If your alone at the table on your first hand after the shuffle is it correct to use basic strategy or an index number. Isnt that what BS was made for to be the correct decision on the first hand. So would it even matter what your count was for that hand or what system you use.
If you know the proper index number for the play and it is reached during the first hand after the shuffle, use the index number. It does matter, even though it will often only be a matter of a few hundredths of a percent. Basic strategy is designed to tell you the best play given the composition of the entire deck or shoe. That composition changes once the first card is dealt.
Basic strategy is designed to tell you the best play given the composition of the entire deck or shoe. That composition changes once the first card is dealt.
Basic strategy does take into account the composition changes resulting from removal of the player's cards, and the dealer's upcard. So if you're alone against the dealer (as TheDave speced), and basic conflicts with an index, you're slightly better off with basic.
Now, unless you know a composition dependant basic (some of us know a few 3-4 card plays), you may be able to improve expectation by using indices in place of total dependant basic after the first hit. But on the first two cards, basic rules.
If there are others at the table, it likewise may be possible to improve expectation on your first hand by using indices instead of basic.
All this confusion could be avoided if counters learned "zero count" strategy instead of the optimal basic strategy. But since no count system has a PE = 1, this would also entail some slight inaccuries.
ETF
That BS assumes the REMAINDER of the deck is unknown - it assumes the count of the cards you and the dealer have.
That's why, for example, a lot of BS tables will say "except 6,2" for doubling down an 8 against a 5 - the count must be +3 (using HO I) to double down, but it would only be +2 if you have a 6,2 against a dealer 5.
I asked the same sort of question on 23rd feb at Beginner BJ and SOTSOG says to follow BS if heads up with dealer first round after the shuffle.
For 1 deck it is different as there are composition dependant plays,which you can find at the wizs site,he says these plays have nothing to do with counting.Such as 6,6,2,2 V 10 you should hit this,even though the TC is 3.So you do not go by index numbers if alone with dealer,1st round.
There are a few comp dependant plays for multiple deck as well,Norm has these at BJStats.
poison indexes where the index brings less than basic strategy does. I found it!
When an index has less than 50% (absolute value of course) correlation to appropriate effects of removal (and they do change for radicaly deep penetrations), and the full deck favorability is less than the effect of removal of the known cards removed, basic strategy is better.
You still give up very little if you toss all indexes with less than 50%. That is just the one stubborn not totally justified choice I make.
But that is your total answer.
Dear ET
I have multiple card strategies for a different reason. the casino where i play only allows surrender on the first two cards. So I have the main strategy where i implement the BS, strategy deviation and surrender indices, and then I have a seperate strategy when I have 3 cards and now can only use the BS and strategy deviations.
