When desiphering tables in Professional Blackjack suppose is lists minus 3. Does this mean hit on minus 3 or stand.
and reference the page and table you are looking at in Professional Blackjack. If it's the Hit/Stand table you would most likely hit a stiff hand when the TC reaches -3 or lower. But reference the specific page and table anyway so everyone's on the same page.
It's deCiphering! :-)
As to your question, with very rare exceptions (reverse indices), when you see an index for a particular play, and your true count is equal to or greater than that number, you: stand, double, split, insure, or surrender.
Don
capital C. Just kidding----I know your intent.
Negative Numbers you play basic strategy if the count is equal to or is bigger than the index and deviate if the count is smaller (MORE negative) than the index number listed. For example 12 vs 5 if the index is -1 you would stand at -1 higher and hit at -2 or lower.
Positive Numbers you play basic strategy and deviate if the count equals or exceeds the number listed. So for 12 vs 2 if the index is +3 you would play basic strategy at +2 and below (hit) and Stand at +3 and higher.
If the index is a Reverse Index you do the opposite of the above.
When the TC is right on the index, it means that both possibilities have the same ev. Or in simpel words: they are equivalent .You could actually toss a coin, thus the expression "coin flip".
Of course it would be ridiculous to really toss a coin, so I recommand to settle such situations by other criteria like card consumption or variance.
When you are in negative territory you would rather hit because you want to get quicker to the shuffle point. With the same argument you would not only avoid surrendering and standing but also doubling because in that case you would not be allowed to take more cards.On the other hand, splits would be favored.
In positive territory you want to reduce card consumption, because you want to have a maximum of additional rounds.Therefore you would favor surrendering, standing and doubling and you would be reluctant to hit or split.
Another criteria is variance. The aim of limiting variance can get into conflict with the card consumption issue.So when you have a big bet out you would actually be reluctant to double. But you have all the more reason to surrender and to refrain from splitting.
I hope this wasn't too confusing.
Francis Salmon
let's get him into truncating, flooring, etc.
for action (Stand, Double, Surrender, etc). If it's right on the #, s/b close to break-even, down to 3rd decimal place.
Tables always based on EV, unless u talk risk-averse tables. Have seen some counters take insurance at a count slightly less than break-even, but they prefer the variance reduction.
I'm not the truncating nor flooring type. As a senior contributor to this site you might know that I advocate decimal indices - much to the dislike of some influential members of the American BJ-intelligentsia. I was almost forced to abjure!
As I'm not interested in starting a new flame war between Europe and the USA I will admit that the material benefit of that extra precision does hardly amount to more than a hamburger per month (to speak in Don's words).But the main advantage is something else: Calculating the TC to decimal precision as well, you will get much less of those coin-flip-situations and the decision is almost always clearcut.
Francis Salmon
