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VARIATIONS OF CHART

The changes are:

a) Ten vs dealers 2                       Hit
b) Eleven vs dealers 2                   Hit
c) A-A vs dealers 2                       Hit
d) 4-4 vs dealers 4                       Split
e) 5-5 vs dealers 2                       Hit
t) 8-8 vs dealers 10                      Hit
g) 8-8 vs dealers A                       Hit
h) 8-8 vs dealers 9 (optional)         Hit

These are eight moves that I would like to see you change from your previous decisions, to what I have shown above. I ain't gonna tell you that I ran 4 billion hands against the computer, because it’d be a lie.
I can hardly tell a computer from a commuter. All I know, is that one is trained to run off decisions and the others runs off decisions on a train.
Here my decisions are reached are down in the pits baby, sitting at the table and trying to minimize my chances of losing. And these eight moves are glaring situations, where I have changed my move to further enhance my play against the house.

a) TEN VS. DEALERS 2: Realize that the two, as the dealers up card, does not mean he is bobbing and weaving. He is weak, but not to the point where he can't recover and bop you. The fact that you get only one card with the double down, leaves you vulnerable to his draw, with the potentially dangerous two.
b) ELEVEN VS DEALERS 2: Same as with the 10 vs the two. I don't like laying out extra money, getting only one card and having that dealer pull to a two.
c) A-A VS THE DEALERS 2: Combination of reasons as outlined in first two changes. But the extra point here is that you have two gorgeous aces, that contain multiple flexibility moves. It's like having a combo date with Sophia Loren and Raquel Welsh and splitting them, hoping to land Dolly Parton and Miss Universe. Instead, you're dealt Gravel Gertie and Olive Oyl. Stick with Sophia and Raquel and the two aces. You know what you have, and they're both powerful pairs - but's that another story.
This switch of hitting two aces vs the 2 is strongly recommended.
d) 4-4 VS DEALRS 4: Kind of self-explanatory. By splitting the fours, you now end up with two hands, starting with a four vs the dealer, who is no stronger than you are, with his 4. Plus the fact that you are looking to draw an ace, five, six or seven, which allows you to double down vs his four. Also, you have two separate hands to play for
that potential double down opportunity. In Vegas you could also look for a four, which then gives you the chance to split again. I urge you to give this a second look, as it offers you the opportunity to get a lot of money against that dealer when he has his third weakest card (the four). There are times when you'll get two double downs after the split giving you four times your original bet.
e) 5-5 VS DEALERS 2: Same explanation as regular 10 vs the four.
f) 8-8 VS DEALERS 10: This will take a little explaining, so put your thinking caps on. Since I adhere so strongly to the idea of minimizing losses, it is only natural that if I am dealt 8-8 vs the 10, 1 wouId either have to h it the 16 and suffer the possibility of losing my $5 approximately 77% of the time with a neutral deck, or ending up with an eight vs a ten ... twice. You see if you split the eights, you now have 8 vs a 10 and 8 vs a 10. You got it twice.
Based on the laws of probability, you will lose 62% of the time that you have an eight vs the dealers ten.

So it comes to decision time. Would you rather:
    1) Lose $5     77% of the time by hitting the 16,
    2) Lose $10     62% of the time by splitting.
       
After the countless hours of participation and looking at    people logical side of it, and applying the realization that most people in a casino play with short or scared money, my decision to hit the 16, rather than split, was a rather easy thing to accept. When the shoe has not reached a determination of rich or poor, then I suggest hitting the 8-8 rather than splitting.
In layman's terms, it is saying that I would rather lose $5 seventy seven percent of the time, than lose $10 sixty two percent of the time. And I feel very strongly about this. What's your theory? One way or the other, make your decisions and stick to it.

Maybe this one little example shows you how strongly I feel about minimizing losses.
g) 8-8 VS DEALERS ACE: Definitely go for the hit, rather than the split, for the reasons stated for the move against the 10. But there is another reason. I am a firm believer in the power of the ace. When I have one of them, I'm happy, and when I have two, the tendency is to start counting my profits.
On the other hand, when the dealer shows an ace, a sinking feeling pops into my gut. And I'm sure you feel the same way. So let's do something about it. Get past the hand and keep your losses down. To do that, simply take your hit and concentrate on the next hand. Splitting the eight gives you $10 at risk, with 8 vs ace and 8 vs ace. Strong feeling towards taking a hit.
h) 8-8 VS DEALERS 9: Same type of thinking as the two eights vs the dealers ten. I hate splitting those eights and now match up against his nine on two separate hands. Going in, he has the edge on both of my hands, when I split. My chart says to hit those eights and get on to the next hand. Take a minute, put your thinking cap on and see which way you are leaning.
There you have eight moves that I have made towards changing the basic strategy approach that I showed in my Blackjack book. A lot of these changes are from actual playing, and some input was based on my obligation to take into consideration the fact that most people (aside from the professional gambler) do not play enough hands of Blackjack, to allow the laws of probability to set a pattern.
Think you may come around to my thinking on all of these changes.
Before you make your decisions, look deeper into my explanations and try to grasp the reason I give for these swing overs.
You don't have to tell me that every book ever griten is in complete disagreement with my theories, I'm well aware of it!

I don't give a rat's tail what other opinions are. I am trying to give you a different look at Blackjack and backing off when the dealer is holding the hammer. It's the way I play, and it is both effective and rewarding.
When you’re face to face with your adversary and he has the bigger muscles “tis better to turn and run Hawai and live to breathe another day.”
These examples fit that mold. Take the smallest loss you have open to you and wait for the chance to have the hammer.


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