Universal Strategy

I have been asked quite a few times if there is a "Universal Blackjack Strategy" a one-card for all general situations with a unified strategy. I have seen a few over the years, and would like to offer my version.

There are some compromises to make the card universal, but nothing really serious. Generally, the Player will presume Hit Soft 17 and no Surrender. That means there are a few plays not correct for Stand Soft 17. Euro No Hole Card (ENHC) and no Double After Split (no DAS) have exceptions listed separately. Soft Doubling has the D/S or D/H option included. There are 3 columns for the Dealer's Visible Card (Up-Card). That means its not quite a "simple" strategy, as the Wiz has produced, but fairly close. IMHO if you need to carry one cheat-sheet, this one is very good.

Wow. For something that you're trying to keep simple, that's awfully complex.

Here's some suggestions:

I assume you created this in Excel. Use the Merge & Center function for the top line, as well as the purple and dark blue lines. By splitting things up the way you did, makes the top line look like column headings.

Use 'T' instead of 'X'. "X" is too universal as a 'unknown' where "T" easily means 'Ten value card'.

Spell out "Stand" in the A7 / 789TA cell.

Remove the D/H and D/S lines entirely. D/H is obvious that it means Double if you can, Hit if you can't, etc. Put your byline/date on the bottom, without a cell border.



Of course, I favor the strategy on the business card I created for Mike:

Admin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/woo-wov-card.jpg Admin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/woo-wov-bj-card-back.gif

When in Vegas, be sure to ask Mike for a few. I often pass them out in casinos. First I show them the WoO logo and mention the good stuff there, then rotate it and talk about WoV, then flip it to show the BJ strategy.

Print charts for H17, S17 shoe games and whatever else you may play. Bring them to the table and play perfect basic strategy.

I sometimes take out a chart, just for cover.
One of the pit crew laughed in my face the last time, saying...
Haven't you been playing here for 25 years? You still need the chart?
Pennsylvania came along just in time, AC is just not the ATM it was in the eighties.

Not bad. I would do a separate card for the American and European rules, just to keep it simpler. Have you done an analysis of the cost of deviations compared to optimal strategy?

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Agreed. Just print off the proper BS from WoO for the game you are most likely to play. I like using them when I make plays in a H17 game that go against what others "think" is correct. Double on A8 vs 6 and you'll get some nasty reaction when the others lose. I throw the BS at them and say, "I was right."

I take a H17 chart to a S17 game. It buys me a few index plays. I love showing it to the floors and watching them smirk at how dumb I am.

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And I thought I was the only one that had blackjack systems on the backs of my business cards...



Note that it covers H17/S17 and whether or not there are at least three decks in the game