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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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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