Blackjack - Increase Your Odds With Basic Strategy Plus

Blackjack Basic Strategy, played perfectly in a game with favorable rules, will reduce the edge against you to about one half of one percent, the best odds of any game in the casino.

But still - it's a negative edge. While you can win in the short term on any given day, in the long term that one half percent edge against you will eventually grind you down if you play long enough and frequently enough.

An advanced basic strategy - or what we call Basic Strategy Plus - is necessary for you to step up from being a casual player to being a serious recreational player who has a better chance of winning over the long term.

To reduce the small edge against you with Basic Strategy even further, and at times even turn it into a positive edge in your favor, you simply must pay attention to the cards on the table and develop some sense of the proportion of high cards versus low cards remaining in the deck. This is exactly what a card counter does.

But you don't have to spend the hundreds of hours it takes to become a proficient card counter. You can get a general sense of the proportion of high versus low cards by doing something called "counting the table". Counting the table simply means that in any given hand, you look at the exposed cards for all hands on the table (including the dealer's hand). Do a quick count of all the high cards (tens, jacks, queens, kings) and all the low cards (2 - 5). There are an equal number of these high and low cards.

If there are a much larger number of low cards showing than high cards (at least 6 more low cards than high cards in a six deck game), chances are that the deck now is slightly richer in high cards, which is favorable for the player. Conversely, if there are many more high cards showing than low cards (again, at least six more), chances are the deck is now slightly richer in low cards, which is bad for the player.

Armed with the information gained from this quick table count, you can now adjust your play accordingly and thus be playing a little more like a professional.

For example, there are some basic strategy moves that are so close that they could go either way. If you are doing a table count, you have additional information that may indicate a change in what basic strategy says to do in certain of these close call situations.

To illustrate, let's take the example of one of the most dreaded hands in Blackjack: your 16 count versus the dealers 10 up card. Basic strategy says to hit your 16 against a dealer's 10, but this is an extremely close call. You very badly need a 4 or 5 in order to tie or win if the dealer also has a 10 card down.

So, using the table count, here's what you do. If the table count shows at least 6 more lows than highs, then stand on your 16 against a 10. A disproportionate amount of low cards have been dealt and this lowers your odds of getting a low card to point where you should now stand with your 16.

There are several more close calls with Basic Strategy that can be refined further with Basic Strategy Plus, as well as other decisions that can now be made more intelligently and these are explained in detail on the author's web site.

Mike Thorn
Casino Online Reviews

---

Google News Updated : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:07:30 GMT Buckeyes survive Ohio's threat, 26-14 - The Associated Press The Associated Press Buckeyes survive Ohio's threat, 26-14 The Associated Press - 35 minutes ago COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Beanie Wells didn't play. The Ohio Bobcats sure did. Lightly regarded even in the Mid-American Conference, Ohio put a scare into No. Ohio State Football: OSU 26, OU 14 The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg ESPN USA Today - Columbus Dispatch - Chillicothe Gazette - SBR Forum all 172 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:31:47 GMT 'Wrestler' brings Venice fest to its feet - Hollywood Reporter Hollywood Reporter 'Wrestler' brings Venice fest to its feet Hollywood Reporter - 52 minutes ago By Eric J. Lyman VENICE -- "The Wrestler" was the toast of the Lido on the Venice Film Festival's penultimate day, with star Mickey Rourke's interpretation of an aging wrestler struggling to come to terms with the end of his career creating a buzz that ... 'The Wrestler' wins Venice Film Fest top award The Associated Press Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. TIME Bloomberg - Reuters - Monsters and Critics.com - Los Angeles Times all 327 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:14:35 GMT Journals week in review: news from One Microsoft Way - Ars Technica Washington Post Journals week in review: news from One Microsoft Way Ars Technica - 1 hour ago By Emil Protalinski | Published: September 06, 2008 - 01:15PM CT First Gates-Seinfeld ad leaves us scratching our heads. The first Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates ad has arrived. Seinfeld ads only part of Microsoft push United Press International Windows Vista: The OS About Nothing InformationWeek New York Times - Slashdot - Apple Insider - CRN all 499 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:27:03 GMT McCain, Obama battle over economy, leadership - AFP Telegraph.co.uk McCain, Obama battle over economy, leadership AFP - 51 minutes ago COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AFP) - Economic issues dominated the campaign trail Saturday as presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain battled over who could best lead the nation in troubled times. Reuters Politics Summary Washington Post Barack Obama, John McCain say they hate meddlers ... but both ... Los Angeles Times Intellectual Conservative - WGN - Financial Times all 650 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:15:37 GMT "Bangkok" a skillful action excursion - Reuters E! Online "Bangkok" a skillful action excursion Reuters - 15 hours ago By Stephen Farber LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Everything is relative in the realm of hyperviolent movies, and compared to this summer's other assassination thriller, "Wanted," "Bangkok Dangerous" is a model of restraint and moral rectitude. 'Dangerous' prosperous at box office Variety An Assassin Arrives to Turn Off the Lights New York Times Boston Herald - Boston Globe - Roanoke Times - Buffalo News all 251 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:41:52 GMT Obama, McCain to Honor Victims of 9/11 Together - Voice of America ABC News Obama, McCain to Honor Victims of 9/11 Together Voice of America - 1 hour ago By VOA News US presidential candidates Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have agreed to appear together on September 11, the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Conventions, Anything but Dull, Are a TV Hit New York Times Comment by John S. Baick Professor of History, Western New England College Newsday - CNN - Argus Press - Bloomberg all 4,236 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:01:14 GMT Boeing Machinists Take To Picket Line After Talks Collapse - CNNMoney.com Washington Post Boeing Machinists Take To Picket Line After Talks Collapse CNNMoney.com - 1 hour ago NEW YORK (AFP)-- Boeing machinists took to the picket line on Saturday as they launched a strike that has halted production and could cost the US aerospace giant more than $100 million per day. Low strike pay could limit length of Boeing work stoppage BloggingStocks Boeing machinists walk off the job MarketWatch Wall Street Journal - New York Times - AHN - Reuters all 2,440 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:46:08 GMT RSS Software Website Traffic Promotion

