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1991-05-04
|
96KB
|
1,983 lines
+-----------------------------------------+
| |
| BlackJack! |
| |
| Your Key To Winning Casino Play |
| |
+-----------------------------------------+
Version 2.20D
Copyright 1988 - 1991
Donald L. Granger dba Glencoe Computing
All rights reserved
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
BlackJack! License Provisions............i
Acknowledgments.........................ii
Introduction............................ii
General Information......................1
System Requirements..................1
User Support.........................1
Description..........................1
Backing Up BlackJack!................1
Installation.........................1
Running BlackJack!...................2
Startup Options - Australian Play....2
Blackjack Basics.........................3
The BlackJack! Main Menu.................5
At The Casino............................6
Casino Table Set-Up..................6
Automated Play.......................7
Placing Bets.........................8
Playing The Hand.....................8
Game Statistics.....................10
Error Tracking......................11
Editing The Casinos.....................11
Setup BlackJack!........................12
Card Counting.......................12
Strategy Tables.....................13
Auto Players........................14
Basic Strategy Practice.................16
Card Counting...........................17
Why Count?..........................17
Counting Basics.....................18
The 'True Count'....................18
Card Counting Practice..................19
Betting & Money Management..............20
Tournament Play.........................22
Appendixes..............................23
The Casinos.........................23
Problems............................23
Strategy Tables.....................24
BlackJack! Registration Form............31
BlackJack! i
BlackJack! License Provisions
BlackJack! IS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BlackJack! is the copyrighted property of Donald L. Granger,
Glencoe Computing. You are granted a limited license to use
BlackJack! for evaluation purposes, and to copy and
distribute it, provided the following conditions are met:
1. No fee may be charged for such copying and distribution
other than a reasonable distribution fee.
2. BlackJack! may ONLY be distributed in its original,
unmodified state complete with data files and
documentation.
3. BlackJack! may be distributed as part of a package or
group of programs provided it is properly labeled and
marketed so as to retain its individual identity.
4. You may not make any changes or modifications to this
software.
GLENCOE COMPUTING
DONALD L. GRANGER
1100 HIGHWAY C
GLENCOE, MISSOURI
63038-1404
CompuServe EMAIL 72416,1362
NOTICE
------
If you paid a shareware vendor for this program, you
paid for their service of copying and distribution, and not
for the program itself. None of these proceeds ever get to
the originator of this product. You may evaluate this
product, but if you make use of it, you should register your
copy.
+----------------------------------------------------+
| The benifits of registration include: |
| |
| - The latest version of BlackJack! |
| - User defined Basic & True Count strategy tables. |
| - The ability to save and restart a casino session.|
| - Full product support. |
| - Printer formatted documentation. |
| (HP LaserJet, Epson-FX and Plain) |
| - An overall good feeling! |
+----------------------------------------------------+
BlackJack! ii
The ShareWare Concept
The ShareWare concept is an attempt to provide quality soft-
ware at low cost. The cost of offering a new product by
conventional channels is staggering, and hence dissuades
many independent authors and small companies from developing
and promoting their ideas. ShareWare is an attempt to de-
velop a marketing channel where products can be introduced
at low cost.
If the ShareWare concept works, then everyone benefits. The
user will benefit by receiving quality products at low cost,
and by being able to "test drive" software before purchasing
it. The author benefits by being able to enter the commer-
cial software arena without first needing large sources of
venture capital. But it can only work with your support.
We're not just talking about BlackJack! here, but about all
user supported software. If you find that you are still us-
ing a program after a couple of weeks, then pretty obviously
it is worth something to you, and you should register.
Acknowledgments
My special thanks to the following:
Bally's Park Place Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, NJ
The Peppermill Hotel & Casino, Reno, NV
Caesar's Palace Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
The many users who have offered suggestions for new
features and enhancements.
Leslie Granger, a very special and very patient person.
Introduction
The most popular casino game today, both for players and
casino owners, is unquestionably Blackjack. For the player
the attraction is the simplicity of the rules (just about
everyone knows how to play "21") and the friendly atmosphere
of the table. For the owners the popularity is due to the
fact that the Blackjack tables have become the most
profitable real estate in the casino. It is the purpose of
BlackJack! to do something about the latter!
First, let's make sure that the object of the game is clear.
You are not out to see who can get closest to 21 without
going over... you are out to BEAT THE DEALER! This concept
is overlooked by many novice players, and it leads to fatter
wallets for the casino bosses. Although getting close to 21
is often the best strategy, it's just as important to know
when to sit back and let the dealer beat himself.
BlackJack! iii
With Blackjack you always know exactly how the dealer is
going to play his hand. This is the key feature that has
allowed the development of Basic Strategy Tables, the most
important tool at your disposal when at the tables. The
importance of learning the Basic Strategy Tables cannot be
over stressed. You cannot play blackjack by the seat of
your pants and expect to win. These tables are your key to
winning! By utilizing these strategies you can lower the
house percentage (sometimes called vigorish) from around 6%
to close to 0%! Often in a session the money is made on the
secondary bets (splitting and doubling down) while the
regular play ends up in a push. With a firm knowledge of
the basic strategy you will know when to make these bets.
The basic strategy tables are found at the end of this
manual. I recommend printing these tables for reference
when using BlackJack!.
In the early seventies card counting became quite a
publicized subject, with many feature stories appearing on
television and in magazines. System sellers were quick to
exploit this new awareness and a plethora of "sure win"
systems were touted and sold. Curiously during this period
the casino profits began to rise at a disproportional rate
to the increase in table activity. Hmmmm, how could this
be? The answer is simple, too many casual players armed
with too small bankrolls were attempting to apply extremely
complex systems without the necessary long hours of
preparation. The only sure winners were the system sellers
themselves and, of course, the casinos!
Card counting, when properly utilized, can actually give the
player up to a 1.5% edge over the house. The biggest
problem with most counting systems is that they are quite
complex and far too difficult for the casual player to
master. Casinos also frown heavily on card counters and
with certainty will ask a player suspected of counting to
leave the tables (and maybe the casino). This adds to the
difficulty since the counter must go unnoticed.
Of the numerous counting systems being touted and sold the
simple "Plus / Minus" (+-) type is one of the best choices
for the average player. BlackJack! will concentrate
primarily on the +- system of counting in this discussion
(although program provisions exist for implementing a user
defined counting system). Counting systems are discussed
under the Card Counting Practice heading of this manual. In
spite of the apparent simplicity, you should not even
consider employing a counting system until you know the
basic strategy tables inside out, being able to make the
correct decision 100% of the time.
I hope that you find BlackJack! a useful and fun to use tool
in gaining the skill and confidence to be a winner. The
next time you return from the tables, I hope it takes a
truck to carry home your winnings.
Donald L. Granger
BlackJack! 1
General Information
System Requirements
Due to BlackJack!'s very high resolution graphics, an
EGA, VGA or Hercules compatible graphics adapter or
equivalent is required. BlackJack! will NOT run with the
CGA or MDA display adapters. A minimum of 256K display
memory is required on EGA type adapters.
BlackJack! requires 256K of available system memory.
BlackJack! will run on any floppy based system as well as
hard disk systems.
