Optimal Strategy Summary

A summary of optimal strategy advantages with a few extra games and standard deviations thrown in can be found below. D10 stands for Double on 10 or 11 only (no soft doubles). Subtract 2.4% for no insurance. Cut-card effect included.

I included the previous eight pages for completeness. In fact, there is not a great loss playing one set of rules with a strategy for another set of rules — at least if you see 100% of hole cards and play optimally. For example, if I use the strategy for single-deck, H17, no DAS but play six-deck, S17, DAS, the advantage is 12.8% instead of 13.0% using the correct strategy.

Cover Strategies

Unfortunately, if we play perfect optimal strategy we will clearly draw attention. It is one thing to play like an idiot, but another if you hit 19 against a ten only when the dealer has a ten in the hole. Following is a table of cover plays (non-optimal plays) that will look more natural. The percentages given are the reductions in the advantage of a single-deck, H17 game. So, instead of a 12.5% advantage, you would enjoy an 11.5% advantage if you use only the first cover play in the table.

Many of the cover plays are used only if the dealer has a high card or low card up. To the player, if the dealer has ten, six, it does not matter which is face up. But it makes a big difference to an observer. Doubling a seven against a ten is very suspicious, particularly when the dealer turns up a six in the hole. In the table, HC means the dealer has a 7, 8, 9, ten, or ace up, and LC means 2–6 up. The HC and LC strategies will be summarized after the table.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger