Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way

286 Pages·1997·30.47 MB·English

by  Don Schlesinger

BLACKJACK
PLAYING
THE PROS' WAY
BY DON SCHLESINGER
BlackjackAttack
PlayingthePros'Way
Copyright© 1997byDonaldSchlesinger
Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthispublicationmaybetranslated, reproduced,or
transmitted inanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingpho
tocopyingandrecording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,with
outtheexpresswrittenpermissionofthepublisher,exceptinthecaseofbrief
excerptsforpurposesofreview.Portionsofthisbookhavepreviouslyappeared
indifferentfonn inBlackjackForummagazine, 1984-96.
Publishedby: RGEPublishing
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CoverdesignbyJudyRobertson
FirstEdition
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ISBN:0-910575-04-5
BlackjackAttack "Errata":
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References"~
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DEDICATION
This bookis dedicatedto allofmy family 'members, pastand
present, whose love and support have encouraged me to pursue
my studiesofthe gameofcasinotwenty-one. Theirpatienceand
understanding, throughout my career of playing, teaching, and
writingaboutblackjack,havecertainlycontributed,inlargemeas
ure, to any successI may have achieved inthese fields.
The book is also dedicated to the memory of three dear
blackjack-playing friends: Lester White, Joel Waller, and Paul
Keen, whom I miss very much.
iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This list ofacknowledgments is quite long, simply because,
over the course ofthese pasttwenty years, so many people have
beeninstrumental incontributing to my knowledge ofblackjack.
And so, I would liketo thank:
The one and only Stanford Wong. He, perhaps more than
any otherindividual, has furthered ourknowledge ofthe gameof
blackjackanditssubtleties. I'mproudtocallhimmyfriend. His
help, throughouttheyears,hasbeeninvaluabletome. Inparticu
lar,ProfessionalBlackjackandtheBlackjackCountAnalyzerwill
foreverstand,inmyopinion,astwoofthemostimportantresource
toolstohaveeverbeencreatedfor ourstudyofthegame. Ithank
him, aswell, for his Forewordto thisbook.
Arnold Snyder, who gave me a "forum" to publish my
blackjackarticles,andwhofinallyconvincedme,aftermanyyears
oftrying, to write this book. Arnold, perhaps more than for any
otherindividual, this one'sfor you!
Peter Griffin, our foremost theoretician and expert on the
mathematicsofthegame. Onmorethanoneoccasion,whenIwas
"stuck"inmypursuitofananswertoathornyproblem,Petercame
to my rescue. I will always treasure our pages ofwritten corre
spondenceandourphonecalls,duringwhichIneverfailedtolearn
from the "master."
Seven "pioneers" ofblackjack: Edward O. Thorp, Julian
Braun, Lawrence Revere, Allan Wilson, John Gwynn, Lance
Humble,andKenUston. ItissafetosaythatIwouldhavenever
become involved in the game ofblackjack were it not for these
gentlemen's monumental contributions to our knowledge. In
particular, it was from Revere's classic, Playing Blackjack as a
Business, thatI patternedmy approachto the game.
Three fellow blackjack authors and experts, notably George
C., whose friendship and help over the years have been ofpara
mountimportancetome. George'scontributionstothegamehave
broken ground in many areas, and his insights and innovations
have opened my eyes to several new and novel approaches to
playing blackjack. Bryce Carlson, one of today's brightest
authorities, whose recent work, Blackjackfor Blood, and whose
v
software, the Omega II Blackjack Casino, have proven to be
valuable reference resources; and Michael Dalton, for his quar
terly, BlackjackReview,andhismonumentalwork, Blackjack: A
Professional Reference, which is truly "The Encyclopedia of
Casino Twenty-One."
Threecomputerprogrammers,fortheirunparalleledcontribu
tionstotheworldofblackjacksimulation: theindefatigableJohn
Imming, whose Universal BlackjackEngine was the fIrst ofthe
truly great multi-purpose pieces ofsimulation software. John's
creationhasunlockedthe doorsofblackjackresearchtothepoint
where virtually all questions can nowbe answered, thanks to his
incredible UBE; Norm Wattenberger, whose equally brilliant
Casino Verite has set the standard for the ultimate in blackjack
gamesimulationandpracticesoftware. HowIwishCVhadbeen
around when I was practicing and learning how to count cards!
And last, butcertainly not least, Karel Janecek, a relative new
comeronthe blackjackscene. Karel'sStatisticalBlackjackAna