User Support
User support is free to registered users and is available by
telephone evenings at (314) 458-2863, via Compuserve Mail
(user ID# 72416,1362), or by mail.
Description
BlackJack! is a fun to use aid to learning Blackjack. It is
designed to be a totally accurate simulation of casino play.
BlackJack! is capable, with your effort, to take you to any
level of play, it IS NOT a sure-win scheme or quickie system
for beating the casinos. To become a proficient player you
will have to spend many hours practicing basic strategy and
if you desire, card counting. If anyone tells you anything
different, don't believe it. These skills simply cannot be
learned over night. As with any skill, you must "use it or
lose it". Once you have reached your desired level of
expertise you must periodically spend a few hours with
BlackJack! to stay sharp. If you currently are using a
playing system, BlackJack! can easily be adapted to support
it. You can enter your own basic strategy tables, true
count tables(registered version), and counting system.
Backing Up BlackJack!
Make backup copies of your BlackJack! files. Do this by
placing your original BlackJack! diskette in drive A: and a
blank formatted diskette in drive B: (for single floppy
systems refer to the DOS manual for the correct procedure to
make backups). Enter the DOS command
COPY A:*.* B: [Enter] or DISKCOPY A: B: [Enter]
Always use the backup to run BlackJack!
Installation
BlackJack! does not require special installation procedures
prior to use. If you are using a floppy disk system all
files must be on the same diskette and the program must be
started from the default drive.
BlackJack! 2
If you have a hard disk you can copy the program and data
files onto the disk and run the program without the use of
floppies. The following is an example for setting up the
program on a hard disk (assume drive C:):
C>CD \ (switch to root directory)
C>MD BJ (create directory named BJ)
C>CD \BJ (switch to BJ directory)
C>Copy A:*.* C: (copy all files)
It is important that all files be in the same directory and
that that directory be selected as the default. For more
information on hard disks and directories please see your
DOS reference manual.
BlackJack! uses the files CARDS16.IMG and SUITS16X.IMG with
color systems and CARDSHGC.IMG and SUITSHGC.IMG with
Hercules systems. To save disk space you can delete the
.IMG files not needed.
Running BlackJack!
From the DOS prompt simply type BJ and press [Enter].
Startup Options - Australian Play
BlackJack! has three start up options.
/B Prevents "B U S T" message from covering card images.
/P Prevents changes to video color palettes - useful to
laptop and monochrome VGA users.
/A Australian style play. The dealer is not dealt a
second card until all players have finished their hands.
Example: To invoke all of the above options type
BJ /B /P /A [Enter]
Prompt Lines
Throughout this documentation, and while using BlackJack!
Press and Enter have the following meanings:
PRESS- just press the key corresponding to your response.
ENTER- press the key(s) corresponding to your response
and then press the [Enter] key.
When BlackJack! is waiting for input you will be prompted
(usually across the bottom of the screen) for your response.
The available choices are listed with their key letter
enclosed in square braces [ ]. You make your selection by
pressing the corresponding key. Selections that require
pressing a function key have the key represented as the
letter F plus the key number.
Example prompt lines:
[H]it [S]tandspli[T]
[F1] Help [F2] Statistics
To select split you would press [T]. To get help you would
press function key [F1]. Note: [Ctrl] is represented in
prompts by the '^' symbol. [Ctrl][S] is shown as [^S]
BlackJack! 3
Blackjack Basics
In Blackjack players wager against the dealer's hand. The
object for the player is to have a hand value that exceeds
the value of the dealer's cards without going over 21. The
object of the game for the dealer is essentially the same.
You win by either having the hand value closest to 21 or by
having the dealer exceed 21 (bust). Cards count face value
with the King, Queen, and Jack valued as 10. The Ace can
count as 1 or 11.
Each player is dealt 2 cards, one at a time starting with
the player to the dealer's left. In most casinos each
player is dealt face up and the player is prohibited from
touching the cards. A few still deal face down allowing the
player to pick up the cards. The dealer is dealt one card
up and one face down.
Each player, from dealer left to right, is given the chance
to stand (draw no more cards), hit (draw additional cards in
hopes of getting closer to 21), or take one of the other
options described later. You may hit until you have reached
21 or gone over. If you bust you lose regardless of the
outcome of the dealer's hand.
The dealer must play his hand according to strict rules. He
must always hit on a point total of 16 or less and must
stand on a score of 17. Some casinos allow the dealer to
hit a "soft 17" (a score of 17 that includes an Ace valued
at 11, for example Ace - 6). This is not a common practice
and is found mainly in the Tahoe - Reno area of Nevada.
If the player is dealt blackjack (a 2 card score of 21) and
the dealer does not also have blackjack, you are an
automatic winner and are paid at odds of 3:2. If both
dealer and player have blackjack, it is a push (tie) and no
chips change hands. If the dealer has blackjack and the
player has a total of 21 but with more than 2 cards, the
dealer wins the hand. This last situation can occur when,
for security reasons, the casino only allows the dealer to
check his hand for blackjack when his up card is an Ace. In
these cases when the dealer does have blackjack only the
player's original bets are lost. Double down and split bets
are not taken.
BlackJack! 4
Splitting Pairs:
If your first two cards have the same value, you can split
them into separate hands. Note that any two cards with a 10
value may be split. If you elect to split a pair you must
place an additional bet equal to your original bet on the
second hand. Play is completed on the first hand before any
cards are dealt to the second hand. If a pair of Aces are
split most casinos do not allow additional cards to be
drawn. Note that 2 card totals of 21 on split hands ARE NOT
treated as a blackjack and pay only even money. Some
casinos allow for resplitting if the original split results
in another pair. BlackJack! allows a maximum of one
resplit.
Doubling Down:
After you are dealt your first 2 cards you may elect to
double down by making an additional wager up to the amount
of your original wager and drawing only one additional card.
Note that BlackJack! only allows making the maximum wager on
double downs. Most all houses allow doubling down on split
hands. Rules vary among casinos on what point totals you
may double down, but the most common is any two cards.
Insurance:
If the dealer's face card is an Ace, you will be offered the
opportunity to take insurance. To do this you make an
additional wager of 1/2 your original bet. If the dealer
has blackjack your insurance bet is paid at 2:1, but your
original bet is lost, effectively amounting to a push
(unless of course you have blackjack). If the dealer has
any score other than blackjack the insurance bet is
collected and play continues.
Surrender:
Some casinos will allow the player to drop out of the hand
by giving up (surrendering) 1/2 their original bet. This
can be an advantageous move when you hold what amounts to a
hopeless hand. For example, the dealer is showing an Ace
and your hand count is 16. You must indicate your desire to
surrender prior to drawing any cards. Very few casinos
still offer this option, but at the ones that do it is an
important part of the basic strategy.
"Cute" Rules:
Some casinos may offer special payoffs for situations such
as having 6 cards under 21 or 3 sevens. These are rare and
are not addressed in BlackJack!.
BlackJack! 5
The BlackJack! Main Menu
+---------------------------------+
| CASINOS |
| 1 - User Casino |
| 2 - Bally's Park Place |
| 3 - Caesar's Palace |
| 4 - Peppermill Casino |
| |
| Other Choices |
| 5 - View Casino Definitions |
| 6 - Edit Casinos |
| 7 - Card Counting Drill |
| 8 - Basic Strategy Drill |
| 9 - Setup BlackJack! |
| 0 - History Statistics |
| * - Registration Form |
+---------------------------------+
- Load A Casino: [1] through [4]
The top 4 menu choices represent the different casinos that
BlackJack! is programmed to simulate. To select a casino
for play press the corresponding number.
