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Archive-name: gambling-faq/blackjack
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/bj.html
-----------------------
Frequently Asked Questions about Blackjack
This is the rec.gambling.blackjack Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list.
Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
jacobs@xmission.com.
Page last modified: 7-09-95
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
Section B: Blackjack Questions
B1 What do these funny acronyms mean ...
B2 What special terminology is used by blackjack players?
B3 What special terminology is used by card counters?
B4 Why is there so much talk about blackjack in rec.gambling?
B5 Is casino blackjack a "beatable" game.
B6 How much of an advantage can card counting give?
B7 Is card counting illegal?
B8 Can the casino ban card counters?
B9 What is the correct basic strategy for single deck Blackjack?
B10 What is the correct basic strategy for Atlantic City blackjack?
B11 What is the house edge when playing basic strategy?
B12 Why are single deck games better than multi-deck games?
B14 Do 'bad' players at third base have any effect on expected gain?
B15 Where is the best place to sit at a blackjack table.
B16 How is card counting done?
B17 What counting system is "best"?
B18 What counting system is easiest to use?
B19 What BJ counting system is most effective?
B20 Does penetration have any effect on basic strategy expectation?
B21 What is the correct strategy for late surrender?
B22 What is the correct strategy for "multi action" blackjack?
B23 What is "Over/Under" Blackjack?
B24 What is the counting strategy for Over/Under blackjack?
B25 What are some good/bad books on Blackjack?
B26 What are some other sources of blackjack/gambling information?
B27 Is Ken Uston Dead?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B1 What do these funny acronyms mean ...
A:B1 (Adbul Jalib M'hall)
The acronyms that are often used in rec.gambling.blackjack are listed below.
Abbreviations:
BSE = Basic Strategy Edge
H17 = Hit soft 17 (dealer must hit)
S17 = Stand on any 17 (dealer must stand)
DOA = Double On Any first two cards
D10 = Double on 10 or 11 only
DAS = Double After Splitting is allowed
RSA = Re-Splitting Aces is allowed
ESR = Early Surrender
LSR = Late Surrender
O/U = Over/Under 13 side bets are allowed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B2 What special terminology is used by blackjack players?
A:B2 (Steve Jacobs, Dave Everett)
Blackjack Terminology:
basic strategy
a playing strategy that is designed to minimize the house edge as much as
possible without using techniques such as card counting, shuffle tracking,
or dealer tells. Basic strategy is used as a foundation for card counting,
but is also used by many non-counters.
burn card(s)
cards that are discarded without being dealt to the players. After the
cards are shuffled by the dealer and cut by one of the players, one or
more cards are "burned" before any cards are dealt to the players.
bust
after a "hit", the player is said to "bust" if the new card causes the
player's total to exceed 21.
card counting
a system for improving the player's edge by assigning "weights" to each
card face and summing the card weights as each new card is turned face up.
The "count" indicates when the game is favorable for the player, so that
the player can place larger bets and/or make changes in playing strategy.
cut card
a (usually colored plastic) card that is used to cut the cards after they
have been shuffled by the dealer.
double down
to double the initial bet and receive exactly one more card. The option to
double is often allowed on the players first two cards only, although some
casinos allow doubling after splitting a pair. Many Northern Nevada
casinos allowing doubling only with a two-card total of 10 or 11. It is
very rare to find games that allow doubling of hands that have more than
two cards.
double for less
to double down with less than 2X the original bet. Generally, when
doubling is allowed, the player does not have to actually double his bet,
but may increase it by any amount up to (but not more than) the original
bet.
early surrender
surrender which is allowed even when the dealer has a natural. Very
valuable to the player, but rarely offered by the casinos.
even money
taking insurance when holding a blackjack results in a net gain of one
bet. Some casinos will allow the player to be paid without actually
placing the insurance bet. This is called "taking even money". (See
"insurance")
first base
the first player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting
at "first base".
flat bet
to bet the same amount on each successive hand.
hard hand
any hand that is not a soft hand.
heads up
playing at a table that has no other players.
hit
drawing a new card to add to the player's or dealer's hand.
hole card
the dealer's card that is placed face down.
insurance
a side bet, of up to 1/2 the original bet, that is offered when the
dealer's upcard is an ace. This bet pays 2:1 if the dealer has a natural
21. (Also see "even money")
late surrender
surrender which is only allowed when the dealer does not have a natural.
