a reasonable base but if you could save more, say $5,000, that s better. Whoa! Whoa! You ll say... I don t want to lose $1,000, let alone $5,000. Agreed!! But I say: The larger your Gambling-Capital, the less chance there is of losing it! The smaller your Capital, the greater the chance of being wiped out. Tip: If you ve saved hard to get a Gambling Capital together, you ll guard it better when you play - the reverse of easy come, easy go. PANIC PENNIES There is more than one aspect to this: 1. Playing when you lost all your cash means you are playing with panic pennies. The more you have lost and the less you have to play with, the worse you will play! That is panic pennies play! 2. Never play with money you can afford to lose next week s rent or the car insurance. That s panic pennies! 3. If you start with a base bet that is too high and increase your stakes on each loss, the progression will get scary. What then? Do you back off and lose a bundle or see it through, risking far more than you intended? That again is a panic pennies moment the result of a too large base number and a greedy progression to win back your losses. Tip: It is not a crime to bet at the minimum stakes permitted on the table. It is sensible unless you re trying to lay the chick sitting next to you by impressing her with your apparently large assets (though small brain!). You can always increase your base bet if you get a few wins in, so long as you don t let any bigger losses destroy your winnings

71 HOW MUCH MONEY IS ENOUGH? Many experts say you need 40 times your largest bet. They say that with this ratio you will never be cleaned out. Don t you believe it! Suppose that you are using a progressive betting system on losing, of 5 chips, 10 chips and 20 chips and then back to 5 chips. In order to fund that, it is said that you would need 40 times your largest bet being 20 chips, totaling 800 chips. The theory is that 800 chips will be enough to see you through the bad runs. I don t believe it! Period. If you are playing from a base of 10 chips as your first bet and then level-betting 10 chips on each loss and only increasing after a win, then the suggested fund is 400 chips in total (40X10). Is that enough to be sure that a bad run or three won t take your whole lot? I don t think so. What do I suggest? Here are 4 powerful tips: Tip#1: Use the largest Gambling-Capital you can save from $1,000 upwards. Tip#2: A Gambling-Capital of 100 times your largest bet is probably safe but there is no guarantee! Casino wheels can be spiteful. Tip#3: Place the table s minimum bets, until you make some profit (or until you start playing with the casino s money). Tip#4: Set modest goals!! Warning! Don t get carried away thinking that just because you have saved big reserves you can play big, play loose or take wilder risks. The casino is an unforgiving place. Tip: My philosophy is to talk quietly but carry a big stick. That means having ample money but playing small and mean in relation to my capital. Until you can prove to yourself you have the self discipline to resist temptation, carry as little money as you need to play two Games (when I use

72 the word Game with a capital G, I mean one attempt to reach your established goal. Uncontestable Fact: The less money you have to use per Game, the greater will be the chance of losing it! DEFINING YOUR GOALS A good Money Management is the most important factor a Pro player must posses besides Self Discipline. This lesson is the engine room of how to become a winner and make money consistently at blackjack. Note: money management is more important than choice of system -- as long as you use an appropriate system. The way to win consistently is follow rules made in advance. Sometimes, for good reason, a different bet may be worthwhile but, generally, an iron discipline holding you to sensible plans remains best. There are two major difficulties when playing the tables: 1. Quitting when ahead and 2. Quitting when losing One of the toughest decisions is taking a loss and walking especially when you have chips or cash available. That is why you need rules made in advance. Stick to them and you will walk when you should. If you have no rules, then you ll be like almost everyone else and play till the last chip has been lost. So once you know how much capital you have and how much you will use for each Game, you need to set your goals. These are rules to be obeyed. Once you have decided on the rules, write them down on your Record Card, as explained later in this e-book, before you start playing

73 IMPORTANT: As you can see, the goals in this graphic are symbolized with the colours red and green. In the Red Zone you are playing with your own money until you rich the Satisfaction Point. From this moment on

74 you are in the Green Zone (of course so long you are not losing), the zone where you play only with the casino s money. This should actually be your Goal: to play only in the Green Zone! Each of the goals (objectives or borders) presented on the graphic above is to get back. Example: If a soccer team is 4-0 down at half-time, what is the chance of it drawing level, let alone winning in the remaining 45 minutes? Not Good! But if it s 1-0 down, then there s room for optimism. Blackjack is the same. The team that is 4-0 down is more likely to end up losing 8-0. So are you in blackjack. Don t get suckered into a bigger loss. Start a new Game after a break. It will be explained. Imagine these as rungs on a ladder standing beside a deep hole. You start the game at POINT ZERO. BREACKDOWN BORDER (BB) is bellow POINT ZERO in the deep hole SATISFACTION POINT (SP) is the first rug INITIAL GOAL (IG) is the second rung JACKPOT is the third and your biggest rung - mine was $1,000,000. What s yours!? STOP BETTING BORDER (SBB) is the safety net beneath the ladder. Here are their purposes: Breakdown Border (BB) = the amount that forces you to stop that Game. Either you had a lot of bad luck or you were just playing like an amateur, you lost a certain percent from your Gambling Capital. Now is the time to stop that miserable Game, take a break, relax and start a new Game...let s say in about 30 minutes Satisfaction Point (SP)= the goal amount that will make you feel like a winner because from this moment on you start playing only with the casino s money your money or your Gambling Capital will stay untouched no matter what. The Satisfaction Point is also the safety net after you ve reached your Initial Goal. If you go home with this sum, you ll be not happy but you ll

75 definitely be satisfied. When you ve reached Satisfaction Point you can quit with a small profit or place any bets to go on to your Initial Goal so long you don t breach SBB. Initial Goal (IG) = your goal you ve set before entering the casino. This amount will make you happy and satisfied will also bring a lot of bucks (or chips) into your Gambling Capital. Once you ve reached your Initial Goal you can stop or start fighting for a new Goal which is the Jackpot (big amount - for example: 10 X your Gambling Capital). One thing you must not forget: don t place bets that will break Satisfaction Point. That way you re bound to go home, well maybe not very happy, but satisfied! Jackpot = the undefined amount when you go even beyond your Initial Goal. Stop Betting Border (SBB) = the safety net that helps prevent a win becoming a loss. It catches you if you fall after reaching Satisfaction Point to need a safety net. If you stop here you won t be satisfied but you ll be happy because you have a happy outcome and your Gambling Capital will not be less although you had a bad day. Of these, BB and SBB are the most important. Why? Because both are designed to safeguard your cash. If you lose so badly that you sink to the BB, then you must stop. No ifs or buts!! No convincing yourself that the next spin is going to be a winner!! Remember that Winning is about not losing. You must keep your losses down on the bad games. If a good run that has taken you up over your Satisfaction Point starts to turn bad and your chips are slipping away, the temptation is to play widely to climb back to where you were. Suddenly, al the good work is undone. That s why SBB (Stop Betting Border) is so vital. Without the discipline of a SBB rule, this is what happens: losses are chased to get back to where you fell is your right. Suddenly, it s: What have I done I m losing!

76 I m under Point Zero now I m a loser who was winning! (a ninety-percent) IMPORTANT: These money management rules help you quit when you are winning or losing! FIXING THE FIGURES (PLAYING A GAME WITH $100) Tip: Think percentages! They are what count, not amounts! BB - Breakdown Border This is the amount you decide on and wrote in your Record Card (I ll teach you later in this e-book) before arrival to the casino. I would recommend fixing your BB not higher than 30% of the cash for the Game. That would be in our case $30. If your losses reach this point you QUIT! Rule: The higher you fix your BB the larger must be your Satisfaction Point. So when you slump to the Breakdown Border STOP! SBB Stop Betting Border (the safety net) Fix this at 15% of your cash for the game say $15. This is the amount that, once you reached the Satisfaction Point you know you ll take home. There is nothing dumber than being well ahead and then getting stuck into a bad run and becoming a loser. This can t save you from going from winner to loser every time. But it will always prevent you from going from a happy winner to a loser. The SBB is irrelevant while you are still heading for Satisfaction Point. Ignore it! Suppose your SBB is $15 and your SP is $30. You are up $25 so between your SBB and SP. Your next bet could be whatever you want 5, 10,

77 15, or 25 dollars the choice is yours. The SBB is irrelevant as yet because you are still scrambling up towards SP. SP - Satisfaction Point There is no point playing and quitting with a sum that doesn t make you feel like a satisfied winner. The sum depends on you and your Gambling Capital. This is the amount you d be satisfied to take home as winnings. It s higher than your SBB. It should be fixed relative to the amount you set as your BB. For example: if your BB is set at 30% ($30), then the SP should usually be between 30 and 50 percent. Because setting high winning targets is foolish, it is better to slash the Breakdown Border. A BB of 15% or $15 against a Satisfaction Point of 30% or $30 make sense, but this demonstrates the problem of playing with only $100. Advice: It s good discipline to play with small sums as you learn to play like an advantage player but having cash available for a single Game of $1,000 makes all the goals easier to fix and gives you a better chance of winning. Satisfaction Point can sensibly be fixed at 30% winnings or a bit more or less. You can fix a BB of 25% and a SP of 20%. This works fine if you win as often as you should and hit the SP regularly. If you are losing more often than you win, then you need to keep the losses down each Game. The aim is to win more when you win than you lose when you lose. Remember? If you regard $30 as a good win, than fine that s the amount you use as your Satisfaction Point. Only you will know if $30 is enough. It certainly is enough in percentage terms (that s 30%). The question is whether the cash will make you feel like a real winner. Remember the advice I gave you earlier blackjack is a percentage game! You want to win more? Then raise your stakes and play with a larger Gambling Capital! Breach SP only on the way up to reaching your Initial Goal, not, I suggest, on the way down after reaching IG

78 If you want to fix a SP of $1,000 and an IG of $2,500, then you must play big money to make it a sensible goal say $5,000. Equally, going home with a $5 win isn t going to make most of us satisfied by the time we ve tipped the valet parking! The goal must be sensible in relationship with your capital. Tip: Satisfaction Point is a sum that is sensible in percentage terms compared to your cash for the Game and enough to satisfy you. IG - Initial Goal This is a sensible sum in relation to your starting cash. Don t make it to large as you may then not reach it very often. If Satisfaction Point is 30%, then IG of 50% is sensible. Winning 50% is an excellent return and, is you reach it you may go much further. In the examples that follow are more explanations of your Initial Goal in action. It is a big win-goal but also acts as an accumulator as you play on to Jackpot. Jackpot This sum is not fixed but applies on those rare days when you do so well after reaching IG that you feel as if you ve won the Jackpot. How to play after reaching your Initial Goal is explained later. REALISTIC EXAMPLES ON MONEY MANAGEMENT --Satisfaction Point and Initial Goal in action-- Example#1 cash $100 You fix these amounts in advance: BB = $

79 SBB = $15 SP = $35 IG = $45 Assume you ve done well: you re ahead! $25 up - so far. Next bet: $10 Win: Total cash now $35 Satisfaction Point. You can now bet any sum of your winnings up to $20 - the SBB level. You bet a sensible $5 as you head for IG. This is a lost. You are back to $30. The next bet of $5 is lost and you drop back to $25. The next bet of $5 is lost and you drop back to $20. The next bet of $5 is lost and you drop back to $15. Ding, ding, ding! The alarm bells sound! You re down to SBB, so quit that game! The SBB safety net has caught you. You d won enough to be a SP but at least you are a WINNER! Example#2 You re ahead! $25 so far. Next bet $10. Lost reduced to $15 the SBB level. Ignore it. Why? Because you never reached SP. Next bet: $5, loses. You are down to $10. Next bet: $5, loses. You are down to $5. Next bet: $5, loses. You are down to Point Zero where you started. Next bet: $5, wins. You are up to $

80 Next bet: $10, wins. You are up to $15. Next bet: $15, wins. You are up to $30 again you still haven t reached SP and so you can place any bet you want, even if it will take you bellow SBB. Next bet: $20, wins. You are up to $50. You have now jumped over the SP rung and over IG of $45 as well. Now both SP and SBB are there to save you. Once you have reached your Initial Goal, don t place bets that take you below SP. Why risk the amount that you d decided would make you feel like a winner? It s different when you re still fighting to reach IG. Then, you ve already decided to take the risk to try to risk more. You can risk up to $15 tacking you back to SP ($50 less $15 = $35 = SP). This is what can power you on towards bigger winnings and that elusive Jackpot. With $50 profit starting with $100, you ve done well, so it s no crime to stop and pocket a large profit of 50%. And just think how much you would have won if you d been playing with $1,000 or even $10,000! Example#3 cash $1,000 SBB = $150 SP = $350 IG = $450 The gap between SBB and SP gives you $200 to use to try to reach IG. That s 40 bets of $5 very worthwhile. Though the next gap between SP and IG is only 10% ($100), to me, that s just fine because $100 gives you 20 bets at $5 to try to beat YOUR Initial Goal and reach out for the Jackpot. Compare that when you try to beat the casino on a shoestring playing with $100. The difference between SP of $35 and a IG of $45 is also 10% at $10. But $10 probably only buys you two chances to win on even chances

81 This is an excellent reason why your Gambling-Capital should be as large as possible. It will enable you to take more cash to the casino and to set better goals, providing more flexibility and far better chances to reach the top of the ladder. INITIAL GOAL TO JACKPOT IN ACTION Sometimes reaching $45 (like in Example#2) is a difficult as travelling to the moon in a home-made rocket! On other days, it s a doodle. Here is your thinking when you reach $45, your Initial Goal: I have reached the point where, whatever now happens, I shall go home satisfied. Why? Because, now I will pocket my SP of $35. I am going home with at least the amount I said in advance would make me satisfied. I am a real winner!! I can quit now with a really good win of $45 if I want to. Today I want to go home not only satisfied but also happy, so I will take the risk of dropping back to SP and carry on. I will not place any bet so large that it bites into my Satisfaction point ($35). I have $10 available to play with. From now on, I will pocket 50% of each new win. I will not then play with those pocketed chips either. True, I won t necessarily end up even with my Initial Goal sum. Two bad spins and the $10 excess over the Sp may be gone. Once I m ahead of the IG aim, I can breach it so long as I never touch the SP of $35 plus any additional 50% winnings that have been pocketed. I can play on with any cash available after obeying these rules and continue till I have none left, that is, Jackpot! But at any time, I can stop without loosing the last cash chips left and will be sure to take home more without risking losing it: that too is Jackpot!

82 It is no crime to stop at Initial Goal or above it at any time. Some days, I ll want to go on. Some days I ll want to quit. After all, my next bets may take me back to Satisfaction Point. SP doesn t seem so attractive now that I ve reached something rather more. So why not just quit at IG and be sure to go home satisfied and very happy. Will I be satisfied to quit with only SP when I was doing better. You should be. Why? Because you re a gambler and at this point you should usually be prepared to go on to see if you can do better than your Initial Goal. You should also be philosophical if you drop back to tacking home only a 35% profit which was your SP. JACKPOT STRATEGIES: The Jackpot is the ultimate goal in any one Game it is not a fixed amount and is reached How much cash you have to try to reach Jackpot depends on the gap between your Satisfaction Point and your Initial Goal. Sometimes the win that gets you to your Initial Goal will put you well above it. That gives you more flexibility in what you do. That decision depends on you. If you decide to play on, risking your winnings above Satisfaction Point, then these are your options: Increase your bets and if you can count the cards increase even more if the count is favorable. This can be a way to quick and big profits. Play as before, carefully grinding out a profit. After all, just because you have won more than you need to go home happy and satisfied is no reason to lose some of it. Experiment with a different but safe system. Tip: Just because you ve done well is no reason to go mad and lose the excess over SP with stupid bets. This is a time to relax, to enjoy the moment, to look around and to asses where the best opportunity lies to bet well. After all,

83 you don t want to feel you ve thrown money back to the casino. Do your best to reach the Jackpot! Example#4: Let s continue example#2 above: SBB = $15 SP = $35 IG = $45 Suppose your tenth bet of $10 took winnings above the Initial Goal of $45. You have won $50. The maximum bet you can place is up to $15 the difference between SP and your present cash position of plus $50. Tenth bet: win $10 = +$50 total (as before) Eleventh bet: win $5 = +$55 total pocket $3 (50% rounded up) Twelfth bet: $10 = +$65 total pocket $5 (50%) Thirteenth bet: win $5 = + $70 total pocket $3 (50%) Fourteenth bet: lose $10 = + $60 total It is now your call again. You ve won $60. Of these you ve locked up $35 plus $3 plus $5 plus $3. You could leave with a triumphant &46 46% win! If 46 dollars does not seem like a triumph, then imagine if 46% had meant a win of $4,600.. Would that seem better? At this point, you have $41 left to play with. Personally, I would go on and I expect most of you would. TIGHT MARGINS I ve based these examples on the tight margin of playing with $100. The percentages are tough and the room for error is slim. If you can be patient,

84 save for, or use a bigger fund. Then play carefully with a bigger cash sum for each game. That s much better. Tip: If you re winning, maximize. If you re losing, quit! The SBB and SP will catch you as you are falling. That is their purpose safety net against human nature. But as you climb the letter, keep looking only at your Initial Goal and the pinnacle of Jackpot beyond that. Some days you won t need safety nets. On others, you ll be glad you had them to save you from yourself! Question: Why can t I lose more in one Game? I mean, if I stop at my BB and then restart 30 minutes later, aren t I just carrying on where I left off? If so I might just as well never stop and just play through the rough patch. Answer: NO. It really most important to stick to a rule that makes you quit. Here s why: The more you lose in the game, the worse you play and the harder is to get back to even. When you re losing fast, wild risks seem attractive to get back to even. If you reach your BB and carry on, losses will usually accelerate until you get down to your last few chips. Then you ll say to yourself: Hell, I might just as well it all now. I ll put it all on, go for the big one. Get it all back. Chances are you won t. Don t get suckered into even bigger losses like this! The chips for which you buy in are not there to be lost. They are your yardstick to measure percentages for your Initial Goal, Satisfaction Point, SBB and BB. Losing your entire stack of chips is a real downer. Setting a cash figure of $100 for a Game does not mean you will ever lose it all in one bad Game. You will lose only the small percentage you fixed before setting foot into casino. If you arrive with $200 to play two Games, if it s a bad day, you may well leave with $160 having lost forty dollars 20% on each game. Sure it wasn t much fun. Sure, you might win it back in a moment, but I assure you, it is better to take a break. Tip: Don t go beyond the Breakdown Border. The more you lose, the harder it is to recover your money!!

85 EACH GAME IS UNIQUE You are now in a new game with your $100 (or whatever), shooting for the same goals (targets), sticking to the same Breakdown Borders. You arrive at the table with a near even chance of making a profit. You are not chasing past losses. Believe me, this psychology works! Tip: By keeping losses down, winning, when it happens, comes quicker. The bigger the hole you ve dug, the greater the panic. Result? A deeper hole! Stop digging! Some days, one loss follows another! The BB seems far too small. Learn to accept that. Twenty minutes later, you can return feeling optimistic again. Before, as you were losing fast, you had become punch-drunk with the rapid run of losing bets. You keep telling yourself this is a near game and yet that s twelve bets in a row you ve lost. Fairness has no place in a casino, especially at the blackjack table! There is none! Even the most sensible, logical and carefully thought out bets can be lost and lost again and again. Take a break and remember that with discipline and a good stacking system, those rapid-fire losses can be won back with fewer than 12 winning bets. Tip: The larger your Gambling Capital, then for each game: The larger your stack of chips The larger your Satisfaction Point The larger your SBB The larger your Initial Goal The easier is to increase or reduce stakes, and The easier is to win! Flexibility in bet sizes is valuable. A large Gambling Capital is the key. A small capital means you have to divide it into too small cash amount for each Game. Look at the difference it makes to start with more money in your Gambling Capital:

86 Here is an example of dividing up your Gambling Capital of $10,000: Total amount to be exposed: $10,000 Amount to leave behind at the bank: $8,000 Amount to take to the casino: $2,000 Divide by two for say two Games: 1. $1, $1,000 Each Game is now based on $1,000 with the sleeping giant of $10,000 behind you. That gives more room to set your goals. You can buy in 200 $5 chips with $1,000. This will provide better room for setting more interesting targets with bigger wins from lower percentages. Tip: Never take your entire Gambling Capital near a casino unless you really are very strong-willed! Analyze each Logbook carefully and then work out if some adjustment to your goals or strategy is needed before risking more money. THE GAMING RECORD CARD Preparation is vital! Ask any general preparing for battle or any lawyer preparing for a big trial. This e-book is about winning. It is not about winning on just one day and certainly not about winning every day. The Jackpot comes at a price. That price starts with careful planning. Decisions have to be taken in a disciplined manner. That way, you will grind out victories and enable the line on your profit chart to rise generally, but not consistently, upwards. Preparation will teach you the disciplines that make success more probable. They will teach you about yourself! Preparation is neither a chore nor a bore! It will reward you well. Looking back over a batch of Record Cards is fascinating. Memories of successes and failures flood back. Above all, you will see how you went wrong. You will be able to adjust your future plans from this data. I m positive 95 out of 100 blackjack players arrive in the casino with no real plan at all. If you asked them what their plan was, they d think Like, who

87 is this crazy guy! I m here to win, buddy boy; to have a good time, that s all. Maybe I ll get lucky! They will have given no thought to how they will play and will have learned nothing from past losses. It s like trying to reach the North Pole without a map and blindfolded to boot: you know where you re going but how to get there is a total mystery! Most players don t know the odds on different bets. They just turn up as a fun thing, not understanding or really caring. The fun, to them, is the thrill of placing bets in front of their friends and, occasionally, getting lucky. Mostly, they don t mind losing they expect to lose. That s not my idea of fun. To me, winning is fun. Wouldn t you rather be the 1 person in 100 with a plan, a clear strategy of how you are going to take the battle to the casino? After all, the casinos are well prepared for you! What s worse than preparation? Losing that s what s worse, much worse! I ve seen what happens the world over. Time and time again in the heat of the chase, the heart starts to pound and a rush of adrenalin takes over. Sane folk suddenly deserve a straitjacket! You will be different. Why? Because you will have discipline! discipline from having a clear plan made in advance. Keeping cool and being patient is a discipline. You will fall victim to wild rushes of blood, to obsessive urges to tear up the plan I have. Everyone does. It is a failing. It has to be beaten. Tip: Be a polar bear when surrounded by dragons!

88 WHY KEEP A RECORD? Because knowledge is power! If you keep accurate records, they will show you: what you intended to do what you actually did what you achieved why you succeeded (or) why you failed how many Games you are winning and losing the balance on your gaming account important information about each casino After a few visits (or better still after dummy games on the Internet) patterns will emerge from these records. Many of you may enjoy keeping them on your personal computer. They will soon show invaluable pointers to the systems that suit you and your personality best. Believe me, after a few weeks you won t normally remember the details of what happened on most past games. A glance through your gaming record card will remind you of the bitter lessons or of those moments of triumph. My suggestion is that you set up a gaming record card either on paper or on your computer based on the following format:

89 GAMING RECORD CARD PART 1 PRE-PLANNING PART 2 THE INQUEST PART 3 RUNNING TOTALS DATE GAME PLAYED AMOUNT WON CASINO NAME DURATION AMOUNT LOST GAMBLING-CAPITAL AMOUNT WON TOTAL WINNING GAMES BASE BET(S) AMOUNT LOST TOTAL LOSING GAMES PLAYING SYSTEM(S) WINNING GAMES CURRENT BALANCE CARD COUNTING CAMOUFLAGE TACTIC LOSING GAMES COMMENTS CASH INITIAL-GOAL SATISFACTION-POINT STOP-BETTING BORDER BREACKDOWN BORDER Note: I write down the camouflage tactics only if you use a card-counting system. If you use just the basic strategy, for example, to beat the house, the camouflage tactics are not applicable. More about camouflage you ll learn later in this e-book

90 EXAMPLE OF A COMPLETED RECORD CARD: GAMING RECORD CARD - PART 1 - PRE-PLANNING DATE 13 July 2006 CASINO NAME Excalibur (Las Vegas) GAMBLING-CAPITAL $123,800 BASE BET(S) $5 PLAYING SYSTEM(S) The Advanced Omega II CARD COUNTING Yes CAMOUFLAGE TACTIC I used a false name I increased slowly the size of my bet in profitable situations I hide the most of the chips won CASH $5,000 INITIAL-GOAL $2,500 SATISFACTION-POINT $1,000 STOP-BETTING BORDER $750 BREACKDOWN BORDER -$200 - PART 2 - THE INQUEST GAME PLAYED Two decks, double own after splits, late surrender DURATION 2 hours AMOUNT WON $1,700 AMOUNT LOST $0 WINNING GAMES 3 LOSING GAMES 1 COMMENTS The idea to hide the chips won was perfect, because the Pit Boss was making a hot atmosphere. The counting system went good and the dealer was friendly. - PART 3 - RUNNING TOTALS AMOUNT WON - Year $56,590 AMOUNT LOST $0 TOTAL WINNING GAMES 226 TOTAL LOSING GAMES 78 CURRENT BALANCE $123,800+$1,700=$125,500 Note: The dates, names and numbers have all been changed. The next chapter is the Engine Room of this e-book, because it reveals the insider secret strategies and systems I ve used so many years to build my wealth

91 THE WINNING SYSTEMS As I already specified earlier in this e-book, I doesn t matter if you want to count cards or not, here you will find winning systems to help you make money consistently at the blackjack table with or without card counting. Of course if you take the time and learn the more complex card counting systems and strategies you will make more money. This depends on you and your time you want to invest in learning this stuff. But believe me, it worth it. NON-COUNTER WINNING SYSTEMS In the previous chapters I told you all the rules and all the possible actions. We talked about how to make them. You have learned how the game of blackjack is played and now it s time to talk about when to make these decisions that which one to make. Now it s time to learn how to play the game and beat the blackjack without counting the cards. THE NON-COUNTER STRATEGY Books usually talk about this subject under the heading basic strategy. The only reason I will keep this term is because it describes how the strategies are known and how everyone talks about them. I would rather call this section just strategy. Probably others have noticed as well that it is not the most precise way to name what you are about to learn, since there have been attempts to rename it (for example: basic standing charts, winning play strategy, master chart, etc.). This is why I like to call this discussion of strategy the what an when (see, even I m trying), because this is the point of the whole thing. The basic strategy is nothing more than a simple set of rules that tell the player when to stand or draw, when to double down, and when to split the