- Quick Load A Casino: [F1] through [F4]
By pressing the function key [F#] that corresponds to the
casino you bypass the Casino Table Setup screen and jump
directly into casino play. see Save Casino Setup, page 7
- View Casino Definitions: [V] or [5]
A screen showing the description and house rules of the
available casinos will appear. To scroll the different
descriptions press the arrow keys. To play at the displayed
casino press [Enter], to exit to the main menu press [Esc].
- Edit Casinos: [E] or [6]
Edit the configuration of the casinos.
- Card Counting Practice: [C] or [7]
Sharpen your card counting skills.
- Basic Strategy Practice: [B] or [8]
Practice drills on Basic Strategy.
- Setup BlackJack!: [S] or [9]
Configure BlackJack! options and settings.
- History Statistics: [H] or [0]
View cumulative statistics for the casino play.
- Program Exit: [Q] or [Esc]
To exit BlackJack! and return to DOS.
- Quick Exit: [Ctrl][Q]
Pressing [Ctrl][Q] at any time will quickly exit BlackJack!
to DOS. This can be handy should someone be practicing when
one should be working.
BlackJack! 6
At The Casino
BlackJack! allows for multiple players. Although most
likely you will be playing alone, it is possible to play
more than one hand giving you the opportunity to try out
different betting strategies at the same sitting. Multiple
players also offers a more realistic setting for practicing
your card counting skills.
Casino Table Set-Up
After selecting a casino you will need to provide the fol-
lowing information for the table. An input form will be
displayed and you will be prompted for the following data.
Note that items shown in () are only used as needed.
[T]ournament / [N]ormal:
Select style of play.
Default: Normal.
(Number Of Players:)
Enter the total number of players at the table.
Default: 1.
Number Of Auto Players:
Enter the number of automatic players.
Default: 1 less that total number of players.
(Hands remaining in round):
Enter number of hands remaining in the tournament when
play begins. See Tournament Play for more information.
Default: 60.
(Number Of Auto Hands):
If the number of automatic players is the same as the
total number of players you will be prompted to enter
the number of fully automated hands to be played.
Minimum Bet:
Enter the minimum bet allowed for each hand.
Default: $5
Table Limit:
Enter the maximum bet allowed for each hand.
Default: 100 times minimum bet ($300 for tournament).
Player's Stake:
Enter the amount of money each player has.
Default: 1/2 the table limit ($500 for tournament).
(Status Box:)
Press [Y]es or [N]o for the Status Box display.
Default: YES (not used with full auto play)
(Seating Arrangement):
If the table contains a mix of human and automatic
players you will prompted for the seat placements.
Seat #1 is to the dealers left (screen right).
Default: Always seats auto players first.
[A]bandon [R]edo [^S]ave [P]lay
After completing the setup form you have the choice to
abandon play and return to the main menu, re-enter the
data, save the casino setup or play. Default: Play.
BlackJack! 7
Save Casino Setup:[Ctrl][S] / [S]
BlackJack! allows you to save a default set of parameters
for the casino setup. This enables you to bypass the Casino
Table Setup Screen and jump directly into casino play.
Pressing [S] will save the setup information and move you
into the casino. Pressing [Ctrl][S] saves the setup without
moving into the casino. Once you have saved your favorite
setup you can go directly to the casino by pressing the 'F'
key that corresponds to the casino number from the Main
Menu. For example, to jump directly into casino number 3,
you would press [F3] from the Main Menu. If you want to
make changes in the setup you can use the regular method of
just pressing the casino number. The default responses in
the setup screen will be your saved setup data.
BlackJack! keeps separate setup data for each of the four
casinos.
Automated Play
Any or all of the players can be made AUTO players making
BlackJack! capable of fully automated play. Simply specify
the number of AUTO players desired from the Casino Table
Setup screen. This feature can make for a more accurate
simulation and is particularly useful when practicing tour-
nament style play. If in normal casino mode (not tourn-
ament) the AUTO players will use the currently selected
playing style. Tournament AUTO players play a style unique
to that form of Blackjack.
Full Auto Play:
When you set the number of AUTO players equal to the total
players everything will be automated. Play will proceed un-
attended for the number of hands specified. Full automated
play can be interrupted by pressing any key between hands.
Accelerated Full Auto Play:
Accelerated full automatic play is implemented by setting
the automatic playing speed to INSTANT and designating all
players as AUTO players. Set the number of hands to play at
the Casino Table Setup. There will be no card display and
hands will be played at a rate of approximately 2000 per
minute.** To interrupt accelerated automatic play Press and
HOLD any key, release the key as soon as play has halted.
For fully automated tournament play, set the hands remaining
in round to 0 during Casino Table Setup.
See the SETUP BlackJack! section, page 12, for more informa-
tion on configuring automatic players.
See TOURNAMENT PLAY, page 22, for more information on
tournaments.
____________________
** Speed on 10mhz AT class computer w/EGA
BlackJack! 8
Placing Bets
The Wager Box:
The Wager Box shows the amount in your bankroll and an input
field for your wager. The default value on the opening hand
is the minimum table bet. On subsequent hands the default
is your previous wager or the remaining balance of your
funds, which ever is lower. You can enter any amount
(provided you have the funds) between the table limit and
the minimum wager.
You can sit out a hand by placing a bet of $0. You will not
be dealt any cards but any AUTO players will continue play.
Drop Out of Game: [Ctrl][D]
You can quit while in the Wager Box by pressing [Ctrl][D].
If there are multiple players only the current player is
dropped and play continues. AUTO players cannot drop out.
Playing The Hand
After all players have placed their bets the hands are
dealt, one card at a time from the dealer's left to right.
After all players have received their cards the hands are
played in the same order. The following are the possible
actions available to the player:
[H]it Draw another card.
[S]tand Stand on the cards you have.
[D]ouble down Double your bet and draw one card.
Spli[T] Split a pair into two separate hands.
This requires an additional wager that
is equal to the original.
Sur[R]ender Drop out of the hand by yielding 1/2
your original bet.
[I]insurance If the dealer's up card is an Ace, each
player will be offered the chance to
make an insurance bet. If the dealer
does have blackjack the insurance is
paid and the original bets are collected
(effectively amounting to a "push").
Otherwise the insurance bets are
collected and play continues.
After all players have finished the dealer plays his hand
and the bets are settled.
Advice Help: [F1]
Advice is available by pressing [F1]. When playing a hand
you are advised of the correct action to take based on the
Basic Strategy Table for the casino rules under which you
are playing. When making a wager you are advised on the
type of bet to make based on the active card counting
system.
BlackJack! 9
The Status Box: [F2]
The Status Box is located in the upper left corner of the
screen. It shows pertinent information to the game in
progress. Included in the Status Box are the casino name,
the table limits, the size of the shoe in decks, number of
hands played, number of cards played from the current deck,
the number of aces played, and the current plus/minus and
true count card count value. You can toggle the display of
the Status Box at any time by pressing the [F2] key.