If the dealer has a natural 21 (blackjack), the player's bet still loses
in its entirety. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, the player loses
half the bet and doesn't play the rest of the hand.
natural
a hand that totals 21 on the first two cards.
over/under
a rare bet that the first two player's cards will total over 13, or under
13, when aces are counted as one.
preferential shuffling
shuffling when the deck is favorable to the players, while avoiding a
shuffle when the deck is unfavorable to the players.
push
a tie hand, the original bet is returned to the player.
shoe
a "box" for holding the undealt cards, usually used in multi-deck games.
soft hand
any hand that includes an ace that can be counted as 11 without having the
value of the hand exceed 21. It is always possible to draw one card to a
soft hand without busting.
split hand
hands that start with two cards of the same rank can be split to form two
independent hands. This option is exercised by adding a new bet to the
second hand, and these hands are played independently.
spread
to place more than one bet before the cards are dealt.
stand
to stop drawing cards.
stiff (hand)
any hand that has a small chance of winning regardless of how the hand is
played (usually 12 - 16).
surrender
the option to give back the player's first two cards in exchange for a
refund of 1/2 of the original bet (rarely allowed). Some hands, such as 16
vs. dealer's 10, are so bad that surrender is less costly than playing the
hand.
third base
the last player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting at
"third base".
upcard
the dealer's first card, dealt face up. The correct playing decision often
involves some consideration of the dealer's upcard.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B3 What special terminology is used by card counters?
A:B3 (Steve Jacobs)
Card Counting Terminology
betting correlation
a measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the
player's favorability when the cards are seen by the player and removed
from the deck. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting
system.
back counting
counting cards and waiting for the count to become favorable before
sitting down to play. Usually done standing in back of the players.
balanced count
any counting system that has a count starting at zero when the cards are
shuffled, and ending at zero when all cards in the deck(s) have been
exposed. Most counting systems use a balanced count.
bet spread
the ratio between maximum and minimum bet size. A player who uses $20
maximum bets and $5 minimum bets is using a 4:1 bet spread.
card weight
the "value" assigned to each card face. This weight is added to the
"count" as each new card is exposed. Weights are usually small integer
values like -1, +1, or +2.
count
(noun) -- a number that represents the player's estimate of how favorable
or unfavorable.
cover bet
a bet (usually large) placed at the "wrong" time, in order to fool the pit
critters into thinking that the player is not counting cards.
insurance correlation
a measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the
player's favorability for placing insurance bets. This gives an estimate
of the accuracy of the card counting system for predicting when to take
insurance.
penetration
the number of cards that are dealt before the cards are shuffled.
Penetration is usually expressed as a percentage of the cards, as in "75%
penetration". Good penetration is extremely important to card counters.
playing efficiency
effectiveness of strategy variations in tracking the optimal playing
strategy as the deck composition changes. Efficiency is given by E = AG /
PG, where AG is the actual gain from making the strategy changes, and PG
is the possible gain that could be made by using a playing strategy that
is "computer perfect".
running count
the total of the weights of all cards that have been exposed since the
cards were shuffled.
shuffle tracking
a system to predict which sections of the deck/shoe will be favorable to
the player, based on the locations of favorable sections of the previous
deck/shoe, and on studying the method used to shuffle the cards.
side count
a count in addition to the "main" count, usually involving a single card
face, as in "ace side count".
strategy variations
varying from basic strategy when the count indicates that it is profitable
to do so.
ten poor
a deck that has a lower than average density of tens and face cards.
ten rich
a deck that has a higher than average density of tens and face cards.
true count
a count that is adjusted according to the number of undealt cards, usually
by dividing the running count by the number of undealt *decks* (or
half-decks).
unbalanced count
any counting system that has a count that starts or ends on a non-zero
value (see "balanced count"). Red 7 is an example of an unbalanced count.
wonging
improving the player's edge by placing bets only when the count is
favorable for the player, and "sitting out" when the count is unfavorable.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B4 Why is there so much talk about blackjack in rec.gambling?
