Every January I attend the Blackjack Ball – an invitation only event in Las Vegas for the professional blackjack community. Many of the best advantage players in the world travel from as far as Asia and Europe for an evening of light revelry. There was a very special guest at this year’s Blackjack Ball. Blackjack luminary,…
The mean or the average of the count in blackjack is zero as there are an equal number of low cards and high cards in any shoe or complete number of decks. The further away the count is from zero, the stronger the tendency that it will move back toward the mean. Professional card counters…
In the minds of gamblers, the dream of striking it rich far outweighs the reality of the less than favorable odds. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the lottery. The odds of winning the lottery are astronomically low but when you factor in the millions of tickets that are sold, sooner or later someone…
On a riverboat casino I once witnessed a 21 year old kid parlay a $25 buy-in into $1000 in less than an hour. As his chip pile grew so did his grin, and he insisted on high fiving me repeatedly. I was happy for him but I was hoping he would take his money and…
In the movie 21, Professor Mickey Rosa poses an interesting puzzle to his class – The Monty Hall Problem. Imagine you’re on a game show and the host presents to you three doors. Behind two of the doors are goats. Behind one of the doors is a car. Choose the correct door and you…
Many gamblers are intrigued by betting systems based on the amount wagered and the outcome of the previous hand. These systems, which are touted in some books and all over the internet, are betting progressions – the most popular of which is the Martingale. With the Martingale system you start off with your base bet,…
At most casinos the dealer must “burn” the first card of a shoe by placing it directly in the discard tray before any cards are dealt. In Atlantic City the burn card is usually shown before it’s taken out of play, but what about when the burn card isn’t revealed? This seems to cause angst…
Professional gambler has always been a moniker that makes me twinge. As a card counter, I have never considered myself a gambler. Investor is a much more fitting title for a professional card counter. Some may say that this is an insignificant matter of semantics. After all, both gamblers & investors put their money on…
Most blackjack players are oblivious to whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17. Dealer stands on soft 17 was the standard rule in years past, but a growing number of casinos now require the dealer to hit on soft 17 (hands like Ace, 6). Not only do most players fail to recognize the difference,…
As the dealer lays down your second card, a smile grows across your face. You just got blackjack. A moment later your smile fades. The dealer has an ace showing. She calls out for insurance bets. Before the dealer checks the hole card, she makes eye contact with you, awaiting your decision. The player next…