Counting into a multiple-deck game is slightly more complicated than counting into a single-deck game because you have to keep track of two different counts-the running count and the true count. The running count is the count you keep as the game is progressing. Thus, if the following cards appear: 4, 8,6, ace, 10,5,3,2, 7,4-you have a running count of +4 (4 = +1; 8 = 0; 6 = +1; ace = – 1; 10 = – 1; 5 = +1; 3 = + 1; 2 = + 1; 7 = 0; 4 = + 1). However, to establish whether a count actually means you have an edge over the casino (or whether the casino has an edge over you), you must divide the number of decks remaining to be played into your running count-this is your true count because it gives you a true indication of what is actually happening.

Say you have a running count of + 8 with two decks remaining to be played in a four-deck game, your true count would be + 4. You divided the decks remaining to be played, two, into your running count +8, which gives you a true count of +4. Online Casino

Now, exactly what does this mean in terms of an edge? As a general rule of thumb, any positive true count equals a half percentage point in favor of the player. Thus, a true count of + 4 equals two percent in favor of the player. However, the casino has approximately a half percent on the player in a multiple-deck game so the above situation would give the player a 1.5 percent edge over the casino. Play Slots

For a true count to be significant in a multiple-deck game, it should give you an edge of at least one percent or more. In a single deck game, you do not need to be able to get a true count in order to know whether you or the casino has the edge. Any negative count favors the casino and any positive count favors the player. You can, if you want, get a true count for a single deck game as well. This can be done by dividing the fraction of the decks remaining to be played into the running count-thus, a running count of + 3 with a half deck remaining would be a true count of + 6 because 0.5 divided into three equals six. However, in a multiple-deck game, the true count is the basis of all decisions and must be ascertained at all times.

True Count Variation in Strategy
-2 or less bet minimum
-1 or less hit 13 against the dealer’s 2 or 3
+2 or more stand on 12 against a dealer’s 2 or 3 double down on 11 against an ace stand on 16 made with three or more cards against the dealer’s 10
+3 or more insure every hand against the dealer’s ace
double down on 10 against the dealer’s ace double down on 9 against a dealer’s 2

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All strategy variations in single-deck games are based on the running count.

Running Count Variation in Strategy
-1 or less hit 13 against the dealer's 2 or 3
+1 or more stand on 12 against the dealer's 2 or 3
stand on 10,2 against dealer's 2, 3, or 4 insure all hands against a dealer's ace double on 10 against a dealer's ace
+2 or more stand on all 16s against a dealer's 10
double A,8 against a dealer's 5
These few variations in strategy will help you considerably in playing certain hands.

Remember that at a +1 or more, you insure all your hands against the dealer's ace—even the hands 11 or 10 which you are doubling down. The correct use of the insurance option in a single-deck game is probably the key variation to employ. Even if it is only you and the dealer-in-the-machine at a single-round game, if you have two small cards and the dealer is showing an ace, you would insure because the count is +1! You have a slight advantage.

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Card counting for video blackjack is not difficult to learn. In fact, I think learning the theory of card counting is much easier than memorizing basic strategy. By the end of this section, you will know how to count cards. And you will be able to do so much more easily than a regular blackjack player because you won't have the added distractions of the other players, the dealers and the paranoid pit crews to cope with. Even video-blackjack games that deal just one round are susceptible to card counting—especially machines that allow you to play multiple hands. Thus, learning how to count cards is an important skill if you want victory at video blackjack.

The theory of card counting is quite simple: big cards favor the players, small cards favor the dealer-in-the-machine. This is a fact backed up by tens of millions of computer runs over four decades of blackjack study. Thus, as the game is progressing, if the deck contains more big cards (10s and aces) because more little cards have been played, it will be to the player's advantage. Whereas if the deck contains more little cards (twos through sixes), it will favor the dealer-in-the-machine. Of course, having a deck favor you is not the same as a guaranteed win, nor is having an unfavorable deck a guaranteed loss. However, in the long run analysis of blackjack, the player will win more hands when the decks contain high cards than he will lose, and he will lose more hands when the decks contain low cards than he will win.

Card counting systems take advantage of this fact in four ways:
1. All card counting systems keep track of the relationship of small cards to big cards in the remaining deck.
2. When the cards remaining in the deck favor the player, the player will bet larger sums of money. When the cards remaining in the deck favor the casino, the player will bet smaller amounts or the minimum amount allowed.
3. Certain changes to basic strategy are made based on the "count" that increase a player's advantage or decrease his disadvantage when playing certain hands.
4. The use of the insurance option now becomes viable at certain times, even in single-round games.

