Martin J. Silverthorne Power Blackjack SILVERTHORNE PuBLICATIONS POWER BLACKJACK COPYRIGHT © 2005 ILVERTHORNE PUBLICATIONS, INC., All rights reserved. Except for brief passages used in legitimate reviews, no parts of this book may be reproduced or utlized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher. Address all inquiries to the publisher: Silverthorne Publications, Inc. 848 N. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 601 Las Vegas, Nevada 89107 United States of America Created in the United States of America The material contained in this book is intended to inform and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally. Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 6 2. Playing the Game 10 3. The House Edge 25 4. Proper Playing Strategy 32 5. Blackjack Myths and Player Errors 66 6. Betting Strategies 78 7. Card Counting 88 8. Betting Progressions 97 9. Comparison of Betting Systems 107 10. The Power Blackjack Betting Strategy 110 11. Modifications of the Playing Strategy 132 12. Power Moves 138 13. Skillful Play 147 14. Internet Blackjack 160 15. Money Management 173 16. Discipline and Control 189 17. Beat the Casinos! 203 18. Suggested Reading 222 Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 3 $5 Bettors Make $154 an Hour! No Other System Comes Close! Power Blackjack is unlike any previously published blackjack strategy! It does not rely on card counting. The system is not a theoretical system like most blackjack strategies. This strategy has been thoroughly tested by real players in real casinos and it really works! This strategy is so powerful that a player using $5 as his base bet can make $154 an hour at a fairly slow table with other players. In a fast game, playing one-on-one against the dealer, Power players betting with $5 chips, make over $400 an hour! This manual has been called the "complete winner's guide." Here is just some of the valuable information covered — • You will learn the six critical rules you must know to find the best tables. Knowing these rules can double your winnng rate! • You will find out the exact steps you must take to win using proven "hit and run" tactics. • This manual will reveal the special methods you will use to limit losses to small amounts and let your profits soar! Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4 • You will even learn how to double your bankroll every 6 to 7 hours and rapidly move up to playing with black $100 chips. • A special bonus chapter describes how you can put this knowledge to work and even beat the Internet casinos! This manual contains everything you need to start winning consistently at blackjack using this tested and proven approach. But there's more. By special arrangement, $40 worth of Valuable Coupons are included free with this book. The success enjoyed by others using Power Blackjack can be repeated. You too can win thousands off the casinos. Here is your complete guide to future profits! Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 5 1. Introduction For years blackjack experts have told the public that blackjack is a beatable game. When the news that blackjack can be beaten by card counting became public knowledge in the early 1960's, the casinos almost went into hysteria. Their first reaction was to change the rules of the game, so that no one except the dealer was likely to win. The public rightly avoided this muddled up game. Because of the adverse public reaction to the rule changes, the casino bosses were forced to reinstate many of the original rules. However, in the intervening years, the casinos have made a number of more subtle but highly effective changes to thwart card counters. As a result, blackjack is not the same game that it was when card counting was first created as a viable winning strategy for playing blackjack. Today, beating the dealer by using card counting techniques is an extraordinarily involved and difficult process, and most players don't have the time nor the bankroll needed to become successful card counters. First, let me assure you, this is not another book about card counting. There are many, many books you can read about card counting. If you want to learn the easiest card counting system, let me modestly suggest another book I have written about blackjack which does employ a highly simplified card counting system — Advantage Blackjack. This is the only card counting system I would recommend. It is effective, practical and easy to use. However, it is not necessary to learn card counting to beat blackjack. I have used a number of different systems to win at blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat, and I have won consistently for over ten years. Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 6 The paucity of reliable published information on effective betting strategies for these games probably is the result of the blind acceptance of most gambling experts that in the long run no system can ever overcome a game where the casino has an advantage. The crux of this issue is how we define "long term." Any system will fail at some point if it is followed blindly to the bitter end regardless of the cost. However, if we break the "long run" into a series of many short runs, over which we have substantial control, then I believe the premise is false. In a contest between the casino and a player using a really good system, I am convinced that the player can gain a definite edge, especially if the house edge is less than 2 percent. Characteristic of all would be reputable books on casino gambling are discussions of the so-called gambler's ruin. These discussions are used as a basis of the assertion that in the long run it is impossible to overcome a negative expectancy, meaning a game where the odds favor the house. A puzzling aspect of all of the analyses I have seen is that any system player will continue to blindly pursue his system until he loses all of his bankroll. It is on this premise that most systems are generally dismissed as being useless. However, the proof that any system is bound to fail is based on a computerized betting simulation of possible outcomes. These simulations are unrealistic in that they can't test what skillful handing of a gaming contest will entail Individuals have a number of options that simulations do not consider. A player may quit at the "right time." He may adjust or change his bet selection methods to respond to changing conditions in the game he is playing. He may raise or lower his bets as circumstances indicate. Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 7 He has the option of pulling off losing tables, with only modest losses. Conversely, he may go for blood during winnings sessions. He may lock up profits and limit losses. The Power Blackjack Strategy combines many of these "player strengths" to reduce the house edge to close to zero. Then, using specific betting strategies, the player can actually gain an advantage over the house. The result is that the player can win far higher amounts much more consistently than conventional analysis of blackjack would predict. After you learn how to use correct strategy to play the game, you will learn to apply a set of betting rules. These rules may seem a little complicated when you first read them, but they are easy to use and highly effective. Once you have absorbed how to play and what to do under different circumstances, and practiced your skill to make sure that you can play under casino conditions, you will be ready to take on the casinos. If you are a successful card counter, you will want to keep and open mind while you take a hard look at this system. You can substantially increase your winnings and reduce your risk at the same time. If you are a flat bettor, a failed card counter, or one of the millions who plays with no rhyme or reason and usually loses, then I urge you to give this system some serious consideration. You don't have to learn card counting to beat blackjack. You will have to learn to play the game properly including using the proper playing strategy. If you only want a "quick and easy" system for weekend blackjack, I will even show you a playing strategy you can learn in five minutes which will allow you to play better than 95% of the other players. Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 8 Neither this system, nor any other strategy is a "sure thing." Life doesn't offer many guarantees like that. However, if your experience is like mine, you will have many pleasurable hours playing and beating the casinos at blackjack. Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 2. Playing the Game Blackjack is played on a semi-circular table. The game usually has six or seven spots for the players to sit. Only the most basic of rules, such as the payoff on blackjacks, dealer drawing rules and insurance payoffs, are shown on the layout. The small plaque, usually displayed next the dealer's right hand, shows the table betting limits, such as $5 minimum, $500 maximum. Power Blackjack © Silverthorne Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 10 Objective The objective in the casino game of blackjack is to beat the dealer.