The World's Greatest Blackjack Book

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Why? The best book to learn the very popular Hi-Lo card counting system. Be sure to get the 2011 (or later) version for updates and corrections to the count variation charts. The Hi-Lo count is the most recommended count of all time. Stanford Wong. Parlett, David (1990). The Oxford guide to card games. Oxford [England]. ISBN 0-19-214165-1. OCLC 20852782. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) Why? This is the classic that changed the way we all view the game of twenty-one. This book presents, for the first time, a validated winning strategy (a ten-count) based on the results of computer simulation. The 1966 version has a practical point count (Hi-Lo) that was later revised by Julian Braun. Is this required reading for the aspiring card counter? Probably not…. but if you are a history buff, it is a must read. Edward Thorp. Note: Where changes in the house edge due to changes in the rules are stated in percentage terms, the difference is usually stated here in percentage points, not a percentage. For example, if an edge of 10% is reduced to 9%, it is reduced by one percentage point, not reduced by ten percent. Doubling down. The third card is placed at right angles to signify that the player cannot receive any more cards.

Why? The best part of this book is Bryce Carlson’s insight into what I call the art of twenty-one. Introduced the advanced ace neutral two-level Omega II count. If you can't find the rules then assume Surrenders are NOT allowed and the Dealer will STAND on Soft 17 (this will almost always be the case). Scarne, John (1986). Scarne's new complete guide to gambling (Fully rev., expanded, updateded.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0671630638. If you’re interested in watching the cinematic adaptations of this read, watch 21, which stars Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey, and The Last Casino – a French-Canadian adaptation (referred to in French as La Mise Finale), which stars Charles Martin Smith, Katharine Isabelle and Kris Lemche. 2. Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything – Kevin Cook Surrender: Forfeit half the bet and end the hand immediately. This option is only available at some tables in some casinos, and the option is only available as the first decision.The Doctrine of Chances. Probabilistic Aspects of Gambling, Stewart Ethier, 2010, ISBN 978-3-540-78782-2, doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-78783-9, 643–687 You can read about all of this and more in Scarne’s New Complete Guide to Gambling, which includes all kinds of valuable information on rules, advice, instructions, and strategy. It also covers all sorts of games and sporting events, so no matter what kind of betting you’re into, you’re sure to learn something. 4. Roll The Bones: The History of Gambling – David G Schwartz The insurance bet is susceptible to advantage play. It is advantageous to make an insurance bet whenever the hole card has more than a one in three chance of being a ten. Card counting techniques can identify such situations. Signal: Place additional chips beside the original bet outside the betting box and point with one finger. In face-down games, if a player has more than one hand, they can look at all their hands before deciding. This is the only condition where a player can look at multiple hands.

If you're fairly sure that your hand will beat the dealer's, you can double your original bet. You're sometimes allowed to double down for any amount up to the original bet amount. In most casinos you may double down on any hand, but some casinos require an opening hand worth 11, 10 or 9. When you're done splitting, each of your hands will be treated separately, meaning that you will take cards to your first hand until you stand or bust, and then carry on with the next hand. Hit - When you hit, you will be dealt another card. Input the card you've been dealt into the calculator to find out the next move. Analysis and advice for experienced players who have mastered basic strategy, and are looking to add an extra edge to their game. Wondering when it’s best to surrender, hit, double down, stand, or split? You’ll find all of the answers and then some in this book. Most certainly a good read for new players.Casinos now use high tech mechanisms that allow them to count cards with the players and use facial recognition to look through disguises. With these new improvements, winning at the casino hasn’t been harder. For example, did you know that dice use dots because they predate the use of numbers? When you look at it like that, you realize how much playing games of chance is a part of our development as humans, quite literally from when we could first make use of our opposable thumbs! After the boxes have finished playing, the dealer's hand is resolved by drawing cards until the hand achieves a total of 17 or higher. If the dealer has a total of 17 including an ace valued as 11 (a "soft 17"), some games require the dealer to stand while other games require another draw. The dealer never doubles, splits, or surrenders. If the dealer busts, all remaining player hands win. If the dealer does not bust, each remaining bet wins if its hand is higher than the dealer's and loses if it is lower. Bringing Down The House is based on a true story, but claims have been made that so many liberties are taken to protect the identities of those in the book, that it crosses the line from truth into fiction. Regardless, it’s still a smashing tale that was turned into not one, but two hit films, and is enjoyed by readers around the world.

In team play, it is common for team members to be dedicated to only counting a side bet using a specialized count.From stories about MIT graduates who test out their mathematical skills in Vegas, to a heartfelt biography of one of the greatest card players of all time, books about gambling cover a broad range of topics. Many reveal how much gambling isn’t just about honing your skills and playing games, but is also an intricate part of our human history. 6 of the best gambling books available today The last thing you should think about when it comes to basic strategy is whether or not to take another card. If the other options above are not appropriate for your hand then you would choose to hit or stand.

TL;DR – Our chart is based off of the more common “H17 game.” Memorize our chart, then learn card counting and the deviation chart for the game you will most commonly be playing. If the dealer goes bust, all players who are left in the game win. Otherwise players with higher point totals than the dealer win, while players with lower totals than the dealer lose. For those with the same total as the dealer the result is a push: their stake is returned to them and they neither win nor lose. We get a lot of questions on our forum about basic strategy. Here are some of the common ones and their answers:

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After the initial two cards, the player has up to five options: "hit", "stand", "double down", "split", or "surrender". Each option has a corresponding hand signal. If you’re playing at a casino that offers surrender (also known as late surrender or LS), you will only have the option to surrender on the first two cards you’re dealt. You won’t be able to surrender if you’ve already taken a hit card. This is why surrender is the first thing you have to think about when playing your hand. If the answer is NO you can’t or NO you shouldn’t surrender, you then ask yourself…. The insurance wager equals your original bet and is used to cancel out the likely loss of this bet. A winning insurance bet will be paid at odds of 2:1, and since you lose your original bet, you'll break even on the hand. Strategy guides tend to advice against taking insurance. Surrender