The most common
decision any player makes at Blackjack is whether to hit or
stand, consequently this will be the most common basic strategy
variation and you should learn all the important ones. The first
is with a hand of 16 against a dealer's up card of 10. You should
stand if the count is over 0 and hit if it is 0 or lower. This
means that if the running count is 1 or higher, stand. Since
the 'decision' number is 0, it's not necessary to calculate
the true count -- the running count will do in this situation.
Don't get confused here. Almost all basic strategy variations
rely on the true count, but for those where the decision number
is 0, the running count will suffice.
The next most
important hand is 15 against a dealer's 10. The decision number
is a true count of 4, if you are playing at a game of four decks
or more. This variation and the others can be easily learned
if you make a set of flashcards. They needn't be fancy or sophisticated;
merely accurate. Cut some 2'" squares from manila folders and
they'll work just fine. A typical flashcard should look like
this
If you imagine
the 10 and 16 placed on the centerline of a 2" X 2" square,
the 0 is offset so your left thumb covers the number. As you
go through the stack, recite "sixtten versus 10, stand at zero"
(or higher). For a hand of 15 vs. 10, a card will look like
this
When you come
to this card, you'll recite "15 versus 10; stand at 4".
As time goes on,
you won't need to remind yourself that you should stand with
the 15 against 10, so you'll recite "15 versus 10 is 4".
Got the idea?
If you don't, please e-mail me and I'll get back to you as soon
as possible.
Here are the numbers
you'll need to learn. These may vary a bit from numbers you'll
see published in books like Stanford Wong's "Professional Blackjack"
because the ones I use are specifically for a six-deck game
where the dealer stands on A-6 and a few have been modified
based upon the theory of 'risk averse' play which was developed
about 15 years ago. These numbers work well; they have been
proven in thousands of hours of actual casino play by me and
my students. Do NOT use them for single-deck games, however.
Single-deck play requires different numbers and will be covered
in a future lesson.
Basic
Strategy Variations:6 decks, dealer stands on A-6
| 12 vs. 2 |
Stand at 3
or higher |
| 12 vs. 3 |
Stand at 2
or higher |
| 12 vs. 4 |
Stand at
0 or higher |
(Yes, if the
running count is at all minus, you hit 12 against a 4.It
drives the other players at the table crazy!!!) |
| 12 vs. 5 |
Stand at -1
or higher |
(This means
you hit if the count is LOWER than -1). |
| 13 vs. 2 |
Stand at -1
or higher |
| 14 vs. Ace |
Stand at 9
or higher |
| 15 vs. 7 |
Stand at 10
or higher |
| 15 vs. 8 |
Stand at
10 or higher |
| 15 vs. 9 |
Stand at 8
or higher |
| 15 vs. 10
|
Stand at 4
or higher |
| 15 vs. Ace |
Stand at 5
or higher |
| 16 vs. 7 |
Stand at 9
or higher |
| 16 vs. 8 |
Stand at 7
or higher |
| 16 vs. 9 |
Stand at 5
or higher |
| 16 vs. 10 |
Stand at 0
or higher |
| 16 vs. Ace |
Stand at 3
or higher |
And to finish
it off, one weird play: Stand with A-7 against Ace at 1 or higher.
Good Online Casinos
Homework
Make up a set of
flashcards and begin learning these variations.
As always,
if you have any questions, e-mail me at
aceten1@mindspring.com
and Ill get back to you ASAP.