92 pair. It tells you the playing decisions that you have to make to improve your chances of winning. The Basic Strategy does not usually make a winning hand from a losing hand. It only allows you to lose less. From the moment you leave home to go to the casino, you always have to make decisions. During the game you will have to decide for yourself should You Stay? Hit? Double? Split? Take Insurance? These decisions cannot be based on your feelings. Making a decision is not easy. It takes skill, study, discipline, and patience. Skill I will teach you. Study is your job, since you will have to learn all these options. Discipline and patience we will talk about later. These attributes are very important because if you know what the decisions are that you have to keep to, then doing so seems easy. But the biggest question is discipline (self control) if you can keep this and the following rules. The Basic Strategy therefore is nothing more than a set of rules that help determine when and what decision to make. If you learn them, then you don t even have to decide you just have to employ the correct decision at the right place (which is written). I have to tell you that since the basic strategy was publicized for the first time, arguments have been made against how much space we should allow in these rules, which is determined by us, and how much we should keep tot the original strategy. It should be known that the tables that are set up have been developed through millions (according to some, billions) of computer analyses. The computer have been run many times though hundreds of thousands of hands, and conclusions were drawn from these date. I value Professor Thorpe s and others word a lot since they were the ice breakers, and I would almost make it mandatory for beginners to read these basic books. But don t forget what we were talking about how many hands can we play, for instance, during a period of one year. Also, some players are more aggressive and others are more conservative

93 It is true that perhaps in a few places we can t back up the decisions I instruct you to make with exact mathematical means. In other words, from the percentage standpoint, over a thousand (indeed hundreds of thousands) of hands, the outcome could be slightly different. But don t forget that Blackjack is an emotional game, and I prefer to be in good emotional shape rather than have an additional 0.05 percent advantage in the long term (say in twenty years). As a reminder, and to restate what we already said about insurance, we have to talk about a special case: the player has Blackjack when the dealer s up-card is an Ace. Should we insure our Blackjack? One of two things can happen: If we don t make an insurance bet and the dealer has a Blackjack, or Blackjack vs. Blackjack, nobody wins. We got the best hand possible, and we didn t make money. This doesn t sound too good. If you make an insurance bet (when you have a Blackjack), It doesn t matter if the dealer has a Blackjack or not. Either way you re going to win your original bet. So should you insure or not insure your Blackjack? You shouldn t, because the mathematical odds are against you. I have to tell you that the insurance bet is one of the most arguable bets of the game. When it comes to taking this bet, even the biggest experts are completely divided. As for me: it is hard emotionally to tolerate having the best hand possible and not making money. I am guaranteed of winning an equal amount of my bet. (And again, many experts could say this sentence, I am guaranteed of winning less. ) Tip: So here is what to do at this point: take insurance (even money) if you have Blackjack: Don t take it at any other time! First of all, the exact percentage difference in certain cases is so small that you could only prove it over a very long time, and in reality, you will not play for that long

94 Second, as for me, as I already pointed out, I cannot ignore the emotional part. Here is another example: I have an 8 and the dealer shows a 5. Many would say do double. I am not saying they are wrong, but I will hit this hand. As for me, it is just hard emotionally to tolerate getting a 2 or 3 and the sitting on a 01 or 11 (otherwise this is a beautiful situation an impossible to bust hand) knowing that I cannot take another hit (it is even harder to watch if the dealer does not bust on that 5). I have to mention that in this chapter I will only show you one basic strategy chart, the same one that I have used for many, many years and the one that I still use. Just understand that this table can be slightly different depending on rule variations, but as I said, I am certain that this is not the point where we have to look to determine if we are successful players or not. We can use this table when double down is allowed after spilt and double down is allowed on any original hand. I will not demonstrate anything else because if these rules aren t in effect, then I don t suggest playing the game. At the end of the e-book I ve attached an Appendix containing the differences between the basic strategy charts when playing with the best casino rules and when playing with the worse casino rules. The knowledge of the following date, which is no doubt very important and even essential, is not the only condition you must fulfill in order to become a non-card-counter successful player. I ask that you study this table very carefully at first, and then that you learn it, and not just so-so, but one hundred percent. In the table bellow, I will show you what I have been using successful with it too. By itself, the use of Basic Strategy doesn t mean much and doesn t guarantee that you will win, but is will substantially improve your chances. Even if you use it, you will not be right all the time, just most of the tie. But this is what I want to teach you above all else: you have o know what to expect, and you success will be based on what kind of decisions you make. This is what separates the winners from the losers. My whole philosophy that guides me at the blackjack table is based on this: I look at the game as a battle between two parties

95 From one side, the casino represented by the dealer and on the other side, me. Out of the two of us, one of us has to win, and I don t like to lose. During the game, our decisions will be based on this: is the dealer strong, neutral, or weak? This can be decided first but not only by the dealer s upcard. All our decisions will be based on the dealer s up-card, taking into consideration, of course, our original hand. Therefore, every decision we make is based on our hand vs. the dealer s up-card. It does not matter how many decks (one or eight) are played, or if it is a face up or face down game: only thirteen possible cards can be dealt. Let s check all the possibilities. The Dealer s up-card is: Ace Strongest card for the dealer. (We are in big trouble) 10, J, Q, K The dealer is very strong. (We are still in trouble) 9 Still strong. (There is no reason to be happy) 7,8 The dealer is not strong anymore, but still not weal. (he has neutral hands) Worst card for the dealer. (This is what we are dreaming about) The dealer is still very weak Still weak 2,3 Still weak, but close to neutral As you can see, I divided the dealer s up-card into four different groups. The first group consists of 9,10,J,Q,K,A, six cards of the thirteen. Without a doubt, these a the dealer s up-card are very strong. As we discuss earlier, against these kinds of cars, the player is at a disadvantage. And as you saw, the dealer will bust in average percent (rounded to 20 percent) of the time (average aging percent against a 9, percent against a face card and percent against an Ace). This means that the dealer will not bust in other words, he will have a valid hand in roughly 80 percent of the cases. This is a very significant number. This is what you can expect: you are going to lose the majority of these hands. The second group consists of 7 and 8. These cards are called neutral cards. The dealer is neither strong nor weak, as the names of the cards show

96 On these cards, about 50 percent of the time the final hand will be 17 or 18. Which we know is less than the average winning hand. The third group consists of 4,5,6. These are the cards that we are waiting for! IN this case, we have the biggest advantage. The fourth group consists of 2,3. There is no doubt that these are still breaking handy and the dealer is still weak, but it is close to neural. Mandy players consider the 2s very frightening, and they treat the 2 almost like an Ace. The deuce is not that frightening, but we should pay some respect to it. Many Players have gotten hurt by overestimating their chances against 2,3 and playing too aggressively. For those who like numbers, I will show another table that demonstrates clearly what I have just said. For those who don t feel like they re slaves to numbers, feel free to skip the following: Dealer s Final-Hand Probabilities Dealer s Final- Dealer s Up-card Hand Value 2,3 4,5,6 7,8 9,10,J,Q,K,A Total % Blackjack Bust Example: the dealer s up-card is a 6. How much of a chance does he have to bust? Check column 4,5,6. And go down to the Bust (on the left) where you seed the number 41.75! Be careful, this is an average number if the dealer shows a 4,5 or 6. Why did I show you this table? First, to show how big an advantage the dealer has when his up-card is a 9 A. I will draw your attention to the following: 1. You should look at the bold numbers. These are the cases when the dealer will reach a 19 or stronger hand remember, the average

97 winning hand is above 18 in (= ) percent of all cases. This is why we say that you can expect that you are going to lose the majority of these hands. 2. It can perhaps be a bit misleading that the possibility of the dealer s final hand value being 21 decreases compared to the total (4.31 vs. 7.36). This is normal, since the chances of getting a Blackjack greatly increased. If you look at the Blackjack and the 21 together, then the increase is comprehensible ( =12.19 vs =14.77). 3. It follows as a consequence from above that the dealer s chance will decrease by having a total of 17, 18 or bust (italic numbers). Let s get back to the four possible groups and take a look at what kind of strategy we should follow in general: What to do? 9-A Don t fight, be happy to be alive (if the casino offers surrender, go for it, depending on your cards) 2,3,7,8 Fight, but don t be too aggressive 4,5,6 Fight! Go for the money. Be aggressive (split, double) So what are our chances? Let s check it out- how many cars are good for you out of thirteen? I find the second group (2,3,7,8) natural, but It s true that we have a little better chance against 2,3 that against 7 and 8, and the 2,3 can be grouped with the 4,5,6 as well.but even in this case, if I just keep only the 7 and 8 as neutral cards, six cards (9,10,J,Q,K,A) are against you, and only five (2,3,4,5,6) with you out of thirteen. So there are more non-favorable that favorable ones. I would like to point out that the situations is not as sour as is appears on first sight, because when you say that the dealer is strong in six of thirteen cases, you should not forget one thing. If the dealer gets a face cars, you still have a chance to get the same cards. On top of that, if the dealer has a 9, you

98 still can have a face card or an Ace and the war is still undecided. So I would not be worried so much by knowing that these are facts. We have to live with them. As I said, you have to accept that yiou are the underdog. Your advantage presents itself in such a way that in the five favorable cases, you increase your bets (you use the split, double weapons ). And you have to use these chances very precisely and very well. When I know someone is stronger than I am, I don t want to start a fight (I wouldn t otherwise either, but especially not at this time). After examining when the dealer is weak, neutral, or strong which you know depends on his up-card and you generally know what to do, let s look in detail at what kind of strategies you have to follow about when to stand, hit, double, or split. Let s take a glimpse at the Table bellow (present still empty). On the left side, in the three groups, are the player s card variations (I don t think I even have to repeat that the A stands for an Ace as a 10 stands for a ten of face card), and of course we are talking about two cards, since these are the player s original hand. The first group is the Hard hands: 5-19: I will mention that 2,3, and 4 don t take part because these cards can only happen in variations that are in the table later on (for example: 2=A+A,3=A+2,4=A+3 or 2+2). The 20 does not take part either, since with two cards you can only have this with A, 9 or 10, 10, and the 21 since it is a Blackjack. The second group is the Soft hands: The Ace combined with any other card. I call your attention to the next example: Our original hand was A,4. We hit and get Another Ace. Now we have a soft 16(A,4,A). Now we can deal our hand as if it were A,5. BUT! If to our original hand (A,4) we have got to add a King, we have a hard 15 and continue the play bases on that fact. The third group is the (potential) Split hands: I use the modifier potential because we will not split these hands all the time. Everything depends on the dealer s upcard. It si a typical mistake made by novice players who always split when they have a pair. Do not do that

99 Hard Hands (Doubling, Hitting & Standing) Soft Hands (potential) Split Hands Player s DEALER S UP-CARD Cards A A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 AA The dealer s up-card possibilities are at the top of the charts Of course, you have ten columns for the ten different card possibilities for the dealer (J,Q,K count as 10). In the case of the first two groups, a split is not possible by the rules of the game. Therefore, in those ceases you have to choose only between three possibilities hit, stand, double. Not: Always revert to the basic strategy after you hit your hand! In the oncoming pages we will discuss all the possibilities one by one, so you can fill the empty spaces in the table alone. Once you understand the table completely, I will teach you the easiest way to memorize this table. Remember that understanding this table is essential!

100 As we progress with our studying, fill in the correct play for every hand. Use the following abbreviations: S for Stand, H for Hit, D for Doubling Down, P for Split. As soon as we are finished learning the rules and have filled out the charts, I will show you the correct final version. Hard Hands We always assume that the dealer has a 10-value card in the hole. Therefore, when the dealer s up-card is a standing card (7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A), you can assume he has a standing hand. Remember: The rule is that the dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17s. The casinos require this because this rule is to their advantage. Therefore, you will follow the same rule when the dealer shows a standing card. You will hit until we have a hard 17 or greater. You will not risk exceeding 21 when the dealer has a potential bust card (2,3,4,5,6). Give the dealer the chance to bust. Generally Speaking: 1. If the dealer has a potential bust card, let him bust. 2. I the dealer has a standing cars, hit until hard 17. Player s hand is 5-8 These are very easy hands to play, If our hard hand totals are 5,6,7, or 8 against any dealer s up-card and we hit, we have nothing to lose, We can only improve the hand. If anybody stands on these hands, they have only limited the chances of winning by not drawing additional cars, So why not take a hit? Never stand on these cards. Should you double? I don t think so, why? You cannot forget that the winning hand is 10. You have to try to get it. If you have 5,6 or 7, there is no way to achieve 19 by getting one card only. How about an 8? I know that from a percentage standpoint only a very slight advantage is found taking a hit vs. a double.i can understand those who say that one should double down against a dealer s 5 or 6, since as I have said before, we do not

101 double down to get a good card. We are doubling to make more money against a weak dealer. No question about it, there is a possibility to double. I say nothing is wrong with that. Nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier, it is just too hard for me emotionally to tolerate getting a 2 or 3 and to be sitting on a 10 or an 11 (otherwise beautiful, impossible to bust, hands) knowing that I cannot take another hit. If is even harder to watch if the dealer does not bust on that 5. In short, I can understand if somebody doubles on 8, but I will not do that. My advice: Always hit the hard 5-8 against any dealer s card. Player s hand is 9 This is a pretty good hand, Just as you have assumed that the dealer has a 10-value card in the hole, you can assume the same with your own hand. If you get a face card, you have 19, which is a winning hand. Getting an Ace is even better. If you get something else? You hit until you get 17 or more. You can say the same thing that you said at 8: if you hit, you have nothing to lose, you can only improve the hand, if anybody stands on these hands, they have only limited the chances of winning by not drawing additional cards. So why not? Never stand on these cards. Should you double? Definitely. You should double down against stiff hands, Why? Most of the time you will turn our hand into a standing hand, and on stiff hands the dealer always has a good chance to bust. These two puts the odds in your favor. Just as I said at 8, I can understand those who say double down against all stiffs. No question, there is a possibility to double. I say that there I nothing wrong with that. Nevertheless, as I mentioned, it is just hard emotionally to tolerate getting a 2 and be sitting on an 11, knowing that I cannot take another hit. It is even harder to watch if the dealer makes his hand. It is possible to double on the 7, but I do not recommend it. You assume the dealer has 17, and therefore, you obviously need 18 to beat the dealer. You

102 can achieve 18 only with six of thirteen cards, and the dealer has a chance to get even higher than 17. The odds are against you. My advice: Hit against 2 and 7-A. Double against 3-6 Player s hand is 10 This is a very good hand. I don t think I even have to say that you should never stand on 10(of course the reason is the same as what I said already at 8,9). Consequently, only one questions remains: Should you double or hit? No question, double against 2-8. The question is what to do against 9,10,A? You know these are very strong cards, so why should you fight? As I said, be happy to be alive. No question about it, you hit against 10 or Ace. The odds are just not in our favor. The best you may get is an Ace, for a 21. Now this is a gamble. If you get a 10, you have to assume that you will have 20. With a 10 up-card, there is a strong possibility the dealer has a 20 already. So should you double in hopes of getting a push? It is not a great idea. The questionable card is the 9. It s true that the percentage is slightly in favor of doubling down with a 10 vs. a 9. Nevertheless, as I mentioned, if the dealer shows a 9-A, the majority of his hands will end up 19 or higher. What you can expect if you double on 10 against a 9? You can expect that the dealer as 19. You can have better than 19 only with five out of thirteen cards. Can you blame me if I say, I don t need this type of fight? Once again, I can understand those who say, double down against a 9. Without a doubt, there is a possibility to double. I say there Is nothing wrong with that. I can understand why some people say this, but I don t want do double against a 9. It will happen sometimes that when you double down, you will not get a good card. However, please don t get upset when the dealer gives you a small card. This is just part of the game. Keep your positive attitude and wait for the dealer to bust

103 I would like to mention that some experts say, I would bet the table limit on all doubles against a stiff. Maybe they are right, since simply stated; you almost cannot have a better chance than doubling on a 10 against a 6. It is theoretically true. In spite of this fact, however, I just would not bet $1000 when my regular bet is $50. My advice: Hit against 9-A & Double against 2-8 Player s hand is 11 This is nearly the same as the 10. However, a little repetition never hurts, and the only change you have to make is to substitute the numbers! I don t think I even have to say that you should never stand on 11. Consequently, only on question remains: Should you double or hit? No question, double against 2-8. The question is what to do against 9,10 or Ace? You know these are very strong cards. Why should you fight against them? As I said, be happy to be alive. There is no question (for me) to hit against 9,10 or Ace. The odds are just not in your favor. With the 9,10, or Ace up-card, a strong possibility (assuming a face card) remains that the dealer as a 19 or 20 already. If you get anything other than a face card (and you know the chance is 9 of 13), the best you can get is a push. You need a face card to beat the dealer (4 of 13). Or you can put it this way: you need 8,9, or 10 to have a winning hand. This is only six of thirteen cards. Improving our 11 with only one card against the dealer s Ace is very hard. So should you double in the hopes of getting a push in the majority of cases? It is not a great idea. Again, without question, there is a possibility to double. It is true that the percentage is slightly in our favor for doubling down with an 11. I say that there is nothing wrong with that. And once more, I can understand those who would double, but I don t want to do that

104 One more personal comment: I like the 10 better than the 11. Why? How about doubling on 11 and getting an ace? This is not what I dream about. My advice: Hit against 9-A & Double against 2-8. Player s hand is These hands are called breaking hands, and they constitute the weakest hands for the player. In the long run, these are 100% losing hands. As you have learned back at the rules, To hit a hand and go over 21 is called busting. It is also known as breaking. Since you have and you assume you will get a face card. You always have the chance of going over 21 by taking only one additional card. You always have the chance to break you are in breaking position. This is a new situation in comparison to what we have been talking about so far because if the player s card total is 11 or less, breaking is not possible with one additional card total (that is the reason you never stand on 11 or less). For that very reason taking one more card can cause us to break (bust) our hand you never will double down on hands Keep in mind that when the dealer shows a 2 through 6, you can say that he is in a breaking position. You can call his hand a breaking hand. Our strategy will be based on two rules: Rule#1: When the dealer is in a breaking position (up-card: 2,3,4,5,6), let him bust. Rule#2: When the dealer is in a standing position (up-card: 7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A), you try to catch him with hitting. But the same old question comes up once again: Why would you risk a hit if you can bust and lose immediately? As you know, you will not hit all the time when you can bust. If the dealer has a strong chance of going over 21, you give him the chance to go over (rule #1). But, as mentioned earlier, if the dealer will probably have a 17 of higher total, there is no reason to stand on a stiff total

105 You have a good chance to lose our bet without even trying to improve our hand (rule #2). Example: The dealer s up-card is a ten. Our two cards are a 9 and a 7 (total of 16). I know, it is a typical losing hand. When I get this hand, I feel like a baseball team when they need a grand slam but nobody is on the bases. What is the correct play? All of us have seen that a great number of the players stand at 16. In fact, even at 15 in this case because they are thinking about the possibility of breaking. I can tell you this is the biggest mistake anybody can make at the blackjack table! Why? Let s look at the possibilities of what kind of card the dealer can turn over on his 10. If the dealer gets a 7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A, then his hand will be 17 or higher you lose. This are eight cards out of a possible thirteen. If I don t even observe the other five, I have already lost the fight since you are a loser eight out of thirteen cases (which is percent). And then I m not even taking into consideration what happens if the dealer gets a 2,3,4,5 or 6. With the drawing of an additional card, the chances that the dealer will beat me are almost 50 percent yet again. This is why it is the biggest mistake in Blackjack to stand below 17 if the dealer s upcard is a 7 or higher. Remember, I said if the dealer s card is 9-A, don t fight! Okay, so don t fight (in other words do not double, etc.), but please do not stand! Take your chance to improve your hand, and try to make it stronger! If you love, you lose, At least you cans say, I have tried and did not give up without even attempting to get a better hand. The situations are the same if you have 13,14 or 15. However, our strategy will be a little different if you have 12 and the dealer shows 2 or 3. This is one of the most critical hands. If you have 12, it is only slightly different from 13 and only very few players notice the difference. The majority of the players don t know what to play

106 You said that the dealer is weak with this hand but close to neutral. The 12 is a breaking hand, no question about it. But how many cards can bust you? Only one card: the 10-value card can hurt you four out of thirteen (30.8 percent). The odds are approximately 70 percent that the hit will help. ON top of that, the dealer does not have the weakest card to hit to. Go for the hit! You will see that this decision is one that will be criticized most of the time by other players at the table. Every time you hit a 12 against a 2 or 3, a significant number of the players will cast a disparaging glance at you. Many of them do not understand why you are doing that. Do not even try to explain. Your decision is the right decision. It is more than enough that you know. Just play you game. Of course, since there is a chance to bust, sometimes it will happen. When you do bust, do not have any doubts that you made the right decision. My advice: Hit against 7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A & Stand against 2,3,4,5,6 (Exception: if you have 12, hit against 2 and 3) Player s hand is These are standing hands. But how different! You have learned why you stand.you stand if the hand is strong enough to win (19,20,21) or high enough (hard 17,18) to have a good chance of going over 21 (you don t want to take a big risk). You already know the average winning hand is over 18. Therefore, if you have 17 or 18, it is just not enough! However, you cannot hit since only the minority of the available cards will not bust our hand. What can you do? Nothing but expect to lose. If you still don t lose, be happy! Knowing the basic strategy cannot make a losing hand a winning one, but you can minimize our losses. (Personally, perhaps I like these cards even less than hard 12-16). If you have 19, you have a beautiful hand. It is a winning hand even if you will not win all the time. Be happy. Don t do anything, stand. Most of the time you will get paid. This is what you dream about. Even if it does not win all the time, I would be happy to have 19 all the time!

107 My advice: Stand on your hard 17 or higher against any card. Soft Hands I would like to restate what you learned in the rules section: Any hand that contains an Ace that is valued at 11 is a soft hand. If the hand contains more than one Ace, at least one of them is counted as an 11. The total of a soft hand is a soft total. Obviously, since our original hand is our first two cards, if one of them is an Ace, you have a soft hand (except Blackjack). When you were talking about the dealer s up-cards, you mentioned that the Ace is the strongest card for the dealer. Now you can say the same thing about yourself: If you have an Ace, you are strong. Since all soft hands have an Ace, you are strong every time you have a soft hand. Soft hands are strong hands. Generally, your strategy will be similar to what you were talking about at hard form the standpoint that the deciding factor again will be if the dealer has a breaking card or is in a standing position. Our strategy will be based on two rules: 1. When the dealer is in breaking position (up-card: 2,3,4,5,6), try to double as much as possible) 2. When the dealer is in standing position (up-card: 7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A), you try to catch the dealer with hitting. Remember that it is impossible to bust a soft hand if you hit. Don t expect a winning hand (19 or higher) when you double down. Here is why: Check the six real soft hands (Ace with a 2,3,4,5,6,7). There are always only three cards to get 19, 29 or 21 and it does not matter which hand you have. I ll give you just one example: If you have an A,5, only the 3,4,5, will give 19 or higher. Three cards out of thirteen amounts to only 23 percent. You don t necessarily have to get 19 or higher. After all, you don t double to get a good card (most of the time it is just impossible). You try to get more money when the dealer has a breaking hand

108 I would like to repeat what I have shown you already in the Dealer Final Hand Probabilities table: on 2,3 the dealer will bust more than 35 percent of the time, and on 4,5,6 he will bust more than 40 percent of the time. This is why you are doubling first of all. Players hand is A,A; A,4; A,5 (Soft 13-16) In general, you saw what our chances were of having 19. Now let s see what our chances are to improve our hand to a standing hand. Suppose you have: A,2: You need a 4,5,6,7 or 8 A,3: You need a 3,4,5,6 or 7 A,4: You need a 2,3,4,5 or 6 A,5: You need an A,2,3,4 or 5 to improve our hand Our chances are rive of thirteen cards, or 38,5 percent. ( I will remind you that this number is not completely correct. It is only close. For instance, in a single deck it is 19 of 49, and this number will vary slightly in the case of a double deck, and so on. But I don t want to bother you with more math. Becoming a winning player doesn t really depend on this). Then you have maybe only 17 or 18 - and as you know, this is nothing but a standing hand. To repeat once more: you are primarily betting that the dealer is going to bust! Since you will never stand on these hands, the questions are again whether to hit our double. The strategy is very simple. Just like down, try to make as much money as possible. Ask for additional cards in any other case. Many experts will say that if the player s hand is A,2, or A,3, hit against 4. I understand their reasoning, but I still will not follow this advice: My advice: Double down against 4,5,6 & Hit against any other card

109 Player s hand is A,6 (Soft 17) You know already that it is impossible to bust a soft hand if you hit it. As a general rule, players should never stand on any soft hand that totals 17 or less. This is one of the hands that give the most trouble for beginners! They may think that it is a standing hand, and therefore they stand. When you see a player standing with a (any) soft 17, you know he is a loser. The strategy is similar to the previous soft hands. What I said previously is effective here as well and, generally, in the same way. Now you will double against a dealer s 3 as well (a dealer s 2 upcard is just too dangerous to double against the dealer has a very good chance of getting a standing hand). Against a 3,4,5,6, you will double down. If the dealer has a 7, this is not my favorite situation. I think you can understand why. You have 17, which is supposed to be a push, but don t forget 7 is not strong for a dealer (only 10 or Ace will make his hand). You try to beat the dealer if he is not strong. Hit the hand. If you receive a 10-value card, our hand turns into a hard 17. If you receive an Ace,2,3,4, you have improved our hand. If you receive any other card (5,6,7,8,9), our hand turns into a breaking hand. It is not a pleasant situation, but there is nothing much you can do. Hit again. Try to get a standing hand. Against a dealer s 8,9,10,A our soft 17 is just not enough. You try to improve with hitting. My advice: Double down against 3,4,5,6 & Hit against any other card. Player s hand is A,7 (Soft 18) Soft 18 is the only hand when you can chose from 3 possibilities: stand, hit, or double down. Note: There is no hand in which you have all four choices. When to double? The answer is the same as what you said at soft 17: double down against a dealer s 3,4,5,6. If the dealer s up-card is 2,7, or 8, you always stand. The odds are just not with us to hit against these cards. It is very

