Boot Camp for Blackjack

By Carl Van Eton

Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Okay, troops, so you think you got what it takes to be a Player? I don't mean no sniveling, bed wetting, mama's boy of a GAMBLER! What I'm talking about is a tough as nails, never say die, lean, mean card counting machine. Well, you better get one thing straight, recruit. If you're going to make the grade and get your stripes you're going to have to live, eat, drink, and breathe this game. You're going to have to make this the single most important thing in your life. Because when the artillery is pounding and the bullets are flying, there's only one thing that's going to stand between you and defeat. And that one thing is D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E. What did I say? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

Week #1: Calisthenics

The first things you're going to do is get rid of some baggage and work off that baby fat. What I'm talking about is learning, and by learning I mean m-e-m-o-r-i-z-i-n-g your basic strategy. The picture perfect basic strategy. Not any of that panty waist, half assed, scribbled-on-a-napkin weinie strategy you've been getting by with for the past ten years. I'm talking about know the right play time in and time out, just as God and Dr. Julian Braun meant it basic strategy. Or, rather I should say basic strategies, for all you gamblers who fancy playing both pitch and shoe games.

Why is it important to memorize perfect basic strategy, you ask? Well, I'll tell you why. Basic strategy is one of only 2 things on God's green Earth that can have a direct effect on the mathematics of a blackjack game. (the second is counting) Players who have mastered perfect basic strategy can effectively reduce the house edge to as close to an even bet as one can find in a casino. Gamblers who use imperfect basic or no basic strategy are looking at anywhere up to a 9.9% disadvantage over the house. If you troops take nothing else with you from bootcamp, I want you to tattoo this fact into your brain: Nobody has ever defeated an enemy by purposely tilting the odds in their favor.

One more tip, private: If you ever hope to learn how to count cards, the first thing you need to do is memorize basic strategy for the 4,6 & 8 deck game.  If you have to think about what to do with your hand, the count will fly right out of your head,

If you want to learn more about basic strategy, check out my Start by Playing Smart Video below.

Week #2: Reconnaissance

All blackjack games are not created equally. Before you lay one red nickel on a table, you had better be cognizant of the rules of the game. Small rule changes can have large effects on your wallet. Below you will find the effects of various alterations in the rules of play.

Variations that are in the player's advantage

Doubling Permitted after Splitting	+0.14
Late Surrender	+0.07
Early Surrender	+0.62
Six-Card Bonus	+0.17

Variations that are in the house's advantage

Dealer Takes Pushes	-9.00
No Soft Doubling	-0.13
No Splitting of Aces	-0.16
No Resplitting of Pairs	-0.03
Doubling Only Allowed on Eleven	-0.64
Dealer Hits Soft 17	-0.20
No Hole Card	-0.11

Recon Part 2: Disposition of the Table

One of the easiest ways to judge how a table is likely to treat you is to first look to see if the players are awash in chips and the dealer is awaiting a fill, or if the players seem to be continually digging for folding green. Just watching one half of one shoe before sitting down can be a real eye opener that is worth the five minutes it takes to determine whether a game is worth investing your hard-earned money. If the dealer seems to be giving the players pat hands that pay off more often than not and/or busts out more than once or twice per shoe, this is probably a game which you want to join. IOn the other hand, if all the dealer seems to do is draw twenty and twenty one, you'd be advised to look for greener pastures elsewhere. This is the very reason why a Player will never jump into the first seat that opens up on a table. As they say in the Used Car Biz, "Those that don't look, sometimes get took!

Week #3: The Obstacle Course

Obstacle#1: Table Limits and Bankroll Requirements

Image courtesy of flickr.com

If you only have $100 in your pockets, you had best avoid the quarter ($25) tables. Bankroll requirements should be set such that you never enter a game with less than 20 units. This means that if all you have in you pocket is $100, you should look for a $5  table. If things start humming right along, you will be able to parlay your bet to $10, $15, or even $20 bets. However, should the going get tough, at a $5 table, you need to get going.

Also, should the pitboss come up to your table with a big smile on his face and announce that the table will be going to $10 in a half an hour, you had better start your stopwatch and get the hell out of Dodge before 30 minutes have elapsed or you might find out the hard way about the direct correlation between Newtonian physics and your bankroll. (i.e. What goes up, must come down.)

Obstacle #2: The Insurance Wager

There is yet one more wager common to blackjack that we have yet to discuss: the Insurance bet. Each and every time the dealer has an ace up. the house will allow you to wager on whether the hole card is a ten. The highest paying of all wagers on the table (2 to 1), it is the least understood of all blackjack wagers.  

The very term "INSURANCE" conjures visions of protection, though of what, I know not. The house wants you to believe that this side bet is tied to your original wager. It isn't. Whether the cards you possess total twenty one or a stone cold sixteen, the insurance bet has absolutely nothing to do with protecting it. The sooner you recognize this fact, the sooner you can turn the Guess-the-ten-in-the-hole Game to your advantage.

Even worse are those players who insist on "taking even money" when they have blackjack and the dealer is showing an ace. What they don't realize is how much money they are in fact throwing away. The greatest advantage of having blackjack is that you get paid 3 to 2. When one realizes that the odds of the dealer having a ten in the hole is 9 to 4 against, suddenly it isn't so "even" after all.

In 104 uninsured tries with a $10 bet, you would win 72 x $15 for a grand total of $1,080.00. By insuring your $10 bet, you will be correct only 32 times in 104 tries, grossing $320 on insurance (you can only take insurance up to half your bet). Add to that $720 in "even money" payoffs that occur when the dealer doesn't have a ten in the hole and you will wind up grossing $1,040.00. Your "even money" bet just cost you $40. And that's at a dime table.

The bottom line is that unless you count cards, you should never, ever take insurance.

Week #4: Graduation

So, you finally managed to make it through bootcamp,  Think you're tough? Well, think again, because all that four weeks of sweat and muscle aches and memorizing until you're blue in the face has done is give you the ability to play ALMOST even with the house. Tough? Don't make me laugh.

Now drop and give me twenty!

Want to learn more?  Carl Van Eton has more than 20 years of professional playing experience.  If you want to stop visiting your money every time you go to the casinos, check out his website at http://biggameblackjack.com