Blackjack (Revised)

by Patterson, Jerry L.

• ISBN13: 9780399526831
• ISBN10: 0399526838
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-01
• Publisher: Perigee Trade

Summary

In this completely revised edition of his classic Blackjack guide, gambling expert Jerry L. Patterson shares winning strategies that help anyone-from beginners to seasoned pros-beat the odds. Packed with new information and strategies, this book gives gamblers everything they need to know to find the winning edge-from card counting to playing at Internet casinos. Plus: Advantage strategies for beginners and pros alike The truth about card counting Internet casinos: possibilities and pitfalls and more

Author Biography

Jerry Patterson has a B.A. from Willamette University (1956) and an M.S. from George Washington University (1968). Before becoming a blackjack player, gambling author, and instructor, he spent twenty-five years in the computer systems and services field. Jerry Patterson has been playing casino blackjack since 1956. He entered the gaming field full-time in 1978 when the Atlantic City casinos opened. He played professional blackjack in the 1980s and managed several blackjack teams during that period. He is the author of five gambling books, all published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. Founded in 1978, his gaming company, Jerry Patterson Enterprises, Inc. (JPE) aka Jerry Patterson's Blackjack Clinic, is the oldest and most successful in the gambling instruction and services field. Through this company and via his former syndicated casino gaming column published in newspapers and magazines internationally, Patterson has taught millions of gamblers the rudiments and the fine points of how to win at blackjack, craps, and roulette. Patterson has been involved in researching and developing winning gambling systems since the early 1960s. An example of a notable accomplishment in the blackjack arena is the first Shuffle-tracking method. The initial version was published in 1985 in his book Break the Dealer. A final version was published in 1990 in his book Blackjack: A Winner's Handbook. Patterson's research and development activities in casino blackjack started in 1963 when he was working with two of the developers of the original Basic Strategy-Will Cantey and Herb Maisel. With their help, he designed and implemented the first blackjack computer simulation model. His attention turned to casino roulette and then to casino craps in the 1990s. Much of that work is documented in his book Casino Gambling.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xiii
What the Revised Edition of Blackjack: A Winner's Handbook Will Do for you	xv
Introduction and Overview	1	(12)
Introduction	1	(2)
Blackjack: Short-Term vs. Long-Term Perspectives	3	(1)
Traditional Player vs. Today's Player	4	(1)
An Overview of the Book	5	(3)
How to Use This Book	8	(5)
SECTION ONE THE FOUNDATION OF WINNING PLAY
Blackjack Basics	13	(14)
History	13	(1)
Today's Game	14	(1)
Blackjack Basics	15	(12)
The Basic Strategy for Playing the Hands	27	(10)
Definition	27	(4)
Casino Rules	31	(2)
How to Learn Basic Strategy	33	(4)
How to Create and Manage a Blackjack Bankroll	37	(11)
Creating Your Bankroll	37	(1)
The Bankroll	38	(3)
Energy Level--How it Affects Your Play	41	(1)
Disaster: What To Do If You Lose Your Self-control and Drop the Entire Bankroll	41	(1)
Should You Tip the Dealer	42	(1)
Casino Comps, Ratings, and Comp Cards	43	(1)
Money Control	44	(1)
Summary of Winning Tips and Ideas	45	(2)
Money-Management Work Sheet	47	(1)
An Easy-to-Use Program for Developing and Executing Mental Discipline	48	(9)
Casino Variations to Traditional Blackjack Games	57	(10)
Spanish 21	57	(4)
Multiple Action Blackjack	61	(1)
Double Exposure Blackjack	62	(5)
