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How rebates on losses can give players the edge By Henry Tamburin I don’t believe that Johnson’s gigantic windfall at the blackjack tables was due solely to luck. Neither did several contributing writers to my Blackjack Insider Newsletter (BJI). They undertook a detailed mathematical analysis of Johnson’s deal with the casinos and arrived at some […]
The true story of a casino dealer who’s seen it all in Las Vegas–and has money-making tips to share with you By Jack Salay There is hot, and then there is Jersey hot. I’m specifically referring to Trenton, the way I remember my town being in the summer of 1965. I was 11 years […]
The ten worst blackjack games–and the casinos that (have the nerve to) offer them By Henry Tamburin In the May issue of Casino Player I revealed the ten best blackjack games in the country, and gave kudos to the casinos that offer them. This month, I’ll turn the tables and tell you the […]
What are the chances of you doubling your blackjack bankroll vs. busting out? by Henry Tamburin Do you think the probability of doubling your bankroll would increase or decrease if you decreased your starting bankroll, say, from $200 to $100? Or what if you started with a bigger bankroll? Do you think that would […]
5 Clues That You May Be Getting Cheated by Basil Nestor Remember that the dealer does not necessarily know what he is doing. Even if he is not intentionally stealing from you, there is always a chance that he may be running the game incorrectly. I recently loaded a blackjack game onto my Android […]
Over the long run, a small time investment can make a huge difference in your finances by Henry Tamburin If I paid you $80,000 to learn basic strategy, would you do it? Of course you would. And that’s exactly my point. Memorizing basic strategy has real value over your lifetime of playing blackjack. I’m […]
Hypothetical situations at the blackjack tables for you to ponder By Henry Tamburin You’re playing blackjack in a Las Vegas casino when a new dealer takes over. You notice something unusual: occasionally, the dealer is unknowingly exposing her hole card. She obviously needs to practice her dealing technique, but right now you’re faced with a […]
Mastering basic strategy at blackjack means more than memorizing a chart. It’s about understanding how to play offense and defense. By playing offense—making the extra bet and splitting the 8s—we create a situation where we have an edge. Each of our 8s is a stronger building block than the dealer’s 6. My friend Ralph has […]
NON-INTUITIVE BASIC STRATEGY PLAYS By Henry Tamburin Most of the basic playing strategy for blackjack is logical to players. Players understand why they shouldn’t hit a 16 when the dealer shows a 6 upcard, or why they should split 8s against a dealer’s 5. However, some of the basic strategy is not so intuitive: […]
The little-known story of how the game’s basic strategy originated—and why it continues to impact casinos today By Basil Nestor Once upon a time there was no card counting and no basic strategy. Blackjack players made choices intuitively, or they followed “expert” advice that was generally incorrect. Players lost a lot of money making […]