A:B4 (Steve Jacobs)
Blackjack is the most popular table game in American casinos, and the abundance
of blackjack articles in rec.gambling is a reflection of this popularity.
Unlike many other casino games, skillful play in blackjack allows the player to
gain a slight advantage over the casino. However, there is no single form of
the game that is found in all casinos, and it is often possible to find several
slightly different forms of blackjack within the same casino. When playing
blackjack, the "correct" strategy to use will depend on the number of card
decks used and on the particular "house rules" that are in effect during play.
All of these factors combine to make blackjack a very complicated topic.
[Note: this question is obsolete now that rec.gambling.blackjack is a separate
group. This question will eventually be deleted from the rec.gambling.blackjack
FAQ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B5 Is casino blackjack a "beatable" game.
A:B5 (thunk)
Background: Many books have been written that claim that BJ is beatable.
Answer: Simulations performed by rec.gamblers show different amounts of
potential player advantage in theory in BJ, depending on strategies, exact
rules, and playing conditions. These numbers typically approach 1% (an average
penny gain for every dollar bet) though in certain particular, ideal
circumstances this can get somewhat higher. There is disagreement on the net
about how much advantage this translates into in "real-world" casinos, but it's
generally believed that players can play with a small, long-run advantage in
BJ. The variance is very high in this game, however, which makes the slight
advantage in BJ far from a sure thing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B6 How much of an advantage can card counting give?
A:B6 (Steve Jacobs)
A typical card counter will have an edge of 1.5% or less, depending on the
counting system used, the skill of the player, and the particular house rules
that the player is fighting against. It is quite unusual to find playing
conditions that allow the player to get more than a 2% edge against the house,
even against single deck games. The player's edge against multi-deck games is
generally less than 1%.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B7 Is card counting illegal?
A:B7 (Steve Jacobs)
No. The casinos would like you to believe that card counting is illegal,
immoral, and fattening, but the fact is that card counters are simply using a
greater level of skill than the typical blackjack player. The Nevada courts
have ruled that blackjack players are free to use any information that is made
available to them, provided that there is no collusion between a player and
casino personnel. For example, if a dealer accidentally handles the cards in
such a way that a player can see the dealer's hole card, the player can make
use of this information without breaking the law.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B8 Can the casino ban card counters?
A:B8 (Steve Jacobs)
This depends on where you play. In Atlantic City, where games of skill are not
permitted, the casinos are not allowed to ban skillful players. In Nevada,
casinos are allowed to refuse service to anyone at any time for any reason.
Players are routinely "barred", usually by being asked to leave or by being
told that they are welcome to play any game other than blackjack. If you are
barred but persist in trying to play, the casino can have you arrested for
trespassing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B9 What is the correct basic strategy for single deck Blackjack?
A:B9 (Steve Jacobs)
The following basic strategy is for single deck games without DAS
(double-after-splits).