If you have decided to learn how to count cards, you have another big decision to make. What card counting system will you use? There are literally dozens of different counting systems on the market, some selling for upwards of $295. To make matters worse, most of the card counting systems are good! There are card counting systems that keep track of every card in the deck; there are systems that are four level systems—that is, cards are assigned a value of +1 to +4 (and -1 to -4); there are three- and two-level systems. Some are so difficult and so elaborate that only a genius could play them. Some are so simple that mere mortals (you and me) can play them.

You are lucky for, unlike me, you don't have to attempt to play a representative sampling of all these systems before deciding which to choose. I did. I've played three-level counts, two-level counts and one-level counts with side counts of aces and fives. They all work.

Unfortunately, for me, they all work about as well as the simplest and easiest to learn and use—a one-level count, called the Hi-Lo Count, that only follows certain cards. Recent research, and blackjack is a well-researched game, has shown that there isn't much difference in performance between a good one-level count and a good multi-level count. The only real difference is the level of difficulty in learning and executing the multi-level as opposed to the single-level counts. So why bother wasting time learning a more difficult count when its advantage over a simpler count is minuscule?
So the count we'll deal with will be the Hi-Lo.
Here are the card values in the Hi-Lo counting system.

2 = +1 7 = 0 10 =-1
3 = +1 8 = 0 ace = -1
4 = +1 9 = 0
5 = +1
6 = +1

As you are playing, if more small cards are coming out of the deck, you have what is called a positive count. If more large cards are coming out of the deck, you have what is called a negative count. After a round of play, if the count is positive, the next round should theoretically favor the player because a greater proportion of the large cards remain in the deck to be played. If the count is negative after a round of play, the next round favors the casino because a greater proportion of the small cards remain to be played.

Why do the large cards favor the player and small cards favor the house?
1. Large cards make a blackjack more likely. Although the player and the dealer-in-the-machine have an equal chance of getting a blackjack, the player is paid off at three to two in some cases. In these cases, if a player gets one blackjack in one round of play and the dealer-in-the-machine gets one blackjack in another round of play, the player comes out ahead, assuming his bets were the same in both rounds. The converse is also true. With small cards remaining in the deck, a blackjack is less likely.
2. Although the dealer-in-the-machine will get slightly better hands in a positive count (as will the player), when the dealer-in-the-machine has a bust hand (12 to 16), he is more likely to actually bust. The dealer-in-the-machine must hit his bust hands, but the player doesn't have to. In a negative count, the dealer-in-the-machine will hit his bust hand and is more likely to make a good hand because small cards are more likely to come out.

I want to reinforce what I said earlier. The fact that something is more likely to happen doesn't guarantee it will happen every time. When you count cards, you will have very high positive counts where the dealer-in-the-machine will draw to his bust hands and still get small cards. You will have negative counts where blackjacks appear—one after another. Over time, over the long run (whatever that is), what is more likely to happen will happen more often than what is less likely to happen.

Now, that you know the values of the cards, you have to hit upon a workable method for counting them. You have to keep a running count of the cards as they come out of the deck.

To become proficient, you have to put the practice in. Card counting is, as you have just seen, easy to understand, hard to actually do at first. However, once you master card counting, you never forget how to do it. Like riding a bike, counting cards and playing basic strategy can become second nature.

What should also become second nature are the variations in basic strategy required based on the count. There are literally hundreds of variations for both single and multiple-deck games. However, much like the numerous card-counting systems, memorizing hundreds of strategy variations will not yield you much value for your time. You are better off simply memorizing the few strategy variations for certain hands that occur with some regularity and in count ranges that you are more often likely to have. Thus, the following variations should be incorporated into your arsenal.

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The single-deck video-blackjack game is quite different from the multiple-deck video-blackjack game because the composition of a given hand is actually an important factor in your decisions. For example, in a multiple deck any player's hand of 12 is to be treated as a equal to any other hand of 12. Not so with a single deck. A 10,2 is to be handled differently than, say, a 5,7 when facing a dealer's up card of 4. In the former situation, you would hit; in the latter situation, you would stand. Now, on the basic strategy for single deck, I have not added any of the refinements that follow because they will not drastically alter your long-run expectations. However, if you want to get an extra edge, I recommend you incorporate the following variations of play into your single-deck strategy.
1. Hit 10,2 against a dealer's 4. Stand on all other hard 12s.
2. Hit 10,3 and 9,4 against a dealer's 2. Stand on all other hard 13s.
3. Stand on any three or four card total of 16 against a dealer's 10.
4. Stand on a 9,7 against a dealer's 10. If surrender is allowed, however, you would surrender this hand as you would any 16 against a dealer's 10.
5. If you can double after splitting pairs: a.) split 2,2 against a dealer's 2.
b.) split 3,3 against a dealer's 2 or 3. *
c.) split 4,4 against a dealer's 5 or 6.

