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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.298


Section G: General Gambling Topics


Q:G1  What's in it for me? (Why read rec.gambling?)
A:G1  (Chuck Weinstock)

  One of our rec.gamblers (Chuck Weinstock) has established a relationship
  with three publishers of gambling books and newsletters.  The publishers
  are Arnold Snyder of RGE Enterprises (publisher of the Blackjack Forum
  newsletter, and books on blackjack including the Red 7 and Zen counts),
  Stanford Wong of Pi Yee Press (publisher of Professional Blackjack, and
  other books and newsletters on gambling), and Anthony Curtis of Huntington
  Press (publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, Griffin's Theory of
  Blackjack, and other books on gambling).

  All three publishers have agreed to offer their products at a discount
  to rec.gamblers.  Orders must be placed through Chuck Weinstock
  ([e-mail]).  Contact him for a list of what is available,
  and ordering information.


Q:G2  Where can I get books about gambling?
A:G2  (Steve Jacobs)

  Gambler's Book Club has a vast selection of books on topics related to
  gambling.  They are located at 630 South 11th Street in Las Vegas.

  Gambler's Book Club
  Box 4115
  Las Vegas, NV 89127
  [phone]
  [phone] (FAX)
  [phone] (orders only)


Q:G3  Is there a gambling archive?
A:G3  (Michael Hall)

  The gambling archive is intended to store stuff *useful* to rec.gamblers,
  like the FAQ list, blackjack card-counting information, poker statistics,
  etc.  It is not intended at this time to store all the daily drivel
  of rec.gambling.

  The archive is accessable via anonymous ftp to soda.berkeley.edu
  (128.32.131.179).  (Type "ftp soda.berkeley.edu" or "ftp 128.32.131.179"
  and then "anonymous" when it asks for the name. Then "cd pub/rec.gambling".)

  If you have some things you would like to contribute to the archive,
  contact [e-mail].


Q:G4  How do you get comps?
A:G4  (Frank Irwin, Michael Hall)

  The prerequisite for getting comped is to let the floormen/pit boss know
  how much you are betting.  You can do this in two ways:

  In Nevada, tell the floorman that you'd like to be rated, as you sit
  down to the table.  If your action (the amount you bet) is high enough,
  he will fill out a rating slip on you.  Sometimes, the floorman will
  approach you and ask you if you want to be rated.

  In A.C. [and some Vegas casinos, e.g. Tropicana, Frontier, Golden Nugget],
  you give the floorman a card, much like a credit card, as you approach the
  table.  He will either just fill out a rating slip, as in Vegas, or he will
  swipe the card through a reader.  When you leave, ask for your card back.

  The floormen will keep track of your buy-in, your initial bet, your average
  bet, and how much you leave the table with.  If you decide to try to
  decrease the amount they see you leave with by squirreling chips away, be
  sure to do it well.  Those dealers are much more aware than they let on.

  The amount of your comp worth is generally half of your average bet per hour.
  In most Las Vegas casinos (except places such as the Mirage and Caesars) you
  are expected to play for 4 hours/day at an average $25 bet to qualify for a
  room.  A sample comp chart, from the Stardust Casino, follows.


Q:G5  What comps are available?
A:G5  (Frank Irwin)

  The following is a listing of the comp schedule for the Stardust Casino
  in Las Vegas, Nevada.  This can be considered typical for a Las Vegas
  casino (casinos such as the Mirage or Caesars may require more action).

  Player Line or    Average        Hours        Complimentaries
   Front Money          Bet        Played           Extended
              $25          4        Comp. Room
              $50          4        Comp. Room,
                            Limited F & B
  $5,000          $75          4        Room, Food
                            & Beverage
              $100          4        RFB & $150
                            Airfare Reimburs.
  $10,000          $125            4        RFB & $250
                            Airfare Reimburs.
                     $150            4        RFB & $400
                            Airfare Reimburs.
                     $175            4        RFB & $575
                            Airfare Reimburs.
                     $200            4        RFB & $750
                            Airfare Reimburs.
  $20,000          $250            4        RFB & $1000
                            Airfare Reimburs.
                     $300            4        RFB & $1200
                            Airfare Reimburs.
                     $400            4        RFB & $1500
                            Airfare Reimburs.
                     $500            4        RFB & $1500
                            Airfare Reimburs.

