Here are all the comments posted on the site, with the most recent discussions listed first. To participate in any of these discussions, you can reply on the article page.
Hi Ken, I just purchased your advanced card pack. Very nice quality and I love the “stealth” versions (after I actually *read* your instructions I figured out the dots. ๐ Two questions:
1. I haven’t tried them in a casino yet. Do you know if they frown upon the “stealth” versions, i.e. are they going to disallow them and force me to use the casino versions without any of your “hints”? ( Maybe I just have to give it a try and report back.)
2. on the back of the cards, in the key, for “D” it says “Double (else ” Is that a typo? Did I get a bad batch? What does it mean? The “DS” says “Double (else stand)” which I understand. Is there a word missing after the “else” in “D”? Thanks again.
I have had no reports of trouble using the stealth version in the casino so far. I will be interested to hear your experiences.
And yes, when preparing the card design I made a last minute font size change that caused the printing omission you describe. Doh! The key for “D” should say “Double (else hit)”. Thanks for reminding me about that so I can be sure to fix it before the next reprint. Noted.
This page shows W/L/P percentages for when you double down on a hand, even when common sense shows that it would be foolish on many hands. Doubling down on blackjack is an example of that. It’s a sure winner, 100%, if you stand. But when you double your bet and draw another card, now you can win, lose, or push. I originally created this data because it can be very useful in tournament situations. Generally, it’s not useful to normal blackjack players, other than to get a feel for how the game behaves.
The Vegas Strip is becoming a tough place for lower limit players to play. 3:2 is alive and well, but you will likely need to either increase your bankroll for the higher limits, or look downtown instead.
That’s a popular question. If you play with a substantially smaller amount of money, the chances are quite high that you will run into a losing streak that will tap you out. Does that mean you shouldn’t play? Well, it depends on your tolerance for that happening. In truth, your “bankroll” is probably much higher than the actual cash you have on hand today, because you are likely willing to go back to your normal income and build up another starting bankroll if needed. Still, consider carefully how you would handle losing your entire bank. If that would be difficult to accept, you should probably wait until you have more money to begin. If you choose to play, hopefully you’ll experience some early good luck and build your bank to a reasonable level by chance. If not, back to the drawing board. ๐
Hi Ken: Didn’t your web site have a link to a page that had a very long list of different rules and their overall effect, for example 5 cards automatically wins, double on any 3, etc? I remember the link said “i have more rules here”. It was a cool list.
I don’t think that existed here at my site, unless it was part of the message forums, now the Knowledge Base. My resource for this type of information has usually been Stanford Wong’s book “Basic Blackjack”. Despite the title, it covered many unusual rule variations. “5 Card Charlie” is rare but valuable if you ever see it, adding almost 1.5% to the game. For more typical rule variations, here’s a link to an archived page from an old favorite site: http://web.archive.org/web/20050408034011/http://www.bjmath.com:80/bjmath/conseq/rules.htm
Yes, tipping the dealer is common. Just be aware of how much you are tipping over the course of an hour, and don’t let it get out of hand. If a dealer is pleasant, I like to tip a small amount on the hand after I get blackjack, but even then I skip some hands.
Sorry, I don’t have a good answer for that. Perhaps you could estimate it by calculating the PE without the Ace included (prorate the other indexes to make it still balanced), and then do the BE with the Ace included. I have never used Ace side counts, as I found them difficult to implement accurately for the relatively small gain. As a result, I have always used counts with the Ace included (either Hi-Lo or Halves, depending on the game.)
Hi Ken,
I just purchased your advanced card pack. Very nice quality and I love the “stealth” versions (after I actually *read* your instructions I figured out the dots. ๐ Two questions:
1. I haven’t tried them in a casino yet. Do you know if they frown upon the “stealth” versions, i.e. are they going to disallow them and force me to use the casino versions without any of your “hints”? ( Maybe I just have to give it a try and report back.)