110 difficult to improve our hand. If the dealer has a 7, you have winning hand already, and against an 8 you have got the push. Here is the hard homework : always hit against 9, 10-value cards, or an Ace. The odds are only a little bit better if you hit (rather than stand), But still better. Please hit it. It is very dismal to sit on a soft 19 against a 9 and watch as the dealer turn his face card over. The only thing more depressing than this is if I hit the 18 against a face and get an 8 and a 6, while the dealer turns over his 7. Disgusting. And still, the odds are in favor of taking a hit! Many players (and not only the beginners) would never think to hit against a face. It seems to be a good hand for them. However, the odds are just against them. You ll see(and just like I mentioned with a hard 12 against a 2) that almost every time you hit a soft 18,a number of players will cast a scornful ok at you. They probably don t understand what you are doing. Don t even try to explain. Your decision is the right one. Again, it s more than enough that you know. Just play your game. It s true that if you hit, you ll lose a lot of hands, but if you stand, you ll lose even more. My advice: Double down against 3,4,5,6 & Hit against 9,10,J,Q,K,A. Stand against 2,7,8. Player s hand is A,8; A,9 (Soft 19,20) These are winning hands! As you learned when you studied the rules, these two hands are special because theoretically soft, but practically never count them as 9 or 10. Always count them as 19 or 20. Since these are winning hands, be very happy when you get them! Don t even think to hit or double. Stand. You cannot be in a better position. I have never been able to understand people who do not stand on these fine hands. What do they expect? A winning-er hand? These hands are in the top ten money makers, don t take any addition. Wait until the dealer pays you (which, sorry, sometimes will just not happen

111 but it does not mean you should hit or double these wonderful hands). You will not win all the time, just most of the time. My advice: always stand on these hands! (Potential) Split Hands The reason why I put potential in parentheses is to indicate that just because you have possibility to spilt a pair that doesn t mean you have to split them. As I said when I discussed the rules, some players think that, if they have been dealt a pair (potential split hand), they should (or have to) split them. No. No. No. Never split a pair only just because you have them! Why are you splitting pairs? There are two reasons: The first is the same as what I said when doubling: you try to make twice (or even four times) as much money when the dealer is weak! Second, you try to improve our hand. If you receive a like card on a split, don t even waste a second to think about it. Just split them again! You will never double on these hands originally (except if you have two 5s, which is a special case). First, you will split them, and after that you can double (of course, if applicable). The majority of the time, the question remains: split or hit? You should note that only on two 9s will you stand sometimes. Generally speaking: 1. If the dealer has a potential bust card: split and double 2. If the dealer has a standing card: usually try to catch the dealer by hitting. But (potential) split hands are much more complicated to handle than hard hands. Let s check them out one by one

112 Player s hand is A,A As a matter of fact, this is a soft 12. All of you probably know the golden rule (or you can call it the old myth ), always split two Aces. Really? Have you ever asked yourself why? Just because the vast majority of the books say that? Of course, most of the time, you do indeed split them. But why should you do this all the time? Nobody can induce me to do that. I am not saying that anybody who always splits Aces is wrong. I just want to tell you that even if somebody can claim absolute expertise at this game, he, too, can have different opinions on how to play different hands depending on the circumstances. In some cases, everybody develops a theory of play, and you have to believe in and play by that strategy. Example: The dealer s up-card is a 10, which is obviously very strong. Why should I have to split my Aces and fight twice against that kind of dreadful power? Is it not too much, even once? In this case, I accept that I have to fight for a better hand total. If at the end I don t lose, I just consider it as getting the bonus! Did you like the strategy that I told you at 10? Okay Did you not like the strategy that I told you at 11? Okay. That s fine too. But whatever you decided at that point in our discussion, follow it over here. In other words, you will play this hand with the same idea that you did at 11. Here is why: when a pair of Aces is split, you will have two hands, and by the rules, you receive only once card for each hand. This is exactly the same situation as when you double on 11. In both cases, you have 11 and you get only one card. How many cards can help you? Only six out of thirteen cars (8, 9, 10,J,Q,K) give us a winning hand, but probably even with an 8 or 9, it is hard to beat the dealer. If you like the idea that you should not double down on an 11 against a dealer s 9 or higher, follow the same idea here. Do not split Aces against a dealer s 9-Ace. Just hit it. Again, to make this kind of decision, you have to be prepared. Many players at the tables will dislike you. Do not pay attention to them

113 This is the hand in which it is possible to argue the most about when deciding which decision is the proper one. Some say, Those who do not split a pair of Aces all the time are not knowledgeably players. Others state, To hit shits hand is not a suggestion but a must, and so on. You could continue with the for and against arguments. In fact, I could write a whole chapter about this, but I do not see the use of it, since I think this argument cannot be closed with any decisive conclusions. One thing is for sure, it is my belief that our best strategy is always to try to make as much money as possible if the dealer is not strong and not to fight if he is strong. My advice: Split against 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 & Hit against 9,10,J,Q,K,A Player s hand is 2,2 or 3,3 As you know, if the dealer as a 2-6 he is weak, and with a 7 or 8, neutral but with a 7, he is getting weak and the percentage is in our favor. Knowing this, our strategy is very simple: split these hands against 2-7. Let me explain this strategy. I will show you the possibilities to split the 3s, and then you can do the same with the 2s yourself,. Our goal is to bet as much as possible against the dealer when he is weak. With splitting, you bet twice as mush right away. If you get another 3 (as you said generally), don t even think about it, split again! After all, this is what the split is all about. Can you imagine splitting, making three hands (for instance), doubling on them, and - the dealer busts. This is what you are waiting for and dreaming about! Better than a grand slam. If after that you get a 6,7,8, or A (totaling 9,10,11, soft 14), you can double down. If you do not get the doubling down possibilities, you still have a chance to improve our hand with hitting. Now what would happen if you didn t split the 3s? Your total would be 6. With a 6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K, our hand will turn into an awful hard total. With an Ace you have a soft 17, which is not really good. Thus, nine out of thirteen cards are not good for us. Do you need more of an explanation?

114 If you face the dealer s 8-A, you prefer to play our bad 4 or 6 accepting a presumed loss rather than splitting for two losses. There is no reason to fight twice against a strong dealer. My advice: Split against 2,3,4,5,6,7 & Hit against 8,9,10,J,Q,K,A Player s hand is 4,4 Here is another myth of the game that has been around almost since the game was introduces never split fours. I think you can forget this one. Your total is 8, which is not a strong hand. Okay, do not split against a 7 or higher. Just as you said at the 2s and 3s, why should you fight twice? But if the dealer shows a 4,5,or 6, he is weak so why not? Sure. Split them. And if you get a 4, split again! You can argue whether you should split a 4 against a 4 or just hit. I can tell you that neither one of the two possibilities is wrong or right. I always split in these circumstances. First of all, the dealer has a very good chance to bust. On top of that, you have a chance to get a card and double down. Just a reminder of what I said earlier. If somebody doubles on 8 against a 5 or6, he can double on 4s rather than split them. As I said, I never double on 8. What will you do against a 2 or 3? Hit. Only five out of thirteen cards (4,5,6,7,8) will put you in the worst position. My advice: Split against 4,5,6 & Hit against 2,3,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A. Player s hand is 5,5 This is a very good hand, but don t think about two 5s as a pair. Say this instead I have 10, and be happy to have it. With a total of 10, do everything that you did when you had the hard 10. Double or hit. Never think about splitting them. Read one more time what you said at hard 10, and play by that strategy

115 Some experts say split them against 5 or 6, since the reason you split is to put more money against the dealer if he has a weak hand. This just does not work with the 5s. why?. With splitting you would turn our great hand into two weak hands. If you split 5s, receiving only a 4,5,6, or Ace will give you the opportunity do double down. This is only four out of thirteen cards. If you get a 2 or 3, you can hit again, but the majority of the cards turn our hand into a breaking hand. Do you want to do that? No. That s why I said play the hand as you did with ten. My advice: Hit against 9-A & Double against 2-8. Player s hand is 6,6 You have 12 now and are in breaking position. This is one of the easiest hands to decide what to do and when to do it. I hope you learned the homework so far, and it won t bring you any problems to figure out our strategy. Please don t read on before you write down the proper strategy. Ready? Okay. You do not want to split if the dealer is in a standing position. Why should you fight twice? Therefore, if the dealer has a 7 or higher, just hit it. It does not make sense to split and have a breaking hand against the dealer s standing hand, does it? But if the dealer has a possible breaking hand (as you know 2-6) you have two good reasons to split: you avoid a breaking hand of 12, and you bet more money against the dealer when he is weak. I hope you came up with the right answer. There is only one way to play these hands. My advice: Split against 2,3,4,5,6 & Hit against 7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A. Player s hand is 7,7 This will not be our dream hand. It is not on the top ten list of how to win the most money, but this hand is not as terrible as many players think. Our strategy will be the same as with 6,6. The only difference is that you will pslit

116 them against a dealer s 7 as well. The reason is that you hope you can improve our hand rather than hit the 14 against a 7. A 7 is a pretty weak upcard, but if the dealer has the same, you should tie. What can you expect by splitting? Against the dealer: 2-6: You expect to win both hands. 7: You expect to make at least one hand (or tie both) and come out even. 8 or higher: Nothing at all. You hit and try to improve our hand. Of course 14 is not a good hand to hit. But there is no reason to split (against 8 or higher) and turn your hand into two losers. My advice: Split against 2,3,4,5,6,7 & Hit against 8,9,10,J,Q,K,A. Player s hand is 8,8 Here is none more myth of the game: always split 8s. Can anybody tell me why? Just because most of the books say that? I always get upset when I hear that, and I don t give a damn about following it. The whole idea is just nonsense. You already know where I stand. I respect the value of the computer analysis, but don t overestimate them. Remember when I was talking about my 20,000 hands. I m not going to live long enough to enjoy the percentage advantage in my favor gained by splitting 8s all the time. How many splits do you have generally? How many of them are 8s? and how many times does it happen against a dealer s 9 or higher? Not very often. So I really (should) need a few million hands. Or to put it another way: If you split against a 9 thru Ace, you are fighting with an 8 against a strong dealer: And not once but twice. When you have an 8 against a dealer s 9 thru Ace, were not in a winning situation. Do you really want to do this? As for me, thank you, no! I m not telling you that 16 is a good hand to hit, for you already know as much as I do in this regard, but why should you lose twice? You already know that most of the time you ll lose, but at least not twice. If you still make a hand, you have another bonus. Two 8s are just a losing hand against a strong dealer. There s nothing much to do, and you must accept the fact and try not to lose twice

117 I have to tell you that when I started to play I used to split this stupid hand for many, many years. If only I wouldn t have done it. Can you imagine the worst situation, when you split the 8s against an Ace and get one more 8 to split again? Now you play three hands with an 8 against an Ace. Suppose you make all three hands and then the dealer turns a 9 (or makes a 20 or 21 another way). No thank you. This never happens to me anymore. Against a dealer s 2-8, the principle is the same as you ve learned with the 7s. Split the 8s and try to turn that dreadful 16 into two winning hands. Let s repeat what I said at the 7s. What can you expect by splitting these pairs? Against the dealer: 2-7: You expect to win both hands. 8: You expect to make at least one hand (or tie both) and come out even. 9 or higher: Nothing at all. You hit and try to improve our hand. Of course, 16 is not a good hand to his. But there is no reason to split (against 9 or higher) and turn your hand into two losers. One final thing. Just watch the reaction next time when you don t split your 8s. Almost everybody (including many dealers) will look at you as a bad beginner. Don t mind them. Play your game! You know something that they don t! My advice: Split against 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 & Hit against 9,10,J,Q,K,A. Player s hand is 9,9. This is the hand when I say, This is good, because it is bad. This is total of 18. You never hit hard 17 or higher. Therefore, the question is, should you split or stand? Since 18 is not a winning hand, you will split as much as possible. Your strategy, and the principle of the play, is exactly the same as what I have already explained with the earlier hands. Now you will split up to, and against, the dealer s 9. Here is a short explanation: Against a

118 2-6, without question split it. Against the dealer s 7, stand. An 18 is not a winning hand generally, but since the dealer has a 7, you have a good chance to beat him. If the hole card is a 10-value card, you win. If the dealer has an Ace, it is a push. With a 5-9, they will have a breaking hand, and with only a 2-4, he will have a good hand. If somebody says that you shouldn t stand but split against 7, I can understand the logic. The difference is very tiny, and if you are more aggressive, split it! Go for two wins. My play is to stand, but nothing is wrong with splitting in this instance. Against an 8 or 9, split you try to improve your hand. Against a 10 thru Ace, stand. As you know, you just don t want to fight twice against a strong dealer. It is not a good idea to split and risk double losses, since the dealer will most likely win this hand. My advice: Split against 2,3,4,5,6,8,9 & Stand against 7,10,J,Q,K,A. Player s hand is 10,10 Now you have two 10-value cards. One of the most beautiful hands in the game! Do you know that this hand makes you the most money for after a Blackjack? So why should you do anything else other than stand? Don t even try to think about splitting them. Be happy to have them! And stand al the time regardless of what kind of card the dealer has. I don t care if anybody comes up with any kind of theory regarding why it s good to split 10s or faces. Leave me alone. I ll be short. Of all the foolish plays, splitting 10s is probably the most stupid. Never ever split them up! Remember when at the soft 17 you said, When you see a player standing with a(ny) soft 17, you ll know he is a loser. Now I can tell you that is somebody split 10s, he is not just a loser but he is telling you, I don t know what I am doing here. He is just throwing away a winning hand. Don t be greedy and (don t) try to turn a winning hand into two winning hands. Most of the time it just doesn t work! My suggestion is: Always stand on these hands!

119 I hope that as you progressed with the strategies you filled out the blank table that is shown. See the table bellow and you will find what I play with and what I suggest you play by. Basic Strategy Chart Hard Hands (Doubling, Hitting & Standing) Soft Hands (potential) Split Hands Player s DEALER S UP-CARD Cards A 5-8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D H H H 11 D D D D D D D H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H S S S S S S S S S S A2 H H D D D H H H H H A3 H H D D D H H H H H A4 H H D D D H H H H H A5 H H D D D H H H H H A6 H D D D D H H H H H A7 S D D D D S S H H H A8 S S S S S S S S S S A9 S S S S S S S S S S AA P P P P P P P H H H 22 P P P P P P H H H H 33 P P P P P P H H H H 44 H H P P P H H H H H 55 D D D D D D D H H H 66 P P P P P H H H H H 77 P P P P P P H H H H 88 P P P P P P P H H H 99 P P P P P P P P S S 1010 S S S S S S S S S S H=Hit S=Stand D=Double Down P=Split

120 I WILL SUMMARIZE AND EMPHASIZE A FEW THINGS You have probably seen a player jumping as many times as I have when he gets a face card after doubling down on eleven. Okay. I won t tell you that this situation is bad, and I am definitely happy when I am in a similar situation. But don t get too excited because you always have a bigger chance of not getting a face card (or in other situations, of not getting a good card). I just want to remind you: first of all you don t double down to get a good card. Most of the time it is just impossible. Primarily, you are betting that the dealer is going to bust. You try to make more money when the dealer has a breaking hand. You will double down when the dealer is in a breaking-position or weaker than you are. I would just like to repeat what I have shown already: on a breaking hand, the dealer will bust percent of the time. Advice: Don t get upset when the dealer gives you the wrong card. This is just part of the game. You will not win all the time. Keep your positive attitude and wait for the dealer to bust. If he does not, then concentrate on the next hand. Doubling for less? (Do you know what my opinion is? Turn back to the rules). No. Never. Doubling down or not doubling at all is the only question. Remember that I told you never to split a pair only just because you get a pair! The main reason for splitting is the same reason why you double down. You try to bet as much money as you can against the dealer when he s weak. Recall what you said about splitting pairs, and you ll see that although the main reason is always the same (to make more money against a weak dealer), sometimes you split with the intent of winning both hands (for example Aces) of to avoid a bust (for example, 6s) or to try to break even, and so on. Advice: Never let yourself be influenced by the size of your bet if it comes time to double down or split pairs. Do not hesitate. Just do it. Make as much money as possible! This is one of the biggest advantages against the casino. If you are afraid to put out another $100 chip (the number can be anything), then you cannot afford the $100 bet

121 Here are the rules of thumb that you have to follow all the time: 1. Never stand on 11 or less. 2. Always stand on hard 17 or Always stand on any 19 or Never split 5s. Play this hand as a hard Never split 10s. LEARNING THE BASIC STRATEGY: Everyone has his own method of learning. However, I do not want to go into methodological details, since this is not our mission. At first glance, it appears that there is a lot of date and a lot or rules. All this information is not as severe as it first appears, and I think that everyone can memorize them with very little practice. I would like to highlight that, in essence, there isn t anything else to do other than memorizing a table. I would like to provide help with this. So let s do a bit of simplifying. To begin, I think it will be easy to remember the following hands; therefore, I have removed them from the table. 1. You have hands when you always stand. These are 17-19, A, 8; A,9, and 10,10 2. If you have 5s, the play is the same as the hard 10. Now that that s done, please see the simplified table bellow:

122 Player s DEALER S UP-CARD Cards A 5-8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D H H H 11 D D D D D D D H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H S S S S S S S S S S A2 H H D D D H H H H H A3 H H D D D H H H H H A4 H H D D D H H H H H A5 H H D D D H H H H H A6 H D D D D H H H H H A7 S D D D D S S H H H A8 S S S S S S S S S S A9 S S S S S S S S S S AA P P P P P P P H H H 22 P P P P P P H H H H 33 P P P P P P H H H H 44 H H P P P H H H H H 55 D D D D D D D H H H 66 P P P P P H H H H H 77 P P P P P P H H H H 88 P P P P P P P H H H 99 P P P P P P P P S S 1010 S S S S S S S S S S As you can see, a big portion of the table above can be divided according to the player s cards. Here they are with a few suggestions on how to memorize them: 11 or less: Always hit 8 or less. Play 10 and 11 the same way. Hard 12-16: Hard are played in the same way. Imagine a divider line between the dealer s 6 and 7 (dotted line in the table). Dealer has 6 or less: Stand. Dealer has 7 or higher: Hit. Special: hit 12 against a 2 or

123 Soft hands (A, 2-Ace,7): Imagine a divider line between the dealer s 6 and 7 (dotted line in the table). A,2-Ace, 5 are played the same way. A,7 is the only hand with 3 choices Split hands: Always split against 4,5,6. Split 6s up to against 6. Split 7s up to against 7. Split 8s up to against 8. Split 9s up to against 9 (except 7). MISCELLANEOUS Insurance: When you were talking about the rules, you discussed the insurance bet. You know my opinion. You know all the rules already, what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. I hope you know why to do them as well. As you saw, when the dealer shows an Ace, he will have Blackjack 4 times out of 12 and will not have Blackjack 9 times out of 12. These numbers show the odds are 9 to 4 that the dealer will not have a Blackjack.The casinos offer 2 to 1 play if you have insurance. This means that the house will collect 9 units and pay 4 times 2 = 8 units ( 8 of 13 vs. 9 of 13). No question about it, the odds are against you (it is 7.69 percent). No matter what kind of hand you have, whether you bought insurance or not, mathematically the house always has the dame advantage. That s why the casinos offer it and that s why the dealer asks. Note that when you have doubling down possibilities and the odds are with you, the dealer asks nothing. Have you ever thought about the fact that when and if it comes to the insurance bet, the casino never puts up any money? If the player loses, the dealer takes the insurance bet. If the player wins, the dealer pays with the player s own money. It s a good trick, isn t it?

124 Why did I tell you these things again? You know where I stand I never take insurance unless I have a Blackjack. Do you remember how often it happens? If you don t want to take even money, I won t blame you. Play your game. From a percentage perspective, you ll be correct. Surrender: As you discussed at the rules, the surrender is a player s opinion. When I wrote this, to the best of my knowledge finding a game with an early surrender was almost impossible, but late surrender still exists in many casinos. The surrender means that the player gives up playing his hand in exchange for losing only half the bet. In other words, the player takes back half of his bet, surrendering the original hand. It is a good option, and it is in favor of the player. That s why it is offered so rarely. I say that if you find a casino where the surrender is offered take the opportunity and go for it. If it is good for the player, why not take it? The question is why would the player surrender half of his original bet without even trying to improve his hand? The answer is easy: you surrender hands when you have a really slim chance to beat the dealer. You give up half of our bet rather than taking the chance of losing it all. Why should you fight against a very strong dealer s card? As you know, the dealer is strong if he shows a 9 through an Ace Against these cars, you will surrender because there is always a bigger chance to lose these hands rather than to win them. Using the surrender doesn t mean that you fear to fight, but why should you fight if you chance of winning is less than 50 percent. Just like with insurance and a couple of other Basic Strategy rules, books and experts who write them are divided when it comes to the surrender. I don t want to go into detail about this argument. However, you can follow my suggestions. So here is how I do it: If late surrender (called conventional, as well) is allowed, surrender your hard 14,15, ad 16 (including a pair of 7s and 8s) against a dealer s 9 through an Ace. If early surrender is allowed, surrender 12, 13, and 17 as well vs a dealer s Ace upcard

125 4 Bad Plays You should Never Do: (Never) double down on 12. There are some players who double on 12 (mostly when the dealer s upcard is 6 or less). Many of the players back up this decision with the fact that only one card the 10-value card can hurt them. The 10-value part of the assertion is true; however, there is not one but four cards, four of thirteen possibilities. So it looks like the majority of the cards will not hurt, but with the four cars, he will bust and lose double money. This in itself is unacceptable. (And at that you haven t even talked about a 2,3,4 not giving even a standing hand or 5 and 5 giving less than an average winning hand. In total, only a 7,8,9 three out of thirteen cards help.) When you have 12, you have a breaking hand. In other words, you are in trouble. Why would you take any action when you are in trouble? Doubling on 12 is not only a weak, but a stupid, bet. Never do that. (Never) Double down on 7. If doubling on 12 is stupid, then doubling on 7 is even more stupid. And still you will see player so it time and time again. They think that they will bet more after they see that the dealer is in trouble. They are forgetting one thing they are in trouble too. Even with the best possible cars, they will end up with less than an average winning hand. The idea of doubling on 7 is that the dealer could break if he shows 5 or 6. As you know, the dealer will break on 5 or 6 roughly 42 percent of the time, and thus he will take the player s double bet the other 58 percent of the time. I shouldn t even have to sway that this move is so stupid that you shouldn t even think about it. (Never play) The no-bust Strategy. I already talked about this under 2.6. You know that this is a sure losing strategy. I just want to repeat that you should never play this. (Never try) Mimicking the dealer. According to the rules of the game, the dealer must draw 16 and stand on all 17s. Since they started playing this game, there have always been and I m convinced there always will be players who try to mimic the dealer. They try to do the dame as the dealer, thinking, If it s good for him, it must be good for me. The odds are the same for any final hand value, and the player wins more on Blackjack than the dealer

126 The only problem with this theory, which you know already, is that if both the player and the dealer busts, the player loses. Never try to mimic the dealer. If it s good for him, it s not necessarily good for you. BETTING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR NON-COUNTERS The variations in different betting methods are almost endless. Disregarding what type the betting method is, in general, these methods can be put into three groups: 1. Increase the bet after losing a hand ( Up as you lose ) if you do not put some limit on your bets, this type of betting is the surest way to leave the casino as a loser. 2. Increase the bet after winning a hand ( Up as you win ) the main idea is that the risk is limited, since your first risk can be your only one. 3. Any kind of combination of 1 and 2. Within these three groups, the number of variations is literally endless. In the following, I will make you acquainted with the more well-known betting methods. Under a separate heading I will demonstrate and analyze my method in detail, which I have been playing successfully for years. FLAT BET The flat bet is the most simple and probably the worst method. The players bet always the same amount on each hand. It doesn t allow the player much fun, and at the same time, you can t really make money with it either. SYSTEM S EVALUATION

127 THE MARTINGALE SYSTEM Martingale is one of the oldest, most well-known systems. It is also known as the doubling-up system and it is the most typical up as you lose method. The typical betting sequence is $ and so on. The theory of the system is that if the first bet wins, keep betting the same. If the player loses, double the bet each time until he wins again. After any win the player will win the initial bet. This system would show a permanent profit, if the player had an unlimited bankroll and the casino will not set the maximum amount that could be wagered on a single hand. And that s what the table limit is all about (the typical table maximum at the $10 table is $300). Fact: Table limits are set up to destroy this type of system. SYSTEM S EVALUATION THE D ALEMBERT SYSTEM This is the system invented by Jean Le Round d Alembert. The theory of the system is that the bets are raised one unit after each losing hand and lowered one unit after each winning hand. The object is to return to the first bet assuring a profit. This system is not nearly as dangerous as the Martingale, since in the case of a loss, you have to increase your bet by only one unit. The table-limit problem doesn t appear to be the issue that it is with the Martingale. The fault with this system is that consecutive losses produce a very high risk relative to how much profit this system can produce. Here is an example:

128 Let s see what happens in a case of 5 consecutive wins: =$110 total profit. In the case of five losses: = -$300 total loss. Thus, a string of five consecutive wins gives only about one third as much profit as five consecutive losses. I would not recommend you this system in the long run. SYSTEM S EVALUATION PROGRESSIVE BETTING SYSTEMS The basic principle of these betting systems is to never increase your bet after a loss. After winning, place the same bet or go higher. These systems are called Up to Win betting systems. The question you ll everyone who uses these kind of systems face is whether to escalate rapidly or slowly. If you escalate slowly the profit will be lower, but it will be easy to tolerate occasional losses. This type of approach makes sense to me, and as you will see, my method to beat the casino without card-counting is based on this principal. The rapid escalation is risky. It depends on how much you wish to ad after a win. The sequence could escalate like this: $10,20,30,35. Or it could escalate even more rapidly with adding to the winnings like this: $10, 25, 50. As you can see this method is very risky, because if you lose the third hand, you will show a net deficit. I would suggest escalating slowly and being satisfied with smaller winnings, because this is too risky. Many types of progression can be set up, and their numbers are almost infinite. Out of all these endless possibilities I will demonstrate three typical versions

