If (as you've done) you assume the same EV percenatges, unadjusted for the +4 TC, then the loss from standing is the same % of your original bet, whether that bet was £5 or £40.newb99 said:This is based on OTT of a newly shuffled shoe. So for every £/$ wagered, splitting is the best move as it would mean you'd (only?) lose £/$ 1.95 for every £/$ 5.00 bet. Splitting is clearly a "defensive" move and aimed at reducing the long term loss from being dealt a bad hand - clearly the best thing to do for a BS player flat betting.
Now for those who count, what would be the shift in these figures if the TC was at +4, and the liklihood of the dealer drawing a 10 increased from 16/52 to 19/52? Also, going back to not doubling certain hands at high counts to reduce variance (sorry) which would be better - standing or doubling?
Assuming that the above figures don't shift too much (and as such let's use them as they are) then on a 1-8 betting ramp with £/$ 5.00 units and at TC+4;
Split
£/$ 5.00 x 8 x 2 x 0.38920 = £/$ 31.14
Stand
£/$ 5.00 x 8 x 1 x 0.53889 = £/$ 21.56
Reduction in loss by standing works out at around 2 units, or roughly the hourly return for APs who screw everything down. If you were a black chip player, doing this would cost £/$200 a time over the longer term. Why would anyone who counts cards in an effort to glean an advantage want to do this?
So does it therefore follow that splitting 8s against a dealer 9 at TC+4+ effectively cancels out the last hour's graft at the felt?
You could also apply the same consideration where the dealer has a 10 showing, although in the UK you never split 8s then due to the NHC rule.
Comments anyone ?
All EV percentages are based on the original bet. Otherwise comparing them would make no sense in determining basic strategy.newb99 said:(neg return of 0.38920 is based on the original 8 unit bet??
Yesterday I had $200 on each of two boxes (TC +6) and I was dealt 8, 8 on my right hand and 19 on the left; the dealer's card was an Ace (no surrender against A) and I took insurance to cover $300. After thinking for a while I decided to split the 8s (considering that if the dealer had bj I would't have lost the split bet) and I got 18 in both. At the end the dealer had blackjack and I lost $100 (could have been worst). I was reading your post and I was thinking if I made the right move...blackjackstudent said:How about surrendering if the game offered you the opportunity to surrender? 16 vs 9 is one of the Il 18 index whereby if the TC = 4 or above, you surrender. However what about the case of 8,8 - if the TC was 4 and you are dealt 8,8, would you surrender?
88 vs. 9 is a legitimate surrender play, you'd surrender it before you'd stand but you'd split before you surrender. 88 vs. 10 is something you surrender in any positive count, if surrender is available. Exactly what the index is I don't know, and it's going to depend quite a bit on what count you're using, and whether or not you can double after splitting.blackjackstudent said:...How about surrendering if the game offered you the opportunity to surrender? 16 vs 9 is one of the Il 18 index whereby if the TC = 4 or above, you surrender. However what about the case of 8,8 - if the TC was 4 and you are dealt 8,8, would you surrender?
Quite right. And I think I have misinterpreted the table I have. But it still looks to be another aspect of sacrificing some long term EV in order to reduce variance. Choice, I know.blackjackstudent said:. . . our aim is to lose less money by making the correct decision. Splitting has been shown to reduce less money compared to the other decisions.
Wow . . . TC+13. At least I know now, although we don't have surrender in the UK - the index generated for hitting must be even higher.bj21abc said:I never use this index - so ran a sim on it just now (6D DOA).
Always split 88 v 9. Chart shows you the respective EVs.
Surrender (risk-averse at that) at TC +13
(good luck ever seeing this count
D.
FLASH1296 said:I see from the table you posted that you used S.B.A. (Statistical Blackjack Analyzer) to compute this index.
Can someone with cvcx/cvdata software confirm this index ?