Consider the following two hands in games where you get your money back for a pair of jacks or better: A♠ K♠ Q♥ T♦ 5♣ and A♠ K♠ Q♥ T♦ 5♠. There are games where the correct play in both hands is AK; games where the correct play is always AKQT; and games where in […]
Posts in category Advantage Play
Ed Thorp’s Wife
Ed Thorp is one of the fathers of blackjack card counting. Recently he made a nice donation to the Blackjack Ball, which ensures the continuance of the ball even after it’s founder, Max Rubin, passes away. As a partial thank you, Max told Thorp that he could invite his entire family to this year’s Blackjack […]
The Twenty-Third Annual Blackjack Ball
The Blackjack Ball is an annual institution where about 100 of the world’s best gamblers meet up, socialize, drink too much, and compete against each other. The 2019 version occurred a few weeks ago. The first order of business after two hours of drinking and socializing was to vote for the newest member of the […]
A Question from a Reader
Many of you know that, in addition to being posted on bobdancer.com, my columns are published on the gamblingwithanedge.com website. This site allows for readers to post comments. One recent comment by someone who used the name “Jerry,” read as follows: This is off-topic but I wanted to get your opinion on VP for […]
So What?
The Las Vegas Advisor publishes a “Question of the Day” every day. People send in questions and the LVA gets someone knowledgeable to answer each question. Often video poker questions are shuttled my way. In a recent QOD, someone noted that they were quarter NSU Deuces players at Green Valley Ranch Casino, which is run […]
Couldn’t There Be More Exceptions?
I was having dinner with a buddy, Al, who received a text from someone we both knew, Sandy. The text showed a picture of 8/5 Ace$ Bonus Poker along with a query whether I published a strategy for it? Ace$ Bonus Poker is just like Bonus Poker, except the four aces each have a letter […]
A Lesson from Improv
I regularly participate in Thursday night workshops for an improvisation group in Las Vegas. Improv is a form of on-stage comedic acting where the scenes are made up on the spot in response to a suggestion from the audience. Although the group I go to is “clean burning,” meaning the language is suitable for all […]
The Way You Walk
Assume the following: You are a very strong player. In a particular, large casino, they only have two machines of the type you consider best. There are other players who play these same machines. When you arrive on the property, how fast and purposefully do you walk to get to one of the good machines? […]
Worried About Blowing Your Cover?
In a recent Gambling with an Edge episode, Richard Munchkin and I were interviewing “Math Boy,” a Ph. D. in mathematics who for years used that knowledge to beat casinos. Math Boy told of the time in 2003 or 2004 when he met me despite his best intentions. Math Boy wanted to stay “low profile” […]
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