129 Version I. The Strait-Up System Your first bet is $10. After winning a hand, you always move up to the next bet until the first loss. After a loss, you start again from the beginning. The series could look like this: Slow escalation: $ and so on Rapid escalation: $ and so on The problem with this system is that you have to win 3 hands in a row: otherwise, you will not make any money. SYSTEM S EVALUATION Version II. Conservative Straight-Up System This system tries to neutralize the effect of alternate wins and losses. The conservative approach of straight-up is to require two consecutive wins of equal bet, before moving up. The series, for example, could look like this: $ , and so on. The repetition of the first bet eliminates the possibility of losing on an alternate win and loss situation. The series starts with the first bet here too, and it moves up with every win. After the first loss the series start again. SYSTEM S EVALUATION Version III. The Progression System The mechanics of this betting system are the same as with straight-up. The difference is in the betting sequence. After winning a hand, you move up to the next bet, until the first loss occurs. After the loss, you automatically have to return to the original bet, and the series starts again

130 A typical progression series, for example, could look like this: $ , and so on. As you can see, this system is nothing but a variation of the Conservative Strait-Up system, but it is accomplished in a more conservative way. You make every bet twice, assuring that a part of the profit will not be lost back. If you want to use a system this one is one of the best. SYSTEM S EVALUATION REGRESSIVE PROGRESSIVE BETTING SYSTEMS The main idea of this systems is to reduce your second bet after the first win. So if you lose the second bet, you ve played even with the house (won one, lost one), and you still made some profit. Since you have to reduce your bet after the first win, the key is in the first bet after a win. You have to regress back your bet. For that reason, the first bet of the series always has to be higher than the table minimum. A typical regression progression series could look like this: $ The basic rules are as follows: Start with the first bet, and if you win, regress your second bet. If you lose, the series is over that series has only one hand. If you win again, move up, and so on. The regressive progressive betting system can have many different variations, depending on how aggressive you want to play. Hundreds of variations can be set up. I will show you another typical one, when you insert a second regression. For example, after the third win, you repeat the bet taking some extra profit with it. Now the series could look like this: $ , and so on Whether a series is good or not, a longer period of a particular series needs to be examined that proves the principal for that particular series, since the

131 wins and the losses don t happen in alternating ways. However, if you catch three or more consecutive then you make a profit. SYSTEM S EVALUATION TWO-LEVEL BETTING SYSTEM The smaller bet ($10) is made following a loss and the larger bet ($20- $30) is made following a win. Your first bet is $10, and if you win the hand, your next bet is $20 (or $25 $30). Keep betting until you lose. If you lose, go back to $10. SYSTEM S EVALUATION THE PARLAY SYSTEM This system tries to pyramid profits by leaving winnings on the table through a series of two, tree or more bets. A single successful parlay consists of two successive and successful bets. Many different series can be set up. The simplest is as follows: Bet $10. If it s lost, keep betting $10. If it wins let it ride, two, three or more times. The series could look like this: $10, 20, 40, 80 and so on. If you can win the predetermined two, three and so on, hands in a row, you will be a winner. SYSTEM S EVALUATION

132 THE PARLAY PROGRESSION SYSTEM In this system, you will move up after each loss. As soon as you win a hand, leave the money on the table. If you can win two in a row, you made the parlay. The series is over. If you missed the parlay did not win two, repeat the process until you make it or lose the whole series. If you lost the highest number, you can start the series again. The series could look like this: $10, 10, 15, 15, 25, 35, 50, 70. the total risk of this series is $215, with $30, 20, 25, 40, 45, 55, 65 net profit at each point. This is how to calculate the profit at each point: say if you win the forth hand, losses by that time are $ =35, wins are $25+50=$75. So 75-35=40. SYSTEM S EVALUATION THE 2 OF 5 SYSTEM The series of this system has 5 numbers and you try to win any two of them. Most combinations of two wins will give a fair profit. The series could look exactly like straight-up, but the difference is moving up win or lose: $10, 20, 30, 40, 50. The series is over if you have two wins or lose the last number in your series. If you lose your first four, the series is over since you can t win two. In order to decrease our losses in this case, here is another possibility: the series could look like this: $10,15, 25, 30, 50. My concern is that you have to increase your bet as many as three times in a row after losing. SYSTEM S EVALUATION

133 DOUBLE WIN SYSTEM The purpose of this system is to win two consecutive hands. If it happens, you win the double of your initial bet at any point of the series: $10,10, 20, 20, 40, 40, 80, 80. You start with the first number and move up win or lose until you win two hands in a row. The series is over. If you can t win two in a row, play until the last number is lost in the series and start again. If you do not win any two numbers, you should think about leaving the table. Here is another possible sequence: $10, 10, 15, 15, 30, 30, 60, 60. This system is OK, but don t forget that your total risk is $300 and if you successfully finish the series once, you have made $20. NOTE: In general, the higher the profit that you want to reach, the higher the risk you have to take, and conversely, the smaller the risk you take, the more slowly you can accumulate profits. SYSTEM S EVALUATION DELAYED AND UP SYSTEM (The No.1 Winning System for Non-Counters) The Delayed and Up betting system is the most reliable and profitable blackjack system that Non-Counter Pros are using right now to make millions at the casinos. This chapter is entirely dedicated to this unique system that could bring lots and lots of dollars in your pockets, of course if played correctly. Because I want you to understand completely how this revolutionary system work, I will explain it in great detail. The idea of this betting system is

134 that after the first loss the series is not jet finished automatically. However, you will have to limit the increase of bets after a loss hand, and therefore, the series is sometimes finished with a won hand. The limit of one betting series will be 6 bets (except if a longer winning series develops). That is because 7 or more consecutive winning sessions rarely happens (as you saw earlier in this e-book). In the table bellow I show all the imaginable possibilities that can happen with six consecutive hands. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Hand 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th $ $ Hand

135 At the top of the table are the corresponding betting sequences: $ (the first bet is $10 the sixth is $30). The 64 rows show the conceivable 64 win-loss show the conceivable 64 win-loss possibilities. The + sign stands for a winning hand and the - represent the losing hands. Six consecutive hands is not possible in any other combination than is presented. If the hand is a push, I considerate as if nothing happened. If I win a hand with double down, I think of it as two consecutive wins. Of course you can t know in advance in what kind of sequence the winning and losing hands will follow each other. One thing is for sure, however, in the case of six consecutive hands, one of the sixty-four possibilities will occur. To illustrate the above, I will write here, in random order, winning and losing hands as they could occur at the table. For the sake of simplicity, you will assume the same number of hands won or lost: W;W;L;W;L;LW;L;W;L;W;W;L;L;W;W;L;L etc. grouping into series with 6 members will look like this: W;W;L;W;L;L---W;L;W;L;W;W---L;L;W;W;L;L ---etc. In the case of this kind of series, the first 6-member series corresponds with the 12 th row, the second 6-member series with the 21 st row, the third 6- member series with the 52 nd row, and so on. Considering when you sit down to the table a given series goes on, and you just jumped into it anywhere, you can divide the series. Keeping the above example, let s say you sit down after a second hand and the series forms itself like this: W;W---L;W;L;L;W;L---W;L;W;W;L;L---W;W;L;L---etc In this case, the first 6-member series corresponds with row 46, the next with row 20 and so on. With this example I just want illustrate that theoretically, the series can be cut anywhere. The series can start anytime (anywhere), and after that, win or lose, you move up one bet until the series is over. Later, I will explain when the series is over. At that time, I will cite this example again

136 How Does It Work? I demonstrate the whole point of this method in the table bellow. Almost every sequence has a point, where the series shows a profit as long as you haven t lost four hands or four out of five hands in a row. These spots are marked by a vertical line. These vertical lines indicate that the series is over. After a series is over, you return to the first $10 bets for the next series. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Hand 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th $ $ Hand

137 The first 32 lines show when a series starts with a win, and lines show when a series starts with a loss. The first 16 lines don t require much explanation. The series starts with two wins, and as long as the wins continue, the series keep on going. After the first loss, the series is over and you start another one. After the seventh or more wins occur, the bet remains $30. Since sooner or later, a loss occurs, I don t want to lose my biggest bet. This is why I don t raise the bet after the 6 th win. If you re the type who likes to risk more, then is understandable and I recommend to increase the bet after the 7 th as well. A little explanation of lines is in order. The series starts like this: win, loss, win. You won 2 of 3 hands and you made a profit. The series is over and you start a new one. You don t jeopardize taking the forth increased ($15) bet surely if that loses, then the series doesn t show any profit at all. The question rightly comes up: Ending a series after a win? Yes. As I sad, I won t risk turning a winning situation into a losing one. If you win the next hand, you are only one hand behind if a winning series really does happen. In the case of rows occurring, after two losses you give ourselves another chance. This is the first case when you really increase our bet with a half unit after a lost hand. In the case of a win, you won 2 of 4 hands and you finished with a profit! In the case of a loss(rows 29-32), you can give it another chance. More about this later. To sum up: You won 29 of 32 possibilities 1-8 possibilities: You try to catch the long winning streak. They all show a profit possibilities: Nothing but a flat bet, you won 2 of 3 hands and pocketed the profit possibilities: you won 2 of 4 hands and pocket the profit. 29 You won possibilities: You lost

138 A series is over and you start another one, if: After two or more consecutive wins, you lost a hand (1-16 rows). You won 2 of 3 hands (rows 17-24) You won 2 of 4 hands (rows 25-28) You reached the highest bet (rows 29-30) You lost 4 of 5 hands (rows 31-32) Now let s see rows 33-64, when a series starts with a loss. Rows 33-40: the series starts like this: loss, win, win. You won of 3 hands, and you made a profit. The series is over and you start a new one. You don t jeopardize taking the forth increased ($15) bet for surely if that loses, then the series doesn t shoes any profit at all. It is exactly the same as what I sad about the rows Rows 41-48: After loss, win, loss, take the next bet with the increased $15. If you win this fourth bet (rows 41-44), you won 2 of 4 hands and made a profit. The series is over. If you lose (rows 45-48), you can give it another chance. Rows 49-56: After loss, loss, win, take the next bet with the increased $15. If you win this forth bet (rows 49-52), you won 2 of 4 hands and made a profit. If you lose (rows 53-56), you can give it another chance. Rows 57-64: After losing three in a row (still your initial bet), take the next bet with he increased $15. If you win this forth bet (rows 57-60), you take a fifth bet. Win or lose the series is over. If you win (rows 57-58), you won 2 of 5 hands and made a profit. If you lose (rows 59-60), you lose 4 of 5 hands. It doesn t make sense to go higher. If you lose the forth bet (rows 61-64), you lost 4 hands in a row. It doesn t make sense to go higher. Take a break.. To sum this all up: the conclusions are similar to what I showed at the summary of the first 32 rows. Except for two series (46 and 54), you won all of them except when you lost four in a row or 4 of 5 hands I believe this is the maximum that you can expect from any kind of method

139 There will be one more thing. As you maybe can see, I made an abstract of the series when you win 3 of 6 hands. I will demonstrate this in the table bellow. There are 20 possibilities. I just repeat the corresponding rows of the previous table. As you can see, all of the series are showing a profit. $ 1 st 10 2 nd 10 3 rd 10 4 th 15 5 th 20 6 th Hand Summing Up the Delayed and Up System Now that you learned the system, I thing its name says it all. You delay to increase your bet in the third hand, assuring that if the third hand loses, you still make a profit equivalent to your initial bet. If the third hand wins, when you up the bet, and no matter when you lose, you make a profit. It is a fact that the profit will be less in the case of a longer winning streak, but since longer winning streaks happen less frequently, my experience shows that the overall profit will not be less. However, it will appear all the time. The rules that you have to comply with are as follow:

140 the first, second and third bets are $10 the forth bet is $15 the fifth bet is $20 the sixth and every next bet will be $30 The betting sequence will look like this: $ You are moving up whether you lose a hand or you win. In case of split, double or push, I use the following rule: I consider the push as nothing has happened, and I repeat my bet. If I win or lose a double, I consider it as two consecutive wins or losses, and according to that, I choose my next bet (skip one leve of the betting progression). In the case of a split, I consider every hand as a separate hand and bet accordingly. If three or more hands develop because of splitting and doubling and I win all of them, I still do not skip more than one hand. However, this is only the consequence of my cautious style. If you are more aggressive player, you can skip as many bets as hands won. But never risk more money than what you just made. In the case of Blackjack, do not skip a level. Be happy with the extra 50% in winnings that you just made. The series is over and you start a new one if: After two or more consecutive wins, you lose a hand You won 2 (non consecutive) of the first 3,4 or 5 hands You lost 4 hands in a row You lost 4 of 5 hands The advantages of the method are: 1. If two consecutive wins happen anywhere, the series shows a profit. 2. The spread between the highest and the lowest bet is only 1 to 3. this guarantees that the method will never attract attention

141 3. The delay and Up Method eliminates the losses caused by short-run fluctuation (since the first three bets are flat bets, essentially) with the third (initial) bet to minimize the losses. At the same time, there is always a possibility to achieve a higher profit in the case of longer winning streak. SYSTEM S EVALUATION CARD-COUNTING WINNING SYSTEMS If you succeed to master the Basic Strategy and can mix in a few of the other tips and strategy, you are no longer a sucker, but a skill player capable of beating the house. In this chapter you will learn how to beat the house even worse, by using a new approach by counting the cards. You don t have to be a genius to do this. If I could do it for years, you can do it too. The difference is that you will learn much faster, because in this chapter I reveal the most powerful systems in the world to count the blackjack cards. You just have to learn go to the casino and make mountains of cash. So let s get started. CARD-COUNTING PREVIEW To understand better the card-counting techniques you must read this first. Dr. Edward Thorp s initial Ten-Count strategy lumped all the non-face cards together and assigned them the same value. Besides sacrificing some accuracy, it was a bear of system to actually use in the casino. An early student of the game named Harvey Dubner simplified Thorp s groundbreaking work into a much easier format. Instead of keeping track of complicated ratios, he devised a counting system that was very simple to grasp. He assigned a value of +1 to all the low cards (2-6) and a value of 1 to all the high cards (7-A). This count was christen the High Low (Hi-Lo)

142 For the majority of card counters, Doubner s innovative Hi-Lo system become all they ever needed because it correctly identified nearly every profitable betting situation. Since almost all the edge (at least in shoe games) gained from card-counting is derived from raising your bets at the right times, the Hi-Lo seamed like the ideal system. However, some diehards wanted to squeeze the maximum gain from the tables and intuitively saw that more advanced counts could be created and higher edges obtained. This was because not all cards have the same importance when they are taken out of the deck. The following table shows the approximate gain or loss each card has when it is removed from single-deck blackjack: Card Efect of Removal % % % % % % % % % J -0.51% Q -0.51% K -0.51% A -0.59% As you can see, some cards have a much greater effect on the odds. The strongest counting system would need to incorporate these subtle differences into their numbers because removing a 5 has more than twice the impact as pulling a 7 out of the deck. This disparity inspired math geeks to grab their slide rules and search for counting systems that more accurately reflected the different strengths of the smaller cards. Hi-Lo is classified as a level 1 count since none of its values exceed plus or minus 1. More advanced systems are called multilevel counts because the cards have individual values higher than one

143 THE MOST POWERFUL CARD-COUNTING SYSTEMS After years of research and tests made at the blackjack table I came to the conclusion that the next 8 card-counting systems are the most profitable and easy to learn blackjack moneymakers tools a Pro player needs to beat the house consistently. In the following chart, you will see the 8 counting systems ordered after their counting level (from level 1 to level 4): Count System J Q K A BC PE KO % 55% Hi-Lo % 51% Hi-Opt I % 61% Hi-Opt II % 67% Zen Count % 63% Omega II % 67% Uston APC % 69% Revere APC % 65% The two columns following each count show the Betting Correlation (BC) and the Playing Efficiency (PE) for each system. Although advanced counts are definitely more precise, the extra gain gleaned from stepping up to level 2 is rather small. Even more surprising is how little additional profit is increased by learning level 3 and above. This is because the simplest systems capture most of the potential power of counting, which flattens out considerably beyond level 1. Another thing you might recognize is that several systems count the ace as zero. Obviously, the ace is very important because it is the most significant card to consider when counters are raising their bets. Yet because an ace never busts any hand, it is hardly a factor for playing decisions (deviating from Basic Strategy according to deck composition). Therefore, the strongest systems are called multiparameter since they keep two counts one for most of the cards and a separate one for aces. This allows

144 them to retain the strength of high betting efficiencies while improving the accuracy of decisions. Now let s see what count system could be the best for you. If you want to master as soon as possible a counting system, I would recommend you the first two systems because they are very easy to learn and almost as strong as the advanced ones. The best counting system for you depends on several factors, including the kind of blackjack games you play, how much you bet, and how many hours a year you expect to work. I would consider all this circumstances before recommending any one count. However, most players starting out are going to fit into the recreational category and should learn Hi-Lo. Advice: if you re unwilling to teach yourself to count cards, theoretically you could also find a card counter and mimic his bets. The trick, of course is identifying a good card counter. Practically specking, if you can determine that, you can probably count on your own. However, some card counters have a certain look that sets them apart from the crowd. It s clear to the trained eye that they are not visiting the casino for fun they came to make the big bucks. In the next pages I will reveal how the counting systems are used in order to beat the house consistently. I will start with the easier counting systems for regular players and continue with the more advanced counting systems, for Pros. So if you intend to become a serous high-stakes player, or if you are willing to travel all over the land to find profitable handheld games, I suggest you just skim the following pages and learn the more advanced count in the next chapters instead. However if you plan on primarily attacking the far more common shoe games and don t expect to quit your day job, then the next counting system is probably just the ticket

145 HI-LO COUNTING SYSTEM (The best counting system for recreational players!) The Hi-Lo system is not only the most popular count for recreational players, it s also the weapon of choice for most blackjack teams for the simple reason that it avoids the stiff learning curve of multilevel counts. It works especially well for groups that constantly shuffle new players in and out of the team. Hi-Lo is easy to learn. If you can add 1 and 1 and come up with 2, then you re a strong candidate to master Hi-Lo. First let s review the respective values for each card: 2,3,4,5,6 Count +1 7,8,9 Count 0 10,J,Q,K,A Count -1 You can see there are three groups. The twenty small cards (2-6) are counted as plus 1 when they are removed from the deck. The twelve middle cards (7,8,9) are considered the neutral cards and have no value. The twenty big cards (10-A) are counted minus 1. It is helpful to think of these high and low cards as engaged in a continual war, with the twenty big cards constantly trying to overpower the twenty small cards. Here is a case in which you d want to root for the underdog, since the removal of an excess of small cards increases your edge. Conversely, if the small cards win the war, the odds shift back to the house, and there is no betting advantage for the player. Before I start showing you the insiders of this counting system, let me first give you a powerful Proof that card-counting really works (skeptical should read this): Let s take for example a roulette wheel and suppose that this roulette wheel has 40 numbers instead of 38 half of which are black and the other half red (no zeros). In such a game, neither the players nor the house have any edge on either color it s dead even (50-50). However, suppose after each number was hit, that number was removed from the wheel. Now you have a

146 whole different proposition. The odds will fluctuate rapidly back and forth between red and black. Take this example: during the first 10 spins, red comes up 8 times and back only 2 times. If you want to bet red, your chance for winning that wager plunges from 50 percent (20 out of 40) down to 40 percent (12 out of 30). However, black moves up to become a 60 percent favorite with 18 spots left in the remaining 30 numbers. This customized roulette wheel shows the reason card counting works. The logic is simple: As cards are removed from play, they forever change the remaining deck composition. When the majority of cards removed are tens and aces (-1), the odds will favor the casino. But whenever an excess of small cards (+1) are removed, the odds slowly climb past the 50 percent mark and will give you as a player, a real chance to beat the house. How to Beat the House Using the Hi-Lo Counting System? Practice, practice, practice. The Hi-Lo Learning Procedure The best way to learn Hi-Lo is to take a standard deck and flip through the cards one at a time until the value of each denomination becomes automatic. Fortunately, this is not to difficult after a little bit of practice. Remember, you don t have to differentiate for any of the four suits the 3 of spades counts exactly the same as the 3 of diamonds. The next step is trying to keep a Running Count (hereafter called RC) of all cards in the deck. This is done by starting off with the count of zero. As you flip through deck, add or subtract the respective values of each card to your overall tally, or RC. After counting all fifty-two cards you should be back to zero. Let s take the example in which the first few cards in the deck were: 6,2,8,J,7,5. Your brain would process this information into an RC of +1,+2,+2,+1,+1,+2. Each card is added to he RC in the order you see it. A small card adds 1 to the overall number, while a big card subtract 1 from the total. If you have an aversion to negative numbers, here is a graph to show how this works:

147 Another trick pro counters use is to never call negative numbers negative 1 or minus 1. It is much quicker to refer to them as mi 1. Mi is a short for minus. Another thing you can do is refer to positive numbers as simply 3 instead of positive 3. This also streamlines and simplifies the counting process, although I will use the + signs in this e-book to avoid any confusion while you re still learning the material. Next, go through the deck two cards at a time. This may sound more difficult but it s actually much easier. The reason is that many card combinations will cancel each other out in Hi-Lo. Here are a few examples of cancellations at work: All of the two-card combos shown above can essentially be ignored when counting since their total value is zero. Once you become acquainted with this fact, you often don t need to add or subtract each card, which is why many consider Hi-Lo such a breeze to learn. You can test your accuracy by removing one unseen card from the deck before you begin your count. When you re done, turn over the hidden card and see if it matches your count. Once you get to the point at which you can predict the last card correctly most of the time, it s safe to move on to your next assignment SPEED. This drill is done exactly the same way you flip over two cards at a time through a fifty-two-card deck, except now you re pushing yourself like a racehorse trying to win the race. The ballpark goal most people shoot for is twenty-five seconds. The next thing you should do in order to master completely the Hi-Lo counting system is to make yourself a practice sheet where you can practice your count. Bellow is a practice chart you could use to improve your counting system:

148 8-T A A T-T T T A-3 8-T 5-T 2-9 A-4 5-T T-T T 3-T 3-9 A T-T A A-T A-9 6-T T T-T 2-2 A-3 2-T 5-9 A T-T T T T A-8 7-T 8-9 A-4 4-T T 3-T T-T 4-T 9-T 3-4 A-6 8-T A A-T A T-T 2-T A-2 4-T 2-7 T-T T A-T 5-T 5-T 8-T T 7-T 3-T T 6-7 T-T T 9-2 T-T 9-T T-8 A-8 4-T T A The Running Count (RC) Nearly all the advantage a card counter gains over the house in a shoe game (six or eight decks) comes from betting. Play decisions matter very little comparatively. It is possible to glean most of this gain withour reading much farther. If you are able to correctly maintain a RC and play perfect Basic Strategy in the casino, you re ready to become the favorite, rather than the house. Let s see now a few betting strategies. Let s suppose you have $10,000 bankroll. If you have more or less than this amount, just adjust the numbers accordingly. What every skill blackjack player is looking for is a high plus count. That indicates there is an excess of big cards (10-ace) left in the remainder of the shoe, which will favor the players rather than the house. A perfect betting strategy to take advantage of these positive counts would be to hike up your bet during the high counts and stick with your minimum bet the rest of the time. The minimum bet would be $5 to $10, depending on how aggressive you play. Stick with this bet any time the RC is +4 or less (this includes of course all negative numbers)

149 From +5 to +9, bet $25. if the RC climbs into double digits, then bet $50 from +10 to +14. Jump to $75 for a RC of +15 to +19, and when the RC breaks +20, take a deep breath and push out that $100 chip. Fact is that, there is only one way to gain a veritable advantage in any betting strategy to wager more when the count is high enough to tilt the odds in your favor. Doing this will make overall winners out of disciplined players. You could fine-tune it a bit more by moving your big bets up one notch over the second half of the shoe. For instance, now bet $100 on +15 or above and $75b on +10 to +14. RC First Half of Shoe Second Half of Shoe +4 or less $5 $5 +5 to +9 $25 $ to +14 $50 $ to +19 $75 $ or more $100 $100 Negative Numbers Strategy If you struggle with keeping the count when it falls into negative numbers, you might try by starting off with a count of +10 rather than zero. If you go up or down from there, you will rarely dip into negative digits, and if you do, you should definitely live that table. Obviously if you use this counting strategy, you d need to adjust your betting and play decisions to correspond with the different starting point ($5 at +20 rather than +10). True Count (TC) The only reason I expect to have more winning days than losing ones is because I raise my bets during positive counts. The previous chart shows when to raise your bets according to the RC, but the maximum dollar-per-hour return would be to theoretically jump to your highest bet ($100 in our example) any time you have an edge over the house

150 This would also be the simplest betting scheme. However, such a strategy packs unnecessary risk, and players employing such aggressive tactics would be in danger of tapping out their $10,000 bankroll rather than wining. A smarter approach is to modify your bets so they are in proportion to the actual edge you have on any given hand. A rule of thumb is that the higher the count goes into the positive numbers, the larger your edge. This is why the chart shows incremental increases in your bets based on how high the RC rises. However, most counters never base their bets just on the RC because the value of the count changes depending on how many cars remain to be played. For example, if you took a 4 out of a pack of 52 cards, the odds would shift by about 0.5 percent in favor of the players. Yet you would need to remove six 4s out of a six-deck shoe to cause the same shift in the house advantage. As you can see, the effect of each individual card value is diluted depending on how many decks are used. The bigger the pitcher or shoe, the less effect each card will have. Therefore, the only way know the proper proportion and correct odds is with a True Count (TC). This conversion process scares off many players, but it can be learned with a little practice. Here is the formula that shows the equation: True Count = (Running Count) / (Unplayed Decks) Getting back to the example of our 4s, a RC of +6 with six decks remaining to be played yields the same TC of +1 as a RC of +1 with one deck remaining (6:6=1). This is because the effect of removing a small card of one deck (1 out of 52 cards) is significantly greater on the remaining composition that removing the same card from six decks (1 out of 312 cards). This TC provides a much more accurate gauge for the proportions of high cards to low cards over the reminder of the shoe than an RC. And that is the information you need to know whether there are sufficiently more tens and aces than normal, so your bets can be raised higher