SECTION TWO EVOLUTION OF BLACKJACK SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Card-Counting Pros and Cons	67	(13)
A Brief Lesson on Card Counting	67	(4)
Why the Count Does Not Always Work	71	(2)
Questions for a Traditional Card Counter	73	(2)
Biases Caused by the Nonrandom Shuffle	75	(2)
The Controversy Between Traditional Player and Today's Player	77	(3)
Team Play: Advanced Blackjack Method From Research Pathway 1	80	(7)
The Atlantic City ``Candy Store''	80	(5)
Tips on Team Play	85	(2)
An Advanced Blackjack Method From Research Pathway 1: Shuffle-Tracking	87	(18)
Just What Is Shuffle-Tracking	87	(2)
How Shuffle-Tracking Works	89	(2)
Shuffle-Tracking in Today's Game	91	(1)
Characteristics of a Trackable Shuffle	92	(8)
Jerry Patterson's Shuffle-Tracking Team	100	(5)
Research Pathway Two Results	105	(16)
Definition of Bias and Like-Card Clumping	105	(1)
Problems Caused by Like-Card Clumping	106	(4)
Winning Methodologies Resulting from Research Pathway 2	110	(8)
The Target 21 Method	118	(3)
Conclusions and Recommendations Regarding the Two Research Pathways	121	(8)
The Classic Blackjack Books	129	(14)
SECTION THREE WINNING STRATEGIES FOR TODAY'S PLAYER
Takedown---a 4-Phased Noncount Strategy for Today's Player	143	(13)
Introduction to the Strategy	143	(1)
The Four Phases of Takedown	144	(8)
Practice for Takedown Strategy	152	(1)
A Risk-Averse Basic Strategy for Takedown Players	153	(3)
A Winning Strategy for the Automatic Shuffling Machines	156	(12)
A Handbook of Card-Counting Drills	168	(13)
Introduction and Definitions	168	(1)
Eleven Drills to Get You Ready for Casino Play	169	(9)
How to Bet with the Count	178	(1)
How to Play Your Hand with the Count	178	(3)
Count Profiles: How to Use Card Counting to Exploit Like-Card Clumping	181	(12)
Definition of a Count Profiling	181	(2)
Break-Card Clumps and Count Profiling	183	(1)
Count Reversals	184	(1)
The Count Reversal Factor (CRF)	185	(2)
Betting with the CRF - Method 1	187	(2)
Advanced Betting Tactics Keyed to the CRF	189	(3)
Summary of Count Profile Betting Tactics	192	(1)
High-Low-Plus--A Winning Strategy for the Handheld Games	193	(4)
Description of the Strategy	193	(1)
Betting Rules	194	(3)
On Playing Blackjack for a Living	197	(10)
A Fantasy World and the Real World of Professional Blackjack	197	(2)
A 4-Stage Plan for Becoming a Professional Blackjack Player	199	(8)
SECTION FOUR THE INTERNET--PITFALLS AND POSSIBILITIES
Types of Blackjack Information Available on the Internet and Problems in Accessing it	207	(12)
Introduction	207	(2)
Category 1: Chat Rooms	209	(1)
Category 2: Newsgroups	210	(3)
Category 3: List Servers	213	(1)
Category 4: Web Rings	213	(1)
Category 5: Web sites and Portals	214	(1)
Category 6: E-Zines and Newsletters	215	(1)
Category 7: Internet Directories and Search Engines	216	(1)
The Emerging Solution	217	(2)
The Internet Casinos--Pitfalls and Possibilities	219	(14)
Background	219	(2)
The Issues Surrounding Internet Casinos	221	(3)
Internet Casino Marketing Strategies	224	(1)
Choosing an Internet Casino	225	(8)
How to Get an Edge at Internet Casino Blackjack Games	233	(9)
Method 1: Playing Against the Random-Number-Generated Blackjack Game	234	(2)
Method 2: Exploiting the Internet Casinos' Cash Bonuses	236	(4)
Method 3: Detecting Patterns in the Casino's Pseudo Random Number Generator	240	(1)
Summary and Recommendations	240	(2)
Putting It All Together--A Six-Step Winning Program	242	(29)
SECTION FIVE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE FROM JERRY PATTERSON
About the Author
About Jerry Patterson	251	(2)
About Eric Nielsen	253	(1)
The Jerry Patterson Client Network	254	(2)
Home Study Courses
The Target 21 Instructional Program	256	(9)
The Blackjack Masters Program	265	(2)
The Sharpshooter Craps Home-Study and In-Casino Training Program	267	(1)
The Signature Series Roulette Home-Study Course	268	(3)
Information Request Form	271