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    Playing Perfect BlackJack and Card Counting eBook

    Contents1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... .......... 22 Blackjack Rules ............................................................................................................................... ...... 3

    2.1 The Basics ............................................................................................................................... ....... 32.2 The Options ................................................................................................................................... 32.3 The Outcomes ............................................................................................................................... 43 Perfect Blackjack Strategy .................................................................................................................... 54 Card Counting ............................................................................................................................... ....... 64.1 How & Why it Works ..................................................................................................................... 64.2 The Hi-Low System ........................................................................................................................ 74.3 Learning to Count.......................................................................................................................... 84.4 Converting to True Count ........................................................................................................... 114.5 Betting Strategy .......................................................................................................................... 135 Card Counting at an Online Casino .................................................................................................... 145.1 Where Online .............................................................................................................................. 146 Card Counting at a Land Based Casino............................................................................................... 166.1 Overcoming Casino Distractions ................................................................................................. 166.2 Getting Started at a Land Based Casino ...................................................................................... 176.3 Bet Spreads at a Land Based Casino ........................................................................................... 177 In Short ............................................................................................................................... ................ 188 Suggested Reading List....................................................................................................................... 18

    1

    1 IntroductionPassionate about improving your Blackjack skills? This eBook provides you withstep by step instructions that will teach you to count cards, apply perfectstrategy and ultimately become an expert at Blackjack. We cover the following:Blackjack Rules

    Before you get started you need to understand the basic rules of the game.Blackjack Strategy

    A comprehensive matrix tells you how to play every hand youre dealt inorder to maximise your odds of winning.

    Card Counting To get a statistical advantage over the casino, you need to know how tocount cards. We cover one of the easiest systems to learn.Land Based Casinos

    Although card counting is perfectly legal, most land based casinos frown uponit IF they catch you at it. We provide you with tips on how to card count in areal casino environment.

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    Online Casinos

    Online casinos prove to be the best place to practice your card countingskills as they are more tolerant of this practice, offer better odds andpromise great sign up bonuses.

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    2 Blackjack Rules

    2.1 The Basics

    The objective of the game is easy.The total of your cards must be closer to a

    total of 21 than the dealers cards but without exceeding a total of 21.

    How does a Blackjack game work? You are dealt two cards and the dealer one, with that card face up. Thedealer can also be dealt two cards, but one will always show. All picture cards (jack, queen & king) have a value of ten whereas aceshave a value of either one or eleven. Once dealing is complete, you must play your hand and choose your

    strategy.

    2.2 The Options

    While playing Blackjack youll have a number of playing options:Hit

    You can choose to be dealt another card.

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    Stand

    When youre happy with your cards and do not want another oneyou stand. Your hand is over and the dealer plays his hand.Split

    If your first two cards have the same point value (for example two

    fives, two jacks, or two aces) you may split the cards and play them asseparate hands. This doubles your bet.Double down

    If you choose to double your wager youll be dealt just one morecard.Insurance

    If the dealers up card is an ace, you are offered insurance againstthe dealer having a Blackjack. We never take insurance.

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    2.3 The Outcomes

    During a game of Blackjack there are various possible outcomes:

    Stiff

    The dealer has to keep drawing cards if his hand totals 16 or less he muststand if his hand draws 17 or above. When the dealer has a 12, 13, 14, 15 or16 total on his first two cards this is known as beingstiff. Its a bad position

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    for the dealer to be in, as you, the player, can stand any time you wish and canwin a hand with a very low total, by having the dealer bust.Win

    Once the dealer has completed his hand and drawn enough cards to take himabove 16, you review your hand relative to his. Whoever is closer to 21without going over, will

    win.

    Bust

    If you draw cards and go over 21, you have"bust"

    and you lose the hand.Blackjack

    If you win the hand, you are paid at even money for example if you bet $1you are returned $2. If you have a"Blackjack"

    (an ace and a ten or face card)and beat the dealer you are paid at 1.5/1. So if you bet $1 your return wouldbe $2.50.Push

    If your hand is equal to the dealer's hand it is called a "push".Both players tie and your stake is returned to you.

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    3 Perfect Blackjack Strategy

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    Use the matrix below toperfect your Blackjack game

    . This will help you plan your move for every possible combination of hands between youand the dealer.The following abbreviations apply:

    Hit (H), Stand (S), Double (D) & Split (SP)

    Dealer's Up Card

    Your Hand

    2345678910A5,6,7,8 H H H H H H H H H H9H D D D D H H H H H10 D D D D D D D D H H11 D D D D D D D D H H12 H H S S S H H H H H13,14 S S S S S H H H H H

    15,16 S S S S S H H H H H17,18,19,20,21 S S S S S S S S S SA+2, A+3 H H H D D H H H H HA+4, A+5 H H D D D H H H H HA+6 H D D D D H H H H HA+7 S D D D D S S H H HA+8, A+9 S S S S S S S S S SA+A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP2+2, 3+3 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H4+4 H H H SP SP H H H H H5+5 D D D D D D D D H H

    6+6 SP SP SP SP SP H H H H H7+7 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H8+8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP9+9

    SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SS10+10 SSSSSSSSSS

    This strategy sheet is the result of much mathematical analysis and featured bysome casinos on their web sites. Its been proven that it works.

    4 Card Counting4.1 How & Why it Works

    Understanding the concept of card counting is the first step towards masteringthe skill. You need to know the following:Low cards will favor the dealer in Blackjack, while high cards will favour the

    player.

    The low cards favor the dealer as they help him to make winning totalson his hands when he is

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    stiff

    , (i.e. he has a 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 total onhis first two cards). As a player, you can stand on your stiffs if you want to, but the dealercant.Here is your odds advantage.

    The rules of Blackjack require the dealer to hit his stiffs.If the deck is

    rich in high cards, the dealer will bust

    . If you know when the deck is richin high cards, youll know when to increase your stakes and takeadvantage of having the odds slightly in your favour.The only way to know whether the deck is rich in high cards is to card count

    4.2 The Hi-Low System

    There are different card counting methods to choose from. The Hi-Low Systemisone of the easiest to master

    , but that doesnt mean its less effective thanthe more complicated techniques. Its important to note that a simple cardcounting system executed without errors, is always far better than acomplicated one with errors.With practice, you can become an expert at the Hi-Low System asit requires a simple balanced count. It is perhaps the most widely used system

    in casino Blackjack.

    Why not study the following sections of this eBook and then test your newlyacquired skills at one of the following online casinos?

    4.3 Learning to Count

    Evaluate Each Card

    When using the High-Low System you have to assign values to the cards:2-6

    are valued at +1 while 10s and Aces are counted as -1

    . Note that there are the

    same amount of cards in each group: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10, J, Q, K, A.The7, 8 & 9 are neutral

    in this count and its best to train your eye to not evensee these for counting purposes. If the low cards are good for the dealer whyare they counted as plus value you may ask? Its simple. When you se e a lowcard come out of the deck, the ratio of high to low cards remaining haschanged slightly in your favor.

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    Score

    +1 0 -1

    Card Value

    2-6 7-9 10-A

    Keep the CountStart with a deck of cards, flip them over one at a time and keep the runningcount. For example, if they come out in the following order: 8, K, 3, 3, 6, 2, 7, A,you count 0, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +3, +2. Keep practicing like this.

    At the end of the deck your count should come to "0".

    Card Value Score Running score

    8

    0 0K

    -1 -13

    1 03

    1 1

    61 22

    1 37

    0 3-1 2A

    8

    Rule of Thumb:

    The higher the running score, the more high cards are left in the deck and themore the deck is moving in your favor therefore the higher your bets should be. The lower the running score, the more low cards are left in the deck and themore its moving against you as it becomes easier for the dealer to not bust,despite being stiff.

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    Testing Yourself

    Good news! You can now practice your card counting skills by yourself. Try pulling a card out of the deck face down. Set it aside. After running the deck,"guess" what the remaining card is. Your validation will come when you say, "Ithas to be a ten or an ace," and then flipping it over to find yourself correct.

    Card Counting with Blackjack Online

    Once you have some proficiency keeping a running count through a singledeck, its time to get some real practice by playing in an actual game. Yourelikely to find this a little harder as you have to apply the Perfect Play Strategyas well as having to count cards. Having money riding on the outcome ofcourse adds to the pressure.

    General Tips

    some people advocate waiting until the second card is

    In a face-up shoe gamedealt to each hand and counting the hands as whole units, as often a hand willcancel itself out, i.e. 10-6, or two consecutive hands will: K, 10 - 3, 5. Otherfolks insist its easier to count the cards as each one comes out. Try bothmethods and find what works best for you.its a little different. Count your cards and the dealers up card

    In a pitch game first, then all exposed cards from hits, splits, doubles, and busts as theyhappen. Next count the dealers hole card and subsequent hits. As the dealerexposes the remaining hole cards one hand at a time a quick glance shouldsuffice to carry the count forward.