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Playing Ace-King in Texas Holdem

Everyone who plays Texas Holdem knows that Ace-King is one... Read More

Megabucks Slot Machine

"Deposit, click, pull, spin, bells, lights, wait, patience, one, two,... Read More

The MIT Blackjack Team Story

The MIT Blackjack Team Story What's the first... Read More

Blackjack - Increase Your Odds With Basic Strategy Plus

Blackjack Basic Strategy, played perfectly in a game with favorable... Read More

Party Poker Sign up Bonus Code Tutorial

I have had a lot of emails from people who... Read More

Types of Online Roulette

Roulette ? American and EuropeanAs many casino-savvy players already know,... Read More

Online Blackjack Basics

Online blackjack or "21", as it is commonly known, is... Read More

Blackjack - Should You Count Cards?

If you are like the average, recreational Blackjack player, you... Read More

The Secret of Field/Place Betting

Pssst... Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of profiting... Read More

World Series of Poker Mania

The popularity of the World Series of Poker gained tremendousmomentum... Read More

The Secret of Protecting Your Pass Line Bet

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of protecting... Read More

2005 AFC East Football Preview

In the AFC East I expect to see the Patriots... Read More

6-max Texas Limit Holdem: Pre-Flop Play

Position is even more important in 6-max play than in... Read More

Roulette: The Game of Remarkable Comebacks

In casino gambling, sometimes even the most knowledgable players turn... Read More

How to Master Low Limit Texas Holdem, Part 1 - Introduction

I decided to start a series about how to learn... Read More

Halftime Betting for Football

There are several different ways bettors use the halftime wager,... Read More

Las Vegas Dining and Drinks as Cheap as it Gets

Las Vegas, my favorite destination doesn't have to cost a... Read More

Gambling On the Internet is Fun That Will Pay Off

Gambling is something that millions of people enjoy for entertainment.... Read More

3 Great Tips To Make More Money Playing Online Poker

There are three very important things that you should have... Read More

Freeroll Poker Tournaments - The Greatest Deal Of All!

Freeroll poker tournaments are daily events that happen on a... Read More

YOUR Advantage With Online Poker Table Notes

The importance of taking notes on your opponents can't be... Read More

How to Win a Million Dollars Without Spending a Lot of Money

I love Major Millions. And realistically speaking, there's not really... Read More

Texas Holdem Poker Legends

Stu Ungar is considered by most to the greatest No... Read More

Poker on TV

Poker on TV has been the catalyst that allows millions... Read More

Poker Revenue Basics

Poker is one of the most famous card games across... Read More