+-- Player's hand
|
| dealer dealer
| |-might bust-||-might stand-|
V 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A <------- dealer's upcard
---+-------------------------------
XX | S S S S S S S S S S never, ever, ever split
99 | PS PS PS PS PS S PS ps s s split if (d <= 9), except 7
88 | Ps Ps Ps Ps Ps Ph ph ph ph ph always split
77 | ps ps Ps Ps Ps ph h h s h split if (d <= 7), stand against 10
66 | ph ps ps Ps ps h h h h h split if (d <= 6)
55 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H H never split, treat like hard 10
44 | h H H DH DH H h h h h never split, double against 5, 6
33 | h h Ph PH PH ph h h h h split if (d >= 4) and (d <= 7)
22 | h ph Ph PH PH ph h h h h split if (d >= 3) and (d <= 7)
AA | PH PH PH PD PD PH PH Ph Ph Ph always split
---+-------------------------------
A9 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand
A8 | S S S S *DS S S S S S double against a 6
A7 | S DS DS DS DS S S h h h* double 3-6, hit against 9, 10, A
A6 | DH DH DH DH DH H h h h h double low, hit high
A5 | h h DH DH DH h h h h h \
A4 | h H DH DH DH H h h h h \ double against 4,5,6
A3 | H H DH DH DH H H h h h /
A2 | H H DH DH DH H H h h h /
---+-------------------------------
21 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand
20 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand
19 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand
18 | S S S S S S S s s s always stand
17 | s s s s s s s s s s always stand on HARD 17 or above
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 > hit if dealer might stand,
13 | s s s s s h h h h h / stand if dealer might bust
12 | h h s s s h h h h h / (special case against 2, 3)
11 | D D D D D D D D D D always double
10 | D D D D D D D D H H double if (d < 10)
9 | DH DH DH DH DH H H h h h double if dealer might bust
8 | h H H DH DH H h h h h double only against 5, 6
7 | h h h H H h h h h h
6 | h h h H H h h h h h (4-2)
5 | h h h H H h h h h h (3-2)
4 | h h h H H h h h h h (2-2 pair if no more splitting allowed)
---+-------------------------------
S=stand H=hit D=double P=pair(split)
DH= double if allowed, otherwise hit
DS= double if allowed, otherwise stand
[uppercase] = "strong" hand, favorable to player
[lowercase] = "weak" hand, favorable to house
(*) notes:
Playing A7 against dealer's ace:
hitting gains 4.08% if dealer must hit on soft 17
standing gains 0.74% if dealer must stand on soft 17
Playing A8 against dealer's 6:
doubling gains 1.96% if dealer must hit on soft 17
doubling gains 0.03% if dealer must stand on soft 17
(this rule may be ignored to simplify the strategy)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B10 What is the correct basic strategy for Atlantic City blackjack?
A:B10 (Steve Jacobs)
The following basic strategy is for typical Atlantic City rules.
HOUSE RULES:
Cards are dealt from 6 decks.
Dealer must stand on any 17.
Double-down allowed on soft hands.
Pairs may be split only once.
Player may double-down after splitting pairs.
Surrender is not allowed.
Strategy Table
|---might bust---| |---might stand---| <---- dealer possibility
---+----------------------------------------
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A <---- dealer's up card
---+---------------------------------------- Pairs
XX | S S S S S S S S S S
99 | PS PS PS PS PS S PS ps s s
88 | Ps Ps Ps Ps Ps Ph ph ph ph ph
77 | ps ps Ps Ps Ps ph h h h h
66 | ph ph ps Ps Ps h h h h h
55 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H H
44 | h H H PH PH H h h h h
33 | ph ph Ph Ph Ph ph h h h h
22 | ph ph Ph Ph PH ph h h h h
AA | PH PH PH PH PDH PH PH Ph Ph Ph
---+---------------------------------------- Soft Hands
AX | S S S S S S S S S S
A9 | S S S S S S S S S S
A8 | S S S S S S S S S S
A7 | S DS DS DS DS S S h h h
A6 | H DH DH DH DH H h h h h
A5 | h H DH DH DH h h h h h
A4 | h H DH DH DH H h h h h
A3 | H H H DH DH H H h h h
A2 | H H H DH DH H H h h h
AA | H H H H DH H H h h h
---+---------------------------------------- Hard Hands
21 | S S S S S S S S S S
20 | S S S S S S S S S S
19 | S S S S S S S S S S
18 | S S S S S S S s s s
17 | s s s s S s s s s s
16 | s s s s s h h h h h
15 | s s s s s h h h h h
14 | s s s s s h h h h h
13 | s s s s s h h h h h
12 | h h s s s h h h h h
11 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H
10 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H H
9 | H DH DH DH DH H H h h h
8 | h H H H H H h h h h
7 | h h h H H h h h h h
6 | h h h h h h h h h h
5 | h h h h H h h h h h
4 | h h h h H h h h h h
---+----------------------------------------
S=stand H=hit D=double P=split Q=surrender
NOTES:
1) If more than one option is listed,
options to the left are preferred
over options to the right. Options
less favorable than STAND or HIT are
not shown.