  NOTES:

  A.  These requirements are based on four hours play per day.  Excess playing
      time reduces the average bet requirement and higher average bets reduce
      the playing time requirement.  For Example:  A $200 bet for 2 hours is
      equial to a $100 bet for 4 hours.

  B.  Airfare reimbursements are based on a minimum of 12 hours playing time.

  C.  Complimentary food and beverage are to include the player and one guest.

  D.  Size of bet in dice is the sum of all flat, place, proposition, field,
      come and buy bets.

  E.  Excessive RFB usage reduces airfare reimbursement amounts.

  F.  Please let our friendly floor staff know who you are when you initiate
      play at any table.


Q:G6  How do I get a casino credit line?
A:G6  (Frank Irwin)

  This is easy.  Just call up one of the casinos and ask for a casino host.
  Tell him that you would like to set up a line of credit.  Either he'll ask
  you some questions, or send you to someone who will.  They just take down
  your name, address, phone, place of business, what you do, and a bank
  account number.  You can ask for a particular credit line, but what they
  give you will depend on how much you have in your account.  If you have
  a savings account that contains more than your checking account, give
  them that number.


Q:G7  How are "markers" used?
A:G7  (Frank Irwin)

  At the beginning of your first trip to a casino after establishing credit,
  you will be required to go to the cage to sign some papers and let them
  copy your driver's license.  You will also indicate how you wish to pay
  for any outstanding markers upon your departure.  If it's your first trip,
  they may want you to settle before you leave.  Later, you may be able to
  work our some sort of payment plan.

  When you walk up to a table, ask the floorman for a marker.  He'll get your
  name and go away for a little while.  When he comes back, he'll give you a
  bank check to sign.  This is a regular check.  They may take money out of
  your account on this check.

  If you win at the table (and don't squirrel chips away :-), the floorman
  may ask you to buy back your marker.  This is exactly what you do; you
  give the dealer chips equal to your marker, and the floorman gives you
  your bank check.


Q:G8  What are the phone numbers for hotels/casinos in Las Vegas?
A:G8  (Eric Vincent, Jim Piercy, Blair Houghton, John Schwab)

  Call the 800 Information service at 1-800-555-1212 and ask them for
  the number for that hotel, giving the city (AC, Vegas, Reno, etc.)
  If the facility has no WATS line, the answer is to dial long-distance
  information (which is _free_) for Las Vegas at 1-702-555-1212 or AC
  at 1-609-555-1212 and ask them.

  The following is a list of toll-free numbers for the hotels/casinos in
  Las Vegas.  The source is "Tourguide Magazine" of May 3, 1991.  This
  is a weekly tourist publication in LV.

  Aladdin             [phone]   The Nevada Palace       [phone]
  Alexis Park         [phone]   O'Sheas Casino          [phone]
  Arizona Charlie's   [phone]   Paddlewheel             [phone]
  Bally's Resort      [phone]   Palace Station          [phone]
  Barbary Coast       [phone]   Park Hotel              [phone]
  Binion's Horseshoe  [phone]   Quality Inn             [phone]
  Bourbon Street      [phone]   Ramada Las Vegas        [phone]
  Caesars Palace      [phone]   Ramada Suites-St. Trop. [phone]
  California Hotel    [phone]   Rio Suite Hotel/Casino  [phone]
  Circus Circus       [phone]   Riviera Hotel           [phone]
  Continental Hotel   [phone]   Royal Hotel & Casino    [phone]
  Desert Inn          [phone]   Sahara Hotel            [phone]
  Dunes Hotel         [phone]   Sam's Town              [phone]
  El Cortez           [phone]   Sands Hotel             [phone]
  El Rancho           [phone]   Santa Fe                [phone]
  Excalibur           [phone]   Showboat Hotel          [phone]
  Fitzgeralds         [phone]   Silver City             [phone]
  Flamingo Hilton     [phone]   Slots-A-Fun             [phone]
  Four Queens         [phone]   Stardust Hotel          [phone]
  Fremont Hotel       [phone]   Townhall/Vagabond       [phone]
  Frontier Hotel      [phone]   Tropicana               [phone]
  Gold Coast          [phone]   Vacation Village        [phone]
  Gold Spike          [phone]   Union Plaza             [phone]
  Golden Gate         [phone]   Vegas World             [phone]
  Golden Nugget       [phone]   Western Hotel           [phone]
  Hacienda Hotel      [phone]   Westward Ho             [phone]
  Holiday Casino      [phone]   Colorado Belle          [phone]
  Hotel Nevada        [phone]   Edgewater Hotel         (800) 67-RIVER
  Hotel San Remo      [phone]   Flamingo Hilton         (800) HILTONS
  Imperial Palace     [phone]   Golden Nugget           [phone]
  Lady Luck           [phone]   Harrah's                [phone]
  Las Vegas Club      [phone]   Pioneer                 [phone]
  Las Vegas Hilton    [phone]   Ramada Express          (800) 2-RAMADA
  Mardi Gras Inn      [phone]   Regency Casino          [phone]
  Maxim Hotel         [phone]   Riverside Resort        [phone]
  The Mirage          [phone]   Sam's Town Gold River   [phone]