151 To calculate a TC it doesn t matter how many decks you started with, but how many are left to play. Each number in the TC is called a True Point and is worth about 0.5 percent with the Hi-Lo count. In other words, every time the TC rises one point, your edge goes up 0.5 percent. In most games, a TC of +1 brings you back to about even or slightly ahead f the house, and every possible number over that increases your advantage. For example, a TC of +3 yields about a 1 percent edge and a TC of +5 will give you a 2 percent edge over the house. Here is how this is calculated: the TC of +5 is multiplied times 0.5 percent (value of each true point). This gives a total of 2.5 percent. Then you subtract the starting house advantage (which is usually about -0.4 percent against the players). That leaves a total of approximately 2 percent for your edge. You can readily see how this more precise information can help you bet correctly. However, you must be able to convert the RC to the TC to take advantage of this data. Play Decisions Determining the TC will help in two ways. The main advantage is in being able to bet the correct amounts at the right time. One important thing to remember is that a negative RC always equals a negative TC. So if you are calculating a TC only to determine a bet, you can save yourself the effort on any negative number because you will never change your bet (with the Hi-Lo system) until the RC rises over into the positive side. The other reason you need TC is so you can vary your play decisions from Basic Strategy according to the count. It may sound stupid, after I took so much time to explain the importance of the Basic Strategy, to tell you now that there are occasions when out throw it out the window. Here is the reason: when an excess of face cards are left in the shoe, it is sometimes wiser to stand on your stiffs and let the dealer bust. Also, you d want to double down and split more frequently in positive counts and less often in negative decks. The correct time to deviate from Basic Strategy is determined by a matrix number. However, you still Basic Strategy on vast majority of the hands. Some of these modifications according to the count can greatly increase your edge. I have determined for you the most important hands from changing your play

152 from Basic Strategy. Here are the matrix numbers (calculated for 6 deck shoe), to use during critical situations: Insurance vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs ace vs vs ace +4 9 vs vs ,10 vs ,10 vs 6 +5 What the chart above means is that sometimes playing strategy (as well as betting) can be affected by the count. For example, now there are times to stand with your 15 versus a face card (TC of +5 or higher) even though that is contrary to Basic Strategy. Taking advantage of this additional information to alter some of your play will increase your edge over the house. Advice: you always want to round the TC down for playing decision, and you always deviate from Basic Strategy if the TC equals or exceeds that number. Remember that in a shoe game the TC is almost always less than the RC. A conversion is never required unless the RC is at least higher than the matrix number you need. For example: in 16 vs 9, you d stand (raher than the usual play of hit) if the TC equaled or exceeded +5. However, if the RC is anything less than +5, you don t even need to do the math. Any fraction of +5 will be less than

153 Sometimes you may have a decision that is toss-up a hand that is borderline for the number. The best way to resolve such close calls is to go with Basic Strategy and err on the side of safety. Undertaking the Blackjack Tables This chapter contains all the basics for you to become an overall winner at the casinos. However, at times this task may seem to difficult and overwhelming, and you may want to give up, but the reward of the work you put in now is will be great over your lifetime. Disciplined players who adhere to the proper strategies will win far more often than those who play blackjack by the seat of their pants. The important principle is to only use what you are able to master. And don t forget to put in the work at home before entering the doors of the casino. Practice should be done at home, not at the casinos. The cost of your education in the real world can be very high. Assuming you are ready to undertake the blackjack tables, I suggest you start off betting small. Don t make the mistake 95% of the players make, by going in unprepared and overconfident. It is better to start slow and work your way up to higher chip levels. There are many things to keep track of when you first start card counting, and if you are also sweating over the amount of money at risk, you have a recipe for disaster. If you re already learned a valid counting system (like the KO), there is no need to change if you are comfortable with that. However, more chips wait for you at each additional rung of the ladder. The higher you are willing to climb, the larger the gain. In the next part of the e-book I will reveal insider tips and strategies to help you maximize your return at lucrative handheld games. And those chosen few who are diligent and serious about their blackjack game can join the ranks of the true upper class in blackjack the Pros

154 HI-OPT I & HI-OPT II COUNTING SYSTEMS There are two well known counts in the Hi-Opt system. The first is called Hi-Opt I and the second Hi-Opt II. Here are the respective card values for each system: Cards/System J Q K A Hi-Opt I Hi-Opt II You can notice the similarity between Hi-Lo and Hi-Opt I. The only differences are the 2 and the ace. The deuce is left out of Hi Opt I because it is the least important of the small cards in the Hi-Lo system. The ace is not actually dropped, but is counted separately. This is the secret weapon of multiparameter advanced counts, because it allows experts to play their hands much more accurately. These are called ace-neutralized counts as opposed to ace-reckoned counts such as the Hi-Lo. SYSTEM S EVALUATION The Hi-Opt Learning Procedure. Either Hi-Opt count can be learn the same way like Hi-Lo. Obviously the individual value for some cards are different, but the practice drills will work in an identical matter. Going through the deck one card at a time, then two cards at a time, would again be the first step. However it is helpful training to use a pack of cards with four extra aces (a loaded deck) to help prepare you for side-counting aces in a double deck game. The second step is learning how to keep track of those all-important aces, since your count no longer compensates for them. Many players simply keep two counts going in their head, such as +5 and 2, meaning RC of +5 with two aces gone. Here is an external system called the feet-counting system to help you keep track of the aces:

155 Aces Tracking System 1 ace Toes on ground and heel raised 2 aces Instep down 3 aces Heel down, toes raised 4 aces Out-step down 5 aces Heel down, toes up and pointing to the left 6 aces Heel down, toes up and pointing to the right 7 aces Toes down, heel up and pointing to the left 8 aces Toes down, heel up and pointing to the right The system above will cover all the aces you ll ever see in a hand-held game. If you were to play shoes (which have 24 or 32 aces), you can simply start over again or use another modification which I will explain later in this e- book. The Ace Adjustments Normally, one ace should be seen for every thirteen cards. If there is any disparity from the usual number, the RC needs to be adjusted. This is generally only done for betting situations, and then only when the adjustment might make a difference on the amount you will wager. Example: If you were playing in a double-deck game and approximately half a deck (26 cards) had been played, you should have seen 2 aces. However, if only one ace had appeared, you have a situation in which the remaining cards are slightly ace rich (by 1 ace). You then need to adjust the RC up or down by the excess or shortage of aces. In this case you would add either +1 (for Hi-Opt I) or +2 (for Hi-Opt II) to the RC before making your TC conversion. The chart bellow gives a few more examples of this process using Hi-Opt I. DR = decks remaining RC = running count The column for aces show how many aces were actually played, with the number in parentheses representing the number of aces that should have been seen at that point

156 ADJ = adjustment. It shows how much of an adjustment (depending on the disparity of aces) needs to be made on the RC. ARC = adjusted running count. This is the end result of this calculation and is multiplied times the CF (conversion factor) to give the final TC (true count). DR RC Aces ADJ ARC CF TC (0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Still confused? Let s review by walking through this process. In the second example, roughly 13 cards have been played in a double deck game and approximately 91 (1.75 decks) remain. You should have seen one ace, but instead, two have already come out. This difference of one ace needs to be subtracted (ADJ) from the RC (+5) to get an ARC (adjusted running count) of +4. in this example the excess ace reduced the count slightly. The ARC is then multiplied by the CF to give the correct TC for betting (+4 x.6 = TC ). After this is done, you revert back to the original RC. This step can be difficult and is where many mistakes occur, so you must be careful at this point. These numbers are for Hi-Opt I, in which you adjust 1 for every ace. If you used the Hi-Opt II system, then you d need to adjust plus or minus 2 for each ace. The same principals for the double-deck chart could be used to adjust for aces in a single deck game, except the number for normal aces would be different. Playing against only one deck is actually easier because the TC in single deck is always greater than the RC, and this greatly simplifies much of the conversion process

157 This means that it is only necessary to make TC calculations on close decisions. Often, the number needed to stand or to increase your bet will be evident without having to go through the several steps of adjusting the RC. Playing single-deck at full tables where they deal two rounds is especially a snap because you only need to make one TC decision per deck for betting (between each round). Hi-Opt II Matrix I believe Hi-Opt is one of the most profitable system to use for card counting. However, many players are scared of by its complexity and stiff learning curve. Therefore, I have simplified the index numbers in the following chart to lessen the difficulty in memorization. I did this by rounding most of the actual matrix numbers to the nearest multiple of 5 (5,10,15,20) while these approximations will reduce some of your accuracy, it greatly diminishes the chance for errors, as these numbers are much easier to recall in the heat of battle. This simplified strategy will squeeze out most of your edge and is generic enough to use for different conditions (rule changes or varying number of decks). This chart contains only numbers for the more important hands and assumes you will use basic strategy for all other situations

158 Player s Dealer s Up Card Hand A 16 S S S S S S S S S S S S S H H H H H H H H H H H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D 5 15 H H H 8 H H H H H H S S S S S S A-9 S S S S S S A S S S S S A D D D S S H H H A D D D H H H H H A-5 H 10 8 D D H H H H H A-4 H D H H H H H A-3 H H H H H H A-2 H H H H H H Legend: S=stand, H=hit, D=double down, P=split The correct way to use this chart is to alter your play (from basic strategy) whenever the True Count equals or exceeds the matrix number. For example, normally you hit a hard 12 versus a 2 up card, but if the True Count is +5 or greater, then the proper play is to stand. Conversely, you stand on a 12 vs. a 6 if the true count is greater than -2 (-3, -4, etc). You also should take insurance anytime the true count reaches +4 or higher. BETTING SPREADS The secret to beating the house at blackjack generally hinges on one fact: you have to bet more when there is a high count and less when it is negative. How much of an edge you obtain is often a reflection of how wide the spread is between your small bets and your big bets. You don t need much to beat most single deck games. A 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 spread is sufficient if the rules are good or if the deck penetration is very deep (more about this later in this e-book). However, if you do want to be a strong

159 favorite over the house, then a spread of 1 to 4 will provide a powerful edge in most situations. For our benchmark bankroll of a $10,000, that would be roughly going from $20 to $80. With the Hi-Lo count, you would bet $20 on any TC of +1 or less, $40 for a TC of +2, $60 for a TC of +3, and $80 for any TC of +4 or higher. Since there are more max-bet opportunities in the handheld games, it sometimes is wiser to reduce the risk by having more than a hundred top bets for single or double deck. (If your personal cash stake is different than $10,000, then just extrapolate the numbers for your betting range.) Single-Deck Bets Hi Lo / Hi-Opt I Zen / Hi-Opt II +1 or less $20 $20 +2 $40 $40 +3 $60 $40 +4 $80 $40 +5 $80 $60 +6 $80 $60 +7 $80 $80 +8 or higher $80 $80 One advantage of those numbers ($20-$80) is that they contain a bit of built-in camouflage (more on camouflage later in this e-book). Each bet consists of exactly four chips, and every bet is always capped by a red chip. This could confuse the eye in the sky into thinking you are always wagering the same amount. One advantage of good single-deck games is that you don t have to spread your bets very dramatically to become a winning player. However, shoe games provide a much ore arduous mountain to climb, and my betting advice on how to beat multiple-deck games is to use a very large spread. A lot of players prefer keeping their betting spreads small so the heat doesn t descend on them at the table. My personal take on this issue is to rather win $100,000 in one year even if it means being kicked out a lot than eke out $20,000 year after year with a very small edge and a lot of negative fluctuations. Here is the betting style I recommend

160 Double-Deck Bets Hi Lo / Hi-Opt I Zen / Hi-Opt II 0 or less $10 $10 +1 $20 $10 +2 $40 $20 +3 $60 $30 +4 $80 $40 +5 $80 $50 +6 $80 $60 +7 $80 $70 +8 or higher $80 $80 For double-deck games, I typically used a 1 to 8 spread. With the $10,000 bankroll, that might mean $10 to $80. So now you would wager $10 on any negative count, then follow the same sequence as in single deck. Show games are harder to beat, but they do contain several interesting quirks that can be exploited. If your only available option is to sit through all six or eight decks, then a gigantic bet spread is often necessary to make it worthwhile. (This is because the house will have an advantage on approximately 80 percent of the hands in a show game.) I use a 1 to 20 spread, witch is $5 to $100 for the $10,000 bankroll. Here you would bet $5 on negative counts, $10 on 0, $20 on +1, $40 on +2, $60 on +3, $80 on +4, and $100 on +5 or more. Six-Deck Bets Hi Lo / Hi-Opt I Zen / Hi-Opt II 0 or less $5 $5 +1 $20 $5 +2 $40 $20 +3 $60 $30 +4 $80 $40 +5 $100 $50 +6 $100 $60 +7 $100 $70 +8 $100 $80 +9 $100 $ or higher $100 $100 Betting on the top presents a bit of a predicament. Since you normally are at a disadvantage on your first bet after the shuffle, the obvious choice would

161 be to wager as little as possible on your first hand. However, starting off with the same small bet every time is often a dead giveaway that you are a card counter. Mixing it up off the top is much wiser, although it is tough to do if you finished the last shoe with a monster bet. In those cases it is usually better to leave the table rather than drop way down. The next chapter reveals the most powerful counting system in the world. Because this is my favorite counting system I will present you the system in detail, so that you understand every aspect of it. If you do not have to many time to learn this I would advice you to read and learn the one of the counting systems presented earlier. But if you do have time and want to make the biggest possible profits at the blackjack table, the next system is a must posses weapon. THE OMEGA II COUNTING SYSTEM (The most profitable card-counting system in the world) My favorite counting system that brings me the most cash at the blackjack table is The Omega II Counting System. This system uses the most accurate and powerful level 2 count ever devised. In the next pages I will give you a full picture of this system, so don t be shocked if it will take more pages for that. It worth it! The Omega II Counting system can be played from recreational players as well as from Pro players That s why I ve developed an easy version called simple the Omega II System and a more complex version of the system called the Omega II System Pro. You can learn the one that suits the best your playing level

162 The Omega II System The count you will use is as follows: Card A Value To understand why this count was chose, a little Blackjack theory is in order. You count cards in Blackjack to enable you to do three things more accurately than would otherwise be possible: 1. Bet your money, 2. Take insurance, 3. Play our hands. Unfortunately, the ideal count for any one of these tasks is not ideal for the other two. For example, the following count is perfect for insurance: Card A Value A careful examination of this count will reveal that this count is ideal for insurance purposes. But now consider betting. What is the best count for this purpose? Computer studies have given the following count as just about ideal for betting: Card A Value And finally, let s take a look at a nearly optimal count for deciding on the play of the hands: Card A Value Even though each of these counts has exactly the same number of positive and negative points, practically every card rank has a different value in each count. The Insurance Count, for example, values the Ace as +4, while the

163 Betting Count values it at -8, and the Playing Count gives it a value of +2. It s no wonder that a count optimized for one purpose is now where near ideal for the other two. So let s see now how do we go about achieving any real accuracy with our insurance, betting, and playing decisions.. Well, let s take another look at our three optimal counts; and this time we ll add some additional information as well: A E i E b E p Insurance: Betting: Playing: The headings Ei, Eb, and Ep indicate the efficiencies of the various counts for insurance, betting, and the play of the hands, respectively. The term efficiency, as we are using it here, means the ratio of the actual gain achievable by the count to the theoretical gain achievable by a perfect knowledge of the card densities in the remaining deck. The highest possible efficiency rating is 1.00; this rating indicates the count is essentially perfect for that purpose. The lowest rating is 0.00; which means the count provides no gain whatsoever for that purpose. Intermediate ratings indicate varying degrees of efficiency for the purpose considered. It is interesting to note that although the Insurance Count has en Ei of 1.00, and the Betting Count has an Eb the Playing Count does not have an Ep of In fact, the Playing Count has a higher efficiency rating for insurance and betting than it does for playing! The reason for this surprising fact is that card counting systems that assign a single value to each card rank, the so-called single parameter systems, simply cannot handle the play of the hands as well as they do insurance and betting. The problem lies primarily with the middle cards, the 7s, 8s and 9s. Sometimes they behave as small cards, as when drawing to 12, for instance, and sometimes they behave as large cards, as when drawing to 15. The proper way to handle such cards is to give them a value, (+) or (-), that reflects their

164 average value, as we have done in the Omega II Count, and then keep a side count of each of them and adjust the main count depending on the situation and the relative excess or shortage of these cards in the remaining deck. With this technique it is possible to bring the playing efficiency (Ep) of an ideal count up to about.95. The problem with this multiparameter approach is that it s not playable in the real world. It s no problem to do it on a computer, but it s a big problem to do it in a casino. Any attempt to keep a sided count of several cards will result in losses from counting errors a lot bigger than nay theoretical gains. Given the above analysis and the fundamental differences in our three optimum counts, it is not surprising that the efficiency ratings bear out our claim that a count ideal for one purpose may not be very god for another. OK, fine, we ve confirmed we have a problem. Now what are we going to do about it? Well, for openers, it s obvious we re going to have to make some compromises, but where and how? Let s start by deciding on the relative importance of insurance, betting, and the play of these hands on our prospects for winning. Insurance, as it turns out, is of secondary importance, contributing well under 10% of our overall gain from counting. As for betting and playing, their relative importance is primarily a function of how freely we can spread our bets and how deeply the casino will deal before shuffling. With conditions as they exist in the casinos today, computer studies have shown that in single-deck games the play of the hands is slightly more important than betting, and in multiple-deck games betting is somewhat more important than the play of hands. Overall, four our purposes, the two factors are about equal in importance. So, as a first step in creating a count that is as close as possible to being all things to all purposes, let s combine our three optimum counts, using a weighted average based on their importance, and see what we get: Card A Value

165 Now we re getting somewhere. But notice also, that among the three optimum counts, the biggest discrepancy occurs in the value of the Ace. To other card values, particularly in the Betting and Playing Counts, show a good deal of similarity. The reason for this remarkably variance in the value of the Ace is due to its blackjack potential. Blackjacks greatly favor the player because they pay a 50% bonus. That is why the Ace is a big minus card in the Betting Count: as the Aces fall, so do the player s chances for getting a Blackjack. But in the Playing Count we are not concerned with blackjacks. What matters here is a card s potential for busting or making a hand when we, or the dealer, draw. Since it is virtually impossible to bust drawing an Ace, and since it seldom does much to make a hand either, it s no surprise that in the Playing Count the Ace has very little value. This analysis has led many experts, this author included, to the conclusion that the Ace should be valued as zero in the main count, and a that a side count of Aces should be kept to adjust the main count for betting purposes only. Following this reasoning, let s value the Ace as zero in our Weighted Average Optimum Count, adjust the other values to maintain balance, and see what we come up with. Card A Value Hmmm. Interesting. We re almost there now. In fact, if you were a computer or other major mutant, you would use this count. For the rest of us, though, we ve still got a little work to do. First off, this count is way too big to be practical, so let s cut it down to size. You re looking for a level 2 count, so let s divide through by a constant that will give you a count in that range. Dividing by say, 3.25, we get: Card A Value That s better. Now, rounding to the nearest whole number, to make the count playable by us mere mortals, and what do we have?

166 Card A E i E b E p Value You guessed it, the Omega II Counting System!!! No take a look at the efficiency ratings of Omega II. Notice that, even though each of the optimum counts is still tops in its field, overall the Omega II Count is king. You may be wondering why I have chosen a level 2 count when a level 1 count is easier to play, and a higher level count may be stronger. Well, an optimal higher level count may offer slightly more power, but the gain is trivial, and the increase in effort is substantial. For example, I played the Revere 14 Count for years, logging over 15,000 hands of big-money play. This was a level 4 count that looked like this: Card A E i E b E p Value In fairness, I have to say that I won a lot of money with this count and averaged a win rate of over +1.9% in mostly single-deck play. That s the good news. The bad news is that this count was a ball buster to use, and to stay sharp I had to practice nearly an hour every single day. When I use Omega II Counting System; I win just as fast, and the only time I practice is just before I go out to play. Notice also, that the 14 Count s efficiency ratings are slightly inferior to those of the Omega II Counting System. So bigger is not necessarily better. Level 1 Counts also present some problems. To begin with, even the best of them are only about 90% as powerful as the Omega II Counting System. And even though they are slightly easier to use, counting errors, even small ones, are greatly magnified. For instance, suppose you are counting down a deck, and at some point in the deal the correct running total with a particular level 1 count is +4. Suppose also that this same deal would yield a running total of +8 with an equivalent level 2 count. Now let s say that somewhere along the line you miscounted the 3 of Spades, which has a value of +1 in both our level 1 and level 2 counts, and instead of adding +1 to the count you make a mistake and subtracted +1 from the running count. So, in the level 1 count you now have a mistaken running

167 total of +2, and in the level 2 count you have a running total of +6. These kinds of errors are not uncommon in actual play, and as you can see they can be a lot more serious in level 1 counts than they are in level 2 counts. In the above example, for instance, the level 1 count is off by 50% and the level 2 count is only off by 25%. In spite of all this, some experts insist that the simplicity of a good level 1 count is the most important consideration. Others argue that an optimal level 3 or level 4 count will eke out enough additional gain to justify all the extra work needed to play such count accurately. As far as I am concerned, level 2 offers just the right balance of power and simplicity. This chapter contains a fair amount of theory, more than you really need to learn a point count system. There are two reasons for this. First, I want you to be convinced that the Omega II Counting System is as good as I say it is: there is nothing like knowing you are playing the best to sustain your confidence at the Blackjack tables. And second, in Blackjack, knowledge is power, power is money, and money is the name of the game. Learning the Omega II System The best way to learn the Omega II Count is though counting drills using a double deck of cards. Take the two decks of cards and shuffle them together thoroughly. Now practice, turning over the cards, one at a time, while keeping the running count. Accuracy is more important than speed, so start slowly and add speed as your proficiency improves. Eventually, you should be able to go through a double deck, one card at a time, in about 50 seconds. But remember, accuracy is the most important things, so do not sacrifice accuracy for speed. It s also a good idea to overtrain, so that when you run into big plus decks you do not get flustered and lose the count. There is nothing more disheartening that to wait out the game for an hour or more, finally get a

168 gangbusters deck, and then lose the count because you are not used to such big numbers. Believe me, this hurts, the way to avert this problem is to occasionally load the double deck with most of the small cards near the front; this will give you practice with counts as big or bigger than anything you will see in actual play. Practice big minus counts using this technique as well. Just load the double deck with most of the 10s near the front; then practice the running count until you can handle these big minus decks as easily as the less extreme ones that occur in normal play. Once you are good at these counting drills, it s time to start practicing by turning over the cards two at a time, instead of just one at a time. This is important because the dealer will turn over the players hole cards two at a time, and your count will be faster and more accurate if you count them this way as well. It is much faster to count (3,9) as zero, for instance, than to first add +1, and then add -1. With practice, you should be able to go through a double deck, two cards at time, in about 30 seconds. When you are good enough to accurately count down a double deck, one card at a time, in less than a minute, and two cards at a time, in less than 35 seconds, you counting skills are ready for actual casino play. The Omega II Strategy A Blackjack system based on counting cards consists of a playing strategy, as well as a count. The count we have chosen, the Omega II Count, is extremely accurate, and in the next chapter on the Omega II System Pro, we will combine this count with a sophisticated playing strategy to create one of the most powerful Blackjack systems ever devised. Our goals with the Omega II System of this chapter, however, are a little more modest. Here we are going to team the Omega II Count with a modified version of the Omega II Strategy. While not optimal, this system will give you a decided edge over the house. For the many players who have no desire to be

169 professionals who are just looking for a method that will allow them to enjoy their vacations in casino land, and return home showing a profit, this simple system is all they will ever need. But even if your intentions are more ambitious than this, I want you to learn this system first and use it to gain experience in the casinos. You will find that, in the beginning, you will have your hands full keeping an accurate count, betting properly, adding up your cards, and learning how to deal with the casino bosses, without compounding all this by trying to learn and utilize a sophisticated playing strategy. Later on, when all these things have become second nature, you can learn the more Omega II Strategy Pro Pro. The Omega II Strategy consists of three separate playing strategies. The first one, is called the -6 Strategy. You will use this strategy any time the true count is less than or equal to -6. The second strategy is simply the Basic Strategy (the one non-counters are using, remember? see previous chapters). This strategy is used any time the true count is greater than -6, but less than +6. The third and final strategy is called the +6 Strategy. You will use this strategy any time the true count is greater than or equal +6. A glace at the following graph should clarify any questions you may have as to when a particular strategy is used. The concept behind this multistrategy approach is straightforward. When the true count is within a few points of zero, the normal Basic Strategy is a good approximation to the correct strategy. However, when the true count begins to deviate substantially from zero, the Basic Strategy no longer makes for accurate play, and our strategy must change accordingly. The +6 Strategy and the -6 Strategy adjust our play to more accurately handle these extreme counts

170 Borderline Counts. Sometimes the true count will be right on the edge between Basic Strategy and either the +6 or -6 Strategy. In situations like this, unless you re sure the count justifies a change, I advise you to play the hand with Basic Strategy. You ll never get hurt badly erring on the side of Basic Strategy, and if your count is slightly off this play may save you some money. This technique also works with more sophisticated strategies such as the Omega II Strategy Pro, so keep it in mind for use later on. Some experts advise that the borderline stand/draw situations it is desirable to draw on minus decks and stand on plus decks, so as to either eat up bad (-) cards and perhaps force an early shuffle, or save good (+) cards and maybe get an additional round from a favorable pack. This is crafty play and it works, but it does require a very accurate true count, so only make this play if you are really sure of your count; otherwise stick with Basic Strategy in borderline situations

171 The -6 Strategy Legend: H hit Player Dealer s Up Card Hand 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 H S S S S H H H H H 13 H H H S S H H H H H 12 H H H H H H H H H H 11 D D D D D D D H H H 10 D D D D D D H H H H 9 H H H D D H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,7 S S D D D S S H H H A,6 H H D D D S S H H H A,5 H H H D D H H H H H A,4 H H H H D H H H H H A,3 H H H H D H H H H H A,2 H H H H H H H H H H A,A P P P P P P P H H H 10,10 S S S S S S S S S S 9,9 S S S P P S P P S S 8,8 P P P P P P P P P P 7,7 P P P P P P H H H H 6,6 H H H P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D H H H H 4,4 H H H H H H H H H H 3,3 H H H P P P H H H H 2,2 H H H P P P H H H H S Stand D Double down P Split NOTE1: With hard hands, and with (A,3) through (A,6), if you are not allowed to double, then hit. NOTE2: With (A,7) if you are not allowed to double, than stand

