Mit Blackjack Team Basic Strategy Chart

Members of the legendary MIT blackjack team. In Las Vegas on Saturday, February 24, at the new Platinum Hotel and Spa; Mike Aponte and David Irvine, former members of the notorious Massachusetts Institute of Technology blackjack team that won millions from casinos, will impart their blackjack wisdom to students during the year's first one-day group seminar. First published in the 1960s, Thorp's book became the Bible for the MIT team. The book's 'Basic Strategy' chart reveals a set of mathematically correct decisions to employ when playing blackjack (view the 'Basic Strategy' chart). Thorp, a former UCLA math professor, used a now vintage MIT IBM 704 computer to calculate 'Basic Strategy' in blackjack. The well-known fact is that MIT blackjack team used the strategy of card counting for playing and winning really big money: Hi-Lo system was their favorite one and it usually worked for them. Nevertheless, this system could not be called the only one used by these clever and outstanding people. If you know the MIT blackjack team you should know all strategies and systems they used for winning: card counting was the main of them and it really worked for the team. Edward Thorp explained the concept of card counting to all average players in 1962 when published his book ' Beat the Dealer '. The basic blackjack strategy is the first key to reducing the casino's odds and winning in blackjack.You also need to know the basic strategy and betting spread to effectively win money when you count cards. Practice makes perfect.

• Appendices
• Miscellaneous
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Introduction

The Hi-Lo Count is the most widely written about, and in my judgment, the most commonly used card counting strategy. The High-Low was first introduced in 1963 by Harvey Dubner¹. It has since been discussed by just about all the major blackjack writers. In my opinion, the best introductory treatment is in Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong, and the most detailed coverage is in Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger.

How it Works

Step 1: Assign a point value to each rank, as follows.

Step 2: Start with a 'Running Count' of zero at the start of the deck/shoe. As cards are revealed, keep adding or subtracting from the Running Count, according to the point system in step 1. For example, if the first ten cards to come out of the shoe were 3, 5, K, 7, Q, A, 8, 5, 4, 2, then the running count would be 1 +1 -1 +0 -1 -1 +0 +1 +1 +1 = +2.

Step 3: Divide the running count by the number of decks remaining, to get what is known as the 'True Count.' This is the part that beginning counters hate. You don?t need to be exact. A rough estimate will do, in my opinion. Let's look at example. The running count is +7 and there are about 4 decks left. The true count would be 7/4 = 1.75. Round that up to 2, to keep it simple. The more you play the more you will be comfortable eyeballing this adjustment, without doing any real division in your head. Usually the right play is obvious. In borderline cases only will you need to do this True Count conversion.

Step 4: The greater the true count, the more you should bet. This is where card counting becomes more art than science. Some blackjack books give rigid rules on how this should be done. However, the casino managers have read these books too, and the patterns recommended in earlier books now set off red flags. How you do this should depend on your own style, and how much heat you are getting. It helps avoid heat to keep the ratio of maximum bet to minimum bet to a limit, known as the ?Bet Spread.? Only increasing bets after a win, only decreasing after a loss, and staying the same after a push, makes play look more natural, but at a cost to profitability.

Step 5: For some hands, you will play according to the True Count and a table of 'Index Numbers,' rather than basic strategy. The greater the count, the more inclined you will be to stand, double, split, take insurance, and surrender. For example, the Index Number for a player 15 against a dealer 10 is +4. This means the player should stand if the True Count is +4 or higher, otherwise hit.

The following tables are known as the 'Illustrious 18' and 'Fab 4' respectively.² They appear in Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger, and are republished here with permission. These are the most important index numbers to remember. Knowing only these will give the counter 80% to 85% of the value of knowing every index number, based on a six-deck game. The difference is more in single and double-deck games. The lists are given in order of value. If you can?t memorize all of them, start at the top, and work your way down.

Illustrious 18

The player should stand/double/split if the True Count equals or exceeds the Index Number, otherwise hit. The player should take insurance if the True Count is +3 or greater.

Fab 4 Surrenders

The player should surrender if the True Count equals or exceeds the Index Number.

A full table of all index numbers can be found in Chapter 3, and Appendix A, of Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong.

The next table shows some statistics using the High-Low. The blackjack rules this table is based are liberal Vegas shoe, as follows:

Six decks
Dealer stands on soft 17
Surrender allowed
Double after split allowed
Player may resplit to four hands, including aces

To avoid setting off red flags, the simulation increased the bet after a win only, decreased after a loss only, and always stayed the same after a push, except resetting to a minimum bet after a shuffle. The simulation rounded the remaining decks to the nearest half deck, otherwise playing perfectly.

