James helped us pick out the best game, so now we have to figure out what to do once we get there. The best way to go about that, alas, is rote memorization.
If you have the time, you'll have no problem memorizing blackjack basic strategy. There's only three tables to memorize: one for when you have two of the same card; one for when you have an ace; and one for all other situations. Most of the time, basic strategy makes sense, but sometimes it may seem to defy logic. Read on for a helpful tip that'll make the memorization a little easier.
First things first: unless you want to be as fanatical gamblers as my brother and myself, just focus on this strategy, which covers Las Vegas 6-deck strip blackjack. That's the game we're likely to play most often. If you do want to get fanatical about it, maybe take a look at downtown Vegas 1-deck, which has a few slight but important variations. Once you've mostly memorized a strategy, hone your skills with this basic strategy trainer, a blackjack simulator that will tell you when your move varies from basic strategy.
I know what you're thinking: "this looks like work, and it's going to suck all the fun out of gambling." Well, that could be true for you. For me, memorizing and applying basic strategy applies a level of challenge to an otherwise pointless card game. (If you're really good, maybe I'll get into card counting later. It's easier to learn than you think, but moderately difficult to apply in a crowded casino, and also less useful than people say. Sounds like fun, right?)
All of that said, here is the emm-neumonic device I use to memorize basic strategy.
Grouping the Dealer's Upcards
You can see from the tables that our response is always contingent on both the cards we hold, and the card we see the dealer holds. If you can break the dealer's possible upcards into groups, you'll have an easier time remembering the correct strategy.
2: A group all it's own. We'll call it "medium-weak."
3-6: The weak group. 5 and 6 make up a "weakest" subgroup; 3 is slightly less weak than 4, but not much.
7-A: The strong group. Like the weak group, it's a spectrum; A is strongest, 7 is weakest.
That all sounds intuitive, but if you think of the cards this way it can really help you memorize those tables. Take a look: within each table, a dealer's 5 or 6 requires the exact same response; a 4 requires a slightly different response; and a 3 requires a slightly different response from the 4. They're all pretty similar, and on close calls you only need to remember where on the spectrum of weakness the dealer's upcard lies.
The same goes for the strong group. A dealer's ten or ace, besides a couple of easy-to-remember surrenders and double downs, are identical; and the dealer's nine is extremely similar to those. 8 is similar to 9, and 7 is similar to 8.
Let's apply these concepts is to the question of when you should double down with a soft hand (a hand that includes an ace). First, remember that you'll never double down (or hit) with a soft 19 or better, and you'll split with a soft 12 (that's two aces, ya see). So you just need to remember what to do with a soft 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.
Sounds hard, right? Wrong, stupid! We can break those six instances into three easy groups, from weakest to strongest: 13/14, 15/16, and 17/18. Next, memorize this simple fact: we only split soft hands against cards in the weak group.
So, with our weakest soft group -- 13/14 -- we'll only split against the "weakest" subgroup of dealer cards, 5 & 6. With a slightly stronger 15/16, we can add a dealer's 4; and with the stronger-still 17/18, we can add the dealer's 3. And that's all there is to it!
Once again, I know what you're thinking: "Great, so I just memorized what to do in about 3 different situations. Fantastic. Only twelve million to go." Well, you're wrong again! You've actually memorized what to do in 44 different situations. Furthermore, you've memorized the entire difficult part of the second table. The other 36 moves can be summed up in two rules:
* Always hit with a soft 17 or lower;
* Hit with a soft 18 against a dealer's 9, 10, or A.
Oops! Now you've memorized 1/3 of blackjack basic strategy. Thanks to me, you now have no excuse not to memorize the other two tables. Just do it the Andrew way: break them up into groups.
Excellent work. Kimberly and I have been practicing our BS.
Do you have an emmmmneumonic device for splitting? I don't know if there is a good one for the tricky hands (e.g. when to split 9's).
I read with some interest, then that word "surrender" appeared and you lost me. Can't wait to see you guys. And call you GIANT PUSSIES.
The only motivating device I remember Andrew using is, "Kimberly, if you don't double down on that soft eighteen, I will beat you up. It's for your own good." Who needs memorization when you have such caring family members to guide you? Anyway, when I encounter a situation in which I can't remember what the stats say to do, I'll just ask myself, "What would Snoop do?"
James, here's how I remember about 9s...
You only need to concern yourself with strong dealer cards (because any non-strong card means you split).
So, if the dealer has a strong card, split only if you stand to improve (as far as win/lose/draw), assuming that you'll go from 18 to two 19s.
(1)7: You already hope to win, so you can't improve.
(1)8: Splitting improves you from "draw" to "win."
(1)9: Splitting improves you from "lose" to "draw."
10, A: You're favored to lose either way, so don't split.
Wow. Clearly I've never gotten all the way through any of your posts on blackjack. Because on top of the surrender crap, if I had known you advocated splitting 9s against a 9 (or even an 8) I would have totally made fun of you. Surely none of you has tried that at a table with me; that's the kind of stuff that makes me get up from a table and seek out another. You don't split 9s against an 8 or a 9. How can you be in favor of voluntarily putting at risk twice your original bet knowing that, in order to win (assuming the dealer has a ten/face in the hole), you have to end up with TWO hands totaling 20 or 21? If the dealer shows 9 and I have 19, I'll take the push every time - let her have to pull a 20 or 21 to beat me, rather than vice versa.
Kimberly, I implore you, spend some alone time with me in Vegas, and learn (a) how much fun you can have drunk [don't worry, you all know what I mean], and (b) how to play blackjack. Just because you're technically a Furdell doesn't mean you have to do Vegas like one.