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Blackjack or "21" is without a doubt the most popular table game in American casinos today. Part of the reason for its popularity is the fact that it is a game that can be beaten theoretically by skilled players. In addition, it is a game of choices. The player is actively involved with the results of his play. This combination of skill, choice and luck has caused a blackjack explosion in this country ever since Edward O. Thorp published his seminal work, Beat the Dealer, in the 1960's.

On the flip side, blackjack is the biggest money maker of all the table games for the casinos. Despite the fact that skillful players can beat it, more unskilled or semi-skilled players play the game than do skillful ones. For every card counter who can scratch out a 0.5 to 1.5 percent edge, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of uninformed, unskilled players giving the casinos edges of 2.5 to eight percent or more. Why these players persist on playing versions of "I have my own strategy" is beyond me; especially when great blackjack books re available for novice players, such as Julian's No-Nonsense Guide to Winning Blackjack by John F. Julian. These books can teach anyone of average intelligence how to cut the casino's edge to a minimum and, in some cases, get the edge for themselves. With a little effort, very little effort, anyone can become a good blackjack player. Yet, strangely, poor players and poor play abound. It's almost as if people don't want to win.

The video versions of blackjack share with their table-game cousin certain family traits. Thus, if you've played the table-game of blackjack, you will be familiar with the basic procedures of the machine variety. Most good video-blackjack games will allow doubling down on any first two cards, splitting pairs, doubling after splits, insurance, and some machines will even allow surrender. Like the table game of blackjack, there are video-blackjack games where the player can get an edge— in fact, some machines are so liberal that a skillful card counter (yes, you can count cards at video blackjack) can attain edges of over two percent!

As in the table game of blackjack, not all video-blackjack games are alike. There are better and worse games. How does one determine which is which? Just as you would in regular blackjack—the rules and options and paybacks must be analyzed.

If you are a blackjack player, you might be asking yourself why bother playing the machine variety? There are quite a few incentives for playing the machine version as opposed to the table version. The first, and most obvious, is that the machine version is cheaper. Most games will allow anywhere from one to 10 quarters or from one to 10 dollars to be wagered on a given round. Contrast this with the table game limits. Many casinos in America and around the world have very high minimum bet requirements for playing the table games. For example, in Atlantic City on weekends most table blackjack games will have minimums of $10, $15 and $25. Just one table-game bet could be your whole stake on a video-blackjack game!

A second, and quite compelling, reason to consider video blackjack concerns the casinos' response to expert play. They do nothing. That's right, you can play unmolested. Unlike a card counter at regular blackjack, the card counter at video blackjack doesn't have to worry about being banned, shuffled up on, or in any way harassed because of his skill. It's stress free. Or, at least, the only stress is whether you win or lose. In the table game variety, how you play the game can cause expert players more stress than winning or losing. Just experience being asked to leave a casino "because you're too good" and you'll know what I mean. Not so with video blackjack. The same casino-executive yabboes who flock to the table pits at the first indication of skillful play and who make life miserable for the card counter will smile pleasantly at the video-blackjack patron and then ignore him. Utterly.

The third reason for considering play at video blackjack is the same rational for playing at video poker. You can play your game without having to deal with other players and dealers. It's just you, the dealer-in-the-machine, and the gods of chance. It's a solitary contest played out in private.

However, before getting to the nitty-gritty of percentages and playing strategies for video blackjack, a little refresher course is in order. If you have never played the game, it is important to understand the sequences of decision making and the various options available to you.

In most of the newer versions of video-blackjack, you are given a set time limit in which to make your decision (usually six to 10 seconds) at which point the machine will lock in your initial two-card hand. This is where video blackjack will depart from video poker—the machine sets the playing pace in many video-blackjack games. However, you will also find machines that do not set a time limit for decision making. These will allow you to play at your own pace.

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I never play any credits. I put my money through the machine once and once only. Thus, facing a three-day, 12 hour, 2,880 hand assault on Lady Luck, I would need 14,400 coins (2,880 hands x 5 coins = 14,400 coins). So does that mean that if I wanted to play a dollar machine, I would need $14,400 behind me? Not really.

