Strategy Cards

Below are three credit-card-size strategy cards that I developed for four different table games. They are all based on the strategies found on the Wizard of Odds website. The BlackJack strategy card is based on his simple strategy & incorporates compensation for his first four "incorrect plays". Since I only play at the Horseshoe in Bossier City, with no "Surrender" option, it is not included. Much appreciated if any mistakes can be found and pointed out. All comments appreciated.

I find your blackjack strategy card very confusing. Sorry.

Quote: yarman

Below are three credit-card-size strategy cards that I developed for four different table games. They are all based on the strategies found on the Wizard of Odds website. The BlackJack strategy card is based on his simple strategy & incorporates compensation for his first four "incorrect plays". Since I only play at the Horseshoe in Bossier City, with no "Surrender" option, it is not included. Much appreciated if any mistakes can be found and pointed out. All comments appreciated.

Two comments on your BJ strategy card:

- go to www.blackjackinfo.com to generate your BJ basic strategy (see section for BJ basic strategy engine)

- spend the $20 and get Don S.'s strategy card set for 1D, 2D, and multidek and you will never have to worry about strategy cards for BJ for conventional BJ games.

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Better yet, go to WoO and print out the correct strategies for each game for FREE.

That may be true, but with Don's set, it pocket size, and has sturdy construction and is water resistant.

And bj21.com is selling them for $16.99 with free shipping. http://bj21.com/ads/ultimate_bj_cards/ad.html

You can say I am old school and like to have hard copies without the need to reprint everything.

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What does "Ace high for the player's advantage" mean? I couldn't find any reference to it.

Quote: Mosca

What does "Ace high for the player's advantage" mean? I couldn't find any reference to it.

You have an EV > 0 for the hand. It has nothing to do with the strategy; strategy is always raise Q64 or higher, and that's it.

A goal for this year is for me to complete my booklet on complete strategies for all the major table games and to sell it. I don't think it will do very well, but I had almost completed it three years ago and has been a side project for a while.

A goal for this year is for me to complete my booklet on complete strategies for all the major table games and to sell it. I don't think it will do very well, but I had almost completed it three years ago and has been a side project for a while.

A: Is it that hard to read a strategy matrix? It seems less confusing than yours.
B: All the mistakes (namely, not splitting deuces and treys facing a dealer seven, hitting soft 18* facing a dealer 8, not splitting fours facing a dealer 5 or 6, doubling soft 13 & 14 facing 2-4, soft 15 & 16 facing 2 or 3, soft 17 or, at an S17 table, 18 facing 2, doubling hard 9 facing 2, neglecting to double soft 19 facing 6 or hard 11 facing an ace at an H17 table) have got to make the edge significantly worse than the one you give.

*EDIT: D'oh.

Quote: tringlomane

You have an EV > 0 for the hand. It has nothing to do with the strategy; strategy is always raise Q64 or higher, and that's it.

Yeah, that's what I don't get. I have an EV > 0 for KQ3, and for QJ7, etc. The strategy is based on that, the EV being greater than 0. What is so remarkable about Ace high?

First, let me say that I do appreciate everyone's comments.

Quote: MakingBook

I find your blackjack strategy card very confusing. Sorry.

My brother-in-law (we usually go to the Horseshoe in Bossier City together) says the same thing. He will smile when I tell him about your comment. I know that the card is laid out completely different than most. But I do have a few reasons for that.

Quote: Ardent1

Two comments on your BJ strategy card:

- go to www.blackjackinfo.com to generate your BJ basic strategy (see section for BJ basic strategy engine)

- spend the $20 and get Don S.'s strategy card set for 1D, 2D, and multidek and you will never have to worry about strategy cards for BJ for conventional BJ games.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Better yet, go to WoO and print out the correct strategies for each game for FREE.

I had a specific reason for selecting the WoO's "Simple BJ Strategy", found at and If you browse through those links, you will see that the cost of playing his "Simple" strategy, as compared to his detailed basic strategy is only 0.14% or about one hand in in ten hours of play. And by incorporating his first four "incorrect plays", which I have, that cost is cut in half. The beauty to me of using as simple a strategy as possible... and this is only a personal preference... is that it can be easily committed to memory, so that the card does not need to be laying on the table. Right before leaving for the "boats", I spend a couple of minutes looking over my card, just to refresh my memory. That is all that is necessary. I have found that when you have a strategy card laying on the table (or pull it out briefly, for reference from time to time), it becomes much more likely for others at the table to chime in with all of their pearls of wisdom. I find all of that chatter to be distracting... like I said, that is a personal preference. Furthermore, if my strategy card is a "detailed" one and it is not on the table, I assure you that cost of my deviations from that strategy would far exceed one hand in ten or twenty hours of play.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Better yet, go to WoO and print out the correct strategies for each game for FREE.

As I said, my card is based on the WoO's "Simple BlackJack Strategy" (see links above). I guess that I did not make that as clear as I should have. When I asked for comments, I was hoping to find out if anyone noticed where I had overlooked or misinterpreted any of the WoO's "Simple BlackJack Strategy", in the process of building my card. I feel that a card that I can commit to memory and that only cost me one hand in 10 or 20 hours of play is a big plus.

Quote: Ardent1

That may be true, but with Don's set, it pocket size, and has sturdy construction and is water resistant.

And bj21.com is selling them for $16.99 with free shipping.

You can say I am old school and like to have hard copies without the need to reprint everything.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

I actually had mine laminated for just a couple of bucks. Either way you go, Don's or Mike's, its well worth it.

