Hi...
I'm just getting into the game of Blackjack in depth, and have found the stuff on the web very useful. But I have a question about basic strategy; do top notch players memorize each table? I realize they're all essentially the same, but do good players really know the differences between, say, 4 deck shoe games and 6 deck shoe games? Thanks...
-Ryan!
rromanik@umich.edu
I think very few "top-notch" players know all the fine points of BS. There is really no need to do this. It has more of an academic than a practical issue.
First you should learn a generic BS. I would use the multi-deck, S17 DAS strategy as a start, but there are good reasons that you might consider another.
Then you learn Index Numbers for your count. Some of the differences in BS's will be handled by the index numbers. For instance, BS double 8v6 in a single deck game. I double that, because if I have 8v6 off the top, I have a True Count of over 3, which is above the doubling index.
Some players do memorize different indexes for some of the rule options: DAS vs. non-DAS or H17 vs. S17.
The example you used was 4-deck vs. 6-deck Shoe games. I am not aware of any differences between them, as far as BS goes. I believe the total-based BS is the same for 4 decks vs. 8 decks.
In 8 decks, BS stands on 10-2 vs 4, but not in 6 decks or 4 decks. (Note I am talking the specific composition of ten and two, not generic 12s.)
I think Math Prof is correct. However, I do believe that most good players will use some BS changes from game to game. The differences between the strategy for a DAS game and a non-DAS game are worth knowing, for example. I would differ in one respect from Math Prof. He recommends using a six-deck S17, DAS game as a generic strategy. I would suggest using a six-deck S17 game without DAS as the generic strategy. While I haven't run a sim, I suspect the no-DAS game is less risky overall.
I use different indice play for 2, 4, and 6 deck games as well as a difference in bs for the type of rules of the games I play and number of decks.
When I go away on a weekend trip I study those changes for the GAME I have chosen to play on that trip.
There is a slight difference between games in BS, especially 2 vs 4 and 6. I have found the differences important enough to make note of.
I would never play an 8 deck game.
Joe.
Your point about DAS vs non-DAS strategy is well-taken. I do agree that if someone is going to play a mix of DAS and non-DAS games, then he/she should learn the differences in splitting strategy.
I encouraged the poster to learn the multi-deck S17-DAS partly because of his geographic location, which I inferred from his E-mail address. In his area, the almost all of the games are multi-deck S17-DAS. So this would be the correct BS for almost any game near him.
In fact, most Shoe games are DAS. Right now, I cannot think of any that are not. There are some double deck games that are not, and some that are. But with more than 2 decks, DAS has become kind of standard.
Of course, most single deck games are not DAS. They are also often H17. If someone wanted to play primarily handheld games, then I would encourage them to learn a non-DAS strategy, probably with H17.
