In 1956, a paper was published by Baldwin, Cantey, Maisel, and McDermott in the “Journal of the American Statistical Association” laying out a set of recommendations for playing the game of blackjack, these recommendations were very close to today’s basic strategy. The following year, they published a manual for the public with this system of play, but it attracted little interest until, Edward O. Thorp (PhD), saw the paper and understood that there were parts of the game that had been missed in the past. The first being that the composition of the deck changed with each card dealt, also, some combinations of the remaining cards favoured the house and others favoured the players.
In 1962, Dr. Thorp published his now famous book, “Beat the Dealer”, which contained a simple yet profound message that decks of cards have memory. Each hand is dependent on the makeup of the deck at that time and by paying attention to the cards already played, the player can almost predict what will be appearing in the deck next.
Simulation and Card Counting
With the help of a computer, Thorp did a statistical analysis called the Monte Carlo simulation and discovered that 10’s and Aces remaining in the deck put the player at an advantage, while 5’s and 6’s being left in the deck put the dealer at an advantage. Thus, card counting was born.
If the player could keep track of the cards left in the deck, they could decide how to bet on each hand. For example, if there are many 10’s and aces left they would be smart to bet high, and if there are lots of fives and sixes left they might want to bet low.

Every time you enter a casino, the first thing that crosses your mind (unless you only ever play one particular game) is where to? Should you try and see if you might get a little lucky with the slot machines or should you test your luck at a table game? Although a variety of slot machine themes exist some might even feel like your playing your ps3 , the principle behind them is all the same, pull the handle, cross your fingers and let your money roll. If you decide to go with one of the table games, however, then your options just got a little bigger. There are many table games to choose from at a casino including popular games such as , baccarat, roulette, craps and poker (in all of its variations). So where do you go? A popular game among the casino customers is blackjack. Blackjack tends to beat other games because it is the only game that can be won based on skill and not on just how lucky you are. The most popular reasons someone would chose to play blackjack over any other game in the casino can be read below.
Blackjack is an easy game to learn. There really isn’t much to the two card game but a few simple rules that can be learned in minutes. The point of the game is to reach 21 (or as close to 21 as possible without going over) and hope that the dealer has a number of lesser value than yours. Since all of the face cards are worth 10 points, regular cards are worth their face value and the only one that varies is the Ace (counting as 1 or 11), counting your number is very easy. You are allowed to receive additional cards as long as you don’t go over and all you have to know is that an Ace and a face card is blackjack and is an instant win. These are the basic rules to blackjack and guarantee that anyone who can remember these rules can play the game. Payouts and other lingo are just technicalities and can be learned along the way.
Now if learning blackjack is easy, playing blackjack is even easier. There really isn’t much science to the game. Unlike poker and games of the like that have lots of rules to be followed and remembered, blackjack just has one goal: beat the dealer. Because there are only two cards dealt it is easy to keep track and very easy to make a decision of whether or not to continue accepting more cards or staying with the number you were dealt. All you have to know is that if your number is more than the dealer’s number, you won and if it is the same you tied but you don’t lose your money.
The good thing about blackjack is that it’s the one casino game that isn’t based solely on chance. There are ways to increase your house advantage and become a semi-pro player. For those that wish to gain skill, there are many books out in the market today both online and at regular book stores around the country, “But if you are real serious about playing blackjack like a pro nothing beats Individualized one on one personal training from a pro blackjack player in order to understand everything there is to know about mastering blackjack and increasing your odds”. Professional players have written books sharing their tips to the world to make your pocket grow a little fatter in your next game. With strategies such as card counting you can actually calculate in your head and play the game with more knowledge of what chances you have going for you.
As a game, blackjack offers its player the adrenaline rush you would get out of any chance game by testing your luck and putting your money on the line to see the outcome, but it also proposes a challenge to see if you can be good enough to hold the upper hand by putting into practice your acquired skill. And the thrill of the game when all is at stake and you have the high number is the time where the dealer finally has to show his cards and you see that you won, it’s exhilarating to say the least.