This 2005 edition of Blackbelt in Blackjack is a major expansion of the 1998 edition. Part I, "Earning Your White Belt," contains, in addition to a full explanation of three different card counting systems, discussions on "phony" systems as well as problem gambling. Neither of these topics are covered by most books on card counting, but I feel they are of prime importance to those who are new to advantage play, and especially to those who are considering investing serious time and money.

In Part II, "Earning Your Green Belt," I have greatly expanded the discussion on "table conditions," or how to choose a profitable game. In the past seven years, many forms of "pseudo-blackjack" have been appearing in casinos. Some of these new variations on the game are patented "scams," with names like "Spanish 21" or "SuperFun 21," where the rules seem so liberal as to be almost too good to be true; others are just sneaky forms of traditional blackjack with seemingly "minor" changes, such as blackjacks paying 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2, or the game is a "fake" single-deck or two-deck game, where the decks are actually being removed from a larger six- or eight-deck shoe. I have also augmented the information on bet-sizing, answering another question that concerns all card counters: How much should I bet in any given game?

There's a lot more information on camouflaging your play, avoiding detection by casino surveillance, and many of the legal issues that concern card counters. If you are considering playing casino blackjack for high stakes, either as a career or simply as an adventure, you must always keep in mind that this can be a risky business. Card counting is legal, and the biggest problem most counters ever have is being barred from the tables if their skill is discovered; but for those who play at the highest levels, the hazards are greater. The casinos sell gambling to the public as "fun," emphasizing the possibility of winning money from the house. In fact, the casinos expect every player to lose money at their games in the long run. All that glitz and glamour is simply there to lure in the fish, and if they think you're going to walk out with their money, your action will not be welcome.

Just because a casino may offer a game that can be beaten with skillful play does not mean that skillful players are welcome. In fact, using those cameras in the ceiling bubbles, they monitor every big bettor at their tables in order to detect those who might be playing the game with unusual ability. When they find such a player at a high-stakes game, the reaction is swift and not always pleasant; in many cases, the casinos have violated laws themselves in dealing with professional gamblers. Because these types of incidents have become more frequent and more severe in the past few years, I think every book on card counting should provide players with information on how to handle these types of problems. What if you are kicked out of a casino? What if casino security wants to escort you to a "back room?" What if they refuse to cash out your chips? You should know your rights and how to handle some of the common situations that advantage players encounter.

In Part III, "Earning Your Black Belt," I've added more material on playing on teams or with a partner, taking advantage of casino promotions, hustling comps, playing in foreign countries, playing on the Internet, traveling with large amounts of cash, and protecting yourself from dealers who cheat—and, yeah, some of them do.

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Hitting
Assuming the player does not have a natural, which is an automatic win, the player's most common decision is whether to hit or stand. Hitting is taking another card; standing is refusing one. Example: A player holds a 5 and an 8 for a total of 13. Wanting to get closer to 21, he signals the dealer for a hit. In a face-up game (i.e., a game in which all players' cards are dealt face up, so players are not allowed to touch their cards), the player signals for a hit by scratching or tapping the tabletop with his finger. In a facedown game where the player must pick up his first two cards, the player signals for a hit by scratching or tapping on the tabletop with the edge of his cards. The dealer then deals the player another card face-up on the table. The player may not touch this or any subsequent cards dealt to him. Let's say this card is a deuce—the player may now decide to stand or hit again. The player may hit as many times as he chooses, so long as his total does not exceed 21.

Standing
A player signals he wants to stand by either waving his hand sideways, palm down in a face-up game, or, in a facedown game, by sliding his original two cards facedown beneath his wager.

Busting
In a facedown game, if a player hits his hand to a total of more than 21, he should immediately lay his original two cards face up on the table. The dealer will collect the player's wager. In a face-up game, players don't have to do anything, as the dealer will see the bust, sometimes remarking, "too many," as he collects the bet.