  [ The following is a list of toll-free numbers for the hotels/casinos in
  Atlantic City.  -- John Schwab]

  Bally's Grand          [phone]    Sands             [phone]
  Bally's Park Place     [phone]    Showboat          [phone]
  Caesars Atlantic City  [phone]    Tropicana         [phone]
  Claridge               [phone]    Trump Castle      [phone]
  Harrah's Marina        [phone]    Trump Plaza       [phone]
  Resorts International  [phone]    Trump Taj Mahal   [phone]



Q:G9  What are some good places to play/stay in Reno?
A:G9  (Mike Northam)

  Well, this is just IMHO, of course.  For cheap rooms:  Circus Circus,
  Fitzgerald downtown, Clarion (with the $29 coupon) if you have a car.  If
  you're going to be gambling something more than nickels ($5 bets), you
  might call a place like the Flamingo Hilton and get a credit application.
  Then you'll qualify for the "gambler's rate", which will usually be about
  half price.  You've gotta gamble for at least four hours per day to get
  this, in most casinos.  The best rooms are at Harrah's, but they have
  standard northern Nevada rules.  (If you're a gambler, check with their
  VIP services to see if they have any special deals going.  They often have
  special packages if you buy-in for $1200, or some such.)

  Best gambling for BJ:  Horseshoe Club (preferential shuffling unless you
  toke, IMHO), Flamingo Hilton (though a friend of my friend's brother says
  they recently went to double down on 10/11 only--anyone else hear this?),
  Clarion, Bally's (roughly in that order).  Everyplace else runs northern
  Nevada rules, I think.  The Comstock, I guess, no longer has their
  over-under game, but you might check it out to be sure.

  Craps:  most every place has double odds.  You can play for 25 cents at
  the Palomino (?) in Sparks and at one of the dives in downtown (Nevada
  Club?--can't remember).

  [The Union Plaza and it's 25c, 10x-odds Craps tables are one of the best
   and most consistent pure gambling deals in Vegas.  -- Blair Houghton]

  Shows:  well, my favorite is the planetarium at the University of Nevada
  :-).  Reno is not a big show town, but Harrah's usually has some country
  western star and sometimes a decent cabaret act.  The Hilton has a comedy
  club and usually a pretty good lounge act (which you can watch while you
  play BJ, which is fun).  Bally's has a big stage show (I think Oba Oba
  from Brazil is still there.)  The big headliners usually are found at
  Tahoe, not Reno.

  Restaurants:  I've always liked the Presidential Car (I think in
  Harold's--I never can remember).  A romantic (and expensive) meal can be
  had at sunset at the Top of the Hilton.  Several people have mentioned a
  good Italian restaurant at the El Dorado, but I haven't tried it myself.
  Harrah's has a pretty good $5 or so buffet, but their other restaurants
  are only so-so.  Bally's has a nice steak house.  If you like screaming
  kids with your meals, check out Circus Circus (though I haven't been there
  for years, so maybe things have changed?).

