Basic Strategy Help and Advice

Hi. I am from Alberta, Canada and we have unique rules here. For example:

Number of decks: 4, 6 and 8
Dealt from: Shoe
Double down on: Any two first cards (except blackjack) or some casinos (except soft hands)
Double after split: Yes
Splitting pairs: 3 times to make 4 hands
Splitting aces: Once to make 2 hands
Drawing on split aces: one card only
On soft 17: Dealer hits
Blackjack pays: 3 to 2
Insurance pays: 2 to 1
On dealer blackjack: Original bets only lose (OBO)
Surrender: Early

Table limits
MIN MAX
$2 to $25
$5 to $50
$10 to $100
$25 to $200
$100 to $1000

I have been looking for basic strategy specifically for the above rules but I seem to get a slightly different strategy depending on which website I am using. Most don't have the early surrender option to plug in to the strategy calculator. Can someone please direct me to the best basic strategy for the above rules, including switch strategies, optimal betting counts, optimal counting system, etc.


I also have a question about the cutting of the deck. I have now seen several YouTube clips where individuals claim that basic strategy and card counting doesn't work and that most of the original simulations were done with single deck continuous shuffle so they don't apply today and on and on. I am a novice and have never played in a Casino but have been reading a great deal about BJ and am considering taking this endeavour very seriously. However, I would like to go in with eyes wide open. I know that I should be aware that nothing will come easy but these kind of videos are disheartening. I guess I am asking what advice you can give me as a novice not to be too discouraged before I even enter into this world. Thank you.

Blackjackinfo.com and click on strategy generator (or something like that).

for your calculator,

https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/calculator/

Quote: pappyman

I have now seen several YouTube clips where individuals claim that basic strategy and card counting doesn't work

Really?

watch only Wizard videos !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCF-Btu5ZCk&list=UUNnBuWyTViUIv7U_CJcyLQw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJsGnXgrGvg&feature=youtu.be

Welcome, pappyman. Great screen name!

Alberta huh? I've enjoyed many of your clippers. :-)

Pappyman, basic strategy is not a winning strategy. It is a losing strategy, albeit a lose less strategy. Card counting works. The reason so many counters lose is that they lack discipline.

You've come to the right place. So much about blackjack is counter intuitive and rooted in superstition. Ask all the questions you please and the knowledgeable people here will see that you get off on the right foot.

Quote: 1BB

Welcome, pappyman. Great screen name!

Alberta huh? I've enjoyed many of your clippers. :-)

Pappyman, basic strategy is not a winning strategy. It is a losing strategy, albeit a lose less strategy. Card counting works. The reason so many counters lose is that they lack discipline.

You've come to the right place. So much about blackjack is counter intuitive and rooted in superstition. Ask all the questions you please and the knowledgeable people here will see that you get off on the right foot.

Not to nitpick, but I think referring to Basic Strategy as a "losing" strategy is misleading. Basic Strategy is the best way to play your hand for any dearler up-card (assuming you're not counting). Basic Strategy gives the house the lowest possible edge. Of course the house still has the edge. If they didn't they wouldn't offer the game.

Quote: Greasyjohn

Not to nitpick, but I think referring to Basic Strategy as a "losing" strategy is misleading. Basic Strategy is the best way to play your hand for any dearler up-card (assuming you're not counting). Basic Strategy gives the house the lowest possible edge. Of course the house still has the edge. If they didn't they wouldn't offer the game.

Fair enough. I'm not going to sugarcoat it though and I mean both basic strategy and counting. The last thing I want to do is fill a new player with false hope.

Quote: pappyman

Can someone please direct me to the best basic strategy for the above rules, including switch strategies, optimal betting counts, optimal counting system, etc.

That is a very tall request.

The appropriate basic strategy changes depending on table rules - number of decks, early/late/no surrender, Double Any / D9/D10/D11 / Double Hard Only, Double after split (or not).

I'm not sure what a "switch strategy" is.

Optimal betting based on the count changes based on your bankroll, your risk tolerance, the game rules, and style of play.

The optimal counting system depends on your goals and abilities. Hi-Lo is generally effective for blackjack.

Early surrender vs Late surrender - I don't believe it changes the strategy. Surrender is either the optimal play, or it's not. With Early vs Late, sometimes you're not allowed to make the optimal play.

Card counting works, but it's not a sure-fire system for winning every time. Card counting helps you recognize moments of opportunity, when the odds slightly favor the player instead of the house. By recognizing those opportunities, you may slightly increase your bet at those times, which should win you more money than flat betting, over the course of thousands and thousands of rounds of play.

If you really want to be a card counter, start by saving up $10,000 that you can afford to lose. While you're at it, you probably want to be practicing. Start with basic strategy (all of the different basic strategies you're going to need), then work on counting a single deck, then a shoe.

Check out A to Z Counting Cards in Blackjack by our member Romes. The thread provides a comprehensive overview of card counting for beginners.

All good advice so far. When I was first starting out the hardest thing for me was the distractions. I could count fine at my kitchen table or on the computer program I was using. But in the casino there are A LOT of distractions. So I think the two most important things for any new card counter are....practice and more practice. A basic hi-lo count is easy to learn but harder to master. It really does take some time. Like learning a musical instrument or a language. You just have to put in the hours. At least I did. I'm sure some people can master it quicker. But I think most people take a while.