172 When the true count is less than or equal to -6, the deck is very rich in small cards (2,3,4,5,6,7) and very lean in 10s and 9s. Obviously the normal Basic Strategy, which assumes full-deck probabilities, will not do a very good job of handling these situation. That s where the -6 Strategy comes in; this strategy is specifically designed to handle these minus decks with far more accuracy than is possible with Basic Strategy. Note that there are a lot of changes from the Basic Strategy in the -6 Strategy. Basically the changes consist of hitting more often, and doubling down and splitting less often. We hit more often because with the deck loaded with little cards, the dealer, is less likely to bust and far more likely than usual to make a good hand. The chances of improving our total are also a lot better with these minus decks, so it makes good sense that we hit certain stiffs that we would normally stand with if we were using Basic Strategy. We hard double fewer situations because the chances of catching the desired 10 are greatly reduced, and because with the dealer busting less often, and making more good hands, there are fewer situations where it pays to double your bet and risk losing twice the money. Soft doubling is a little trickier. Here we are generally hoping to catch a small card, so minus decks actually work to our advantage in this respect. However, this small gain is more than offset by the added risk posed by the dealer s likelihood of achieving a strong hand. So, as with hard doubling, there are fewer situations where it pays to double your dough and risk losing twice the bread. With par splitting, both you and the dealer are more likely than usual to draw good hands, but because if you both bust, the dealer wins, you have to be more conservative than the dealer in deciding when to hit, and that means he will often beat you on the draw. So there are fewer situations where it pays to split a pair than would occur with a neutral deck. One more thing, you never take insurance with the -6 Strategy. Insurance, even with a neutral deck, is a bad bet. With the minus decks we re considering here, it is suicidal

173 Basic Strategy Player s DEALER S UP-CARD Cards A 5-8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D H H H 11 D D D D D D D H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H S S S S S S S S S S A2 H H D D D H H H H H A3 H H D D D H H H H H A4 H H D D D H H H H H A5 H H D D D H H H H H A6 H D D D D H H H H H A7 S D D D D S S H H H A8 S S S S S S S S S S A9 S S S S S S S S S S AA P P P P P P P H H H 22 P P P P P P H H H H 33 P P P P P P H H H H 44 H H P P P H H H H H 55 D D D D D D D H H H 66 P P P P P H H H H H 77 P P P P P P H H H H 88 P P P P P P P H H H 99 P P P P P P P P S S 1010 S S S S S S S S S S Legend: H hit S Stan D Double down P Split NOTE1: With hard hands, and with (A,2) through (A,6), if you re not allowed to double, then hit. NOTE2: With (A,7) if you re not allowed to double, than stand

174 This strategy is just the normal Basic Strategy you ve learned earlier in the previous chapters. By now, you should have a master s degree in this strategy. If you don t now is the time to go back and review this material thoroughly. This strategy will handle those decks where the true count is greater than - 6m but less than +6. Because the count will remain fairly close to neural most of the time, you will use Basic Strategy far more often than the other two strategies. So be certain you understand it completely and can play it perfectly. Also, as with the -6 Strategy, you never take insurance with the Basic Strategy. The +6 Strategy Player Dealer s Up Card Hand 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 S S S S S H H H H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 10 D D D D D D D D H H 9 D D D D D D H H H H 8 H H H D D H H H H H A,8 S S D D D S S S S S A,7 S D D D D S S H H S A,6 D D D D D S S H H H A,5 H D D D D H H H H H A,4 H H D D D H H H H H A,3 H H D D D H H H H H A,2 H H D D D H H H H H A,A P P P P P P P H H H 10,10 S S S S S S S S S S 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S 8,8 P P P P P P P P P P 7,7 P P P P P P H H S H 6,6 P P P P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 4,4 H H H D D H H H H H 3,3 H P P P P P H H H H 2,2 H P P P P P H H H H

175 NOTE1: With hard hands, and with (A,2) through (A,6), if you re not allowed to double, then hit. NOTE2: With (A,7) and (A,8), if you re not allowed to double, then hit. When the True Count (later in this e-book) is greater than or equal to +6, the deck is very rich in 10s and 9s. When this is the case, the player enjoys a big time advantage. The major reason for this is because with such a 10-rich deck is well worth waiting for. The +6 strategy is designed to take full advantage of these 10-rich decks. Notice that there are 12 changes from Basic Strategy. These changes primarily call for standing and doubling down more often than usual. We stand more often with the +6 strategy because with the deck loaded with 10s and 9s, the dealer is a good bet to bust any hand he draws to. Our chances of busting are higher too, so it makes good sense that we stand with the +6 strategy more often than we do with Basic Strategy. The increase likelihood of the dealer busting on the draw is also the primary reason we double down more with the +6 strategy than we do with Basic Strategy. With hard doubling, there is the added bonus that we are much more likely than usual to hook a 10m so that even if the dealer doesn t bust, he is facing a player with a powerful hand. And finally, if you ve been chomping at the bit, dying to find an excuse to take insurance, well, this is it. With the deck this plus, on the average the number of 10s will be greater than half the number of non-10s, so when you are using the +6 strategy ALWAYS take insurance. Learning the Omega II Strategy The Omega II Strategy is not difficult to learn. You already know the Basic Strategy, and the +6 and -6 Strategies are so similar to the Basic Strategy that they can be learned in just a few hours

176 Because the playing decision called for in the +6 Strategy are made when you have your larger bets out, it is important to master all the changes from Basic Strategy thoroughly in order to maximize your winning opportunities. The -6 Strategy, on the other hand, is used when you are making minimum bets, so the changes from Basic Strategy here are not as critical to your overall edge. I suggest, therefore, that you start by mastering the stand/draw and hard-doubling changes in the -6 Strategy, playing the other hands with Basic Strategy, and only adding the other strategy changes as you become comfortable and proficient. The best way to learn the +6 and -6 Strategy is to use the same techniques you used to master the Basic Strategy. After you have generally learned these strategies from the previous tables, you should practice until you have completely mastered these two new strategies. The True Count It s fairly obvious that a given running count is less significant when only a few cards have been dealt than it is later on in the deal. A single deck with a running count of +8, for example, would be far less rich in 10s if only four cards had been dealt, than it would be if only four cards remained to be dealt. In the former case, only one-third of the remaining cards would be 10s, but in the latter case, all of the remaining cards would be 10s, because the last card must always return the count to zero. So, in deciding how to bet our money, take insurance, and play our hands, we need some way of adjusting or standardizing the running count so that the same adjusted cont always means the same thing, regardless of when it occurs in the deal. The technique we will use do adjust the running count is called the true count, and it works like this: True Count = (Running Count) / (Remaining Decks)

177 For instance, in a six-deck game, with a running count of +6 and two decks remaining to be played, the true count is: True Count = (+6) / (2) = +3 Or, in a single-deck game, with a running count of -4 and half the deck remaining to be played, the true count is: True Count = (-4) / (.5) = -8, or simply (-4) x (2) = -8 In effect, what the true count downs is adjust the running count to the equivalent running count with one deck remaining to be played. In other words, it standardizes the count on one full deck. This is why the true count is sometimes called the count per deck. Learning to use the True Count When calculating the true count, the degree of accuracy required in estimating the number of remaining decks depends on the size of the unplayed pack. Rounding to the nearest half deck is fine down to about two decks remaining. After that, I suggest you round to the nearest quarter deck. Use the following table as a guide to the accuracy required in estimating the number of remaining decks: Decks Remaining Estimate to Nearest 6 or more Full deck <6 but >2 Half deck 2 or less Quarter deck As an example, say we are playing in a four-deck game; the running count is +11, and there happen to be exactly 2.68 decks remaining. Obviously, at the table, we cannot tell exactly how many decks remain, but with what looks like a little over 2.5 decks left, we estimate decks remaining at 2.5 (rounding to the nearest half deck) and come up with a true cont of +11 /2.5 = In this case the actual true count is +11 / 2.68 = 4.1. and both our estimate and the actual true count give the same result when rounded to the nearest whole number

178 Most casinos use a tray to hold the discards. You will find it a lot easier to estimate the size of the remaining pack by looking at the discard tray than by estimating directly from the shoe or the dealer s hand. This method does require the extra step of mentally subtracting the estimate of the number of decks in the tray from the total number of decks in play to arrive at the number of decks remaining. Bu I know from experience that with practice this step becomes automatic and checking the discard tray is more natural and accurate than straining to try to see what s left in the show or in the dealer s hand. In practice, you ll probably find, as I have, that after a while you ll know what the contents of the discard tray mean without actual having to do the subtraction. For example, if I am in a four-deck game, and I see about 2.5 decks in the tray, I know, without having to subtract 2.5 from 5, that I have to divide my running count by 1.5 to arrive at the true count. Stuff like this becomes a no-brainer once you get some experience. A good way to practice estimating the true count is to count down a double deck, one or two cards at a time, just as you did to get proficient with the Omega II Count. Only this time, stop every quarter deck and mentally calculate the true count. Deal the double deck all the way down to one-quarter deck remaining. When you can do this, quickly and accurately, across the full range of (+) and (-) running count, your true count skills are ready for actual casino play. Entering a Game in Progress Sometimes, especially with multiple decks, you may want to enter a game in progress rather than wait for the shuffle. The way to calculate the true count in situations like this is to count any cards you see on the table, and consider all unseen cards, including those in the discard tray, as undealt. For example, suppose you enter a four-deck game after about two decks have been dealt out; as you sit down you scan the layout and see about 26 cards with a total running count of, say, +16. This count justifies a maximum bet on the next round (see Table 5.7), and the true count before any additional cards are seen is about +4.6 (+16 / 3.5). Note, that you divide by the entire unseen pack, not just the portion left in the shoe, to calculate the true count

179 Some otherwise knowledgeable players do not accept this. In the above example, for instance, they would argue that the reason the cards seen on the table had a running count of +16 is because a lot of minus cards (9s and 10s) had probably already been dealt in previous rounds producing a surplus of small cards in the remaining pack which, naturally, resulted in a number of plus cards then coming out. They would argue that the count is probably not really plus, at all, so they would wait for the shuffle to pick up the count and enter the game. The error in this analysis is their assumption that the excess of minus cards is in the dealt portion of the unseen pack, only. In the above example, there is an excess of minus cards in the unseen pack, but on average these minus cards will be evenly dispersed throughout both the dealt and undealt parts of the unseen pack, resulting in a true count of about +4.6, as shown above. When you are counting cards in a casino, with all its noise and distractions, it is easy to miss some cards, or even to count some cards more than once. To prevent these problems, it is important to get into the habit of always counting the cards in exactly the same way. I suggest you count the cards in the following order: Face Down Games: 1. The dealer s up card. 2. Your hole cards. 3. Starting to you far right (first base) and going clockwise to your far left (third base), count each hit cards, all busted hands, and any hole cards you see. 4. The dealer s hole card. 5. The dealer s hit card(s), if any. 6. The other players hole cards and double-down cards as the dealer turns them over

180 Face Up Games: 1. Starting to your far right (first base) and going clockwise to your far left (third base), count each players two hole cards. 2. The dealer s up card. 3. Starting as in step 1, above, count each hit card. 4. The dealer s hole card. 5. The dealer s hit card(s), if any. 6. Any double-down cards not previously seen as the dealer turn them over. If you always count this way, you will never miss any cards, and you will never count any cards more than once. An accurate count is the foundation of winning play: without this you have nothing. So practice this counting method, dealer hands to yourself and to several phantom players, until the technique becomes natural, automatic, and easy to use. Betting your Money In the good old day, up to about 1964, the conditions in the casinos were just about ideal. In Las Vegas and Reno, for example, virtually all of the games were single deck; most of the clubs dealt down to the last card, and you could spread your bets as wildly as you like without much risk of an early shuffle or being barred from further play. In those days the clubs were not managed, as they are today, by MBAs from Harvard and Wharton; instead they were mostly run by street-smart hoods who got their start in the crime syndicates of Chicago, Detroit, and New- York. These guys got most of their education majoring in rackets at the school of hard knocks. So while they could spot just about every grafter cam ever conceived, from marked cards to bus chips, they were helpless when confronted with a scientific assault on their sweet little Blackjack money machine

181 In those days, the handful of players who had developed valid counting schemes had a field day in the casinos. These systems were very crude by today s standards, but back then it didn t take a whole lot to get something on the game. These early player generally used end play, with wild bet swings near the end of the deck, to gain a big advantage over the house. Many of these card counting sharpies absolutely cleaned up, unmolested by casino bosses who refused to believe that the game could be had. If the casino bosses were guilty of perhaps under reacting to the threat posed by the early card counters, they more than made up for it by going certifiably berserk in the face of the publicity and media attention that accompanied the introduction of Thorp s classic books on counting. Within a year, pit bosses who had sneered at the very idea the game could be beaten were barring and shuffling on just about anyone who spread his bets or looked like he might have read a book on Blackjack. These overzealous bozos managed to 86 a remarkable number of their very best costumers, while the real pros went on playing and winning, more or less undisturbed by the panic and chaos in the pits. Fortunately, as the casinos have slowly begun to realize that books and articles on counting promote the game and produce far more losers than winners, their fears have gradually subsided and the conditions in the clubs have generally improved. You still have to be careful, though, because if they get on to you they will bar you, shuffle on you, and otherwise harass you. So, it is very important not to look like a counter, and one of the most important elements of this camouflage is in the way you spread your bets. Te tables that follow are designed to give you the maximum bet spread possible without musk risk of being detected as a counter. Very few casino bosses can spot counter by the way he plays his hands. They look, instead, for particular betting patterns to decide who is, and who is not, a counter; and these tables are specifically designed not to fit the pattern the bosses are looking for

182 I suggest, however, that you use these tables merely as guides. If you follow them exactly after a while your plays is going to start looking to mechanical. So, it s a good idea to occasionally vary your betting pattern, slightly, as well as to sometimes mix different chips colors (denominations) together, in order to enhance the natural look you are striving to project. Also, when you increase your bet above 2 units, say, from 2 to 4, it is often desirable to spread to two hands rather than pile all the chips on just one hand. This play has two important advantages. First off, it s good camouflage because it looks to the bosses like less of a bet spreads than the same amount on one hand. Second, the fluctuations in your paying stake are reduced somewhat because the two hands are essentially independent except for about a 50% linkage through the dealer s up card. The only danger is that in some instances eating up the extra cards will cause the dealer to shuffle one round earlier than usual. This hurts, in fact, I advise you not to make this play if you think it ll cost you a round. In many cases, though, especially with other players at the table, you ll get the same number of rounds (and see more cards) if you spread to two hands with your larger bets. And one more thing, if you increase your bet and the dealer unexpectedly shuffles, do not reduce the bet. Just leave it alone. If the bosses see you reducing your bets bases on the shuffle they are likely to assume you are counting. Bet Spread Single-Deck Games Because single-deck games are so easy to beat, the clubs are very sensitive to bet changes. Therefore, when you are playing in a single-deck game with good rules, as in Las Vegas, I suggest you limit your bet spread to 2:1. Bet 1 or 2 units off the top, then spread your bets in the following way:

183 Bet W/L Count Bet < 1/2 Bet > 1/2 1 W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) 1 1 For example, say you bet 1 unit; you lose, the count goes plus, and the next hand will come out of the second half of the deck: your next bet it 1 unit. Or suppose you bet 2 units; you lose, the count stays plus, and the next hand will come out of the first half of the deck: your next bet is 2 units. Bet Spread Double-Deck Games When you are playing in a double-deck game with good rules, or a singledeck game with bad rules (as in Reno), you have to spread your bets more widely to get an acceptably edge. Fortunately, the clubs are more willing to tolerate an aggressive bet spread in these games than they are in single-deck games with good rules. So when you are playing under these conditions, I suggest you use a 4:1 bet spread. Bet 2 or 4 units off the top, then spread your bets in the following way: Bet W/L Count Bet < 1/2 Bet > 1/2 1 W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) 2 2 Although beating double decks does require a more aggressive bet spread than is necessary with single decks in other ways double decks are just about ideal. For instance, in double-deck games the number of other players at the

184 table is not that critical to your win rate, and dealers often deal out double decks deeper (percentage-wise) than they do single decks. Bet Spread Multiple-Deck Games Although you do have a clear advantage, I do not recommend playing the Omega II System in multiple-deck games. These games are tough to beat, so you need every possible edge you can get. I suggest you some experience first playing in single- and double-deck games, then when you are ready for multiple decks, learn the Omega II System Pro from the next chapter. Once you know the Omega II System from this chapter, the Omega II System Pro will be easy to learn. The count is the same, and you will bet your money in the same way. The only difference is in the strategy you will use to play your hands. If, in spite of all this, you decide to play the Omega II System in multipledeck games anyway, bear in mind that it takes a big bet spread to beat these games. Fortunately, betting camouflage is nor a major issue in multiple-deck games. The clubs generally assume these games are fairly safe and will tolerate wide bet spreads without getting unduly uptight. So, in these games, I suggest you bet 4 units off the top, than spread your bets as shown in the Table bellow: Bet W/L Count Bet < 1/2 Bet > 1/2 1 W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-) W (+) L (+) W (-) L (-)

185 Multiple decks are a challenge. But there is also something very rewarding about mastering this precision play necessary to beat these games. And contrary to what you might think, because of the reduced level of casino scrutiny, multiple-deck games are actually quite relaxing and enjoyable to play. Steaming Minimum Bets Steaming is an important camouflage technique that works in singe-, double-, and multiple-deck games. The basic idea is to use a range of minimum bets that averages out to 1 unit (or slightly less), instead of always betting exactly 1 unit in unfavorably situations. In addition, and this is key, save your larger minimum bets when the count is closer to zero. For example, suppose you re betting $50 to $200, a 4:1 spread. Say the count is fairly minus, so you bet $50. You win that hand and the count rises somewhat for the next hand (though not enough to justify a 2-unit bet); reduce your bet to $25. Now, let s say you lose this hand and the count goes really minus for the next hand increase your bet to $75! Any boss watching this will assume you are using some worthless progression systems that have a curious bias toward bigger bets on very minus counts. Of course, when the count gets sufficiently plus to justify 2-,4-, or 8-unit bets, use Bet Spread Tables above to determine your proper bet size. Steaming is a crafty technique that makes it very difficult for the casino bosses to spot you as a counter. You look like just another loser chasing after his losses

186 When to Increase Your Bet Many books on counting make a big fuss about exactly when to increase your bet to 2 units, 3 units, 4 units, and so on. According to these authors, each of these different betting levels must occur at its own unique count. And the player is therefore expected to memorize a large table of critical betting indices. This kind of advice is generally given by experts who have never tried, or at least never succeeded in, making their living playing Twenty-One. The last thing you need is another table, crammed with superfluous numbers, to memorize. Don t misunderstand me. I am not saying that the count at which you increase your bet is not important. It is. What I am saying is that, for a given situation, only two index numbers are required. The first index is for bets of 2 units, and the second is for all bets larger than 2 units. I have also found through years of experience, that the running count is much easier to use than the true count for betting purposes. This does involve memorizing a few more indices, but calculating the true count for every bet is tougher than learning a few additional numbers. The following table lists the betting numbers for increasing your bet above 1 unit. Notice that, because we were betting with the running count rather than the true count, the betting indices are dependent upon the size of the remaining pack. Notice also that, as might be expected, the betting numbers for games with bad rules (as in Reno) are higher than the betting numbers for games with good rules (as in Las Vegas) Las Vegas Rules Remaining Decks Bet Sizes Bet = 2 units Bet > 2 units

187 Reno Rules Remaining Decks Bet Sizes Bet = 2 units Bet > 2 units All index numbers indicate the running count. As an example, say you are playing in Las Vega, double deck; your last bet was 2 units; you won that bet, and with just under one deck remaining the running count jumps to +4: bet 4 units. Note, however, if you had lost the 2-unit bet, even though the running count at +4 is high enough to justify a 4-unit bet, for the sake of camouflage you would only bet 2 units. In multiple-deck games, to moderate swings in your bankroll, I suggest you shade the index numbers up slightly for 8-unis bets say, by about one running-count point per remaining deck. If you play outside Nevada, use the betting table that more closely approximates the rules you will be playing against. Adjusting the Running Count The Omega II Count is very accurate for betting purposes, with an efficiency rating of.92. However, because of the Ace s blackjack potential, a side count of Aces can increase this betting efficiency to.99. In practical terms, this can amount to an increase in your advantage of as much as.2%! Keeping a side count of Aces is not something you should try while you are still learning and gaining experience. This is strictly an advanced play. When you are ready for it, it will be easy to do and will add to your edge. If you try to force it, however, you will make counting errors that will decrease, if not totally eliminate, your advantage. On top of that, pit bosses are quick to spot the straining behavior of overachieving counters, so don t push it, or you may very well find yourself both down on your luck and down on the street

188 After you have logged some hours in casino play, however, and are thoroughly comfortable using the Omega II System, you can improve your betting accuracy somewhat by adding a side count of Aces. The basic idea here is that although the Ace has little value in the play of the hands, it behaves as a big minus card for betting purposes due to its effect on blackjack probabilities. With a normal density, there should be one Ace for every 13 cards. When this is the case or nearly so, the running Omega II Count, even with the Ace valued as zero is accurate for betting purposes. However, if there is a relative excess or shortage of Aces in the undealt pack, that is, if the density of Aces is significantly greater of less than one Ace for every 13 unplayed cards, then the running Omega II Count can be improved, for betting purposes, by keeping a side count of Aces and adjusting the raw running count accordingly. The way to do this is simple: keep track of every Ace as it falls by counting on the fingers of your hand under the table. This last part is important; you don t want the bosses to see you keeping track of anything, much less Aces. In two-deck or multiple-deck games, you count the Aces in sets of four, 1,2,3,4, on your fingers, under the table. Then set a marker indicating four Aces are out. Then,5,6,7,8, on your fingers, under the table again, and set the marker indicating eight Aces are out, and so on. The way I set the marker is by using my grad-school ring. This ring has a big knobby stone on top, and it is easy to rotate the ring one-quarter turn for every set of four Aces. So if, for example, I am playing in a four-deck game, and I have two fingers extended under the table, and my gradschool ring is rotated three-quarter around, I know that 14 Aces have fallen. This technique is harder to explain than it is to do, so don t be concerned if it sounds complicated. It s really not, and with a little practice you shouldn t have much trouble using it. I have tried various other ways of keeping track of Aces, using chips and other devices, but I have found the rotating ring and fingers under the table, to be the most natural way to go. So give this method a shot before you try anything else. I think you will find it as easy and natural as I have

189 Once you have the side count of Aces, it is used to adjust the running count in the following way: for every extra Ace add +2 to the running count; for every Ace short add -2 to the running count. Great, you say. Now what the hell is an extra Ace, and how do I tell a short Ace from a tall one? No problem, it works like this: at the beginning of each hand, just before you place your bet, compare the number of Aces that would have been dealt with average distribution (one Ace for every 13 cards) to the actual number your side count indicates have been dealt. If an excess of Aces remain, add +2 to the running count for each extra Ace per 13 dealt cards. If an excess of Aces have fallen, add -2 to the running count for each Ace short per 13 dealt cards. Let s take a look at a couple of examples. Say we are playing in a doubledeck game. It comes time to bet, and checking the return tray we see that about one deck has been dealt out. We know that with average distribution four Aces would have fallen, but our side count indicates only one Ace is out. So, in this example, we have three extra Aces left in the pack. Let s say our raw running count at this point is -1; adding +2 for each of our three extra Aces, we end up with an adjusted running count, for betting purposes, of +5 instead of -1. Quite a difference. We now have a count that mathematically justifies a maximum bet, whereas before the Ace adjustment we would have made a minimum bet. Or let s say we are playing in a single-deck Las Vegas game, and after one round the return tray shows that about one-fourth deck has been dealt. With average distribution one Ace would have fallen, but this time our side count indicates that three Aces have been dealt. In this case the remaining deck is two Aces short, so if our raw running count is say +3, adding -2, for each of the two short Aces results in an adjusted running count of -1, for betting purposes. A big difference, once again. This time what would have been a dangerously inaccurate maximum bet gets reduced to an accurate, and mush safer, minimum bet. Remember, however, the Ace adjustment if for betting purposes only. As soon as you have placed your bet, discard the adjusted count and fall back to the original raw running count. In the first example above, for instance, after placing our bet, we would toss out the +5 adjusted running count, revert back to the original running count of -1, and continue with the play of the hand

190 The side count of Aces is a powerful weapon in skilled hands, and when you are ready for it, I want you to use it. But remember; first get the basics down stone cold. Refinements like this will make you money if you use them accurately, but they can hurt you if you force them before you re ready. Counting by Inference Another powerful adjustment technique is estimating the count of unseen cards in other players hands based on the dealer s up card, and the way these hands are played. If you can accurately adjust the count for unseen cards before you play your own hand, you can often significantly increase the power and accuracy of your play. This is money in the bank. If, for example, you held 9 vs. 7 in a double-deck game with a running count of +9 and about one deck remaining, the true count would also be +9, and you would be prepared to double down. However, if you knew the unseen cards in several other player hands had a total count of -6, you would adjust the running count (and in this case the true count, as well) to +3 (+9-6) and not double down probably saving yourself from an expensive loss. The key is accurately estimating the count of unseen cards. This is how to do it: (1) If the dealer s up card is 7,8,9,10, or Ace, and a player stands on his original two cards, count that player s hole cards as -2. (2) Against any up card count the player s hole cards as +2. In either (1) or (2), at the settlement, make any necessary corrections to your count as the cards are exposed by the dealer. As with a side count of Aces, counting by inference is a refinement that will make you money if it s done accurately, but it will hurt you if you make mistakes. So, wait until you re really ready before you add it to your playing arsenal

191 The player s advantage The win rate with the Basic Omega II System can vary significantly, depending on such factors as rules, number of decks, shuffle depth, number of players, bet spread, selective shuffling, and accuracy of play. Under ideal single-deck conditions, for example, the player s advantage is 2.8%; however, under adverse multiple-deck conditions, the player s edge can slip to less than 0.5%. If you limit yourself to high quality single-and double-deck games only, and use the rather conservative betting schemes of Tables 5.4 and 5.5, your win rate will be about 1.0% of your total action. This is a significant, but not overwhelming, edge so it is important that you play only under the best conditions. I suggest you select your games as follows: Single-Deck Conditions: Reno rules or better. Deal 70% of deck or better. Two other players or less. Tolerate 2:1 bet spread (4:1 Reno rules) No selective shuffling by dealer. Assuming the above conditions, your advantage in a single-deck game, using the Omega II System and betting according to Las Vegas rules table or Reno rules table, is about 1.0%. Double-Deck Conditions: Las Vegas Strip rules or better. Deal 70% of pack or better. Full table or less. Tolerate 4:1 bet spread No selective shuffling by dealer