  Since you've never been to Reno before, I should mention that you can
  easily walk to all the downtown casinos.  There's a shuttle bus from
  downtown to Bally's (the closest to the airport--we traditionally stop in
  there on our way out of town for a few hours).  There's also a group of
  casinos in Sparks (centered around John Ascuaga's Nugget).  If you have a
  car, the Peppermill (popular with the yuppie crowd) and the Clarion
  (Reno's newest casino, and quite nice) are out on south Virginia St.


Q:G10  What are some cheap places to stay in Vegas?
A:G10  (Ron Birnbaum)

  In response to those looking for nice but inexpensive accomodations in
  Vegas, I can recommend two places:

  Downtown:  The Ogden House  - Fremont Street
             I don't have their number, but some friends stayed there in
             June for $18 per night, and found it clean and comfortable.
             Their phone number is [phone].

  Strip:  King Alburt Motel
          It's behind the Flamingo Hilton/Imperial Palace/Barbary Coast area.
          Every unit is furnished with a kitchen, tv, and private bath, with
          simple but clean furnishings. Their location is ideal, and they
          quoted me day rates of $25/wk $40/wkend  per night for a single.
          And these prices were for March,('92) - usually a busy and high
          priced season. And you can do even better than these rates for a
          weekly rental. They are happy to negotiate! I don't believe they
          have a toll-free number, but I'm not sure. Their regular number is
          (702) 732- 1555

   Call the Las Vegas Tourism Beareau for details of other low-cost
   area lodging. They have an toll-free number - 1-800-522-9555. Woops - I
   just called it and they only handle casinos.

   But these 800 numbers DO handle the smaller places as well. I called the
   LV Chamber of Commerece for these numbers, and they had even more than
   these:

   800 - 548-2008
   800 - 345-7177

   Through the 7177 number, I arranged a room in the beautiful new tower at
   the Stardust for much lower than what the hotel quoted me directly, also
   at a lower rate than the other 800 numbers could offer (32/wk 40/wkend).
   They are a room 'wholesaler' and seem to be the best place to make
   reservations through. The new tower at the Stardust is supposed to
   be ****1/2, according to Julie - the agent I spoke with. She also asked
   for a high floor which she said have spectatular views of the entire strip.

   They know all the deals in town! Good luck, hotel bargain hunters!!


Q:G11  Where can I get casino quality chips?
A:G11  (Michael Hall)

   CHIP SUPPLIER        CITY, STATE      PHONE     REGULAR        PERSONALIZED
  ================= ============== ============== ============== =============
  The Poker Store    Stanton, CA   [phone]  ?               $55/100
  Paulson            Las Vegas, NV [phone]  $.35/each       $.40/each
     "               ???, NJ       [phone]  $.35/each       $.40/each
     "               Reno, NV      [phone]  $35/100         $40/100
  Bud Jones Company  Las Vegas, NV [phone]  ?       1 color:$25/100
     "                "                            ?       2 color:$40/100
  Gambler's General  Las Vegas, NV (800) 322-CHIP  ?               $40/100
     Store

  Note that the chip prices above are for CASINO QUALITY, which means they're
  heavy clay and thus rather expensive.  The suppliers also have lighter
  clay chips and cheap-o plastic chips.

  One reason you might want personalized chips, other than for vanity's sake,
  is to have dollar amounts put on them. Several places said they can put your
  initials on one side and the dollar amount on the other, which is kind of
  neat. For their unpersonalized chips, you had a choice of a starburst or a
  horseshoe insignia.  Paulson was the most flexible, since they'd let you
  order any quantity (not just multiples of 100) with no minimum order. All of
  the suppliers had a wide variety of colors. Bud Jones Company had solid
  one color chips as well as the two colored chips that many casinos use.


Q:G12  What are matchplay chips
A:G12  (Chuck Weinstock)

  A matchplay chip is a non-negotiable chip, usually given by the casino
  to induce play at their tables.  The chips are good at any table game,
  but only for even money bets.  Thus you can bet them on craps (line
  bets), blackjack, roulette (odd/even, black/red), but not, for instance,
  the field at craps.  When you play a matchplay chip you must match it
  with a chip of your own (hence the name).  For the Bally offer I
  understand the chips have a value of $5.00, so you must play each one
  with $5.00 of your own money.