2) Use the "Hard Hands" table only
when the other tables do not apply.
3) If splitting Aces is not allowed,
use the "Soft Hands" table.
4) Uppercase options favor the player,
lowercase options favor the house.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B11 What is the house edge when playing basic strategy?
A:B11 (Steve Jacobs)
The expected gain for basic strategy play depends on the house rules and the
number of decks. The following table summarizes the player's expectation for a
variety of games. All numbers are in units of percent of initial bet.
<-- number of decks -->
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 100 |
----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
AC | .1541 -.2228 -.3991 -.4569 -.5368 -.5638 |
AC + LSR | .1761 -.1717 -.3323 -.3843 -.4552 -.4790 |
AC + ESR | .7694 .3952 .2265 .1721 .0968 .0714 |
----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
strip | .0409 -.3214 -.4889 -.5437 -.6245 -.6447 |
strip + LSR | .0707 -.2685 -.4239 -.4744 -.5429 -.5659 |
strip + DAS | .1809 -.1795 -.3472 -.4021 -.4779 -.5034 |
strip + ESR | .6511 .2927 .1320 .0801 .0084 -.0157 |
----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
vegas |-.1527 -.5257 -.7015 -.7590 -.8445 -.8663 |
vegas + LSR |-.1095 -.4594 -.6221 -.6747 -.7469 -.7713 |
vegas + DAS |-.0103 -.3813 -.5570 -.6146 -.6951 -.7223 |
vegas + ESR | .5403 .1720 .0046 -.0493 -.1245 -.1500 |
----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
reno |-.4291 -.7400 -.8906 -.9404 -1.0154 -1.0337 |
reno + LSR |-.3858 -.6737 -.8113 -.8560 -.9178 -.9387 |
reno + DAS |-.3121 -.6176 -.7658 -.8151 -.8840 -.9073 |
reno + ESR | .2639 -.0423 -.1846 -.2307 -.2307 -.3174 |
----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
"AC" rules: (typical of Atlantic City)
dealer stands on soft 17
double down on any two cards
double after splits
no resplitting
"strip" rules: (typical of Vegas Strip)
dealer stands on soft 17
double down on any two cards (but not after splits)
"vegas" rules: (typical of Vegas Downtown)
dealer hits soft 17
double down on any two cards (but not after splits)
"reno" rules: (typical of Reno, northern Nevada)
dealer hits soft 17
double down allowed on two card total of 10 or 11 only
DAS = Double After Splitting
LSR = Late Surrender
ESR = Early Surrender (no longer available)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B12 Why are single deck games better than multi-deck games?
A:B12 (Adbul Jalib M'hall)
There are some surface differences, such as single and double deck usually
being hand-held, while four or more decks are dealt from a shoe, but there are
fundamental mathematical differences too.
Single deck blackjack is usually better than multiple deck blackjack for card
counters, basic strategists, and the clueless. Additional decks make busts less
likely, since one can draw to hands like 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 (for 18) which are
improbable/impossible in single deck. Busting less often helps the dealer's
hand more than yours, since the dealer is forced by the rigid rules to hit more
often than you. Blackjacks are also less frequent, which is bad since you get
paid 3 to 2 for those. All in all, multiple decks will cost a basic strategist
nearly 0.5% in advantage, which is more than all but the very best package of
favorable extra rules will give you. This was an intuitive explanation; a
complete mathematically sound (albeit huge) proof can be generated by a
combinatorial analysis program.
Card counters face the additional problem that the count is less volatile with
multiple decks and hence offers less frequent opportunities for large favorable
bets. Consider the difference between an urn with 1 black and 1 white marble
versus an urn with 100 black and 100 white marbles. Draw half the marbles: what
is the probability that all the remaining marbles are white? In the 1 and 1
case, there is a 1 in 2 chance. In the 100 and 100 case, there is only a 1 in
100,891,344,545,564,193,334,812,497,256 chance!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B14 Do 'bad' players at third base have any effect on expected gain?
