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The Intelligent Gamblergambler The Intelligent GamblerGambler © 1994 ConJelCo, All Rights Reserved Number 1, April 1994 regular blackjack. Your optimal bet WELCOME MULTIPLE ACTION BLACKJACK size if you are making three bets at Chuck Weinstock Stanford Wong Multiple Action is 96% of your opti- mal bet size if you were playing Welcome to the first issue of The Several casinos offer a few tables of three simultaneous hands at regu- Intelligent Gambler a free newslet- “Multiple Action Blackjack” with lar blackjack. ter published exclusively for Con- three betting squares per player. JelCo’s customers. IG will be The player is required to bet in at An easy-to-remember rule is 14/16. published on an irregular schedule, least two of them. The size of the For two hands, bet a total of 140% probably twice a year. It will con- bets may vary. The player receives of what you would bet on one hand tain articles written by many of the one hand and the dealer receives (70% per hand). For three hands, most respected writers on gam- an upcard. The player plays out in bet a total of 160% of what you bling. the normal manner. The dealer’s would bet on one hand (53% per hand is then played out three hand.) In this issue we have articles on times, once to settle the first bet, blackjack by Stanford Wong, once to settle the second bet, and Stanford Wong is the publisher of Arnold Snyder, and Mason Mal- once to settle the third bet. Current Blackjack News and the muth, an article on low-limit poker author of many books on blackjack, by Lee F. Jones, an article on comps Playing out the dealer’s hand three tournament play and other gam- by Anthony Curtis, and an article times should not affect your play- bling topics. His classic, Profes- on craps by our own Ken Elliott. ing strategy. Multiple Action play- sional Blackjack, has just been ers tend to stand on stiffs more revised for the first time in 13 years. Also in this issue, you’ll find news often than normal. This of course is All of Wong’s publications are avail- of ConJelCo’s plans for both Black- foolish; regular blackjack strategy able from ConJelCo. ♠ jack Trainer (Macintosh and Win- applies no matter how often the dows versions), and Ken Elliott’s dealer’s upcard is finished against CrapSim version 2.0. your same hand. Contents ConJelCo is publishing IG for two You are no better off and no worse Welcome 1 reasons; 1) as a way to say thank off at Multiple Action, except that Multiple Action Blackjack 1 you to our customers, and 2) as a there sometimes are no resplits Taking Maximum Odds 1 way of keeping you informed of new allowed at Multiple Action. Bargain City? Comp City! 3 products that we think you should A-K in Low-Limit Hold’em 3 know about. Some readers have requested infor- A Blackjack Education 4 mation about risk at Multiple Eight Ways to Beat Blackjack 5 As always, we welcome your sug- Action. Simulation shows that the ConJelCo Product Plans 7 gestions about our products—and covariance between Multiple that includes this newsletter. If you Action bets is about 10% higher The Intelligent Gambler is published on an have suggestions for improvement, than the covariance between hands irregular basis by ConJelCo, 132 Radcliff or subjects you’d like us to handle, in a regular blackjack game. Your Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15237. We we’d love to hear from you. Infor- optimal bet size if you are making can be reached by telephone at 1-412-492- 9210 or by fax at 1-412-493-9031. We also mation on contacting ConJelCo two bets at Multiple Action is 97% maintain an account on America On-line. appears in the lower right corner of of your optimal bet size if you are From the Internet send e-mail to Con- this page. ♠ playing two simultaneous hands at [email protected]. ♠ Intelligent Gambler 1 The ‘l’ key repeats the last bet house has over you. But what does TAKING MAXIMUM ODDS that’s not an odds, pass, or don’t this really mean? Ken Elliott III pass bet. For instance, if after the come-out roll you make a $6 place It means, for a given wager amount, Before we get down to some serious bet on the 6, and the 6 hits, instead taking maximum odds is better craps, I’d like to take a couple of of counting out another $6 with the than spreading that wager amount moments to lay out what I’ll be cov- mouse