Question of the Day - 30 March 2017

Blackjack expert Arnold Snyder, who penned the answer to that question, responds.

I haven’t read Beat Blackjack Now, though I’m familiar with the author, Frank Scoblete. I’ve read reviews (so this is somewhat second-hand information) that say the Speed Count in this book is the same as the OPP count by Carlos Zilzer that I initially published in Blackjack Forum in 2005. You’ll find the complete OPP counting system online here. 

I thought Zilzer's simplified approach to card counting was ingenious and quite a few recreational players wrote to tell me that they found the method valuable, as they played blackjack only a few times per year at limited stakes, thus the complex counting systems required more practice than they were willing to put in.

Based on my familiarity with other blackjack books by Frank Scoblete, I assume that this book has an accurate basic strategy and that the author does not claim that the Speed Count will turn you into a professional player. This is a very simplified counting system for recreational players who hope to chop a bit more off the house edge without much mental effort, practice, or memorization. If you just learn basic strategy at blackjack, you're already way ahead of most casino gamblers.

I have no problem with people who enjoy playing blackjack recreationally at stakes they can afford. A simplified system like OPP or the Speed Count may not get you an edge over the house in many games, but it will get you closer to breakeven.