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In
learning the charts, it is quickest if you actually get
a deck of cards and play Blackjack at home. Keep the book
beside you and refer to it as you play. Always guess the
correct play first, then check your decision by looking
at the chart. It takes anywhere from one hour to fifteen
hours of practice to memorize the Basic Strategy well enough
to play it. Any pure studying of the charts you do can reduce
this time significantly.
Use the inquiry method to practice the hands given in the
table below. This table contains almost every hand you will
ever get in a Blackjack game. In each column, the player's
hand is on the left and the dealer's up card is on the right.
"X" stands for 10-value cards, and "A"
means Ace.
Some players still have trouble memorizing the Basic Strategy.
If you are one of these, go ahead and use a "crib sheet"
in the casino until the Basic Strategy is reliably committed
to memory. The last page of this book contains a small representation
of the Basic Strategy in a format developed by the Gambler's
Book Club. Four copies in two sizes are given.
You can take the larger version and slide it behind the
cellophane of your cigarette pack. Even if you are a nonsmoker,
you can still leave the pack on the table in front of you.
The smaller version could be glued to the inside of a matchbook.
Some players have even had charts engraved on their cigarette
lighters, money clips, and other items having "fondle
value" while playing.
The beauty of knowing the Basic Strategy is that it always
gives you a powerful weapon against the house. With the
information in this chapter, the house advantage is virtually
wiped out. Even if you decide not to use a winning method
that involves keeping track of the cards, you stand an excellent
chance of almost breaking even in the long run if you play
the Basic Strategy. You can now enjoy playing Blackjack
and all the amenities that go with being a player in a casino
(complimentary drinks, meals, shows) without the risk of
losing large sums of money. |
