You don't need to count cards like John Chang and his posse of MIT math wizards to find an edge in blackjack. Most simply, you can employ a method known as basic strategy. There is no card-counting, no complicated moving of bets. You simply make every optimal play based on the cards you have been dealt: For example, always hit with your 12 against the dealer's 2, but stand if he's showing a 4; always double down with your 9 against the dealer's 3 through 6, and always stand with your ace-7 against the dealer's 8.
Buy a plastic-laminated card from the Gambler's Book Club which tells you each of these plays simply and clearly. If you forget the proper move, just take the card out at the table and double-check. The casino won't mind. Follow the card rigorously, gamble at a two-deck game on the Vegas Strip, and you'll be playing with only a .32-percent disadvantage. When you factor in casino comps, you're playing a game with positive expected value. The trick, of course, is to stick with basic strategy and not veer away from it — which isn't as easy as it sounds. Lose a couple double-down bets in a row, and it takes guts to do it a third time even when you know, mathematically, that you should.
One step up from playing like this is to try a form of Wonging. Named after blackjack author and player Stanford Wong, this particular move usually involves a card-counter discreetly standing back from a game; rather than bet, this player is simply counting cards. Once the count on the table is positive — that is, once there's a surplus of 10s and aces remaining to be dealt — he sits down, buys in and plays until the count becomes negative, at which time he gets up and walks away. A variation on this is to spot someone successfully card-counting and capitalize on what they're doing. How do you spot this type of player? There are a few tell-tale card-counter moves during advantageous situations: standing with 12 against the dealer's 2; doubling 9 against 7; taking insurance against the dealer's ace, even with a rotten hand; doubling 10 against an ace. If you trust that the counter knows what he or she is doing, you might do well to raise your bet when your table-mate does.
For more card-counting strategy and information:
John Chang's website: mickeyrosa.com
Blackjack software and calculations: www.qfit.com
Good general information on advantage play: www.blackjackforumonline.com
Best resource for books on blackjack and all other forms of gambling: www.gamblersbookclub.com
For a live card-counting overview, Rick Blaine, author of Blackjack Blueprint, will be be holding a seminar at the Learning Annex in Manhattan on April 16 and June 6: www.learningannex.com
Michael Kaplan is coauthor of Aces and Kings: Inside Stories and Million-Dollar Strategies from Poker's Greatest Players