2. on the back of the cards, in the key, for “D” it says “Double (else ” Is that a typo? Did I get a bad batch? What does it mean? The “DS” says “Double (else stand)” which I understand. Is there a word missing after the “else” in “D”? Thanks again.
I have had no reports of trouble using the stealth version in the casino so far. I will be interested to hear your experiences.
And yes, when preparing the card design I made a last minute font size change that caused the printing omission you describe. Doh!
The key for “D” should say “Double (else hit)”. Thanks for reminding me about that so I can be sure to fix it before the next reprint. Noted.
thanks for your help this is a great site well done for making it
Thanks for visiting, and good luck on the tables!
I don’t understand your %’s for A,T. Shouldn’t it be 100% if the dealer already peaked and doesn’t have 21? Am I missing something?
This page shows W/L/P percentages for when you double down on a hand, even when common sense shows that it would be foolish on many hands.
Doubling down on blackjack is an example of that. It’s a sure winner, 100%, if you stand. But when you double your bet and draw another card, now you can win, lose, or push.
I originally created this data because it can be very useful in tournament situations. Generally, it’s not useful to normal blackjack players, other than to get a feel for how the game behaves.
The Monte Carlo had one DD table that was 3:2. Unfortunately it was $25 min ๐
Is 3:2 on the verge of extinction?
The Vegas Strip is becoming a tough place for lower limit players to play. 3:2 is alive and well, but you will likely need to either increase your bankroll for the higher limits, or look downtown instead.
Hello Ken
One question : If I do not have that large amount of money in my bankroll should not play??
That’s a popular question. If you play with a substantially smaller amount of money, the chances are quite high that you will run into a losing streak that will tap you out. Does that mean you shouldn’t play? Well, it depends on your tolerance for that happening. In truth, your “bankroll” is probably much higher than the actual cash you have on hand today, because you are likely willing to go back to your normal income and build up another starting bankroll if needed. Still, consider carefully how you would handle losing your entire bank. If that would be difficult to accept, you should probably wait until you have more money to begin.
If you choose to play, hopefully you’ll experience some early good luck and build your bank to a reasonable level by chance. If not, back to the drawing board. ๐
Hi Ken:
Didn’t your web site have a link to a page that had a very long list of different rules and their overall effect, for example 5 cards automatically wins, double on any 3, etc? I remember the link said “i have more rules here”. It was a cool list.
Just wondering
Cheers!
I don’t think that existed here at my site, unless it was part of the message forums, now the Knowledge Base.
My resource for this type of information has usually been Stanford Wong’s book “Basic Blackjack”. Despite the title, it covered many unusual rule variations.
“5 Card Charlie” is rare but valuable if you ever see it, adding almost 1.5% to the game.
For more typical rule variations, here’s a link to an archived page from an old favorite site:
http://web.archive.org/web/20050408034011/http://www.bjmath.com:80/bjmath/conseq/rules.htm
I played there last week for 12 hours straight before being pulled up … If TableEye is still in play it can’t be that good?
Tipping the dealer.
common etiquette?
Yes, tipping the dealer is common. Just be aware of how much you are tipping over the course of an hour, and don’t let it get out of hand. If a dealer is pleasant, I like to tip a small amount on the hand after I get blackjack, but even then I skip some hands.
How would I calculate a side count of aces effect?
Sorry, I don’t have a good answer for that. Perhaps you could estimate it by calculating the PE without the Ace included (prorate the other indexes to make it still balanced), and then do the BE with the Ace included. I have never used Ace side counts, as I found them difficult to implement accurately for the relatively small gain. As a result, I have always used counts with the Ace included (either Hi-Lo or Halves, depending on the game.)
I do not know what other people do, but for a side count I simply insert a letter in front of the running count in my head.
A-20, A-19, A-21 ect.
Strangely it works.
Thank you for the answer I am learning but know so little.
The more I read the less I know.
You are deluded by your limited sampling of results.
Thanks for the help