Borrowing Funds: [F3]
Players automatically have a line of credit established for
them at 1/2 their original stake. For example, if you begin
a session with a stake of $500, you will have $250 available
for borrowing. Players are not allowed to borrow past this
amount. If a player has exhausted both his original stake
and his line of credit they will be asked to leave the
table.
At the beginning of each hand you are given the opportunity
to borrow money from the house. To obtain a loan press [F3]
prior to placing your bet. A window will open showing the
money you have available for borrowing and you will be
prompted to enter the amount you desire. The default re-
sponse is the maximum loan. If at any time your current
funds fall below the minimum bet the loan window will open
automatically. Advances are not allowed during play so plan
ahead to have enough funds for splits and double downs.
Display Hand Values: [F4]
BlackJack! normally displays the value of each hand. If you
wish to add up your own hands this feature can be disabled
by pressing [F4].
Discard Pile Graph: [F5]
A bar graph is displayed in the upper right corner of the
casino screen. It shows the percentage of the deck or shoe
that has been played. This feature is offered as an aid in
estimating the number of cards remaining to be played. For
shoe games (more than two decks) yellow lines are shown
indicating each deck. A red line is shown to indicate the
re-shuffle marker.
The graph can be toggled on and off by pressing [F5] during
casino play. The default condition is ON.
Strategy Deviation Error (Play Watch): [F6]
A short beep will sound whenever a player deviates from
basic strategy, including true count variations when Use
True Count is active. The correct action is briefly
displayed above the hand. The warning can be toggled on and
off by pressing [F6] during casino play. A tone will sound
to confirm activation of this feature.
The default condition is OFF
BlackJack! 10
Reshuffle: [Ctrl][R]
You can force a reshuffle between hands by pressing
[Ctrl][R].
Fast Shuffle: [Ctrl][F]
You can eliminate the sound (and delay) of deck shuffling by
pressing [Ctrl][F] during casino play. Each press toggles
Fast Shuffle on or off. A short beep confirms the keypress.
The default condition is normal (with sound) shuffling.
Game Statistics
At the end of each session the following statistical infor-
mation is provided on different screens: finances, peaks &
valleys of the session, streaks, winning percentages;
number of hands played, wins, losses, pushes, surrenders,
blackjacks, splits, doubles, and a report on your basic
strategy play.
Streaks are counted using the following system:
Win Zero the loss count & increment win count.
Push No effect.
Surrender Decrement win count if > 0, otherwise no effect.
Loss Zero the win count & increment the loss count.
Split Each hand of the split is treated as a distinct
hand and is scored from right to left.
Double Treated as a regular hand.
You can jump to the statistics screens from casino play by
pressing [Ctrl][V]iew between hands. The arrow keys will
scroll among the screens, and [Esc] will return you to the
casino, or the main menu if the session has ended. Note
that cumulative totals are not updated
History Statistics: [H] or [0] from the Main Menu
BlackJack! keeps track of all statistics between play
sessions. The statistics are accumulated only for "human"
players. In the event of more than one human player in a
session the first human player is used for the history
statistics. Tournament play is never counted regardles of
player type. In the event of playing a saved game, only the
new plays are added to the history file and the number of
sessions played is not incremented.
The History Statistics are viewed by pressing either [H] or
[0] from the Main Menu. History Statistics are seperatly
kept for each of the four casinos plus a grand total
reflecting cumulative totals of play at all casinos. The
History Statistics are also included as part of the suite of
statistical screens accesable after a casino session, or by
pressing [Ctrl][V] between casino play hands. When accessed
via [Ctrl][V] only the active casino is shown and the values
DO NOT reflect the current session's play.
BlackJack! 11
To reset the History Statistics values press [Ctrl][R] while
viewing the History Statistics screen. You are also given
the option of resettng the values when editing casino
configurations. Alternatly, to reset all 4 casino History
Statistics at once delete the file BJ-HIST.DAT, a new one
will be created with zero values.
Error Tracking
BlackJack! keeps track of your strategy errors as you play.
At the end of a casino session, or the end of Basic Strategy
Practice you are shown the strategy table segments where you
have made errors. The specific positions where errors
occurred are highlighted and the total number of errors made
in the segment are shown.
A | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |10
--|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---- Count
8,8 S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S 2
- -
The above example indicates two errors were made when the
player was dealt a pair of 8s. One against a dealer 9, the
other against a dealer 10. The underscored letters are
actually highlighted on the screen.
Editing The Casinos
After selecting "Edit Casinos" from the Main Menu you will
be able to scroll through the Casino Definition screens.
To select the casino for editing press [Enter]. You will be
presented an editing window allowing you to define the name,
location, and house rules for the casino as you wish.
Answer each prompt with the indicated type of response. To
retain the current value of an item simply press [Enter].
Here are a couple of examples:
Number of decks
Surrender allowed?
For "Number of decks" press a number between 1-8.
For "Surrender allowed?" press either [Y] or [N].
BlackJack! 12
Setup BlackJack!
This selection pops up the Setup Menu. The illustration
below shows the menu layout. The currently active settings
of choices 1, 4, 7 and 9 are shown to the right under the
heading CURRENT.
+---------------------------------------+
| CARD COUNTING CURRENT |
| 1 - Active System [User] |
| 2 - Edit User System |
| 3 - View Active System |
| |
| STRATEGY TABLES |
| 4 - Incorporate True Count [Yes] |
| |
| AUTO PLAYER |
| 5 - Play Speed [Med] |
| 6 - Style [Bold] |
| 7 - Wager Progression |
| |
| OTHER |
| 8 - BlackJack! Colors |
| + - Mode Of Play [Normal] |
| * - Configuration Save |
| |
+---------------------------------------+
Card Counting
- Active Count System: [A] or [1]
Selects which counting system is active. Each press toggles
between USER and DEFAULT and the active selecting is dis-
played under the CURRENT heading. The active system will be
used for all BlackJack! features that involve card counting.
- View Active System: [V] or [2]
To review the card values and breakpoints for the active
count system press [2] or [V]iew. A window will display all
of the current settings.
- Edit User System: [E] or [3]
Define your own counting system. For help press [F1].
Card Values:
A window will open and you will be prompted to enter the
count value for each of the 10 card values in the deck. The
current value of each card will be shown blinking. To
retain the same value simply press [Enter]. A running total
is shown indicating the total count value of single deck.
BlackJack! 13
Breakpoints:
After all cards have been assigned a count value you will be
asked to enter the NORMAL and XLARGE breakpoints for your
system. These are the values which indicate a 'favorable'
deck. Deck values at or below NORMAL warrant only your
standard bet. Values between NORMAL and XLARGE indicate a
favorable deck and warrant an increased bet. Values above
XLARGE indicate an extremely favorable deck and should
warrant an even larger increase in your wager. For example,
if your system indicates a favorable deck when the count is
25 you would enter 24 for the NORMAL value.
Activation Point:
Counting systems generally are not effective in the early
stages of a deck. You need to enter the percentage of the
deck that needs to have been played before your counting
system becomes active. For example, if you feel that your
system is reliable after 2/3 of the cards have been dealt
you would enter 66. These breakpoint values are used by
BlackJack! when giving betting advice during casino play,
and by the Automatic Players when making betting decisions.