192 Assuming the above conditions, your advantage in a double-deck game, using the Omega II System is about 1.0%. Multiple-Deck Conditions: I advise you to master the Omega II System Pro from the next chapter before you tackle multiple-deck games. But if you decide to play these games with the normal Omega II System anyway, then follow these guidelines: Las Vegas Strip rules, with double down after splits. Six decks or less. Deal 75% of pack or better. Full table or less. Tolerate 8:1 bet spread. No selective shuffling by dealer. Assuming the above conditions, your advantage in a six-deck game, using the Basic Omega II System and betting according to Table 5.6, is about 0.7%. Hourly Win Rate To calculate your hourly win rate (W), multiply your average bet (B) times your advantage (E) times the number of hands played per hour (T). In algebraic form it looks like this: W=(B)(E)(T). Generally, figure your average bet (B) at about half your maximum bet; your advantage (E), using the normal Omega II System in single- and doubledeck games, at about.01, and the number of hands played per hour (T) at about 100. Of course, unusual playing conditions may cause (B), (E), and (T) to vary, somewhat. How Long to Play Regardless of where you are playing, it is important to limit your play to 45 minute sessions, or until you win or lose about 15 average bets, whichever

193 comes first. Of course you can also use the money-management formula I showed you at the beginning of the e-book. SYSTEM S EVALUATION THE OMEGA II SYSTEM PRO The Omega II System Pro is the most powerful and accurate level 2 Blackjack system ever devised. And even though less powerful systems continue to sell for a hundred or more dollars every day, I have included this powerhouse at no additional charge. Why have I done this? Good question. My accountant asked me the same thing. I guess the answer has to do with values and viewpoints. Unlike most other Blackjack authors, I do not make my living selling books and systems on Blackjack. I make my living playing Blackjack. My purpose in writing this book really has been to offer the knowledge I have gained through years of play on the pro Blackjack tour to anyone interested enough to read it and to study it. And I guess I have to admit to some ego tripping, as well. For unlike other trained professionals, pro Blackjack players have to maintain a very low profile to be successful. This book finally gives me an opportunity to showcase my thoughts and reach for a little recognition, as well. Anyway, enough of that, let s get down to cases. In this chapter we re going to perfect the normal Omega II System. We ll be using the same count, the same betting strategy, the same stake, the same camouflage techniques, the same everything except for one thing. We will not be using the same playing strategy. Instead of the rather crude strategy in the normal Omega II System, we will use a sophisticated and accurate playing strategy developed through extensive computer research and modeling. And, fortunately, because nearly everything you have learned so far works with the Omega II System Pro, it shouldn t take you very long to master this system and put it into play. On refinement, in particular, bears mentioning. Every other modern Blackjack system I have analyzed has suffered from the same rather subtle

194 defect in the calculation of the playing indices for certain doubling-down and pair-splitting situations. Essentially, the authors of these systems have assumed that whenever doubling the original bet (through doubling down or splitting) won more money (or lost less money) than not doubling the bet, then the bet should be doubled. This analysis works for Basic Strategy, or any other strategy yielding a non-positive expectation for the player, but it has a flaw when applied to positive expectation strategies such as the Omega II System Pro. In effect, the player is winning more money because he is betting more money, but he is doing so with a slimmer edge. The disagreeable consequence of this is that he raises his risk of ruin. The doubling down and pair-splitting indices for the Omega II Strategy Pro have been corrected for this anomaly and are, therefore, the most accurate yet developed. Into an earlier Chapter, we estimated the player s advantage using the normal Omega II System in high quality single- and double-deck games at about 1.0%, and in six-deck games at about 0.7%. Using the Omega II System Pro, under the same conditions the player s advantage rises to approximately 1.5% in one- and two-deck games, and to about 1.0% in six-deck games. This is a 50% increase in power, and it makes the Omega II Strategy Pro, well worth learning and using. There are over 150 variable paying decisions in the Omega II Strategy Pro and, not surprisingly, they are not all equally important. In fact, Blackjack pundit Donald Schlesinger had determined that just the following 18 plays will give 3 you over 75% of the total possible gain from strategy variation based on the true count. I suggest, therefore, that you start by mastering these Fabulous 18, playing the other hands with the Omega II Strategy, and only adding other playing decisions as you become comfortable and proficient. When you do add other plays, begin with those decisions between +10 and -10; these, together with the Fabulous 18, will give you over 95% of the total possible gain from strategy variation

195 Insurance 12 vs vs vs vs vs. A 15 vs vs vs vs. A 13 vs. 3 9 vs vs. 2 9 vs vs. 3 10,10 vs vs. 4 10,10 vs. 6 In multiple-deck games, because most of our advantage comes from spreading our bets rather than from varying our strategy, learning the remaining double-digit decisions (especially the minus ones) is of very little value. In single- and double-deck games, however, strategy variations is significantly more important, so if you plan to play primarily in these games is suggest you eventually learn all the playing decisions in the Omega II Strategy Pro. Learning the Omega II Strategy Pro The tables that follow present the Omega II Strategy Pro in its entire numeric splendor. This strategy, as with any Blackjack strategy, is best learned by making up flash cards, shuffling them in random order, and practicing until your responses are quick, effortless and absolutely accurate. Occasionally, apparent contradictions can occur with the Omega II Strategy Pro (or any Blackjack strategy, for that matter) in which different decision tables appear to give conflicting advice. For example, the Doubling Down (hard hands) table indicates that hard 8 should be doubled against a 6 any time the true count is +5 or greater. Yet Pair Splitting (b) Table indicates that (4,4), also hard 8, should be split against a 6 if the true count is 0 or greater. So what do you do with (4,4) vs. 6 and a true count of, say, +7: double, split, or punt? In this case, splitting takes precedence. The general order of decision priority for the Omega II Strategy Pro is as follows:

196 1. Surrender 2. Splitting 3. Doubling 4. Stand / Draw After you have mastered this strategy using flash cards and a Practice Charts 4.1 and 4.2, you are ready to put the Omega II System Pro into play. Start small; just build from your playing experience with the Omega II System, and when you are completely comfortable with your new strategy, you can begin to play for more serious money. Standing Vs. Drawing (hard hards) In the earlier chapter, when we studied the Basic Strategy, we learned that within Basic Strategy there is a correct play for every played hand against each dealer up card. In the normal Omega II System, we modified this to a correct play for every player hand against each dealer up card within a true count range. In the Omega II System Pro, this idea of a correct play contingent upon the true count is carried to its logical conclusion. In the Omega II Strategy Pro, instead of a fixed play assigned to each situations, many of the strategy decisions are assigned playing indices. These are numbers, plus or minus, that indicate at what true count a particular playing option is invoked. In the Table below, for instance, the decision is simply whether to stand or draw. As, as you can see, although some of the more extreme plays continue to be fixed, most of the playing decisions are now conditional upon the true count. For example, we would stand holding hard 12 versus the dealer s 6 if, and only if, the true count were -2 or greater. If the true count were less than - 2, we would hit

197 Standing Vs. Drawing (hard hands) Player Dealer s Up Card Hand A 17 S S S S S S S S S H H H H H H H H H H H H H The same is true with all the other condition playing decisions of the Table above: stand if the true count is equal to or greater than the playing index, hit if the true count is less than the playing index. In general, the greater the true count, the more likely we are to stand, this is reasonable because as the true count rises, so do our chances of busting if we decide to draw to our hand. This goes for the dealer too. So with big plus counts, even against a strong up card, it often pays so stand and hope the dealer is stiff and busts when he draws to complete his hand. It is also interesting to note that, when we are stiff ourselves, we stand with lower true counts against a 9,10, or A than we do against a 7 or 8. This seems strange when you consider that the dealer figures to have a stronger hand with, say, a 10 up than he does showing a 7. The reasoning behind this little puzzler is that with a 7 or 9 up, if we don t break on the draw, we will probably win, but when the dealer is showing paint, even if we catch a card, we will probably lose anyway. So in these situations, which even a modest plus count, it generally pays to stand and pray (hard) Standing Vs. Drawing (soft hands) Standing versus drawing with soft hands using the Omega II Strategy Pro is simple, intuitive, and completely straightforward. Most of the decisions in the next Table continue to be fixed, and learning the few variable ones won t put much of a strain on your brain. Just stand if the true count is greater than or equal to the playing index; otherwise hit

198 Remember, however, that doubling down takes precedence over standing versus drawing; so (A,6) vs. 6, for instance, would normally only be hit if doubling down on soft hands were not allowed. Standing Vs. Drawing (soft hands) Player Dealer s Up Card Hand A A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,7 S S S S S S -22 H H 0 A,6 H H H H H H H H H H Doubling Down (hard hands) There is nothing exceptional about the next Table. I could have included some rare situations where it mathematically pays to double on 5,6, and 7, but these moves should never be made in casino play, so I have to left them out. Double down if the true count is greater than or equal to the playing index; otherwise hit. Obviously, the greater the true count, the more likely we are to double. It doesn t take a rocket scientist to figure out that when the deck is loaded with 10s, hard doubles are likely to result in gonzo hands. And, as an added bonus, if the dealer turns out to be stiff, he will find himself drawing from a deck that is bursting with bust cards. Doubling Down (hard hands) Player Dealer s Up Card Hand A H H H 8 H H H H H H

199 Doubling Down (soft hands) Because soft doubling is not as intuitive as most other aspects of the game, the Table bellow will probably take you longer to learn than any of the other strategy charts. You can speed up this process somewhat by looking for patterns in the playing indices, and by increasing your feel for the game by reviewing the material on Basic Strategy. With (A,7), (A,8), and (A,9), we either double down or stand (except with (A,7) vs. 8,9,10, A. Doubling Down (soft hands) Player Dealer s Up Card Hand A A,9 S S S S S S A,8 S S S S S S A, S -22 H H 0 A, H H H H A,5 H H H H H H A,4 H H H H H H A,3 H H H H H H A,2 H H H H H H Splitting Pairs There aren t any real surprises in the next Table. Aces and 8s continue to be split more often than any other pairs. Fours, 5s, and 10s are still rarely, if ever, split; and the other pairs are or are not split depending on the count and how likely the dealer is to break when he draws to complete his hand. Generally, just split a pair if the true count is greater than or equal to the appropriate index in Table (a). If the true count is less than the index, hit or stand, depending on the situation

200 Pair Splitting (a) Player Dealer s Up Card Hand A A,A ,10 S S S S S S 9, P P S 12 8,8 P P P P P P P P 8 P 7, P P P H H , H H H H H 5, ,4 H H H H H H 3, P 14 H H H H 2, P P H H H H Note: with 7,7 against the dealer s 10 card you must stand at +1 or greater in single-deck games; +6 or greater in double-deck games; +11 or greater in 4- or more deck games. A couple of special cases, however, need some special attention. Both (3,3) vs. 7 and (8,8) vs. 19 are handled differently. In both of these situations, you split the pair if the true count is less than the playing index. If the count is greater than or equal to the index, you hit with (3,3) vs. 7, and stand holding (8,8) vs. 10. Table (b) gives the playing indices if doubling down after splits is permitted. This option shifts the balance in favor of splitting in some marginal situations, and it is worth learning if you often play in clubs where doubling on any two cards is allowed. Pair Splitting (b) Player Dealer s Up Card Hand A A,A ,10 S S S S S S 9, P P S 9 8,8 P P P P P P P P 12 P 7, P P P -1 H , H H H H H 5, ,4 H H H H H H 3, P 15 H H H H 2, P P 15 H H H

201 Surrender The next Table presents late surrender only. Early surrender is rarely encountered these days, so it s not worth wasting brain power on. Late Surrender Player Dealer s Up Card Hand A 17 S S 23 S H H 13 * As with the Basic Strategy version, we generally only late surrender when we are holding a nearly hopeless stiff, like 15 or 16, against the dealer s strong up card like a 10 or an Ace. However, as you can see from the Table above, sometimes with big plus counts the player s disadvantage can exceed 50% even with more makeable hands against weaker up cards. When this occurs you just toss em in for half, and hope the Blackjack gods cut you a little slack on the next hand. Late surrender if the true count is greater than or equal to the appropriate index in the next Table; otherwise stand, draw, or (rarely) split, depending on the situation. Late surrender, unfortunately, is not a big money maker. The gain varies from.02% (flat betting with Basic Strategy) to about.20% (variable betting with the Omega II System Pro). The main virtue if late surrender is that is moderates negative swings in your playing stake. This is an important consideration that should not be underestimated. Even with your edge, the casinos will always enjoy one important advantage: they have more money than you do, which means they can ride out bigger losing streaks than you can. So, an option like surrender that flattens out downward fluctuations in your capital is a powerful weapon that should be used whenever possible

202 Insurance There is no change from the normal Omega II System with respect to insurance; continue to take insurance only when the true count is +6 or greater. Over / Under Over/under is a betting option introduced at Caesars Tahoe in 1988 that is beginning to show signs of longevity. It consists of two even-money side bets: the player may either bet that his first two cards will total over 13, or that they will total und 13. Aces count 1; 13 always loses; the maximum bet is usually $100, and over/under bets may not exceed the amount of your original wager. The player s average disadvantage with the over bet ranges from a low of - 6.5% in a infinite-deck game, up to about -6.8% in a single-deck game. The player s average disadvantage with the under bet remains constant at about - 10,1% regardless of the number of decks in play. That s bad news. The good news is that over/under is a highly volatile beatable option (especially in single- and double-deck games), with the advantage swinging back and forth between the player and dealer as the cards are dealt out. And fortunately, though not optimal, the Omega II Count is a strong count to use for over/under. In fact, using the Omega II Cont to make appropriate over/under bets up to the amount of your original wager will increase your overall advantage by about.8% in single-deck games, by about.5% in doubledeck games, and by nearly.3% in six-deck games. That s a lot, and it makes the over/under option a major source of potential winnings. Although over/under is generally only offered in selected six- and eightdeck games, it has occasionally shown up in single- and double-deck games, as well. So be alert and keep your eyes open; over/under in s single-deck game is a solid-gold key to the casino s vault. One note of caution is in order. Because over/under involves making an additional wager, it does moderately increase your risk and potential loss

203 Therefore, if you frequently play over/under, I suggest you increase your bankroll by about 10%. This will limit your risk of ruin to an acceptable level. With the Omega II Count, make the over bet at a true count of +8 or greater, and make the under bet at a true count of less than -11. No Hole-Card Casinos In many foreign casinos, including a lot of cruise ships, the dealer does not take a hole card. In some of these clubs you lose any additional money wagered on double downs or split if the dealer gets a blackjack. In others, you lose only your original bet. Play as usual if you lose only your original bet, but if additional money wagered on doubles and splits is lost to the dealer s natural, then make the following changes to the playing strategy for the Omega II System Pro: (1) Never split or double down against an Ace, (2) Never double down against a 10, and (3) Never split 8s against a 10 (however, continue to split Aces against a 10 as usual). If you lose only your original bet, your edge is not affected by this rule; however, in those clubs where you lose the extra money bet, your advantage is reduced by about.13%. If The Dealer Hits Soft 17 As you know from our earlier discussions, in about half of the casinos in the world, the dealer hits soft 17. This rule has a modest effect on the standing versus drawing playing strategies of the Advanced Omega II System. Therefore, when you are playing where this rule is in effect, make the following changes to Tables 7.1 and 7.2: (1) Stand 12 vs. 6 at -5 or greater, (2) Stand 13 vs. 6 at -10 or greater, (3) Stand 14 vs. 6 at -14 or greater, (4) Stand 13 vs. A at +21 or greater, (5) Stand 14 vs. A at +14 or greater, (6) Stand 15 vs. A at +10 or

204 greater, (7) Stand 16 vs. A at +5 or greater, (8) Stand 17 vs. A at -7 or greater, and (9) Always hit soft 18 against an Ace. The Table bellow presents these changes in regular matrix fashion. Changes if the Dealer Hits Soft 17 Player Dealer s Up Card Hand 6 A A,7 S H 17 S * This rule will cost you about -16% when you are playing the Omega II System Pro. This is actually a little less than the.20% it costs you with Basic Strategy. The difference has to do with the increased accuracy of the Omega II Strategy Pro and the fact that this rule has less effect against plus counts when we will be making our bigger bets- than it does when the count is minus. The Omega II System Pro is not only one of the top performing Blackjack systems in terms or raw power, it is also very enjoyable to use in actual play. It is slick. It reminds me of a high-powered car roaring through a canyon in allout pursuit, every part performing perfectly, the entire machine a highperformance extension of body and being. The Omega II System Pro feels like this in actual play, a smooth, powerful extension of your own mind. And consider this: by the time you have mastered the Omega II System Pro, you will be, as far as the casinos are concerned, an international terrorist, armed and dangerous: armed with knowledge, and a danger to the bottom line. Kind of an exciting prospect, don t you think? Lock and load. Let s rock n roll! SYSTEM S EVALUATION

205 TIPS & TRICKS FOR CARD COUNTERS Tip#1: Do not bet up into a rapidly rising count; wait for a count reversal before you bet. Tip#2: Do not enter games where the majority of players are obviously losing Tip#3: Do not play into new decks of cards; if you do, play extremely cautiously because of the heavy clumping. Tip#4: Be extremely cautious when playing at full tables. If crowded conditions cannot be avoided, advanced playing and betting strategies must be employed. These include patient observation and disciplines play and carefully selecting where player-favorable rounds or areas of the shoe can be predicted and exploited. Tip#5: Set a reasonable Targets for your game and leave when it s triggered, count or no count. Tip#6: Observe the game factor as you maintain the count. (We spoke about this factors earlier in this e-book.) Use it as an early warning of deterioration and indicator of possible table departure if you stay in deteriorating games, keep track of how much you lose or give back in these games. Tip#7: Do not play to an open table. There are usually good reasons why all players have departed heavy clumping. If you insist on playing in these games, keep track of your winnings and losses. As your net losses mount, consider my recommendation about no pay

206 Here are some tricks that can be employed in multiple-deck games: Trick#1: The first trick is called the back-counting technique. You stay behind the table and count the cards as they are dealt from a freshly shuffled shoe. You will only jump in and play when you have an advantage. In it s purest form, you only place bets on positive counts and simply walk away or refuse top bet when the house has the edge. Trick#2: The second trick is to use the advantage created by other players (card counters). A number of players used to do that to me, ad I m hesitant to recommend it because it is highly aggravating to the recipient. But if you are in a club for a while, you might notice another person always raising his bets at your tale at exactly the right times. If you feel he or she is pretty accurate, than you can use him or her as a back counter for future shoes. Trick#3: The third technique I use in bigger casinos is to always look for an advantage play before starting to bet on a shoe game. In larger casinos like Foxwoods, it is fairly easy to do this because you normally aren t going to be watched until you make your first bet of the day. So I wander around the tables looking for a good high count before exposing myself (figuratively speaking) to the pit boss. After you ve jumped into a table once, it is pretty difficult to repeat this stratagem without being noticed. However, in places like Las Vegas or Atlantic City where there are huge casinos lining each side of the street, it s very easy to float around from one place to the other without getting a lot attention

207 CAMOUFLAGE Now that you ve learned how Pro players are counting the cards, it s time to learn how to get away with the winnings you make. With the exception of Atlantic City, virtually every casino around the world operates with this barring option in its arsenal. (The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that casinos within that state could not bar anyone simply because of his or her skill.) Every card counter in the world needs a certain amount of camouflage to escape the ever-present crosshairs of casino surveillance. Yes, I know it sounds unbelievable but is true. If you are too strong a player a casino might kick you out; but if you re too week, you could end up losing. The trick is learning how to juggle those two balls. Bellow you ll find a few powerful advices to help you master to camouflage technique. Advice#1: Finding the best game must be done in a manner that allows you to blend into a crowd. Far too many card counters practically wear a big red C on their chest as they break into a run trying to get to a table with a monster plus count. It is far better to act enthralled by the surrounding drink in the ambience of big slot winners and the pageantry of paradise. Advice#2: It is important to find the right conditions it just have to be done in a natural manner. The difference between a stingy dealer who cuts only two decks from a shoe and one who generously deals down to one deck is enormous for a card counter. Therefore it is helpful to subscribe to services like Stanford Wong s Current Blackjack News to arm yourself with the knowledge before you enter each casino. This time you don t have to spend as much time scouting, since you will already know where to find the best rules and penetrations. Advice#3: Join a table with some big hitters because this way you may look like just another one of their buddies. A little acting never hurts. If you pretend you are betting way over your head just to fit in with the group, the eye in the sky may think the law of conformity is at work, and you re simply betting more because of peer pressure

208 Advice#4: You must look for other patrons in the casino and blend in with them. Most of them are never as serious or as studious-looking as card counters. Take a cue from them by loosening up and acting like you re on vacation not putting in overtime at the office. ;-) Advice#5: When you are playing at the blackjack table, don t hesitate to talk and be sociable with your neighbors, but without losing the count. This is easier in single-deck games because you can drop the count on the last round. Many will find it easier to be chatty when they are winning, and tend to clam up while losing, so be careful not to fall into this trap. I think if you practice talking and counting at the same time at home, you will find it surprisingly effortless in the casino. Advice#6: There are times when it might be best to drop the count. If a pit boss is closely scrutinizing you, it can be beneficial to pay no attention to the cards for a while and just flat bet. You are obviously giving up a little during that time, but it can provide a lot of longevity later. Advice#7: How to handle the chips is also a factor that can influence the way you are perceived. Act a little messy and disorganized with your chips. Each bet will look then a little more random, rather than the end result of some long mathematical calculation. Advice#8: It is natural that a Pro player is a magician at stacking, weaving and manipulating chips. And believe me, this is not an advantage. Any sharp pit boss would immediately recognize that you are an experienced player and a potential threat. A clever way to tackle his problem is to play with the wrong hand. This is a very simple technique that will pay big dividends in projecting the correct image. Advice#9: Salting or squirreling away chips is also a good way to camouflage. If you occasionally slip a big chip or two into your pocket at opportune moments, it may deceive pit bosses into thinking you are losing rather than winning. Just remember to cash out at a later time when the same pit boss isn t watching or it will defeat the purpose. Advice#10: another red flag occurs when cards counters drop to a minimum bet after a shuffle. If you just finished the previous shoe with a $

209 bet, it looks bad o start the next one off with $5. a better strategy is to compromise somewhere between your high and low bets or to simply walk away from the table. Advice#11: Another good technique to help you keep a low profile is to not get rated. However, this may look suspicious to casino personell because most players understandably want to receive comps. It is helpful to have some responses ready to deflect the inevitable badgering for your name and address. Here is an example: No thanks. I m already getting spammed to death from my last rating card. Advice#12: The way you dress is very important. Try to look like a tourist. If you are betting larger amounts, it s usually important to have some telltale sign of your decadent wealth. At the beginning I used a fake Rolex and a borrowed Armani suit. Advice#13: Give the impression right up front that you won t be there long. Glance at your watch nervously and act like you re already late for a very important business meeting; then it won t surprise them when you quickly bolt from one table to another on negative counts. It is also good to stand rather than sit. You ll look like you re in a hurry to find that great run before catching your flight. Here is a possible line to convey that image: One last shoe to try and get even. Advice#14: Accentuate your losses and minimize your winnings when talking with the casino personnel. If you do win, try to act like you finally got lucky for once. However, don t try to lay this on too thick because the pit boss might see right through it and soon show you the door. Advice#15: In conclusion, here are 7 of the most important disguisequalities a card counter should posses in order to keep his true identity secret: 1. Show some emotion 2. Act excite 3. Get mad 4. Look stupid 5. Don t buy in for much

210 6. to be chasing your losses 7. Always look like the fool rather than the genius Advice#16: Don t be afraid to loosen up and have fun inside the casino. You may not want to try to act dumb, but a carefree and relaxed attitude can go a long way in this business. But if you act uptight and are always trying to prove how smart you are at the tables, it is unlikely you will take a lot of money out the door. Advice#17: If you do get barred, it is best to leave away without making a scene. Some casinos have an old-school attitude toward counting, and it is best not to push the envelope in those clubs. The confrontational nature of the business has jaded a few casinos executives into a shoot first, ask questions later mentality. Well, there you have it. Just about everything I know about camouflage is here. Of course, it is true that some things simply defy description, but in time you will gain a feel and judgment through play that no one can teach you. In the mean time, if you will read and learn the advices I gave you in this chapter, you will have already taken a giant step down the road to professional Blackjack

211 SPECIAL WEAPONS AND TACTICS In this chapter you ll get the really wicked weapons and terrible tactics that take you beyond card counting into the world of the hustle, a dark domain where mercy and quarter are neither offered nor given. This is war. A war that is forever changing and evolving. Casinos develop countermeasures. Counters and card hustlers develop measures to counter the countermeasures. And so on, with no end in sight. Here are some of my favorite plays. They ve made me a lot of money over the years, and I think you ll find them an interesting and powerful addition to your blackjack war machine. THE FREE HIT With a fairly big minus count, the Omega II Strategy Pro actually says to hit hard 17 against an Ace. This play look very bizarre, so bizarre, in fact, that if you play your cards right you can get away with a free hit. This is how to do it: if the count is sufficiently minus, and you are dealt hard 17 against the dealer s Ace, act distracted and hold your cards in a casual, sort of uninterested way. When the dealer gets around to you, scratch for a hit. Just as the card hits the table glance at your hand and act startled. If the hit card is a 4 or less, whistle softly, mumble something about blind luck, and slide your hard 17 under your bet. If you bust, however, show the dealer your hard 17, tell him you weren t really paying attention and, of course would never hit hard 17, intentionally. Most of the time the dealer would buy this story and toss the hit card into the return tray; sometimes he will ask for an OK from a pit boss first, but it s rare that your request for mercy will be denied. Keep this in mind if you are holding a 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 against an Ace as well. When you hit this card, if you draw hard 17, and the count remains sufficiently minus, you can still make the above play for a free hit

212 One word of caution. Don t make this play more than one per session. Greed is not good. Greed can get you barred. THE BOTTOM CARD Sometimes, against some dealers, you will get a glimpse of the bottom card before the cut. If you cut the cards yourself you can put this card anywhere you want. If the bottom card is small, cut very thinly; this will put the bottom card near the bottom of the deck, and the dealer will shuffle before he gets to it. In effect, the deck starts off with a plus count equal to the value of the bottom card near the bottom of the deck, and the dealer will shuffle before he gets to it. In effect, the deck starts off with a plus count equal to the value of the bottom card. If the card is large (10 or Ace) I generally cut it to about the middle of the deck, where I know I will be dealt before the shuffle. If you can vary the number of hands you are playing, you can also cut a large card to near the top of the deck and get it as your first card for a big advantage on that hand. Another nice move is to cut the deck so that the bottom card ends up as the dealer s hole card. This take practice, but if you can do it, it s worth it. For example, say it s your cut, you re playing with two other players, and you happen to see the bottom card. If you cut the bottom card to nine cards from the top of the deck, the dealer will get it as his hole card. Naturally, knowing the dealer s hole card adds a certain accuracy to your play. If another player cuts, make note of where the bottom card goes and just the count and your play accordingly. THE CUT CARD Just as with the bottom card, sometimes you will get a peek at the cut card. Occasionally, this will happen when another player cuts the cards; when you

213 do the cutting yourself, however, you can often arrange it so you see the cut card nearly every time. This technique only works in single- and double-deck games, and only in those clubs that offer the deck to the player to cut, rather than giving him a plastic cut card to place in the deck. The idea is to slightly tilt the top part of the deck toward you as you cut it away from the bottom part. For this move to work, you have to make it fast and angel the deck just barely enough to get a quick glimpse of the card as you cut it away from the deck. No matter how fast or how smooth you are, however, some dealers will pick up on what you re doing, and they may not like it. So, if you get some flak, back of. A lot of dealers, though, will let it go if you re not too obvious about it. Naturally, when you see the cut card, adjust your count immediately. The cut card goes to the bottom of the deck and is never dealt. THE BURN CARD Another card you will sometimes see is the burn card. After the cut, most casinos burn, or discard, the top card before they begin to deal. A lot of clubs, nowadays, simply toss this card into the return tray; some, however, especially in single-deck games, still follow the traditional practice of placing the burn card face up on the bottom of the deck. Experienced dealers do this by rolling the top card to the bottom of the deck with a very quick wrist snap. When this is done properly, the burn card is just about impossible to see. Some dealers, however, aren t as fast or as smooth; with these guys you can generally see the burn card every time. If you do see this card, count it immediately, for with the cut card it is never dealt. One of the sweetest things in a single-deck game is to see the bottom card, cut it where you want it, glimpsing the cut card as you do, then catch the burn card as the dealer rolls it over. Seeing these three cards can often give you better than a 1% edge right off the top of the deck!