A:B14 (Steve Jacobs)
No. It is a common misconception that incorrect plays by the player at third
base will "take the dealer's bust card" or "leave the dealer a good card". As
long as the shuffle is sufficient to randomize the cards, improper play of
other players will be just as likely to help as it is to hurt. However, bad
players can cause frustration and anxiety which may increase the likelihood of
making mistakes. It is best to avoid the temptation to strangle bad players.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B15 Where is the best place to sit at a blackjack table.
A:B15 (Steve Jacobs)
It depends. For basic strategy players, seat position has no significant effect
on the player's expected return. For card counters who use strategy variations,
it is probably best to sit at third base in order to see as many cards as
possible before playing the hand. When playing against a "front loading"
dealer, the best seat is whichever seat gives you the best shot at getting a
glimpse of the dealer's hole card. When playing at the Rio, the best seat is
the one that gives the best view of the cocktail waitresses.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B16 How is card counting done?
A:B16 (Steve Jacobs)
The card counting system described below is an unbalanced 10 count that is 100%
accurate for determining when to take insurance. As a general purpose card
counting system, it is relatively weak and not particularly recommended, but it
illustrates many of the principles behind card counting. This is intended only
to give a feel for how card counting is done, and is not recommended for actual
practice, although I've used it because of its simplicity. This counting
strategy is listed as "Unbalanced 10 Count" in other parts of the FAQ list.
For single deck games:
1) Start the count at -4 when the deck is shuffled.
2) Count -2 for 10, J, Q, K
3) Count +1 for everything else (including aces)
4) Bet low when the count is negative, high when the count is positive
(actually, simulations show that you can bet high for a count of -2 or
above).
5) Take insurance when the count is positive.
6) Play basic strategy at all times.
---------------------------------------------------------------
For N deck games:
1) Start the count at (-4 * N).
2) all other rules are the same.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
The unique feature of this counting method is that it is perfectly accurate for
dealing with insurance. When the count is positive, the player has the
advantage when taking the insurance bet. When the count is negative, the house
has the advantage, so insurance should not be taken.
Counting is best done by counting several cards at once. It is easy to practice
this counting method in the following way:
1)
Count through a deck of cards, counting one card at a time. Start at -4,
and count through the entire deck. After all of the cards have been seen,
the count should be ZERO. If it is not zero, a mistake has been made
somewhere. Repeat counting through the deck one card at a time, until you
can do it quickly without making mistakes.
2)
Count through the deck, counting two cards at a time. Look for the
following patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern
(X = 10, N = non-ten)
NN: +2
XN: -1
XX: -4
Again, the count should be zero after all cards have been seen. Repeat
until you can do it efficiently.
3)
Count through the deck, counting three cards at a time. Look for the
following patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern.
(X = 10, N = non-ten)
NNN +3
XNN 0 (this pattern is common)
XXN -3
4)
Practice against a computer blackjack game. When I play, I usually count
the cards by counting an entire hand (player's or dealers) at once. If
there are more than three cards in the hand, I mentally break it up into
groups of 1, 2, or 3 cards (I usually look for "XNN" patterns and ignore
those cards, since they add up to zero). I usually count the cards just
before the dealer picks up the hand (exception: for insurance, you should
count your cards and the dealer's up card immediately).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q:B17 What counting system is "best"?
A:B17 (thunk)
This has been answered by rec.gamblers using different approaches.
The first approach is to evaluate different systems by simulation. This
approach obscures the particular advantages of each system, but it's easy to
see how a system will perform in one particular realistic casino playing
situation, and not hard to judge the tradeoff between performance and ease of
use (see Q/A B18 for more details).
The second approach estimates several performance parameters of each system
that collectively approximate the system's inherent potential. This allows the
strengths of different BJ systems to be studied in detail, which should allow
better, more precise comparison of different systems and aid efforts to improve
a particular system. This approach gives results which may be used to determine
which counting system is theoretically most profitable, but does not address
the issue of how easy it is to use the counting system under actual playing
conditions (see Q/A B19 for more details).
It's not yet clear how these two studies relate, and no rec.gambling.blackjack
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