High-Low Statistics

Explantion of columns

Spread: This is the ratio of the player?s minimum bet to maximum bet. The bigger the range, the greater the player?s advantage, and bankroll volatility. A wide bet spread also sets off a red flag. In a six-deck game, I think a 1 to 15 spread is about the most aggressive the player should get. The simulation played one betting spot only.

Penetration: How many decks played before reaching the cut card. In a six-deck shoe, 4.5 is the norm.

Index Numbers: I already explained index numbers above. Simulations were run using both the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 (I18+F4) above, and with the full table. The difference is not much, which shows that knowing the top 22 gets you most of the benefit of knowing all of them.

Player Advantage: This is the ratio of net player win to total initial bets. For example, in the last row, the player could expect to win 1.182% of his total initial bets.

Standard Deviation: This is a term for the volatility per initial bet.

Average Bet: The average final bet per hand, compared to the lowest bet For example, in the last row, if the player?s minimum bet were $100, his average bet would be $211. This includes additional money bet due to doubles and splits.

This table was created using CVCX Blackjack Analyzer by Casino Vérité. This software produces hundreds of different statistics for just about any set of rules, betting strategies, and playing strategies. For the player who wants to run these tests, this software is the best there is, in my opinion.

Footnotes

1. Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong, page 31, 1994 ed.
2. Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger, page 62, 2004 ed.

Acknowledgments

Don Schlesinger: For his permission to reprint the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 tables from his book, Blackjack Attack.
Norman Wattenberger: For his complimentary use of CVCX Blackjack Analyzer by Casino Vérité.

Practice

Practice your card counting skills with our trainer.

Further Reading

• Card Counting Introduction.
• Wizard Ace-Five Count: Very easy and simple card counting strategy.
• '21' Movie Review: Truth and fiction about the movie about the MIT card counting team.
• Blackjack book reviews.
• Main blackjack page.

Ask anybody who doesn't gamble seriously to name the first casino game that comes to mind. You'll inevitably hear blackjack mentioned first and foremost.

Perhaps the ubiquity of playing the game of blackjack stems from childhood games of Twenty-One, which is one of the first card games a child becomes acquainted with. Or maybe blackjack has become so popular because of its penetration in wider pop culture.

With so many Hollywood films famously showing audiences the art of card counting — from a savant's coming out party in 'Rain Man' (1988) to a team of MIT math whizzes toppling Sin City casinos in '21' (2008) — plenty of people who have never visited Las Vegas still know the ins and outs of blackjack.

But while anybody can learn how to hit, stand, split, and double down, blackjack offers gamblers the rarest of opportunities found in any casino — the ability to apply skill and strategy.

In the list below, we'll dive into the intricacies of optimal play using basic strategy, along with four more easy and efficient ways anybody can become a better blackjack player.

1 – Brush Up on Basic Strategy Until It Becomes Second Nature

Mit Blackjack Team

While counting cards to gain an advantage over the house definitely looks cool on the silver screen, reality is a different story.

Between the ever-present pit bosses who watch a winning player's every move to the sheer difficulty of applying blackjack card counting practices in the casino setting, this classic advantage play technique is seldom utilized outside of the professional ranks.

For the rest of us recreational players, the most powerful weapon you can wield at the blackjack table is a series of guidelines known as basic strategy.

To make a long story short, a group of four bona fide mathematical experts back in the 1950s came together for the common pursuit of blackjack perfection.

Mit Blackjack Team Basic Strategy Chart Template

After realizing that the partial information provided by seeing the dealer's exposed 'up' card turned the game into a math formula, the pals — who were later dubbed the 'Four Horsemen' by grateful blackjack enthusiasts — used computers to crunch the numbers.

As they discovered, the relationship between the dealer's up card and player totals creates a matrix of optimal decisions that offer the best possible odds given the scenario.

This crucial information was later published within a book entitled 'Playing Blackjack to Win,' and some 60 years later, you can find this basic strategy data condensed into handheld charts.

Memorizing the basic strategy chart is an essential first step, forming the foundation of elite blackjack play. To wit, the average player making decisions based on gut instinct alone faces a house edge of 1.50%. Meanwhile, their neighbor in the next seat over who knows their basic strategy like the back of their hand enjoys a significantly lower house edge of 0.50%.