214 THE QUADRUPLE DOWN I almost didn t include this one. It s just a little too raw for my taste. Although I don t consider it actually cheating, there is no doubt that it s right on the ragged edge. There is however, also no doubt that a lot of card hustlers have made a lot of money with this one. It goes like this: Normally, when a player is going to double down, he waits until the dealer gets around to him, then places his cards face up on the layout and slides an additional wager equal to his original bet nest to that original bet. That s the way it s usually done, but that s not the only way it can be done. Here is another way: Position yourself near third base at a full table. When you have a double down situation, turn up your cards and double your bet immediately; don t wait for the dealer to work his way around to you. One more little thing. When you double your bet, place the additional wager on top of the original bet, not next to it, side by side. When the dealer gets around to you, one of two things is going to happen: 1. He will notice that you have doubled your bet, so he will size it side-by-side, himself, deal the double down card and move on. 2. He doesn t realize you have doubled your bet, so he will pause, give you an expectant look, and wait for you to double your wager. So, give him what he wants, double your bet. Of course, when you do, you are actually quadrupling your original bet, for a big time boost to your overall advantage. Just don t get greedy. One time per playing session is about the limit, and pick your dealers carefully

215 THE FIVE-CARD TRICK When you bust you only lose when the dealer takes your bet. Sometimes, if you bust with 22 in five or more cards a careless dealer may think you have 21 especially if you smile, whistle softly and slide your hole cards under your bet. The slippery play generally earns 200% every time the dealer buys it. TEAM PLAY This tactic is definitely one of my favorite to gain a real advantage over the house. The basic idea of team play is to have several counters making minimum bets and playing Basic Strategy, situated at tables around the casino, while the money player, the Big Player, sort of hangs out waiting for subtle signals form the counters that the shoe has gone plus. When that appears the Big Player saunters over and begins making large bets, one after another, until the dealer shuffles or the count goes minus. At this point if the BP gets the high sign from another counter, he wanders over to that table. Otherwise he drifts over to the bar, or to some other convenient place where he can watch the counters, and waits for the next plus shoe. The team play is a perfect tactic for multiple deck shoes (four-, six-, eightdeck shoe). Why? Simple: 1. Multiple decks are more stable than the single and double decks what is very good for a tem play. This is because when a shoe finally does go plus, it is likely to stay plus right down to the shuffle, thus affording camouflage to the Big Player s action. This contracts sharply with single-deck games, where the true count jumps all over the place from one hand to the next. 2. The four-, six- and eight-deck shoes, unlike one and two decks, yield many hands between shuffles. That is also why the greater the number of decks in play, the better for the team

216 Although there are a lot of ways to run a team, this is how I do it: First off, you have to assemble a team. My teams consists of the Big Player (me) and four or five counters. Normally I recruit my counters locally. When they play on my team they play my way or no way. I schedule the team trips for about three days, 7 to 8 hour a day, for a total of about 20 to 24 actual hours of total play. At the end of each day we have an accounting meeting, where I show my team how I m doing; At the end of the third, and last, day, we meet for a final settlement. I split my winnings normally 67/33. Sixty-seven percent for me. Thirty-three percent split equally among the counters. When I lose, I eat the entire loss but don t worry, this happens very seldom. Team play takes work, but if it s done right you can make a fortune with it! TIPPING THE DEALER Why should a player tip a dealer anyway? After all tipping won't miraculously change your luck or the odds. One can also argue that tipping has an expectation of 100% which means the money you tip is lost. And furthermore you are under no obligation to tip when you play blackjack. Basically, tipping will ensure that you will have a friendly and helpful dealer that will go a long way toward making your playing experience an enjoyable one. For most players, having a good time with a friendly dealer is reason enough to tip. Another reason to consider making a tip to a friendly, helpful dealer is that the starting salary for most blackjack dealers is often at or below minimum wage. In fact on an average month in most casinos, tips from players often make up two thirds of what a blackjack dealer brings home. However, that alone should not be the sole reason to tip a dealer nor should you ever be pressured into making a tip. You should decide if a tip is warranted based on the service the dealer provides you when you play. Period

217 In most casinos, tips are pooled and shared by all dealers on a shift. When a player tips a dealer, the chips are placed by the dealer in a toke box located on the left side of the table next to the dealer (there is a slot on the top of the toke box where the dealer drops the chips). At the end of each shift, the chips in the toke boxes are counted and distributed evenly amongst all the dealers on the shift. This "tip sharing" tends to put peer pressure on all dealers to perform at a high level and it also prevents some dealers who work high limit tables from earning a lot more then a dealer working a low limit table. Tipping a dealer also has some benefit when you ask for comps. Sometimes busy floor supervisors will ask the dealer what your average bet was. By tipping and getting the dealer on your side, they will often give you the benefit of the doubt and bump up the amount of your average bet. HOW TO TIP A DEALER. There are two common ways that most players tip a dealer. First is to simply place a chip on the layout at any time and tell the dealer "this is for you". Most players who tip this way do so at the end of their playing session after they have colored up their chips. The second way to tip is to make a bet for the dealer on your hand. This way, the dealer will have a stake in the outcome and root for you to win (this usually will get their attention and smiles). Suppose you make a $5 bet by placing a red chip in the betting area (box or circle). Say you also want to make a $1 bet for the dealer. To do so, place a white chip just outside of the betting area. If your hand wins, the dealer will pay off the red chip with another and ditto for the white chip. After he clears the table of all the losing bets, he will pick up the two white chips, hopefully thank you for making the bet, and then place the two white chips in the toke box. By making a tip bet, your $1 bet for the dealer turned into a $2 toke for him

218 There is a downside to making a tip bet. If your hand loses, the dealer receives no tip (he will scoop up the red and white chips and place them in the casino chip rack; essentially the chip that you bet for the dealer now become part of the casino bank). However, even if the hand loses, most dealers still appreciative the player's gesture. This is a less common but what I consider to be a better way to tip the dealer. Instead of placing your tip bet outside of the betting area, place it on top of your bet (inside the betting area). TIPPING STRATEGY Let's assume you bet $5 on the hand and you placed a white chip on top of your bet. If the hand wins the dealer will pay you a red chip and a white chip. You then give the dealer one white chip representing the win from the extra chip you bet on the hand. Notice the difference between the two ways of making a tip bet for the dealer. Essentially, bets made outside of the betting area are controlled by the dealer (as opposed to bets made inside which are controlled by the player). When you place your white chip outside, the dealer will pay himself if the hand wins and earn $2 (he keeps the original $1 you bet for him plus the $1 won on the hand). If instead you place the tip bet inside and the hand wins, the dealer pays you (not himself). You then turn around and give the dealer the $1 won for the $1 bet on the hand for him. This method of tipping saves you 50% of the money you give to the dealers and gives you the option of betting the $1 again on the next hand (in fact I usually let the chip ride until I lose a hand). The latter will give you a lot of mileage for an initial $1 tip bet. It's perfectly acceptable to base your tips on how much you are betting. If you are a $5 player, I suggest a $1 or $2 tip bet for the dealer. If you are a $25 bettor, making a $5 tip bet would be appropriate. The above are guidelines since how much you decide to tip is very much a personal thing. However, Jean Scott, author of the Frugal Gambler, said it best: "Tip nothing for surly service, on the low end for mediocre service, and on the high end for cheerful service". My only caveat is that I never tip a dealer who doesn't try to be friendly

219 GLOSSARY Ace-neutralized = A multiparameter system that counts aces as zero to increase playing efficiency. Ace-reckoned = A system that incorporates aces into its primary count to simplify betting. Action = The total amount wagered over a period of time. Back-counting = Counting the cards without playing, usually with the intent of signalling in a Big Player. Balanced count = Any counting system in which the respective card count values balance out to zero. Bankroll = Total amount of funds available for gambling. Barred = Permanently prohibited from playing blackjack at a casino. Basic strategy = The optimal way to play each hand of blackjack. Bet = The player s wager on a particular hand. Bet sizing = Optimally betting in relationship to your advantage. Bet spread = The ratio between a player s minimum and maximum bets. Big Player (BP) = Big bettor for a blackjack team. Black book = A book listing the individuals who are barred from entering casinos. Blackjack = The game of twenty-one, also an ace and a ten dealt on the first two cards. Blacks = Chips in the $100 denomination are commonly colored black

220 Burn card = After the shuffle and cut, one card is normally removed from play, and is called the burn card. Bust = Whenever the total of any hand exceeds 21, the hand loses. Bust card = The individual card that brings the hand s total over 21. Buy-in = The transfer of cash for chips at the table. Card counting = A system used to keep track of the cards that have been played that will give players an advantage over the house. Cashier s cage = The money transaction area in each casino where chips are cashed out. Casino manager = The top casino executive on duty. Chips = the tokens, unique to each casino, that are used for making wagers. Chip tray = The rack that drops into the blackjack table to hold the various rows of chips for the dealer to distribute to the rare player who win. Comp = Complimentary room, food, beverage, events, or shows that are offered by the casino to qualified players. Cooler = A prearranged stacked deck or shoe used in cheating. CTR = A Currency Transaction Report, mandatory for any cash transactions totalling $10,000 or more in a twenty-four-hour period. Dealer = The casino employee who deals the cards. Discard rack = A clear plastic device screwed into the table to hold the used cards after play. Double down = Doubling the original bet and receiving only one additional card typically done on a total of 10 or

221 Draw = a Hit. To take a card EV = The player s expected value, expressed in terms of win/loss. Exposed = Turning over a card so that its value can be seen. Face cards = Any ten-valued card (jack, queen, or king). First base = The first seat at the blackjack table to the dealer s left. First-basing = Seeing the dealer s hole card from the first-base position. Floorman = A casino executive who supervises part of a pit. Free roll = A situation in which there is absolutely no risk. Front-loading = Seeing the dealer s hole card from the front of the table as she tucks it in under her up-card. Handheld game = A blackjack game in which the dealer holds the cards in her hand rather than in a shoe. Hard hand = Any blackjack hand not counting an ace as 11. Heads-up = Playing alone against the dealer. Heat = Whenever a card counter has his play scrutinized closely. Hi-Lo = One of the simplest and most popular counts in the world. Hit = When a player scratches or signals the dealer for an extra card for his hand. Hole card = the dealer s down card

222 Hole-card play = Taking advantage of sloppy dealers who unknowingly show their hole card. Host = A casino employee who caters to higher-betting customers. House money = Winnings over and above what you brought to the casino. Insurance = If a dealer shows an ace up, any player can take insurance if he thinks the dealer might have blackjack and will get paid 2 to 1 on any winning bet. Junket = Short gambling trips subsidized by the participating casino. Loaded deck = A deck (or decks) that has extra cards deliberately placed or removed to distort the correct proportion. Martingale system = Best known of the progressive betting systems where you double your bet after each loss. Matrix = A mathematical chart of index numbers showing the correct number at which to deviate from basic strategy for card counters. Multilevel count = Any system in which the count values are higher than plus or minus one. Multiparameter system = A counting system that keeps track of at least two separate counts, usually a main count and a side count of aces. Natural = Another term for a two-card 21, or blackjack. Nickels = Chips in the $5 denomination. Pack = The deck, or any undealt portion thereof. Paint = Any picture card. Pair = Any two cards of the same rank, including all 10s and face cards

223 Pat = A hand that is 17 or higher and doesn t need a hit. Pays the table = Usually means the dealer has busted and every player at the table wins. Penetration = How deeply the cards are dealt before shuffling. Pit boss = A supervisor for table games. Positive count = A situation in which the remaining decks contain more high cards than low cards and favours the players rather than the house. Preferential shuffling = When a dealer consistently shuffles away most positive counts. Press = During a hot streak, many gamblers increase or press their bets. Progressive betting systems = methods to gain an edge over the house without counting cards, by changing your bets in a fixed manner. Push = A hand that ends in a tie and in which no money changes hands. Quarters = Chips in the $25 denomination. RC = the running count. Overall count, unadjusted to decks remaining. Reds =Chips in the $5 denomination are generally colored red. RFB = Complimentary room, food, and beverage. Round = Each complete hand of play for everyone at the table. ROR = Risk of ruin the mathematical risk of losing every last dollar in your bankroll

224 SD = The standard deviation from the expected result. Selective memory = Affliction that distorts an accurate recollection of previous results. Shift = Casinos are usually open twenty-four hours, with three separate eighthour shifts (day, swing, and graveyard). Shift boss = Casino employee who supervises all of the pit bosses on a particular shift. Shoe = The device positioned to the left of the dealer that is used to hold multiple decks of cards. Shuffle-tracking = Following cards through the shuffle process to determine their approximate location in the next shoe. Silver = One-dollar chips are often silver-colored metallic tokens, evoking the days when actual silver dollars were used in the casinos. Six-deck shoe = Most common version of blackjack today with six decks dealt from a shoe. Snapper = Slang for a blackjack when the first two cards consist of an ace and a ten. Soft hand = Any blackjack hand that counts an ace as 11. Split = Players (but not dealers) have the option to split any two equal-valued cards by matching their original bet. Then each hand is played separately. Spooking = Spying the dealer s hole card from across the pit. Spotter = A teammate who counts down a shoe for the Big Player. Stand = The decision to receive no more cards form the dealer

225 Steaming = Betting higher than normal to chase losses. Stiff = A hard hand totalling 12 to 16 a common sight for this author. Suits = Casino executives. Surrender = A rule that allows you to forfeit half your bet by throwing in your hand. TC = True Count (RC / remaining decks). Number derived when the Rc is divided by number of remaining decks. Third base = The playing position to the extreme right of the dealer Toke = A tip for the dealer Unbalanced count = Any counting system in which the card count values are unbalanced and do not add up to zero. Undesirables = Advantage players who are not welcomed by casinos. Up-card = The up-card is the card in the dealer s hand that is face up. APPENDIX

226 Basic Strategy Cards for Single-Deck American-Blackjack With the BEST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Stands on Soft 17 + You can Double any 2 Cards + + Early Surrender + Dealer Peeks (American style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H R 8 H H H D D H H H H H 9 D D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 12 H H S S S H H H H R 13 S S S S S H H H H R 14 S S S S S H H H R R 15 S S S S S H H H R R 16 S S S S S H H H R R 17 S S S S S S S S S RS A,2 H H D D D H H H H H A,3 H H D D D H H H H H A,4 H H D D D H H H H H A,5 H H D D D H H H H H A,6 D D D D D H H H H H A,7 S DS DS DS DS S S H H S A,8 S S S S DS S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 P P P P P P H H H H 3,3 P P P P P P P H H R 4,4 H H P P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P P H H H R 7,7 P P P P P P P H RS R 8,8 P P P P P P P P R R 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed) DS = Double (stand if not allowed) R = Surrender RS = Surrender (stand if not allowed)

227 Basic Strategy Cards for Single-Deck American-Blackjack With the WORST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Hits Soft 17 + You can Double 10, 11 Only + + No Surrender + Dealer Peeks (American style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H 17 S S S S S S S S S S A,2 H H H H H H H H H H A,3 H H H H H H H H H H A,4 H H H H H H H H H H A,5 H H H H H H H H H H A,6 H H H H H H H H H H A,7 S S S S S S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 H P P P P P H H H H 3,3 H H P P P P H H H H 4,4 H H H H H H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P H H H H H 7,7 P P P P P P H H S H 8,8 P P P P P P P P P P 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed)

228 Basic Strategy Cards for Single-Deck European-Blackjack With the BEST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Stands on Soft 17 + You can Double any 2 Cards + + Early Surrender + Dealer don t Peek (European style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H R 8 H H H D D H H H H H 9 D D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D H H 12 H H S S S H H H H R 13 S S S S S H H H H R 14 S S S S S H H H R R 15 S S S S S H H H R R 16 S S S S S H H H R R 17 S S S S S S S S S RS A,2 H H D D D H H H H H A,3 H H D D D H H H H H A,4 H H D D D H H H H H A,5 H H D D D H H H H H A,6 D D D D D H H H H H A,7 S DS DS DS DS S S H H S A,8 S S S S DS S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 P P P P P P H H H H 3,3 P P P P P P P H H R 4,4 H H P P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P P H H H R 7,7 P P P P P P P H RS R 8,8 P P P P P P P P R R 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed) DS = Double (stand if not allowed) R = Surrender RS = Surrender (stand if not allowed)

229 Basic Strategy Cards for Single-Deck European-Blackjack With the WORST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Hits Soft 17 + You can Double 10, 11 Only + + No Surrender + Dealer don t Peeks (European style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H 17 S S S S S S S S S S A,2 H H H H H H H H H H A,3 H H H H H H H H H H A,4 H H H H H H H H H H A,5 H H H H H H H H H H A,6 H H H H H H H H H H A,7 S S S S S S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 H P P P P P H H H H 3,3 H H P P P P H H H H 4,4 H H H H H H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P H H H H H 7,7 P P P P P P H H S H 8,8 P P P P P P P P H H 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed)

230 Basic Strategy Cards for Double-Deck American-Blackjack With the BEST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Stands on Soft 17 + You can Double any 2 Cards + + Early Surrender + Dealer Peeks (American style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H R 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 D D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 12 H H S S S H H H H R 13 S S S S S H H H H R 14 S S S S S H H H R R 15 S S S S S H H H R R 16 S S S S S H H H R R 17 S S S S S S S S S RS A,2 H H H D D H H H H H A,3 H H H D D H H H H H A,4 H H D D D H H H H H A,5 H H D D D H H H H H A,6 H D D D D H H H H H A,7 S DS DS DS DS S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 P P P P P P H H H H 3,3 P P P P P P H H H R 4,4 H H H P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P P H H H R 7,7 P P P P P P P H R R 8,8 P P P P P P P P R R 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed) DS = Double (stand if not allowed) R = Surrender RS = Surrender (stand if not allowed)

231 Basic Strategy Cards for Double-Deck American-Blackjack With the WORST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Hits Soft 17 + You can Double 10, 11 Only + + No Surrender + Dealer Peeks (American style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H 17 S S S S S S S S S S A,2 H H H H H H H H H H A,3 H H H H H H H H H H A,4 H H H H H H H H H H A,5 H H H H H H H H H H A,6 H H H H H H H H H H A,7 S S S S S S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 H H P P P P H H H H 3,3 H H P P P P H H H H 4,4 H H H H H H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P H H H H H 7,7 P P P P P P H H H H 8,8 P P P P P P P P P P 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed)

232 Basic Strategy Cards for Double-Deck European-Blackjack With the BEST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Stands on Soft 17 + You can Double any 2 Cards + + Early Surrender + Dealer don t Peek (European style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H R 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 D D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D H H 12 H H S S S H H H H R 13 S S S S S H H H H R 14 S S S S S H H H R R 15 S S S S S H H H R R 16 S S S S S H H H R R 17 S S S S S S S S S RS A,2 H H H D D H H H H H A,3 H H H D D H H H H H A,4 H H D D D H H H H H A,5 H H D D D H H H H H A,6 H D D D D H H H H H A,7 S DS DS DS DS S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 P P P P P P H H H H 3,3 P P P P P P H H H R 4,4 H H H P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P P H H H R 7,7 P P P P P P P H R R 8,8 P P P P P P P P R R 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed) DS = Double (stand if not allowed) R = Surrender RS = Surrender (stand if not allowed)

233 Basic Strategy Cards for Double-Deck European-Blackjack With the WORST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Hits Soft 17 + You can Double 10, 11 Only + + No Surrender + Dealer don t Peeks (European style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H 17 S S S S S S S S S S A,2 H H H H H H H H H H A,3 H H H H H H H H H H A,4 H H H H H H H H H H A,5 H H H H H H H H H H A,6 H H H H H H H H H H A,7 S S S S S S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 H H P P P P H H H H 3,3 H H P P P P H H H H 4,4 H H H H H H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P H H H H H 7,7 P P P P P P H H H H 8,8 P P P P P P P P H H 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed)

234 Basic Strategy Cards for Multiple-Deck (3 to 8 Decks) American- Blackjack With the BEST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Stands on Soft 17 + You can Double any 2 Cards + + Early Surrender + Dealer Peeks (American style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H R 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D H 12 H H S S S H H H H R 13 S S S S S H H H H R 14 S S S S S H H H R R 15 S S S S S H H H R R 16 S S S S S H H R R R 17 S S S S S S S S S RS A,2 H H H D D H H H H H A,3 H H H D D H H H H H A,4 H H D D D H H H H H A,5 H H D D D H H H H H A,6 H D D D D H H H H H A,7 S DS DS DS DS S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 P P P P P P H H H H 3,3 P P P P P P H H H R 4,4 H H H P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P H H H H R 7,7 P P P P P P H H R R 8,8 P P P P P P P P R R 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed) DS = Double (stand if not allowed) R = Surrender RS = Surrender (stand if not allowed)

235 Basic Strategy Cards for Multiple-Deck (3 to 8 Decks) American- Blackjack With the WORST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Hits Soft 17 + You can Double 10, 11 Only + + No Surrender + Dealer Peeks (American style) Estimated casino edge for these rules:+0.96 % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H 17 S S S S S S S S S S A,2 H H H H H H H H H H A,3 H H H H H H H H H H A,4 H H H H H H H H H H A,5 H H H H H H H H H H A,6 H H H H H H H H H H A,7 S S S S S S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 H H P P P P H H H H 3,3 H H P P P P H H H H 4,4 H H H H H H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 H P P P P H H H H H 7,7 P P P P P P H H H H 8,8 P P P P P P P P P P 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed)

236 Basic Strategy Cards for Multiple-Deck (3 to 8 Decks) European- Blackjack With the BEST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand Dealer Stands on Soft 17 + You can Double any 2 Cards + + Early Surrender + Dealer don t Peek (European style) Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H R 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D H H 12 H H S S S H H H H R 13 S S S S S H H H H R 14 S S S S S H H H R R 15 S S S S S H H H R R 16 S S S S S H H R R R 17 S S S S S S S S S RS A,2 H H H D D H H H H H A,3 H H H D D H H H H H A,4 H H D D D H H H H H A,5 H H D D D H H H H H A,6 H D D D D H H H H H A,7 S DS DS DS DS S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 P P P P P P H H H H 3,3 P P P P P P H H H R 4,4 H H H P P H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 P P P P P H H H H R 7,7 P P P P P P H H R R 8,8 P P P P P P P P R R 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed) DS = Double (stand if not allowed) R = Surrender RS = Surrender (stand if not allowed)

237 Basic Strategy Cards for Multiple-Deck (3 to 8 Decks) European- Blackjack With the WORST Conditions You Can Get Your Hand 6 decks, H17, D10, No DAS, No Surrender, No Peek Estimated casino edge for these rules: % Dealer Upcard A 7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H H H H H H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H 17 S S S S S S S S S S A,2 H H H H H H H H H H A,3 H H H H H H H H H H A,4 H H H H H H H H H H A,5 H H H H H H H H H H A,6 H H H H H H H H H H A,7 S S S S S S S H H H A,8 S S S S S S S S S S A,9 S S S S S S S S S S 2,2 H H P P P P H H H H 3,3 H H P P P P H H H H 4,4 H H H H H H H H H H 5,5 D D D D D D D D H H 6,6 H P P P P H H H H H 7,7 P P P P P P H H H H 8,8 P P P P P P P P H H 9,9 P P P P P S P P S S T,T S S S S S S S S S S A,A P P P P P P P H H H Dlr A Key: H = Hit S = Stand P = Split D = Double (hit if not allowed)

238 TURNING THIS E-BOOK INTO A WINNING WEAPON! Many books conclude, after explaining everything, by telling you in the last chapter how the author plays. But I don t need to do this because I play the same way as I have taught you to play in this e-book. I practice what I preach. If you have read carefully so far, you now have been exposed to everything that I wanted to teach you. What remains is for you to start applying the winning strategies and systems at the casino and make your own million dollars at the blackjack table. Remember! To enter a casino and start to play without learning and practicing what I ve taught you thus far is the surest way to lose. The fact that you read this far doesn t mean you know everything that you read so far. Making yourself master of my Insider Secrets should be your first big goal!!