Recent content by gronbog

Not all casinos nor all players will allow you to do this. Misunderstandings about what happens when the bet wins or loses along with outright reneging on the "agreement" can be problematic. Once again make things very clear with the other player. Make it seem like you are "helping" them to make...

Thanks to Don S for pointing out to me privately that this is not true. What I meant to say is that, by doubling for less, your EV may become worse than that of hitting.

Double for less is only correct basic strategy when you can't hit or in games with re-doubling allowed. In a regular game, it is never correct basic strategy or correct index strategy to double for less, but people do it because they are afraid to double for the full amount. It is possible to...

For straight counting, the main technical reasons to spread to 2 (or more) spots at the upper level (i.e. when the count is favorable) are: There are other players at the table and you want more of the "good" cards for yourself. You want to bet more than the table limit. Other than that, there...

As for a little logic, most of the value of showing an ace comes from the possibility of having a blackjack. At the point where you are making this decision you know that the dealer does not have a blackjack. His hand, while still strong has been de-fanged somewhat.

It's understandable that sometimes players want to have some sort of logic for making a play. Sometimes, it can be difficult to come up with an explanation for why a given play makes sense. This may be one of those plays. If you have BJA3 and THLCCS, then you already know that this play is one...

Thanks for buying the book. I'm glad you have found it helpful!

Starting with Hi-Lo and changing the ace to be -2, as suggested above, is the Secret Monkey Count for S17 Spanish 21. It may not be all that secret anymore. I do have indices for 8 deck games, but not sure whether it would be ok to share them. The author is Automatic Monkey who used to post here...

He's talking about the index strategy. Obviously, BS for Spanish differs than BS for regular blackjack, but BS has nothing to do with count tags.

Just emphasize my point, our book goes well beyond the I18, Fab4 (surrender) and Catch 22 all the way to the Nifty 50 (Play-all) and Sporty 40 (Back-count). We did 6D and double deck games, but no single deck.

CVCX is a great tool for answering questions like this, especially since the answer depends on the exact rules and conditions you are interested in. Another good resource for this (if I do say so myself) is "The Hi-Lo Card Counting System: A Complete Guide to Index Play" by Don Schlesinger and...

Most serious players use simulation software like CVCX to analyse the game and generate a betting ramp based on the size of their bankroll and their risk tolerance. The resulting ramp is based on betting some fraction of the optimal risk adjusted bets according to the Kelly Criterion. This all...

According to "The Pros Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon" by Katarina Walker, page 13, the answer is "yes". The 3 to 1 bonus for spaded 777 should also be paid. However, although the game rules are patented, this may not be honored at every casino. I would ask before the situation arises.

Thanks for getting it fixed!

OK, so I do have it set, but am not receiving the emails.