Most people have seen the movie “21” that deals with the world of casinos and blackjack. In this 2008 movie six MIT students are taught by a professor to count cards in order to win money. This keeps the professor rolling in dough and pays the students’ way through school. The movie delves into the glamour of the Las Vegas casinos and into the dangerous business of trying to beat the dealer.
The history of this common casino game starts in France in the 17th century with a game called Vingt En Un or 21. After the French Revolution the game came to America and became quite popular as there were no laws concerning gambling at that time and didn’t pop up until the beginning of the 19th century. That is when the game went underground and once Nevada legalized gambling in 1931 it was one of the most popular games played in Las Vegas. During the 1950’s a study was done and strategies were quickly developed. Going further into the 1990’s Ken Uston published a book “Million Dollar Blackjack” where he expounded on computer technologies and a small group started using small computers hidden inside their shoes.
Blackjack has come down from the ages and there are forever new and improved publications on how to beat the odds and win millions.
Card Counting – The Definitive Blackjack Course a DVD produced by Daniel Dravot released in 2008. This DVD gives you step by step method of card counting in a simplified manner that anyone can understand. He wrote the book “The Color of Blackjack” that is summarized in the DVD. He gives you a simple chart and strategic numbers to remember. You bet high when the deck is hot and bet low when it isn’t – a system even a non-MIT student can use.
In the book “Blackjack, Play Like the Pro’s” John Bukofsky gives you an easy to do method that can be used by beginners and seasoned players. Card counting is explained fully and makes a difficult method look a bit easier to do. This book gives the reader a choice of systems to use; whatever is easiest. for them and there is even a chapter devoted to “Negative Swings” that might prevent a new player from leaving the game before they actually start to win.
If you are looking to practice your skills with a little software, try Casino Verite Blackjack – Blueprint Edition. This edition is compatible to all windows platforms. Its graphics are very realistic and there is an animated narrator that will explain the screens to you. This narrator will give you warnings and point out your errors so you are able to learn a little better. It gives you 21 strategies for counting cards and then provides you with a list of 740 casinos with 1,170 rule sets. There is even an advantage and dealer probability calculator available.
Whatever you choose to improve your game here’s to a winning strategy to pad your bankroll and a little good luck to go along.
