Imperfect BlackJack Rules at Wizard of Odds

Ok, well the headline was a bit for shock value to get Michael's attention. Actually, there is nothing wrong with his rules, however they just do not fit every BlackJack table, and I am looking for some additional rule sheets to fit the various table rules. For example, I was playing BJ at the M about an hour or two ago, and the table rules were as follows:

6 Decks
Dealer Hits on Soft 17
Re-Split Aces up to 4 Times
Double After Split (except on aces)
3:2 on BlackJack

Here is the situation I was in:

My Hand: 11
Dealer Hand: Ace Showing

So I referred to the Wizard's Handy BlackGuide (I carry around a ratty old print out in my pocket), and I confirmed what I remembered reading - hit against an ace, do not double. Well the rest of the table, including the dealer ensured me doubling was the right play, but I stood firm by the Wizard's rules, and just took a hit. I made the 21 and won the hand.

So, when I arrived back home, I googled, and most of the sources that I read confirmed that hitting my 11 was the right play, but then I ran into this:

http://southerngaming.com/?p=5511

"Now what happens if you find yourself in a six-deck game where the rules specify that the dealer must hit soft 17 (h17), or you are playing a double-deck game? It turns out the probabilities change just enough to make doubling 11 the better play than standing in some situations. I don’t have the space to go into the math, so I’ll just summarize what the best strategy is.

If you are playing in a six-deck game and dealer must hit soft 17, then you should double down 11 against the Ace (not hit).

If you are playing a double-deck game … hold onto to your hats for this one … the right way to play it depends whether the game is s17 or h17, and sometimes the make-up of the cards in your hand. For example, in a double-deck game with s17 or h17, always double down with this exception: If you hold a 9-2 or 8-3 in an s17 game, you should hit (with 7-4 or 6-5, you should double down)."

My assumption is that the Wizard both knows and agrees with it (correct me if I am assuming too much by that statement), and just published rules for a happy medium game (4-8 decks, dealer STANDS on soft 17).

So what I am looking for are rule sheets for other games including:

Double Decks
Single Decks
Dealer Hits Soft 17

Are there sheets for any of these available? These seem to be some of the most common game variants.

One suggestion I also have for the Michael is a dynamic rule generator, using the same interface for the options on the BlackJack game here:

https://wizardofodds.com/play/blackjack/

UPDATE: OK - I FOUND OUT THAT YOU DO HAVE RULES FOR THESE TABLE RULES HERE:

https://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/strategy/1deck.html
https://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/strategy/2deck.html
https://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/strategy/4deck.html

I guess I missed it the first time around, but I am finishing this post anyway for 3 reasons:

1. Because I spent 15 minutes typing it
2. Because other players might not realize the player rules change depending on the table rules
3. Because I still think the rule generator tool, using the same interface as the online BlackJack game is a good suggestion.

Thanks for reading!

Looking back, I guess I can still keep this post true to the subject "imperfect blackjack rules", and make a question out of it because of this statement:

"If you are playing a double-deck game … hold onto to your hats for this one … the right way to play it depends whether the game is s17 or h17, and sometimes the make-up of the cards in your hand. For example, in a double-deck game with s17 or h17, always double down with this exception: If you hold a 9-2 or 8-3 in an s17 game, you should hit (with 7-4 or 6-5, you should double down)."

Is this statement true? I'm deciding on whether or not I should write it down on top of my new fresh print outs on the double deck rules :)

With all due respect to the Wizard, there is an excellent BJ Basic Strategy Engine that will generate tables based on variations of rules and deck(s) on Stanford Wong's web site (BJ21.com). Assuming links are permitted in this forum (nothing against it in the rules post) here it is...

www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php

I can not verify its accuracy because I have never used it. The Wizard's tables have always been sufficient for my play. I remembered seeing it when I began wanting to learn everything I could about Blackjack.

Update:

After posting this I checked out the strategy generator more closely and I don't see the option for re-splitting Aces, therefore this may not be helpful for your original situation, but it will still allow users some customizable controls.

You're right, you should have doubled, because the dealer hit a soft 17. However, it is a very borderline play. It is hard enough to learn one basic strategy, let alone one for every set of rules. I've thought about adding a basic strategy engine like the one you linked to. However, there always seems to be something more urgent to do.

As you note at the end of the post, pretty much every strategy is available in the blackjack section on the wizard of odds. Do note that the plays where there is a difference in multi-deck games between S17 and H17 rules are very borderline. Thus, you did not sacrifice much house edge by using the S17 chart, and hitting rather than doubling in your situation. Rather it was probably a tiny percentage.

That's why the Wizard states that you can memorize the main chart and use it 'effectively under any rules'. Advanced/Committed players obviously like to go further to minimize the edge to its smallest amount. But in that case, why would they be playing at a H17 6-deck table anyway?

Actually, I guess they could be playing in an area where there is a lone casino where they often don't have a choice, or its a good counting opportunity...

Quote: SplittingAA

With all due respect to the Wizard, there is an excellent BJ Basic Strategy Engine that will generate tables based on variations of rules and deck(s) on Stanford Wong's web site (BJ21.com). Assuming links are permitted in this forum (nothing against it in the rules post) here it is...

www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php

I can not verify its accuracy because I have never used it. The Wizard's tables have always been sufficient for my play. I remembered seeing it when I began wanting to learn everything I could about Blackjack.

I've played with it, and the differences between Wizard and BJRG are minimal at most, like one cell out of the grid says surrender on one and hit on the other for equivalent rules. These are probably borderline plays anyway, so it probably won't matter much. The Wizard's charts have the advantage of giving more options in one chart, though (surrender/no surrender, DAS/no DAS).

The Wizard's appendix 9 has all the expected values. I've verified some of them and got the same numbers. I didn't do them all since I assume that they are correct.
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All charts have to have some simplifications or they get too complex. For instance all charts say to hit a player 12 against a dealer 4. The actual "composition dependent" rule is hit a 12 if and only if it composed of a 10 and 2 against a dealer 4. But that is another footnote, and it has very little effect on overall expected value.
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Consider a soft 19 against a dealer 6. The actual rule is to double with 4 or 5 decks, and stand on 6-8 decks. But if you want to make a simple chart for 4-8 decks you go with double. You must simply add all the cases together. Since the advantage of doubling is stronger for 4 and 5 decks it is the choice that is put on the chart.
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Actual expected values:
(4 decks) stand=0.451752 double=0.462588 (slightly in favor of doubling)
(5 decks) stand=0.452035 double=0.462290 (slightly in favor of doubling)
(6 decks) stand=0.493924 double=0.480266 (slightly in favor of standing)
(8 decks) stand=0.494445 double=0.480105 (slightly in favor of standing)

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