They have no effect on the Card Counting Practice drill.
True Count Breakpoints:
Finally you will be prompted for the true count breakpoints.
Enter the NORMAL and XLARGE values as described above based
on true count values. By its nature, the true count does
not require an activation point. If you are not using the
true count (see Strategy Tables-True Count below) just press
enter to keep the current values. They will have no effect.
Count System Start Point:
A new value has been added to the User Defined Counting
System to define the starting count of the system. This is
the card count at the beginning of a new deck or shoe.
Normally this value is 0. This value is reflected in both
the running count and the true count.
The initial values of the user defined count system are an
alternate to the pluse/minus system. Once a system has been
defined it is saved and is available for future sessions.
Strategy Tables
- Incorporate True Count: [I] or [4]
Toggles between [Yes] and [No]. When set to [Yes] the true
count variations will be used for casino play help and by
the automated players.
BlackJack! 14
Auto Players
- Play Speed: [P] or [5]
To adjust the speed of the automatic players press [6] or
[P]lay Speed. The CURRENT heading will toggle among the
four speeds available for automatic players.
Instant: This is the fastest setting, there are no delays.
Fast: Slight delays between cards and betting.
Medium: Default setting, play is brisk but easy to follow.
Slow: Plenty of time allowed to watch each play.
- Style: [S] or [6]
Toggles among the available playing styles of the automatic
players. The active style is shown in the CURRENT column.
Prudent: The most conservative setting. The player never
increases the wager from the table minimum and does
not count cards. Plays strict Basic Strategy.
Normal: The normal player bets according to the system
outlined under Betting & Money Management. He does
count cards but only makes increases under the most
favorable conditions. Plays strict Basic Strategy.
Bold: The bold player is a more aggressive bettor. He
increases wagers more frequently. He counts cards
and will make larger increases whenever faced with
a 'rich' deck. Basic Strategy is used, but when
"playing with the Houses' money" (ahead) the bold
player often makes the following exceptions with a
favorable card count.
Split 10s against dealer 2 - 7
Double 9 against dealer 2 or 7
Double soft 19 against dealer 3 - 6
Daring: Not for the faint of heart! The daring player
doesn't know the meaning of minimum bet. He counts
cards and will make substantial increases with
favorable counts. The daring player ALWAYS makes
the exceptions to Basic Strategy listed above.
User: Selecting User will cause the user betting
progression (see below) to be used by the AUTO
players. The AUTO player will make play decisions
the same as the NORMAL player while using the user
defined betting progression for wagers.
All auto players take insurance when the count is favorable.
BlackJack! 15
User Defined Betting Progression: [9] or [W]
You can define the betting progression used by the AUTO
players and you can also establish a "stop loss point". A
window will pop up and you will be able to enter up to 10
levels of the progression. If your particular system does
not use this many levels simply use the same value for the
final entries.
The last entry on the screen is the stop loss, or drop out
point. For example, if your betting system dictates
quitting after 6 consecutive losses you would enter 6 as the
stop loss point. Once an AUTO player has dropped out, they
cannot rejoin the game. The stop loss point is monitored
using the method described for Streak Stats. It is possible
that the stop loss point can be exceeded by one hand. This
occurs when a player splits a hand and loses both when
consecutive losses are one less than the stop loss point.
The user progression is activated by selecting USER as
playing style (see above).
The progression table is saved with CONFIGURATION SAVE.
Other Choices
- BlackJack! Colors: [B] or [8]
You can customize the color palettes used in BlackJack!.
When saved, these palettes will be used whenever you run
BlackJack!. There are two phases to this option, selection
of the graphics mode palette and selection of the text mode
palette. You can assign any of the 64 available EGA/VGA
colors to any of the 16 palette colors. For example, you
can assign a shade of dark green (EGA/VGA #16) to the BLACK
palette register which is the one used as the background
color. This will give the appearance of the green felt used
in casinos. A side effect in this example is that spades
and clubs will also have their spots this same shade of
green (although it is barely noticeable). Sample screens
are shown so that you can immediately see the effects of
your changes. The editors offer the option of resetting the
user values to the BlackJack! defaults, so you can
experiment without fear.
Keyboard instructions are provided on screen.
Your selections will become active upon exiting the palette
editor and will remain in effect throughout the current play
session. To make these choices permanent for future play
you MUST do a CONFIGURATION SAVE prior to exiting BlackJack!
to DOS.
The color editor will not activate on Hercules Mono systems
BlackJack! 16
Mode Of Play: [M] or [+]
BlackJack! provided two modes of play, NORMAL and REALISTIC.
Realistic Mode more accurately simulates the flow of play in
an actual casino setting. Player's cards are retrieved, and
bets settled in the order of play. Bust and surrendered
hands are immediately removed from the table before play
progresses to the next player. All cards are cleared prior
to the Press Any Key To Continue message. Realistic Mode is
provided to better simulate the amount of time that card
counters have to asses the values of cards on the table.
Normal Mode settles bets after all play has been completed
and leaves all cards on the table until you begin the next
hand. Normal Mode is significantly faster than Realistic.
You toggle between Normal and Realistic play by pressing
either [M] or [+] ([=] works too) while in the Setup Menu.
The currently active mode of play is displayed in brackets
to the right.
The speed of Realistic Mode corresponds to the AUTO PLAYER -
SPEED setting. You may need to experiment to find a speed
that you like, but for most the NORMAL setting should be
good. As with all play options, the play mode is saved with
Configuration Save.
- Configuration Save: [C] or [*]
The settings for the auto players, count system selections,
and color palettes are saved to disk. When BlackJack! is
started these values are read become active.
Basic Strategy Practice
This is the biggie! You should know basic strategy inside-
out before ever considering sitting down in a casino.
Extensive research and work was done by Dr. Edward Thorp and
Julian N. Braun in the early 1960s to develop these tables.
They represent, based on millions of computer simulated
hands, the optimum method of play. When followed they yield
the best decisions for all of the blackjack options.
As you will note from the tables there are subtle differ-
ences depending on the number of decks used. For the casual
player it recommended that you concentrate on the multi-deck
table. The slight difference in performance when using
multi-deck strategy in a single deck game (about 0.05%) is
worthwhile considering the confusion that can result from
using multiple strategies. The multi-deck strategies are
also more conservative with fewer splits and double downs.
On the subject of the insurance bet, there is one simple
rule... NEVER BUY INSURANCE! As with any rule there is an
exception: When counting cards insurance can be a profitable
wager. See The 'True Count' below for more information.
BlackJack! 17
Select the Basic Strategy Drill by either pressing [7] or
[B] from the Main Menu. The drill works much the same way
as actual Blackjack play. You and the dealer will be dealt
hands. Press the key corresponding to the action you be-
lieve should be taken. If you make a wrong play you will
hear a short beep and the correct action will be displayed
above your hand.
Drill Definition
The drill definition box is displayed in the upper right of
the screen. You can change the configuration (and therefor
the strategy needed) by pressing the indicated [F] keys.
Definition selections become effective with the next hand.
[F1] - Number of decks...(single or multi)
[F2] - Double down on...(any 2, 10-11, 9-10-11)
[F3] - Double down on splits...(yes, no)
[F4] - Surrender allowed...(yes, no)
[F5] - Use true count...(yes, no)
[F6] - Focus on...