  If you lose the bet, you lose your $5.00 and the matchplay chip.  If
  you win your bet you win $5.00 on your $5.00 and $5.00 (real money) on
  the matchplay chip.  However, even if you win they take the matchplay
  chip.  (I'm not sure if this is universal, but it certainly is
  typical.)  I'm not sure how they pay off Blackjack (which pays 3-2).
  [ They always take your matchplay chip, win or lose.  Blackjack pays
  even money on the matchplay chip. - FAI ]
  [Most casinos don't take the match play chips on pushes and do pay even
   money on the match play portion of blackjacks.  Some casinos (e.g. Four
   Queens) pay 3:2 on the match play portion of blackjacks. -- Michael Hall]

  If you are playing in an even expectation game, you would expect to
  win half of your bets.  Thus the $200 in matchplay has an expected
  value of around $100.  Of course this is only an expectation, and you
  could win or lose much more than that.


Q:G14  Is this Vegas World offer worth it?
A:G14  (Steve Jacobs, Michael Hall)

  Vegas World is constantly running ads for a special casino package deal.
  It works something like this:  you send $396 to Vegas World in exchange
  for a "free vacation" deal that includes a room for 2 or 3 nights, some
  "prizes", and $1000 in casino "action" chips.

  Forget the "prize", it will undoubtedly be some cheap jewelry that is
  virtually worthless.  If you read the ad carefully, you will find that
  the "action" chips are good for one play, win or lose.  This means that
  if you win the bet, they take away the action chip and replace it with
  a real chip.  This reduces the $1000 in chips to an expected value of
  less than $500, assuming you could play them all at craps or blackjack.
  However, $400 of this $1000 is "slot action" that can only be played in
  special slots that return maybe 10% of what is put into them.  So, your
  expected return on the $1000 in action is about $340.  So, you can't
  really expect to come out ahead on this deal.

  The second big problem with Vegas World is that most of the games have
  funny rules that confuse the tourists and rob them of their money.
  Blackjacks are paid even money, giving the house a 2% edge.  They offer
  "crapless" craps, which is supposed to sound like a good deal, but is
  really designed to increase the house edge.

  But, if you like mirrors, you should check out Vegas World.  Their
  display of $1 million in cash is also somewhat amusing.  It is worth
  stopping in if you are really bored with the classy casinos.  Try out
  their huge Money Wheel, but be careful -- if it lands on "Bob Stupak",
  it will be your turn to take care of Bob for a week :-)

  Packages can be found at other casinos by calling the casino's marketing
  office or sometimes room reservations.  Bally's, Dunes, Four Queens, and
  Sands are some places to try in Las Vegas.  Often you are required to
  gamble for 8 hours at a certain minimum bet to qualify for the rebates.

  Local travel agencies sometimes have information on packages.  Consult your
  local phone book or the travel section of your local newspaper.


Q:G15  When did rec.gambling get started?
A:G15  (Matt Wilding)

  alt.gambling began in August, 1989.  It had plenty of traffic, so a
  newsgroup election for rec.gambling was held.  rec.gambling passed
  189-41.  The election results were announced on September 23, 1989,
  and the group created one week later.


==================================
Section B: Blackjack

Q:B1  What do these funny acronyms mean ...
A:B1  (Michael Hall)

  The acronyms that are often used in blackjack articles in rec.gambling
  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)

  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 one card.

    "early surrender" -- surrender that occurs _before_ the dealer
        peeks at the hole card.  Very valuable to the player, but
        rarely (if ever) offered by the casinos.

    "even money" -- taking insurance when holding a blackjack results
        in a net gain of one bet.  This process is called "taking
        even money".

    "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.

    "head up" -- playing at a table that has no other players.

    "hit" -- drawing a new card to add to the player's hand.

    "hole card" -- the dealer's card that is placed face down.

    "insurance" -- a side bet of 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.

    "late surrender" -- surrender that occurs _after_ the dealer peeks
        at the hole card.

    "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 when several decks
        are used.

    "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 change 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 at 16 vs. dealer's 10, are so
        bad that it is less costly to surrender rather than play 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".