I recently stumbled across a site by a guy named—evidently—Anand Natrajan (http://www.anandnatrajan.com). I found it pretty amusing. Some excerpts:
A Blackjack Strategy Guide for Logicians
This page is an attempt at explaining how to win at Blackjack, a popular casino game. I have played Blackjack, and both won and lost. This FAQ explains what I did or didn't do when I won. Read this FAQ if you are decent at logic, i.e., you are a computer programmer, a mathematician, or just someone who can keep an algorithm straight in his/her head.
Here, I will present the optimal strategy in a manner that will be digestible easily for a logician, or someone trying to evaluate his/her next move by solving a Boolean equation.
Las Vegas Strip rules. According to these rules:
Multiple (six to eight) packs of cards must be used. As such, card counting becomes impossible.
Players get two open cards initially, and dealer gets one open and one closed card.
Splitting: You can do so when it's your turn, and your hand consists of a pair, i.e., (2, 2) or (A, A) or (J, J). Although 10, J, Q, K are each an X, a hand like (K, Q) is not considered as a pair, therefore is ineligible for splitting.
Surrender: Never. Scared money never wins apparently.
I usually play just the minimums, although if I have had a good run, I might occasionally double the bet. [He prefers the $5 tables, and reveals that he considers his bankroll—$100—a "fortune."]
Avoid tables that are frequented by loud teenagers, inebriated amateurs or reckless betters. These denizens can only hurt your chances by playing the probabilities incorrectly or hustling you. Instead, choose a table frequented by middle-aged guys who look like they're on business. Typically, these guys are all playing to the optimal strategy, which results in least losses to all of you.
Even more importantly, I like a table that has an open spot as far to the right of the dealer as possible? Why? The more you sit to the right of the dealer, the later you get your cards, but the longer you have to decide your move (even if it means regurgitating the optimal strategy).
Insurance: Never. The odds are poor unless you're counting cards, which is not just illegal, but impossible the way cards are shuffled these days.
A Blackjack Strategy Guide for Logicians
This page is an attempt at explaining how to win at Blackjack, a popular casino game. I have played Blackjack, and both won and lost. This FAQ explains what I did or didn't do when I won. Read this FAQ if you are decent at logic, i.e., you are a computer programmer, a mathematician, or just someone who can keep an algorithm straight in his/her head.
Here, I will present the optimal strategy in a manner that will be digestible easily for a logician, or someone trying to evaluate his/her next move by solving a Boolean equation.
Las Vegas Strip rules. According to these rules:
Multiple (six to eight) packs of cards must be used. As such, card counting becomes impossible.
Players get two open cards initially, and dealer gets one open and one closed card.
Splitting: You can do so when it's your turn, and your hand consists of a pair, i.e., (2, 2) or (A, A) or (J, J). Although 10, J, Q, K are each an X, a hand like (K, Q) is not considered as a pair, therefore is ineligible for splitting.
Surrender: Never. Scared money never wins apparently.
I usually play just the minimums, although if I have had a good run, I might occasionally double the bet. [He prefers the $5 tables, and reveals that he considers his bankroll—$100—a "fortune."]
Avoid tables that are frequented by loud teenagers, inebriated amateurs or reckless betters. These denizens can only hurt your chances by playing the probabilities incorrectly or hustling you. Instead, choose a table frequented by middle-aged guys who look like they're on business. Typically, these guys are all playing to the optimal strategy, which results in least losses to all of you.
Even more importantly, I like a table that has an open spot as far to the right of the dealer as possible? Why? The more you sit to the right of the dealer, the later you get your cards, but the longer you have to decide your move (even if it means regurgitating the optimal strategy).
Insurance: Never. The odds are poor unless you're counting cards, which is not just illegal, but impossible the way cards are shuffled these days.