ALL - all types of hands
SPLITS - only pairs are dealt
SOFT - all hands are ace combinations
UNDER 17 - only hands valued 16 or less are dealt
When "Use true count" is set to [yes] a true count value is
displayed above the players hand. Your play decision should
be based on the true count variations strategy table that
has been selected from the Setup BlackJack! menu.
Pressing [P] will toggle the Performance Box display which
shows the number of hands dealt, the number of correct plays
made, and your accuracy as a percentage. These totals can
be reset by pressing [F7].
Save Strategy Drill Setup:
Pressing [Ctrl][S] while in the Basic Strategy Drill saves
all of the options to disk. These will be the settings used
the next time you run the drill.
Card Counting
Why Count?
Accurate card counting allows you to have a picture of what
cards remain in the deck, and therefor an idea of the like-
lihood of the occurrence of certain hands. Note that I said
likelihood, it will NOT allow you to predict actual hands,
only the probability of hands. What good is this? If it is
known the remaining cards in the shoe are rich in tens and
Aces we know that more blackjacks and good standing hands
such as 19 or 20 will be dealt. Of course this holds true
for the dealer, but the dealer is not paid 3:2 for black-
jack, he cannot split pairs, and he must always hit his
"stiff" hands (12-16) with an increased probability of
breaking.
BlackJack! 18
Counting Basics
We will use the tried and true Plus/Minus counting system
first developed by Harvey Dubner in 1963. This system is
easy to learn and one of the most effective.
Each card in the deck is given one of 3 count values; either
-1, 0, or 1. Count values are assigned as follows:
Low Cards 2,3,4,5,6 +1
Middle Cards 7,8,9 0
High Cards 10,J,Q,K,Ace -1
Since the middle cards are valued 0, we only need concern
ourselves with the low and high ends of the deck. As each
card is played you add the count value to the running total
for that deck. When the running count total is high it
means that more low cards have been played than high. Note
that for counting to be effective you must be near the end
of the deck. In a 6 deck shoe a high count total after only
30 of 312 cards have been played is not a good indicator
since there are still too many cards remaining for accurate
prediction. You want to deploy your card count betting
strategy late in the shoe.
Simply put, the higher the card count, the bolder your bet-
ting should be. This is also a time when bending the basic
strategy rules is allowed. For example, the card count is
10 late in the shoe and you are dealt a pair of Jacks with
the dealer showing a 6. Basic strategy dictates always
standing on 20, but since we know there are many 10s and
Aces remaining it becomes our advantage to split this pair.
Another popular system, Hi-Opt I***, is as follows:
3,4,5,6 +1
Ace,2,7,8,9 0
10,J,Q,K -1
The 'True Count'
As an adjunct to the running count described above many
count systems employ what is known as a "true count". The
true count takes into account and makes allowances for the
number of cards remaining to be played. To obtain the true
count the running count is divided by the number of decks
remaining to be played. For example, in a 4 deck game a
running count of 9 occurs after 1 deck has been played. The
true count for this instance is only 3 (running count /
decks remaining, 9 / 3 = 3). When using the true count it
is not necessary to restrict betting and play adjustments to
late in the deck.
____________________
***The Hi-Opt I system is one of the simplest and most
powerful of the advanced methods. A full description is
found in "The World's Greatest Blackjack Book" by Lance
Humble and Carl Cooper, published by Doubleday (c)1987.
BlackJack! 19
The primary advantages of using the true count are the
variations to basic strategy. With an accurate true count
the basic strategy can be finely tuned to give the player
the optimum decision for all play situations based on the
cards remaining in the deck. Standard basic strategy is
based on the assumption that all hands are played from a
complete deck.
Insurance becomes a viable bet when keeping a true count.
When the true count indicates a deck rich in 10s (a non-10s
to 10s ration less than 2) insurance is a good bet.
Finally, don't even consider using card counting until you
can perfectly complete the Card Counting Drill at a rate of
about 30 seconds per 52 card deck.
Card Counting Practice
Sharpen your card counting ability. The drill will involve
all the cards in the shoe being displayed for a short period
of time. You should keep a running total of the count.
To increase the speed of the drill press the [+] key, to
slow the drill press the [-] key. A "speed bar" shows the
relative drill speed. The speed indicator will turn green
(color) or black (monochrome) when you have selected a rate
of approximately 30 seconds per deck or faster.
Card Counting Practice uses the currently active counting
system as selected from the Setup BlackJack! menu (see
ACTIVE SYSTEM for more details).
Count Drill setup:
Number of decks.
Press a number between 1 and 8 to chose the number of
decks in the shoe.
Auto or Manual deal.
If you wish to control the pace of the drill manually
it can be done. When manual deal is selected Press any
key to view the next card in the deck. Toggle keys
will activate the toggle and advance the cards. The
default response is Auto.
Single or Double deal.
If double deal is selected two cards will be dealt side
by side with each advance of the deck. This has been
added to better simulate the way cards are dealt under
actual playing conditions. The default response is
Single.
BlackJack! 20
Count Drill Options:
The following options act as toggles when their key is
pressed.
[H]elp: As an aid you can have the count value of
the current card displayed.
[S]tatus Box: Shows the current running and true count and
the number of cards that have been displayed.
[P]ause: The drill can be paused at any time. The
Status Box will be displayed during the pause.
[M]ute: Controls the card dealing sound.
[Q]uit: Terminates the drill.
Note that when using the Plus / Minus system the card count
at the end of the shoe will always be 0 since the 20 high
cards cancel out the 20 low cards. Other counting systems
may yield different results. See Counting Basics for more
information.
The drill ends with the following options
[R]epeat [O]ptions [Q]uit
Pressing [R] will restart the drill using the same options,
[O] will return you to the setup screen, [Q] of course
returns to the Main Menu.
Betting & Money Management
Along with mastering the strategies of Blackjack you also
need to have a money management plan. Nothing is worse than
losing your entire bankroll on the first day of a three day
junket. Your money management program should contain the
following important considerations.
Only play with money that you can afford to lose.
Losses should be considered a cost of entertainment.
Allocate a portion of your total stake for each day of
your stay. Do not borrow from tomorrow's funds and do
not add todays winnings or surpluses to tomorrow's
stake.
Establish a minimum and maximum bet size designed to
stretch your bankroll over the length of each playing
session.
There are many different betting strategies and schemes with
varying levels of complexity. The best are those based on
card counting. In lieu of a sophisticated system the method
covered here is my personal favorite. This is by no means
the only system available.
BlackJack! 21
It is based on a system know as Anti-Martingale and is de-
signed to take advantage of "hot" streaks and minimize
losses when faced with an unfriendly deck. It can be con-
sidered quite conservative.
This first decision that needs to be made is how much risk
capital you want to put into play for a particular session
at a table. Once an amount has been decided upon DO NOT
make any increases. This amount will be referred to as your
"opening stake". Your opening stake will influence your
table selection at the casino. The minimum bet allowed will
vary from table to table, if you have decided on an opening
stake of $100 you should seek out a table with a low minimum
bet such as $2 or $5. The obvious reason being that you
will be able to stay in the game longer than at a $25 table.