    Practice for the game you intend to play but dont neglect the other yourfavorite game might not be playable because of crowds, bad rules, etc.

    Where to Play

    Look to play at a game with low stakes or with a good sign on bonus, so that you can achieve as much practice for as little cost as possible. The followingcasinos offer great sign up offers which will allow you to practice Perfect Playwhile practising card counting at the same time.

    4.4 Converting to True Count

    While the running count gives you an understanding of the true count, yourconfidence in this count can be diminished if there are still a large number ofcards that you havent yet seen. The fewer the cards left unseen the moreconfident you can be of the final value. The running count must therefore beconverted to a true count to be effective for betting and playing decisions.You divide the running count by the amount of decks left unseen. For

    How?

    instance, in a double deck game after the first hand you might have a running

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    count of +4. Since there are virtually two full decks remaining you divide thecount by 2, yielding a true of +2.Inmultiple-deck games

    well have to keep an eye on the discard tray toaccurately estimate how many decks are roughly remaining. So with two decks

    gone youd have four left (in a 6D game); dividing the above +4 by four decksgives you a true of +1. One trick here: practise glancing at the discard tray justbefore the completion of the hand, and see what your divisor is going to be forthe next hand. This will give you extra time to compute the true while thedealer is making payoffs and picking up cards.

    What happens when you have less than a single deck left?

    You simply divide by fractions. If you have three quarters of a deck left, you divide by threequarters.* For example; imagine the count is at 8 you simply divide 8 by which equals 10 (to divide by fractions simply invert and multiply for

    example to divide by simply multiply by 3/2).

    Therefore with a single deck: the true count is always more than the runningcount, both positive and negative, as we always have le ss than a full deckremaining. We can be lazy for betting purposes and use the running count asthe true count in a single deck game. Test your understanding of converting running count totrue count using the table below:

    True Count Practice Table

    Running Count No. of Decks Remaining True Count6 3 2

    -4 2 -2

    6 4 2

    -5 3 -2

    4 3 1

    -1 2 -1

    1 3 0

    -5

    2 -24

    2 2-7

    1 -54

    1 2-5

    3 -23

    1 2

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    -5

    2 -28

    3 2-3

    -6

    53

    -1

    -35

    20-4

    -5

    4.5 Betting Strategy

    When you can deal, play all hands correctly, count, convert to true count, pay

    off hands, and check the remaining deck for the count (and are correct on thecount) you are well on the way to be able to bet and win as a card counter.The betting strategy you adopt is very much dependent on the following:

    The environment that you are in The context in which you are betting Your appetite for riskBetween 70% and 90% of the player edge when counting cards comes from placing larger bets when the count is favourable to the player. The rest of theedge comes from changes to basic strategy based on the count. Bet increasesshould be proportional to the player advantage. What does this mean in

    practice?The higher the count, the more a player should bet on each han in order to take advantage ofthe player edge.

    The ideal scenario?

    You do not bet at all when the deck is against you and your bets increasegeometrically, as the count moves gradually and then decisively in your favourand vice versa when the count moves against you. However, unless you playbehind someone else on a land based casino (sometimes known as wonging)you wont get away with not making a bet. Typically you would work with aminimum bet of $1-$5 and gradually increase it as and when the deck moves in

    your favour to $20-$100 and then back down again if the deck moves againstyou.Realistically you will need a minimum bank roll 100 times the minimum bet, inorder to even attempt card counting and ideally your roll will be up to 1000times the minimum bet.

    5 Card Counting at an Online Casino

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    Now that you are ready to play, we recommend doing it online before headingoff to your nearest land based casino.In recent years many players have switched to playing purely online. The mainreasons for this being: Improved surveillance in land based casinos to eliminate card counting

    High minimum table limits that could have you running out of moneybefore you start realising a profit from your play Good sign up offers Significantly better overall odds across all gamesIn short, land based casinos face huge overheads, which online casinos do nothave to contend with. As they have to maintain their margins, any strategiesused to minimise those margins are rejected. Online casinos in turn aretolerant of legitimate tactics which reduce margins, as the incremental cost ofnew customer acquisition is so much higher for them. Some tournamentBlackjack games actively invite card counters to pitch their talent against otherplayers. These often include freeroll tournaments that wont cost you a cent to

    enter yet boast great payouts and prizes.

    5.1 Where Online

    Weve already established that safety, big sign up bonuses and a tolerance forcard counting are things to look out for when choosing an online casino. Belowwe have recommended a set of casinos that use theMicrogaming

    casino software platform. Microgaming are big enough to give you peace of mind, butnot too big, that they are too stingy with their free money bonuses!Also, their casinos are independently certified by

    eCOGRA regulatory body which translates into player peace of mind. In the unlikelyevent that should a casino contest a players winnings, eCogra, a completelyindependent authority will bring about a swift resolution which is absolutely binding on the casino. All of the casinos below are advertised as being card14 counting tolerant. The adverts fail to disclose that they dont really have achoice since card courting is completely legal as long as its unaided by anelectronic card counting device.

    6 Card Counting at a Land Based CasinoMost players are content to play Blackjack among friends or online. A real land based casino however still remains the ultimate environment for many. Onething to keep in mind is that unlike their online counterparts, land basedcasinos have very low tolerance for card counting. Theyre constantly on thelookout and will throw any player out if theyre caught practising this skill.Their minimum stakes are also much higher, therefore its advisable to get asmuch practice in online beforehand as possible.

    6.1 Overcoming Casino Distractions

    When playing online, youre in control of your environment. When playing at a

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    land based casino, youre at the mercy of others and have to overcomedistractions. Cocktail waitresses will be constantly interrupting, dealers getchatty, players get obnoxious, slot bells are ringing, the craps table goesberserk, etc.You can train yourself to deal with discord. Begin with a radio playing nearbyand continue dealing out multiple hands, playing and paying, until you are

    exactly on the count every time. Then add a television along with the radio. Ifyou happen to have a couple of small children nearby this is even better. Keeppractising. When none of the above disrupts your counting ability and accuracyyoure ready for the next step: talking.You can hold a conversation and count simultaneously.

    individualistic methods for "holding" the count while carrying on an in-depthconversation others are fortunate enough to be able to put the count in anarea of the brain where they can retrieve it instantly. Some folks place xnumbe r of fingertips on their thigh under the table, some employ knuckle joints on top of the table, some use chips to indicate the count. However youaccomplish it, you must remember the count! It might take 20 hours of having

    a friend deal multiple hands to you while chatting away.

    6.2 Getting Started at a Land Based Casino

    Youre almost ready to hit the tables, butyou still need an act.Why? You want to use everything you can to distract the house from seeing your bets goup and down with the count. You want to look like the "gamblers" at your table.The best way to do this is to study them, to emulate their language, theirsuperstitions, their body language and more. Develop your act and make itreal. To make your persona believable, you need to already assume it whenyou leave your room not only when you get to the table. Know that youre ashower salesman or a tourist from wherever in town on business or pleasure.This will help you avoid any uncomfortable moments when someone asks youa question. If you have to think of an answer, you could lose your count orworse, be uncovered. The importance of your cover act is also directly proportional to the size of your wagering unit: the higher the unit the morecover needed.Its important not to reveal that you know anything about Blackjack.Also dress to fit your act. You have to look the part and not give reason forsuspicion. A dentist on holiday wont wear a three-piece suit, but an attorney

    attending a convention might.How do you know when youve cracked it? Youll be able to do all of the abovewhile speaking to a pit boss about good restaurants.

    6.3 Bet Spreads at a Land Based Casino

    Always watch your bet range, or spread. Even though everythingmathematical might tell you to jump your bet from say $5 to $100, this is thesurest way to get unwanted attention in the least and outright barring at theextreme. In order to survive you have to

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    limit your spreads.The pits are definitely not stupid and basically know how counting works.In pitch games this usually translates into spreading about 1-5 units; in shoegames you can get away with much larger spreads, say 1-8 or even two handsat 6 each. Generally counters step their bets up with the count: 1 unit atnegative or 0, then incrementally up with the count.

    7 In ShortLike all great games, Blackjack at its heart is a simple game.It takes moments to learn, but a lifetime to master

    . Hopefully this guide will take you a hugestep forward in playing Blackjack the way that the professionals do and with a bit of practice and played correctly, give you that extra edge to help youconsistently win over the long term against the casino!Nothing presented here should be a surprise or counter to your common senseof what makes a good Blackjack strategy. Most importantly, make sure you

    dont give up, have some patience and perseverance and have lots of fun asyou practise!

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