Doubling Down
A player may also elect to double down on his first two cards. This means that the player doubles the size of his bet, and receives one and only one hit card. In the face-up game players double down by placing an amount of money equal to the original bet on the table, beside the money already wagered. In the facedown game, the player places his original two cards face up on the table behind his bet, then places an amount of money equal to his original bet beside it in his betting spot. A casino may have restrictions on when a player may double down: Some allow doubling down on any two original cards; others restrict the play to hard totals of 9, 10, and 11 only, some to 10 and 11 only. There are even a few casinos that allow doubling down on more than two cards, but this rule variation is rare. Many casinos allow players to "double for less" than the original wager, but none allow players to double down for more.

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• Blackjack Insurance (0)

In most U.S. casinos, insurance is allowed. Prior to playing any hands, if the dealer's upcard is an ace, he will ask, "insurance?" To understand this option, you must know that if the dealer's first two cards are an ace and a ten-valued card—blackjack—he will automatically beat every player hand on the table except for another blackjack, which would push his hand.

So, when the dealer shows an ace upcard, the player hands are in danger. By offering insurance, the dealer gives the players a chance to make a side-bet that he has a natural, i.e., a ten-valued card in the hole. Note the specially marked area on the table layout for insurance bets. If the player is willing to bet that the dealer does, in fact, have a ten-valued card in the hole, for a blackjack, the player places an amount of money equal to up to one-half his original bet in the insurance space. So, if a player has $10 bet on the hand, he may make an insurance bet of up to $5, but no more.

After all insurance bets are placed, the dealer peeks at his hole card. If he has a natural, he immediately turns it up and proceeds to pay off insurance bets, and to collect all original wagers placed by the players. Since insurance bets are paid at the rate of 2 to 1, a player with a $10 original bet, and a $5 insurance bet, would lose his original $10, since the dealer's natural is an automatic win, but would be paid $10 (2 to 1) for his $5 insurance bet. Thus, the player breaks even.

If a player has a blackjack when the dealer has an ace up, instead of offering insurance, the dealer usually offers "even money" to this player. This means that before the dealer checks his hole card, the player may accept an even money win for his blackjack. Many players do not understand that an offer of even money is identical to an offer of insurance when a player has a blackjack.

This is because a player who takes insurance when he has a blackjack will ultimately be paid even money whether or not the dealer has a ten in the hole. Consider: with $10 bet on your blackjack hand, and a $5 insurance bet, if the dealer does not have a ten in the hole, then you'll lose your $5 insurance bet, but win $15 (1 1/2 to 1) for your $10 blackjack hand. That's a net win of $10, or even money.

On the other hand, if the dealer does have a ten in the hole, then you win $10 (2 to 1) on your $5 insurance bet, but push on your $10 blackjack hand, again for a net win of $10—even money. So, if you have a blackjack, an offer of even money is the same thing as an offer of insurance.

If the dealer doesn't have a natural, he immediately collects all insurance bets, and the play of the hands resumes, starting with the first base player and working clockwise. In some casinos, dealers do not check their hole cards or settle insurance bets until after the play of the hands.

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The dealer shuffles the deck or decks, and then offers the shuffled cards to be cut by a player. Sometimes, in hand-held games, games where the dealer physically holds the cards in his hands when he deals, this cut is done exactly as in any home game. The dealer sets the cards on the table, and a player simply cuts a portion of the cards from the top of the deck onto the table. In all shoe games, games where the cards are kept in a plastic device known as a shoe, however, and in most hand-held games, a "cut card" is used. The is a specially colored card that a player inserts into the deck to indicate the cut point, where the dealer then completes the cut.

After the cut, the dealer burns a card, and sometimes multiple cards. This means that he removes the top card(s) to the bottom of the deck in a single-deck game, or into the discard tray in a shoe game.