For the sake of this discussion we will use the term
"betting unit" to refer to the minimum amount you will
wager. Each session will begin by wagering one betting
unit. If that hand wins the bet remains at one unit. After
a second consecutive win increase to two betting units.
This is the only time that the bet will be doubled. All
subsequent increases will be in an amount equal to 1/2 the
amount just won.
In cases where a fraction of a betting unit would be in-
volved you should round down to the nearest whole unit. As
soon as a bet is lost return to betting one unit. Here is
an example session showing six consecutive winning hands and
the amount of winnings withheld from the previous hand.
Hand Bet Withheld
1 1 0
2 1 1
3 2 0
4 4 1
5 6 2
6 9 3
7 13 5
A loss at the seventh hand results in a net gain of 12 bet-
ting units. Amounts won as a result of splits or doubles
should NOT be included in the increased bet.
If you reach your personal maximum bet, stop there and con-
tinue play at that level until a loss.
There are many variations that can be derived from this sys-
tem. For example you can increase each bet by a fixed
amount rather than a percentage of the winnings.
Finally, you should only keep an amount equal to your origi-
nal stake on the table. In the above example, any funds
above $100 should be taken out of play. Any time that the
original stake has been lost play should be discontinued...
No matter how much of the casino's money you have won.
Disciplined play is a secret to success.
BlackJack! 22
Tournament Play
BlackJack! is capable of simulating tournament style play.
Tournaments are becoming a popular form of Blackjack play.
A large jackpot, generally based on a percentage of the
entry fees collected, is awarded the winner along with any
winnings accumulated during play. Tournaments are played in
rounds, with one or two players from each table advancing to
the next round. There are usually four rounds per
tournament. Rounds are played for either a fixed length of
time, or for a preset number of hands, usually 60. It is
important to note that players compete against each other
and not the casino. The winner of a round is the player
with the most money, even if it represents a loss from the
opening stake. All players 'buy in' to the tournament for a
preset amount, wins and losses do not carry over from round
to round. This gives all participants an equal chance at
the start of each round. Some tournaments offer eliminated
players the option of re-entry on the first round.
The 'buy in' for each round is typically $500 - $600 with a
minimum bet of $5 - $10 and a maximum allowed bet of $300.
To eliminate seat location advantages betting and play ro-
tate clockwise. Example: Hand #1, player 1 is the first to
bet, and the first to play. Hand #2, player 2 becomes the
first to bet and play, and player #1 becomes the last.
Tournament play often deviates from Basic Strategy. For
example when a player has a substantial lead it is prudent
not to split or double down no matter what the hand so as to
minimize the funds at risk. On the other hand a player may
be behind late in the game making it worth the risk to make
splits or doubles that are contrary to Basic Strategy.
A detailed description of tournament strategy and play is
beyond the scope of these instructions. For more infor-
mation consult the casino running the tournament and any of
the excellent books available on the subject.
To play tournament style press [T]ournament as the first
item during Casino Table Setup. BlackJack! supports auto-
mated opponents. Rounds consist of 60 hands. You can either
play a full 60 hand round or enter 'mid stream'. Specify
the number of hands remaining in the round during Casino
Table Setup. The skipped over hands will be automatically
played placing you in a realistic game situation. Example:
You wish to practice your play for the final 10 hands of the
round (often the most crucial). From the Casino Table Setup
you enter 10 for number of hands remaining. The computer
will automatically play 50 hands using a tournament style of
betting and play. At this point normal play will begin and
all current game statistics will be displayed. Prior to
placing bets all players' funds and relative funds (current
lead or deficit) are displayed along the bottom of the
screen as follows...
$475.00 $610.00 $535.00 <- current funds
-$135.00 $75.00 -$75.00 <- relative funds
BlackJack! 23
Appendixes
The Casinos
Following are the initial casino rule settings used in
BlackJack!. They can all be easily modified to suit your
particular needs.
Bally's Pepper- Caesar's
CASINO User Atlantic mill Las
City Reno Vegas
Number of Decks 6 6 1 2
Splitting Rules
Resplitting Allowed YES NO NO YES
Double Down on Splits YES YES YES YES
Hit Split Aces NO NO NO NO
Double Down Rules
Double Down On... ANY 2 ANY 2 10/11 ANY 2
Double Down on more
Than 2 Cards NO NO NO NO
Miscellaneous Rules
Insurance Offered YES YES YES YES
Surrender Allowed YES NO NO NO
Dealer Hits Soft 17 NO NO YES NO
Problems
Every attempt has been made to eliminate programming errors (bugs),
and to assure that the information presented is accurate and
correct. If you encounter ANY problems or inaccuracies please
contact Glencoe Computing and provide a thorough description of the
problem. My goal is your satisfaction.
This program is produced by a member of the Association of Share-
ware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the share-
ware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does
not provide technical support for members' products. Please write
to the ASP Ombudsman, 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49422 or send a
Compuserve message via easyplex - ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536
Strategy Tables
TABLE ONE
Multi-Deck, Double After Split, Double On Any Two Cards
Player's Hand Strategy For Dealer Up-Card
Simple Hands
5...8 Always Hit
9 Double on 3 - 6, Otherwise Hit
10 Double on 2 - 9, Otherwise Hit
11 Double on 2 -10, Otherwise Hit
12 Stand on 4 - 6, Otherwise Hit
13...16 Stand on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
17...21 Always Stand
Ace Combinations
A-2, A-3 Double on 5 - 6, Otherwise Hit
A-4, A-5 Double on 4 - 6, Otherwise Hit
A-6 Double on 3 - 6, Otherwise Hit
A-7 Double on 3 - 6, Hit 9, 10, Ace
Stand 2, 7, 8
A-8...A-10 Always Stand
Pairs
A-A Always Split
2-2, 3-3 Split on 2 - 7, Otherwise Hit
4-4 Split on 5 - 6, Otherwise Hit
5-5 Double on 2 - 9, Otherwise Hit
6-6 Split on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
7-7 Split on 2 - 7, Otherwise Hit
8-8 Always Split
9-9 Split on 2 - 6, 8, 9
Stand on 7, 10, Ace
10-10 Always Stand
TABLE TWO
Single-Deck, Double On 10 Or 11 Only
Player's Hand Strategy For Dealer Up-Card
Simple Hands
5...9 Always Hit
10 Double on 2 - 9, Otherwise Hit
11 Always Double
12 Stand on 4 - 6, Otherwise Hit
13...16 Stand on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
17...21 Always Stand
Ace Combinations
A-2...A-6 Always Hit
A-7 Stand on 2 - 8, Otherwise Hit
A-8...A-10 Always Stand
Pairs
A-A Always Split
2-2 Split on 3 - 7, Otherwise Hit
3-3 Split on 4 - 7, Otherwise Hit
4-4 Always Hit
5-5 Double on 2 - 9, Otherwise Hit
6-6 Split on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
7-7 Split on 2 - 7, Otherwise Hit
8-8 Always Split
9-9 Split on 2-6,8,9 Stand on 7,10,Ace
10-10 Always Stand
TABLE THREE
Single-Deck, Double After Split, Double On Any Two Cards
Player's Hand Strategy For Dealer Up-Card
Simple Hands
5...8(6-2) Always Hit
8 Double on 5 - 6, Otherwise Hit
9 Double on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
10 Double on 2 - 9, Otherwise Hit