The color-coded basic strategy chart linked to above can be intimidating at first glance, but most regulars boil things down to five easily memorized rules:

• If your total is 12 through 16 and the dealer's up card is 2 through 6, stand
• If your total is 12 through 16 and the dealer's up card is 7 through ace, hit
• Always split two aces and two 8s
• Always double down on 11 against dealer up cards of 2 through 10
• If your total is 'soft' with A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, or A-6, always hit (or double down when allowed)

The best thing about basic strategy play is that, unlike card counting, the casinos don't mind if you take advantage of these tips.

You won't need to bring a card along, though, because when you stick to the five rules listed above, basic strategy becomes a breeze.

2 – Only Play on Tables That Pay Back 3 to 2 on Blackjacks

Back in a bygone era of casino gambling, the standard payout for making blackjack with an ace and a 10-value card on the deal came to 3 to 2 on your bet. In other words, for every dollar you wagered, landing a natural blackjack would bring back a cool $1.50 profit.

At some point, however, the corporate casino overlords who came to dominate the Las Vegas Strip realized that they could skim a bit off the top, so to speak. By adjusting the payout for hitting blackjack — making it 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 — the casino operators instantly siphoned $0.30 off every dollar paid back on blackjacks.

Under the new 6 to 5 payout scheme, which has regrettably become the industry norm across Sin City and the rest of the country, every dollar you bet brings back just $1.20 on blackjack rather than the original $1.50 rate. Thirty cents may sound like chump change, but remember, that's per dollar.

If you're betting $10, playing on a 6 to 5 table produces a $12 payout, while the old 3 to 2 system would generate $15 in profit. That's $3 swiped straight from your pocket, and for the high-rolling $100 per hand crowd, they're losing $30 every time the deck delivers a blackjack.

Fortunately for sharp bettors, 3 to 2 blackjack tables can still be found here and there, but only if you know where to look.

The table below lists casinos on the Strip spreading 3 to 2 tables, along with the minimum bet.

Aria$50, $100

And of course, once you venture outside of Las Vegas Boulevard, the 'Off-Strip' casinos spread 3 to 2 tables at the usual $5 minimum stakes.

3 – Stick to the Script When It Comes to Responsible Bankroll Management

This tip is just plain old common sense, so we'll keep it short and sweet… don't bet above your limitations and be sure to properly manage your blackjack bankroll.

That means setting loss limits and sticking to them, only bringing money to the casino you can afford to lose, and recognizing when it isn't your day and walking away.

4 – Don't Be a Sucker by Falling for the Insurance Side Bet Scheme

One of the most common 'leaks' plaguing uninformed blackjack players is the insurance side bet.

Basically, when the dealer's up card is an ace, they'll pause and ask each player whether they'd like to buy insurance. Appropriately named, this side bet — which can total 1.5x your original wager at the maximum — is an insurance policy against the dealer holding a blackjack. If their down card is indeed a 10-value to form blackjack, you'll lose your original bet, but the insurance bet is paid out at 2 to 1.

This might seem like an attractive option to protect against the dealer hitting the game's top hand, but the insurance bet carries a house edge of over 6%. Knowing this, players should never take the bait.

5 – Take Advantage of the Surrender Option – But Only When It's the Optimal Play

Check out the table below, which shows win and loss probabilities and average loss per $100 bet when you hold a hard 16 to the dealer's 10.

As you can see, surrendering — which lets players forfeit the hand to get one-half of their bet back — is the best play given a horrible 16 vs. 10 spot.

The only scenarios where surrendering in blackjack is correct are when you have a hard 16 against the dealer's 9, 10, or A, or a hard 15 against a dealer 10.

Conclusion

Playing blackjack at a high level is definitely attainable, provided you're willing to put in the work and study required to achieve sustained success. That means memorizing your basic strategy charts, applying sound game selection, relying on sensible bankroll management, avoiding extra bets carrying a high house edge, and knowing when to surrender and fight another day.

Mit Blackjack Team Basic Strategy Chart Template

After realizing that the partial information provided by seeing the dealer's exposed 'up' card turned the game into a math formula, the pals — who were later dubbed the 'Four Horsemen' by grateful blackjack enthusiasts — used computers to crunch the numbers.

As they discovered, the relationship between the dealer's up card and player totals creates a matrix of optimal decisions that offer the best possible odds given the scenario.