Before any cards are dealt, all bets must be placed. Each player has a betting spot on the table on which his wager is made. The dealer then deals two cards to each player. The players' cards may be dealt face up or face down. In hand-held games, facedown is more common, while in shoe games face-up is typical. Since players do not play against each other, but only against the dealer, and since the dealer must play his hand according to preset house rules regardless of what any player holds, it makes no difference for most basic strategy players if the hands are dealt face up or face down. If the cards are dealt face up, players are not allowed to touch their cards. If dealt face down, each player must pick up his two cards in order to see his hand and make his playing decisions.

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This is how a casino blackjack table appears from the top:
The large circles represent the seats, which can accommodate one to seven players. The small rectangles represent the marked areas on the table where players place their bets. There is usually a limit sign posted on the table, which states the minimum and maximum bets allowed. Table minimums may run from $1 to $100, and maximums may run from $25 to $10,000. $5 minimum tables are most common, and some states, such as Colorado, have $5 maximums. Some casinos, but not all, also post the rule variations for their games on the table.

SOFT HAND:
Any hand in which an ace can be counted as 11, without busting, is a soft hand.

Example: You hold an ace and a 7, totaling a soft 18. Another example: You hold an ace, a 9, and an 8, which is a hard 18. In this case, if you counted the ace as 11, your total would be 28, a bust. It's important that you be able to read your hand's total value, hard or soft, quickly and effortlessly. When you begin to learn winning strategies, you'll find that hard and soft hands require different decisions. (Remember, any hand with no aces is always considered a hard hand.)

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Before learning any winning strategy, it's important that you familiarize yourself with the game of blackjack, as played in a casino, including all its rules, procedures, and options.
Blackjack is one of the easiest casino games to play. After an hour of practice with a deck of cards, following the procedures in this chapter, you will find that you can comfortably play blackjack in any casino. You cannot beat the game this easily, but the rules and procedures are simple enough that anyone could understand and play the game with this small amount of practice.

The Deal
The cards are dealt from the dealer's left to right, thus the designation of the first seat on the dealer's left as first base. The last seat is referred to as third base.
Blackjack was originally dealt from a single 52-card deck of standard playing cards. Many casinos now shuffle together anywhere from two to eight decks. If more than two decks are used, the shuffled cards are placed into a specially designed box on the table called a shoe, which facilitates dealing.

The object of the game is to get a total of 21, or as close to it as possible, without going over 21, or busting, and beating the total of the dealer's hand. Players do not play against each other, but rather against the dealer, who follows house rules in playing his hand. If a player and dealer tie, it is called a push, and neither wins. If the player busts, he loses even if the dealer busts.

In totaling the hands, cards valued 2 through 9 count exactly at their face value, while cards valued 10, jack, queen, and king each count for 10. The ace may count as either 1 or 11, whichever the player prefers.

A card's suit is irrelevant. Any two-card hand that consists of one ace and one ten-valued card is called a blackjack, or a natural, and is an automatic win, paid off at the rate of $3 to every $2 bet, or 1 1/2 to 1.

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With this expanded edition of Blackbelt in Blackjack, my goal is to make it the single best, and most comprehensive, book on card counting available. I will cover every important topic and concept, in order to provide an overview and a working knowledge of how to do it, how to get away with it, and how to advance from amateur to professional, if that's your plan.

For most players, who are not looking for a professional career at the tables, this book should provide all the information you need to succeed as a card counter. You will learn how to count cards at the same level as the top pros, how to judge profitable games and avoid unbeatable ones, and how to disguise your skills from casino pit bosses and surveillance agents in order to take the money and keep the welcome mat out for your return. If your ultimate goal is to do this at high stakes, playing blackjack for a living and soaking the casinos for megabucks, then this book is your launching pad. You may use it as a guide to take your blackjack career as far as you want to go.

I have attempted to organize the material so that even if you consider yourself a rank beginner, you may start your education here. In the opening chapters, I assume that you do not even know the rules and procedures of how to play the game. You'll find that I have followed this initial primer on the game with the simplest card counting system that can beat most games, and as you get deeper into the material, as increasingly advanced strategies are provided, I have attempted throughout to present explanations of not only how these strategies may be employed, but why they work, and which types of games they may be used in.

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