The second thing others have mentioned is bankroll and discipline. These go hand in hand to me. If you have only say 2K saved up...I'd wait. But if you can't wait you need to play as low limit as you can find with decent rules. Don't even think about green chipping it until you are at least at 10K. Preferably more. But the waiting as they say can be the hardest part. Then when playing a session, BE DISCIPLINED, you can't afford to go on tilt. Yes card counting can give you an edge over the house. A small one. 1% or so typically. That's not much. You need to keep your ROR low.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.

Use the Early Surrender option at blackjackinfo.com to get the proper strategy with early surrender permitted.

It IS different than Late Surrender. Google it, read about it in blackjack books, etc for details. At least read wizardofodds.com Blackjack Appendix 6 Fine Points on when to Surrender.

I'm not an expert in any way, and have never played at a game where Early Surrender is allowed, but I do think I know an essential point. The difference between "early" and "late" is that the former permits surrendering your hand BEFORE the dealer checks for blackjack, and the latter only after the dealer has determined no blackjack.

Now the reasoning behind surrender is that you should surrender a hand if and only if the overall expectation on that hand vs. the dealer upcard is minus more than 50c on $1. Since in the long run you'd expect to lose more than half of your bet, you cut losses by surrendering and only standing to lose exactly 50% of your bet. When you look, you can therefore see that there are more hands to surrender with early surrender allowed. If early surrender is not allowed, and the dealer ends up with a blackjack, you lose the opportunity to cut your losses by losing only half of your bet for that hand rather than the entire amount.

Now I'll give an example and try to explain it with my understanding. If you check wizardofodds blackjack app. 6, you can see that you surrender 16 vs. dealer 10 in both early and late surrender but surrender 14 only in early surrender and not both. This is because you stand to lose over 50c on a dollar with a 16 vs. dealer 10 even if the dealer doesn't have blackjack, thus you should surrender if you can do so AFTER the dealer checks for blackjack, if allowed. The reason you surrender 14 only with Early Surrender is because your expectation with 14 vs 10 is only over 50% if including the possibility of the dealer beating you instantly with blackjack. Otherwise, if the dealer doesn't have blackjack, while 14 vs 10 is still a bad situation, you will lose slightly less than half of your wager over time if you hit your 14, thus it is a better move than handing the dealer 50% of your bet for free.

There are 3 types of BJ. American, European and Australian.

OP is playing American BJ even though there is no hole card and the term Early Surrender is used.
Sands play this game the same way in Asia.
In European when Dealer has BJ you lose all your bets.
Australian has an in between model.

Thats a pretty good explanation redjack. I used Blackjack 5.0 as a DOS program many moons ago to flesh some of these decisions out. There are a few composition-based surrenders in Early Surrender vs. a 10-value, such as including 8-8, and 6-7, but not 10-3. You are correct that the chance of a Dealer Blackjack MUST be accounted in the early surrender decision. This makes borderline decisions favor surrender.

When used properly Early Surrender vs. 10-value negates the Hit Soft 17 Rule.

Quote: pappyman

Hi. I am from Alberta, Canada and we have unique rules here. For example:

Number of decks: 4, 6 and 8
Dealt from: Shoe
Double down on: Any two first cards (except blackjack) or some casinos (except soft hands)
Double after split: Yes
Splitting pairs: 3 times to make 4 hands
Splitting aces: Once to make 2 hands
Drawing on split aces: one card only
On soft 17: Dealer hits
Blackjack pays: 3 to 2
Insurance pays: 2 to 1
On dealer blackjack: Original bets only lose (OBO)
Surrender: Early

Table limits
MIN MAX
$2 to $25
$5 to $50
$10 to $100
$25 to $200
$100 to $1000

I have been looking for basic strategy specifically for the above rules but I seem to get a slightly different strategy depending on which website I am using. Most don't have the early surrender option to plug in to the strategy calculator. Can someone please direct me to the best basic strategy for the above rules, including switch strategies, optimal betting counts, optimal counting system, etc.


I also have a question about the cutting of the deck. I have now seen several YouTube clips where individuals claim that basic strategy and card counting doesn't work and that most of the original simulations were done with single deck continuous shuffle so they don't apply today and on and on. I am a novice and have never played in a Casino but have been reading a great deal about BJ and am considering taking this endeavour very seriously. However, I would like to go in with eyes wide open. I know that I should be aware that nothing will come easy but these kind of videos are disheartening. I guess I am asking what advice you can give me as a novice not to be too discouraged before I even enter into this world. Thank you.

Separately Canada knows from Blackjack and Counters... look at those table limits. Parsed quite well if I may say. Looks like 1-4 or 1-6 isn't gonna generate much heat on the 2 and 5 minimums.

Play to the correct BS table before you CC.

Well considering that my English vocabulary is rather limited, I'm glad the explanation I put up actually made sense.

One more point regarding the earlier post on American blackjack with no hole card. As far as I know, North American casinos that go with the no-hole-card approach will only take your original wager if the dealer gets blackjack( and you don't) after your hand has been played, and any doubled/split wager(s) are returned to you. In that sense, it's as if you are playing in a regular game, save for some potential frustration when you hit/doubled to 21 and still lose the hand. The killer with ENHC is that you'd lose all wagers on the table if the dealer gets blackjack. As for Australian rules, check the differences between OBO, BB+1, OBBO and ENHC at the Australian Blackjack section on wizardofodds.