Just take one day, which would be 4800 coins ($4,800 dollars for dollar machines, $1,200 for quarter machines, and $240 for nickel machines) and make that your trip-stake. This is the money you are going to risk. You will put the money through the machine that first day—once. However, do not put all your coins into the machine during one session. Instead, divide the day into two or more sessions and allot the requisite amount for each. Only play the money originally slated for each session and never play credits. If you wind up with more than 4,800 coins at the end of the first day, the excess is put away, not to be touched on this trip. That excess will go back into your gambling account when you get home.

The second day, you would again put 4,800 coins through the machine—just once—and again spread out the play amongst various sessions. On the third day, same procedure. Should your trip bankroll fall below 4,800 coins at any time, you would risk whatever you had by putting it through the machine once. So, on that first day, let us say that you took a beating and lost half your stake—a not impossible occurrence. On day two, you would put through 2,400 coins because that's all you had left. And you would put them through during individual sessions, not all at once. You would have to cut down the length and/or number of sessions because of your shortened bankroll.

Using this method of play, it is impossible for you to lose every penny unless the unthinkable happens—every day is a losing day and you lose every single hand on the last day of your trip. If this horrible fate happens, you could still make money by selling your story (MEET THE UNLUCKIEST PERSON ON EARTH!) to the Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley's Believe It or Not!

While four hours a day of playing video poker might seem like a lot, it really isn't. Many video-poker aficionados will'play six, eight, ten or more hours a day—as the last chapter of this book will show. If you are the type who wishes to put in mega-time at video poker, then you must adjust your bankroll accordingly.

Here's the best formula for figuring out what you need (if you use my preferred playing method above): total hours allotted for play per day x the number of days x number of hands per minute x 60 minutes x 5 coins = total coins necessary. Now, take that figure and divide by three. This is the amount of money you will need to bring to the casino. If you are playing at a machine that requires more or fewer than five coins, just adjust that last section to reflect this.

For extended trips, you might want to increase by a factor of two the total amount you bring with you—just to feel safe. Thus, if you are going to be staying in a casino town for six days, you might want to bring twice as much as you would for a three-day stake. In this way, you can assure yourself of the best shot at Lady Luck without your bankroll being plugged full of holes. There's no worse feeling than going away to a casino town for a week or more and being down most of your bankroll in the first few days.

In truth, the bottom line in the money-management, mental-edge, how-much-do-I-play-with sweepstakes is you. Some individuals can stand a high danger quotient. They can play with money that is not specifically set aside for gambling and break nary a sweat. (I am not referring to problem or compulsive gamblers whose whole lives revolve around sweat—and often blood and more often tears.) Other gamblers are much more timid. I'm in that category. I have friends who are the devil-may-care type but I'm one of the angels who do care. Thus, my advice is always conservative and, yes, perhaps at times a little timid. So be it. Yet, I do know this: playing as I've outlined above gives you a good chance of winning in the long run and an almost perfect chance of never losing it all in one orgy of bad luck. So play the best machines with the best strategies and give yourself plenty of money to play with and you will have the best chance for victory at video poker.

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The writer of the biblical book Ecclesiastes remarks that "there is nothing new under the sun." He could have just as easily been putting pen to paper and writing this section. The money management advice I'm about to give has been given before by me and hundreds of other gambling writers before me.

First and foremost, only play with money that has been specifically set aside for the purposes of gambling. I do this by having a separate checking account that has only my gambling stake in it. I originally built my initial stake by slating the fees from extra writing jobs just for gambling. At a certain point I had what I wanted in that account and I was ready to begin my career as a gambler. Now, I take my markers out against this account and play only a small percentage of the account on any given day. If the account goes over a certain total amount, I take the excess and use it for other purposes. When the total goes under a certain amount, I adjust how much I will allot for my individual sessions and how much I'll bet at any given time. In this way, I assure myself of enough of a bankroll to weather the very worst losing streaks.This method of cost accounting has served me well.

Okay, with cliche paragraph duly noted, what should you consider a sizable enough bankroll to engage Lady Luck at video poker? Instead of using dollar amounts, let's talk in terms of coins. A coin will be defined as the single-coin amount of your machine. If you are playing a 25-cent machine, then 25 cents is one coin. If you are playing a dollar machine, then a dollar is one coin. Since you will always be playing maximum coin, it will usually cost you five coins for one hand of video poker. (Some machines do take four coins, some eight or more, as the maximum. You'll have to adjust accordingly.)

Ask yourself the question: How long do I want to play? Or, how many shots at Lady Luck do I want to take?

Let us say you want to play for four hours a day for three days. That's 12 hours of total play. Assuming four hands a minute (one hand every 15 seconds—a rather moderate pace), you would play 2,880 hands of video poker in that three-day period.
Now, you have a choice to make. Do you play any credits during your sessions or do you stick to playing coins? Personally

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