lyzer was used to produce the simulations for Chapter 10, and it
issafeto saythattheSBA hasfastbecomethemostrespectedand
reliable simulator inthe industrytoday.
Howard Schwartz and Edna Luckman, of the fabulous
Gambler'sBookClub,inLasVegas. NotriptoVegaswouldever
becompletewithoutastopintheiruniquestore. Thevastmajority
ofmy blackjack librarywaspurchasedatthe GBC. Theirannual
catalogueisagoldmineofcasinogamingliteratureandsoftware.
ChrisC.andBillMargrabe,twoformercolleagues,andeach
a brilliant mathematician. When the "sledding" got a bit rough,
and I needed some help developing a formula or mathematical
concept,theyweretheretofurnishthecrucialpiecesofthepuzzle.
My many newfound friends on the Internet, whose contribu
tions to the various newsgroups and whose correspondence,
through e-mail, have been mostenlightening. Inparticular, I am
gratefulforthewisdomofRalph Stricker,agentleman, aworld
class player, and truly our "elder statesman" ofthe game today;
SteveJacobs,whomIhaveanointedthe"Godfather"of"rec.gam
bling.blackjack," and whose advice I have soughtonmany occa
sions; Michael Hall, one ofr.g.bj's most brilliant contributors,
whose insights are always accurate and illuminating; and, espe
cially,thetirelessJohnAuston,whose simulationsforthepenul
timate chapter ofmy book may have set an all-time record for
number ofhands played.
Allmy wonderful friends and blackjack-playingbuddies, too
numerousto mention. A few, ofcourse, deserve special recogni
tion: Kenny Feldman, a great friend, a great player, and my
partner in our blackjack-teaching days. Kenny's advice has
vi
proven invaluable over our thirty years of friendship, and his
companionship, on many a blackjack trip, has enhanced my
enjoymentofthegame;LesAppel,anothergreatfriendandplayer
who alsotaughtwithKennyandme. Hiseasy-goingapproachto
the.game showed me how to relax and not sweat the short-term
swmgs.
My former teammates, many ofwhom have remained won
derfulfriends, overtheyears. Forobviousreasons,nonameswill
be mentioned; but you know who you are. We had some great
times, guys; thanks for thememories!
Last, butcertainlynotleast,the sixproofreadersofmymanu
script who turned the tables on me and provided dozens of
insightful comments, corrections, and suggestions. This is surely
abetterbookbecauseoftheremarkableattentiontodetailof: John
Auston, Stanley Dinnelaw, Ken Feldman, Olaf Vancura, Ron
James W., and Stanford Wong.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ... byStanfordWong viii
Publisher's Introduction ..... IX
Preface ... byDonSchlesinger xi
ListofTables . . . . . . . . . . xiii
1. Back-Countingthe Shoe Game . 1
2. BettingTechniques and Win Rates 17
3. EvaluatingtheNewRules andBonuses. 33
4. Some StatisticalInsights . 48
5. The"Illustrious 18" ... 61
6. The"FloatingAdvantage" . 75
7. TeamPlay ~ 99
0 • • • • 0 • • •
8. Camouflage forthe Basic Strategist& the CardCounter . . 117
9. RiskofRuin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
10. The World's GreatestBlackjackSimulation. ..... 168
11. SomeFinal"Words ofWisdom" from Cyberspace 252
Epilogue . 261
SuggestedReferences . 263
Index . 266
AbouttheAuthor . . .... 269
viii
Foreword
Don Schlesinger is a teacher ofblackjack. Probably because
ofhis background as a teacher ofmathematics and foreign lan
guage,hehasaknackforexplainingdifficultconceptsinamanner
than canbeunderstood bymostpeople.
Schlesinger not only knows blackjack well enough to write
about it, buthe also has a long track record ofbig casino wins at
thegame.Thoughheisabusypersonandhasafamily,hemanages
severaltripsayeartoLasVegasandothercasinodestinations.He
generally takes his family on those trips, but he also hits the
blackjacktableshard, making big bets for long hours.
Foryears Schlesingerhas beenthe angel sitting onthe shoul
dersofblackjackexperts. Hehasgivengenerouslyofhistimeand
expertise, reading each new book carefully and sending lengthy
critiques to authors and publishers. All ofmy own books have
benefited considerably from Schlesinger'stalents.
Schlesingeralso is a frequent contributoroforiginal material
to blackjack periodicals, primarily Arnold Snyder's Blackjack
Forum. Some of his articles, such as the "Illustrious 18" and
"FloatingAdvantage," have become legendary.
OntheInternet,Schlesingerhasareputationasoneofthemost
helpful ofblackjackexperts, patientlyanswering questions about
arcane aspects ofthe game.
Foryears, Ihavebeentelling SchlesingerthatIwouldloveto
have a book that included all ofhis published and privately-dis
seminated blackjack material. With this book, I am getting my
wish.
Stanford Wong