11 Always Double
12 Stand on 4 - 6, Otherwise Hit
13, 14, 15, 16 Stand on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
17...21 Always Stand
Ace Combinations
A-2...A-5 Double on 4 - 6, Otherwise Hit
A-6 Double on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
A-7 Double on 3 - 6, Hit 9,10
Stand 2,7,8, Ace
A-8 Double on 6, Otherwise Hit
A-9, A-10 Always Stand
Pairs
A-A Always Split
2-2 Split on 3 - 7, Otherwise Hit
3-3 Split on 4 - 7, Otherwise Hit
4-4 Double on 5 - 6, Otherwise Hit
5-5 Double on 2 - 9, Otherwise Hit
6-6 Split on 2 - 6, Otherwise Hit
7-7 Split on 2 - 7, Otherwise Hit
8-8 Always Split
9-9 Split on 2-6,8,9 Stand on 7,10,Ace
10-10 Always Stand
TABLE FOUR
General Purpose Basic Strategy Table
Dealer -> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
5...8 H H H H H H H H H H
-------------------------------------------------
8(5-3) H H H B B H H H H H
-------------------------------------------------
S 9 B D D D D H H H H H
I -------------------------------------------------
M 10 D D D D D D D D H H
P -------------------------------------------------
L 11 D D D D D D D D D B
E -------------------------------------------------
12 H H S S S H H H H H
H -------------------------------------------------
A 13, 14 S S S S S H H H H H
N -------------------------------------------------
D 15 S S S S S H H H R H
S -------------------------------------------------
16 S S S S S H H H R R
-------------------------------------------------
17 & up S S S S S S S S S S
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A-2 H H B D D H H H H H
A -------------------------------------------------
C A-3 H H B D D H H H H H
E -------------------------------------------------
A-4, A-5 H H D D D H H H H H
C -------------------------------------------------
O A-6 B D D D D H H H H H
M -------------------------------------------------
B A-7 S D D D D S S H H H
O -------------------------------------------------
S A-8 S S S S B S S S S S
-------------------------------------------------
A-9, A-10 S S S S S S S S S S
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A-A, 8-8 T T T T T T T T T T
-------------------------------------------------
2-2, 3-3 P P T T T T H H H H
-------------------------------------------------
4-4 H H H L L H H H H H
P -------------------------------------------------
A 5-5 D D D D D D D D H H
I -------------------------------------------------
R 6-6 T* T T T T H H H H H
S -------------------------------------------------
7-7 T T T T T T H H R H
-------------------------------------------------
9-9 T T T T T S T T S S
-------------------------------------------------
10-10 S S S S S S S S S S
TABLE FIVE
True Count Variations To Basic Strategy Table
Dealer -> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
S 8 H H 5 3 2 H H H H H D
I ------------------------------------------------- B
M 9 1 0 -2 -4 -4 3 H H H H L
P -------------------------------------------------
L 10 B D D D D -6 -4 -1 5 4 D
E ------------------------------------------------- W
11 D D D D D D -5 -4 -3 1 N
Double if the true count is greater than or equal to the table value,
otherwise hit.
12 2 1 0 -1 -1 D D D D B
-------------------------------------------------
13 -1 -2 -3 -4 -4 H H H H H
H ------------------------------------------------- S
A 14 -3 -4 -5 S -6 H H H H H T
N ------------------------------------------------- A
D 15 -5 -6 S S S H H 6 3 H N
S ------------------------------------------------- D
16 S S S S S H 6 4 0 R
-------------------------------------------------
17 S S S S S S S S S -6
Stand if the true count greater than or equal to the table value, otherwise
hit.
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A-2 H 6 2 -1 -2 H H H H H
A -------------------------------------------------
C A-3 H 5 1 -2 -4 H H H H H D
E ------------------------------------------------- B
A-4 H 5 -1 -4 D H H H H H L
C -------------------------------------------------
O A-5 H 3 -1 -5 D H H H H H D
M ------------------------------------------------- W
B A-6 1 -2 -5 D D H H H H H N
O -------------------------------------------------
S A-7 1 -1 -5 S B S S H H H
-------------------------------------------------
A-8 6 4 3 1 1 S S S S S
-------------------------------------------------
A-9 S S 6 5 5 S S S S S
Double if the true count is greater than or equal to the table value,
otherwise use Basic Strategy substituting Hit for Double Down.
TABLE FIVE (cont)
(Without DD after split)
Dealer -> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A-A T T T T T T T T T -4
-------------------------------------------------
2-2, 6 1 -3 -6 T T H H H H
-------------------------------------------------
3-3 H 4 0 -2 T T H H H H
-------------------------------------------------
4-4 H H H L L H H H H H
P ------------------------------------------------- S
A 5-5 D D D D D D D D H H P
I ------------------------------------------------- L
R 6-6 2 0 -1 -4 -5 H H H H H I
S ------------------------------------------------- T
7-7 T T T T T T H H R H
-------------------------------------------------
8-8 T T T T T T T T T T
-------------------------------------------------
9-9 -1 -2 -3 -5 -3 6 T T S S
-------------------------------------------------
10-10 S S 6 4 4 S S S S S
(With DD after split)
Dealer -> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A-A T T T T T T T T T -4
-------------------------------------------------
2-2, -4 -5 T T T T H H H H
-------------------------------------------------
3-3 -2 -6 T T T T H H H H
-------------------------------------------------
4-4 H H 3 1 0 H H H H H
P ------------------------------------------------- S
A 5-5 D D D D D D D D H H P
I ------------------------------------------------- L
R 6-6 -1 -3 -4 -6 T H H H H H I
S ------------------------------------------------- T
7-7 T T T T T T 1 H R H
-------------------------------------------------
8-8 T T T T T T T T T T
-------------------------------------------------
9-9 -2 -3 -5 -6 -5 3 T T S 4
-------------------------------------------------
10-10 S S 6 4 4 S S S S S
Split if true count greater than or equal table value, otherwise do not
split and follow standard basic strategy for non pairs of same hand value.
Matrix Codes:
H Hit
S Stand
T Split
D Double if allowed, otherwise hit
B Double if allowed & single deck, otherwise hit
R Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit
P Split if DD after split is allowed, otherwise hit
L Split if DD after split, double if single deck,
otherwise hit
* Hit if no DD after split
OK, admittedly this last table is a bit complex, but it will
cover just about any set of house rules that you may encounter.
With this data you can construct your own Basic Strategy Table
for your favorite form of the game.
True Count Variations:
Table five represents a starting point for true count variations and
is provided primarily as an example. This table is the BlackJack!
default. Registered users gain the ability to define and modify a
user table to suit the particular counting system you are using. It
can be selected as the active system and is used in Casino Play and
the Basic Strategy Drill.
More Information:
An excellent source of information on the game of Blackjack is...
Gambler's Book Club
630 South 11th Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
1-800-634-6243
Also available from Glencoe Computing:
GET LUCKY! = The Adult Entertainment Package =
$24.99
Trivia & Poker presented with a risque' flavor, plus The Poker
Machine, a Las Vegas style poker machine simulation. Requires 2
diskette drives or a hard disk, CGA or EGA video.
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