This crucial information was later published within a book entitled 'Playing Blackjack to Win,' and some 60 years later, you can find this basic strategy data condensed into handheld charts.

Memorizing the basic strategy chart is an essential first step, forming the foundation of elite blackjack play. To wit, the average player making decisions based on gut instinct alone faces a house edge of 1.50%. Meanwhile, their neighbor in the next seat over who knows their basic strategy like the back of their hand enjoys a significantly lower house edge of 0.50%.

The color-coded basic strategy chart linked to above can be intimidating at first glance, but most regulars boil things down to five easily memorized rules:

• If your total is 12 through 16 and the dealer's up card is 2 through 6, stand
• If your total is 12 through 16 and the dealer's up card is 7 through ace, hit
• Always split two aces and two 8s
• Always double down on 11 against dealer up cards of 2 through 10
• If your total is 'soft' with A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, or A-6, always hit (or double down when allowed)

The best thing about basic strategy play is that, unlike card counting, the casinos don't mind if you take advantage of these tips.

You won't need to bring a card along, though, because when you stick to the five rules listed above, basic strategy becomes a breeze.

2 – Only Play on Tables That Pay Back 3 to 2 on Blackjacks

Back in a bygone era of casino gambling, the standard payout for making blackjack with an ace and a 10-value card on the deal came to 3 to 2 on your bet. In other words, for every dollar you wagered, landing a natural blackjack would bring back a cool $1.50 profit.

At some point, however, the corporate casino overlords who came to dominate the Las Vegas Strip realized that they could skim a bit off the top, so to speak. By adjusting the payout for hitting blackjack — making it 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 — the casino operators instantly siphoned $0.30 off every dollar paid back on blackjacks.

Under the new 6 to 5 payout scheme, which has regrettably become the industry norm across Sin City and the rest of the country, every dollar you bet brings back just $1.20 on blackjack rather than the original $1.50 rate. Thirty cents may sound like chump change, but remember, that's per dollar.

If you're betting $10, playing on a 6 to 5 table produces a $12 payout, while the old 3 to 2 system would generate $15 in profit. That's $3 swiped straight from your pocket, and for the high-rolling $100 per hand crowd, they're losing $30 every time the deck delivers a blackjack.

Fortunately for sharp bettors, 3 to 2 blackjack tables can still be found here and there, but only if you know where to look.

The table below lists casinos on the Strip spreading 3 to 2 tables, along with the minimum bet.

Aria$50, $100

And of course, once you venture outside of Las Vegas Boulevard, the 'Off-Strip' casinos spread 3 to 2 tables at the usual $5 minimum stakes.

3 – Stick to the Script When It Comes to Responsible Bankroll Management

This tip is just plain old common sense, so we'll keep it short and sweet… don't bet above your limitations and be sure to properly manage your blackjack bankroll.

That means setting loss limits and sticking to them, only bringing money to the casino you can afford to lose, and recognizing when it isn't your day and walking away.

4 – Don't Be a Sucker by Falling for the Insurance Side Bet Scheme

One of the most common 'leaks' plaguing uninformed blackjack players is the insurance side bet.

Basically, when the dealer's up card is an ace, they'll pause and ask each player whether they'd like to buy insurance. Appropriately named, this side bet — which can total 1.5x your original wager at the maximum — is an insurance policy against the dealer holding a blackjack. If their down card is indeed a 10-value to form blackjack, you'll lose your original bet, but the insurance bet is paid out at 2 to 1.

This might seem like an attractive option to protect against the dealer hitting the game's top hand, but the insurance bet carries a house edge of over 6%. Knowing this, players should never take the bait.

5 – Take Advantage of the Surrender Option – But Only When It's the Optimal Play

Check out the table below, which shows win and loss probabilities and average loss per $100 bet when you hold a hard 16 to the dealer's 10.

As you can see, surrendering — which lets players forfeit the hand to get one-half of their bet back — is the best play given a horrible 16 vs. 10 spot.

The only scenarios where surrendering in blackjack is correct are when you have a hard 16 against the dealer's 9, 10, or A, or a hard 15 against a dealer 10.

Conclusion

Playing blackjack at a high level is definitely attainable, provided you're willing to put in the work and study required to achieve sustained success. That means memorizing your basic strategy charts, applying sound game selection, relying on sensible bankroll management, avoiding extra bets carrying a high house edge, and knowing when to surrender and fight another day.

When you can add all five of these tips to your blackjack toolbox, reducing the house edge to infinitesimal levels is right there for the taking.