My card is laminated. I design my cards on my computer, print them on my printer, and laminate them myself. And, as a bonus, they are designed specifically the way I want them... in a manner that is easiest for me to commit to memory.
For me personally, the most important determining factor in my decision making process is the dealer's up-card. That is why it is located on the left side of my card. My decision making process flows from left to right on my card. Next, if I have a pair, I decide whether to split or not. If I don't split, I then move on (L to R) to either my hard or soft options, as the case may be. The reason that I chart the standard general rules and follow them with the four exceptions listed below, is for reasons of simplicity and that it is just easier for me to remember them that way. Again... just a personal preference.

Quote: 24Bingo

A: Is it that hard to read a strategy matrix? It seems less confusing than yours.
B: All the mistakes (namely, not splitting deuces and treys facing a dealer seven, hitting soft 17 facing a dealer 8, not splitting fours facing a dealer 5 or 6, doubling soft 13 & 14 facing 2-4, soft 15 & 16 facing 2 or 3, soft 17 or, at an S17 table, 18 facing 2, doubling hard 9 facing 2, neglecting to double soft 19 facing 6 or hard 11 facing an ace at an H17 table) have got to make the edge significantly worse than the one you give.

For the reasons I gave above, I do not want a strategy card laying on the table. Nor do I want to be referring to one from time to time. If I could commit to memory the WoO's detailed basic strategy well enough to not make any wagering errors in ten or twenty hours of play, I would do that. But I know from experience that I can't.

I do appreciate yours and everyone else's comments.

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yarman-
Not your fault I'm confused by the card. I'm glad (it seems) you didn't take it that way.

Quote: tringlomane

You have an EV > 0 for the hand. It has nothing to do with the strategy; strategy is always raise Q64 or higher, and that's it.

Quote: Mosca

What does "Ace high for the player's advantage" mean? I couldn't find any reference to it.

Quote: Mosca

Yeah, that's what I don't get. I have an EV > 0 for KQ3, and for QJ7, etc. The strategy is based on that, the EV being greater than 0. What is so remarkable about Ace high?

That is correct... Q-6-4 is the minimum recommended hand to play. At, I found this quote "High card only hands between Q64 through KQ10 are loss limit plays. These are hands with negative expectations. They will lose less if played than they will in ante forfeiture losses if they are not played. Ace high hands and better have positive expectations." I honestly thought that I had previously seen the same info on the WoW's site... but can't find it now... so, maybe not. It is just extra info and probably shouldn't even be included on the card. Anyway, the reason that I included that info on my card (as a reminder only), is that in some cases, the dealer might go through a long stretch of time where he or she almost always qualifies. When that happens, if one chooses to, one might want to shift to an Ace high minimum hand strategy or better yet, just get up and walk away. LOL. Thanks for the comments.

Be giving this a try next week while out there with my wife and a couple of our kids. Our youngest daughter has never had the opportunity and I figure this may be a good time to try the matrix with someone that has never confronted a different, more conventional, strategy card. BTW, I don't find it at all confusing and I hope she does not either.

LPB

Quote: yarman

That is correct... Q-6-4 is the minimum recommended hand to play. At http://pgigaming.net/threecardpoker.htm , I found this quote "High card only hands between Q64 through KQ10 are loss limit plays. These are hands with negative expectations. They will lose less if played than they will in ante forfeiture losses if they are not played. Ace high hands and better have positive expectations." I honestly thought that I had previously seen the same info on the WoW's site... but can't find it now... so, maybe not. It is just extra info and probably shouldn't even be included on the card. Anyway, the reason that I included that info on my card (as a reminder only), is that in some cases, the dealer might go through a long stretch of time where he or she almost always qualifies. When that happens, if one chooses to, one might want to shift to an Ace high minimum hand strategy or better yet, just get up and walk away. LOL. Thanks for the comments.

It's in the Tipping Strategy section in the 3 card poker page.

Quote: yarman

That is correct... Q-6-4 is the minimum recommended hand to play. At http://pgigaming.net/threecardpoker.htm , I found this quote "High card only hands between Q64 through KQ10 are loss limit plays. These are hands with negative expectations. They will lose less if played than they will in ante forfeiture losses if they are not played. Ace high hands and better have positive expectations." I honestly thought that I had previously seen the same info on the WoW's site... but can't find it now... so, maybe not. It is just extra info and probably shouldn't even be included on the card. Anyway, the reason that I included that info on my card (as a reminder only), is that in some cases, the dealer might go through a long stretch of time where he or she almost always qualifies. When that happens, if one chooses to, one might want to shift to an Ace high minimum hand strategy or better yet, just get up and walk away. LOL. Thanks for the comments.

Best to walk away. If you are playing sub-optimal strategies due to dealer "streaks" then you might as well just play your gut and throw the correct strategy to the wind.

Sorry, that may have been a little harsh. But I don't think this should belong on your card.

Quote:

Best to walk away. If you are playing sub-optimal strategies due to dealer "streaks" then you might as well just play your gut and throw the correct strategy to the wind.

Sorry, that may have been a little harsh. But I don't think this should belong on your card.

When you are right, you are right. Good points.

Quote: Chevy Chase, in "Seems Like Old Times"

Well said, well spoken.

I laminate my own stuff by using transparent contact paper. Press one on top of the other, sticky side to sticky side. Cheap, works great and doesnt seem to yellow over time.