and clicking on the place 6 around. For instance, if you’re ering in this column in this and bet, you can just type ‘l’ and going to be betting $15 a shot on upcoming newsletters. There will CrapSim will automagically make the pass line, it’s better to put $5 on be three main sections: the first another $6 place 6 bet. Beware, the pass line and $10 on odds than dealing with CrapSim, the second however, if you make two bets in a it is to put $15 on the line and $0 on with general craps information row (say a $6 place 6 and a $5 place the odds. How much of an decrease (systems, play of the game, etc.), 9), only the last one you made will is this? Table 2 shows the effects for and the third with responses to be “remembered” by CrapSim. up to 10x odds. your questions. Since this is the first issue, we’ll sort of blow by sec- As you can see, if you don’t take tion three for now, but if you have a odds on your pass bet, you’ll get craps or CrapSim question that you back about $98.58 for every $100 in think would be of interest to other action, while if you take double readers, here’s your chance to get it odds you’ll get back $99.40 (an in print. increase of about 1%) for every $100 you wager. Sounds like it’s Using Hotkeys worth it to me! But are there times when you shouldn’t take maximum This issue’s CrapSim section will odds? Sure! focus on using the “hotkeys” to speed up play. So how does this As you take more and more odds, work? The ‘p’ key lets you repeat your last you start to gain less and less. For line bet. So if you always bet $5 on instance, the difference between 1x Pressing the ‘o’ key will take odds the don’t on the come-out, you only odds and 2x odds is about 0.24%, on all of your bets that can have have to do it once with the mouse; but the difference between 7x and odds on them, but currently don’t. after that, pressing ‘p’ on the come- 8x odds is only 0.03%. Also, as you For instance, if you’re on a double- out will make the don’t pass bet for increase your odds bets, you’re odds table and have a pass line bet the same amount that you made it increasing your action, and your for $5 with $5 odds, and have a the first time. bankroll is going to fluctuate more. come-5 bet for $5 with no odds, if If you come into the casino with you press ‘o’ CrapSim will put $10 Instead of clicking on the dice with $110 and play $5 pass bet with full odds on your come-5 bet. However, the mouse you can roll the dice by double odds, you’ve got enough for since you already have odds on typing ‘r’. If you’ve got all of your about 7 straight seven-outs. How- your pass line bet, it will not bets out and are just waiting for a ever, if you’re playing $5 bet with change those odds at all. decision, press ‘R’ to roll the dice 10x odds, even though the house until a decision on one of your bets advantage is less, you’ve only got has been reached. Hitting any key TABLE 1. CrapSim Hotkeys or clicking the mouse anywhere on TABLE 2. Return with multiple odds l repeat the last non-odds, pass the screen will stop the roll. Return on Return on or don’t pass bet. Odds Pass Bet Don’t Pass Bet We’ve summarized the hotkeys in o takes odds on all bets that can Table 1. You might want to keep it 0x 99.5859% 98.5974% have odds on them. near your computer. 1x 99.1515% 99.1680% p repeat the last line bet. 2x 99.3939% 99.4085% Should You Take Free Odds? 3x 99.5286% 99.5412% r roll the dice. 4x 99.6143% 99.6253% R roll the dice until a decision is Getting to the serious stuff, now, 5x 99.6737% 99.6833% reached on one of your bets. we’ll talk about the pros and cons of 6x 99.7172% 99.7257% (Cancel by pressing any key or taking the maximum free odds on 7x 99.7504% 99.7582% mouse button.) your line, come, and don’t come 8x 99.7767% 99.7837% bets. Taking the maximum free 9x 99.7980% 99.8044% odds decreases the advantage the 1 0x 99.8155% 99.8215% ♠ Intelligent Gambler 2 enough for 2 straight losers! Unless At blackjack, the house assumes it you want to greatly increase your BARGAIN CITY? COMP CITY! has a 2% advantage over the aver- chances of busting out or reaching Anthony Curtis age player, so a $100 player can in your pocket for more money, you expect to receive about $80 in hotel should consider how many losers in Several hundred thousand dollars comps for each hour he plays.
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