A Conversation for Blackjack - The Card Game

Peer Review: A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 1

Mu Beta

Entry: Blackjack - The Card Game - A993602
Author: Master B - A fully fledged Luddite (U227484). Come and Support the h2g2 Football Team @ A991578 - U190397

From an abandoned Uni Project.

Any comments?

B


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 2

Pongo

Excellent entry!

smiley - cheers Pongo


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 3

Azara

Great entry, Master B!

There was one point I didn't understand:
You said, about splitting
'However, in Britain (and increasingly in the US), it is now forbidden to split fours, fives or tens. Why?'
Who gains more in general from this kind of splitting, the player or the casino? Is it forbidden because the casino don't want to lose more money?

I spotted a couple of typos:
In the middle card counting paragraph:
'consdier taking insurance' should be 'consider'
and in the last paragraph:
'It is, of course, curteous to ask the player if they mind' should be 'courteous'.

smiley - cheers
Azara
smiley - rose


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 4

Mu Beta

Simple, really.

Two Fours = 8. If the next card is a 10 (probable), then you have an 18, which is a good hand.

Similarly with two Fives. And two tens is 20, which you'd be daft to split up. This benefits the player more than the casino, which is quite unusual in itself.

Typos addressed.smiley - ok

B


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 5

Mu Beta

smiley - doh Shows how long it is since I read my own entry. Ignore most of the above.

B


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 6

Skittler

Just a few hopefully helpful comments. Sorry if these sound too critical.

1) It may be worth mentioning that some casinos:
a) do not allow doubling of either hand after splitting;
b) do not allow further draws to either hand when Aces are split (apart from the one card you get given anyway);
c) have differing rules about whether the dealer must stick on Soft 17.

2) An interesting point to mention is that British casinos do not permit tipping of the dealer, whereas US casinos allow it.

3) I wouldn't mention much in the analysis section. Probably just refer out to some information elsewhere. I'm no expert, but if the dealer has 7 or 8, you shouldn't stick on 14 or 15. Similarly, if the dealer has a 9 or 10, you shouldn't stick on 16 (hard to believe, but true). Tum te tum, just done a quick search, look here: http://casinogambling.about.com/library/blbjmstrat.htm?PM=ss12_casinogambling


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 7

There is only one thing worse than being Gosho, and that is not being Gosho

Real nice entry Master B smiley - smiley And it'll be a safe bet (smiley - winkeye) for Editor's pick once all the technicalities are sorted out smiley - ok


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 8

Mu Beta

Skittler - some changes made. Thanks a bunch smiley - ok

Gosho - well, you'd think, wouldn't you? But I've written so many entries that I thought would be Editor's choice (vanity? Moi?smiley - winkeye), but only one has ever made it...smiley - sadface

B


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 9

Jimi X

smiley - cheers

Looks quite nice to me...

- Jimi X


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 10

Mu Beta

Only _quite_ nice?smiley - wah

smiley - winkeye

B


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 11

Friar

Nice entry!

I was looking to write something of the sort myself, but I see you've already done it!

A few minor points:

Mention in the basic points that all the players are playing against the dealer, not one another, not the entrie table. It's obvious to most, but not to all.

Also you might mention a few variations of the game (seen in US casinos at least):

1) The number of cards from which the dealers deals (one deck, and two deck - the player's card are both dealt face down; 5,6,7 deck shoes - which effect counting schemes; tables with continous shuffling decks - this is a new feature meant to disturb card counting, because the dealer is using an 'infinite' deck in which all 6 decks are suffled for each hand)

2) Face up - the dealers cards are both shown to the player, but there is no splitting, doubling and blackjack pays even money.

Anyway, great entry, your odds reporting is totally correct (of course) and your discussion of technique in both basic strategy and card counting is correct (and brief which is
nice).

On an interesting note:
there is a great book call 'Bringing down the House' which details the exploits of a group of MIT students who counted cards professionally for several years (making loads of money) before the casinos caught on to them. The book details their system and the danger they faced.

Friar


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 12

Mu Beta

Yeah - there was a TV documentary about it that I caught. Interesting stuff for sure.

I think I might leave the variations. They are comparatively rare, and certainyl never seen in European casinos.

B


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 13

Friar

Totally cool to leave the variations, but perhaps a mention of the importance of the number of decks involved in card counting ('true count' and all).

But even if you leave that out the etry is great.

Good work.


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 14

Mu Beta

That counting scheme works well for 4- and 6-deck shoes, both of which are common in UK casinos - I'll put in a note to that effect.

I've never seen one of these continual shuffling gizmoes. I can see why they'd be introduced, but they do seem to take an awful lot of personality out of the game, don't they?

B


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 15

Friar

Actually, I suppose they're really nice for everyone except card counters. The game flows without stopping to deal (as the dealing gets done continuously). The dealer just deals from the suffler instead of from the shoe, so there is very little difference. Plus the house gets to keep playing all the time instead of taking a 2 minute break every 15 minutes.

But I hate them. They're kinda spooky. I'm not a very good counter, but my friend is outstanding. We like to play 2-deck (also called 'pitch') because of the better counting opportunities. Very few houses have these, and at casinos with the sufflers on the 6 deck tables we're totally stuck.

Friar


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 16

Gnomon - time to move on

Hi Master B!

You dismiss 'five card trick' as something for children's games, but my understanding is that is a feature of 'Pontoon' but not of 'Blackjack'.

I have seen an American gentleman playing pontoon in an Irish casino (on board a ship) who was totally taken aback when he failed to win because the banker had got a five card trick. He'd never heard of such a hand.

I haven't played the game in casinos myself, so I can't tell whether this is standard in European casinos or just particular to this one.


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 17

DaRC (cook, cocktail maker, cyclist )

I've never called Pontoon Blackjack though.

Blackjack to me (and all the kids at my school - mind you that was a long time ago and might not be counted) is a game involving any number of players taking turns round the table, floor or whatever.

The reason it's called Blackjack is that if you put a Jack of Spades or Clubs down your unfortunate victim (the next player) has to pick up 7 cards. Unless they have a Black Jack, which makes their unfortunate victim pick up 14 cards, or a Red Jack which cancels it.
There are a whole load more rules, plus optional extras.

So don't come to Sussex, England calling Pontoon BlackJack smiley - winkeye


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 18

Friar

To anybody who's played in casinos in USA, Canada, or the Caribbean blackjack is exactly as it's described in the entry.

Also, if my reading of European gamblers is correct, they call the game blackjack as well.

Certainly, every house, college, and back room can call the game anything they like, and certainly there are other games of 'blackjack' out there, but every gambler and every gaming book I've encountered is consistent with this article.

Of course, the game is often referred to as '21' or 'Blackjack 21', but as I've mentioned, calling the game blackjack seems appropriate to me.

that's only in my experience tho',

Friar


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 19

Sam

Can this go in yet, dear people? smiley - smiley


A993602 - Blackjack - The Card Game

Post 20

Gnomon - time to move on

I'd like to see the author (Master B) reply to my comment abouth the five card trick before this gets picked. But he doesn't seem to be around today.


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