Learningtocount: good recommendations are always appreciated -- thanks. I'd certainly add Renzey's book to your list.

A few followup comments to what you've presented:

If I'm not mistaken, 16 vs 10 is pretty nearly dead even on hitting vs. standing. And if I'm reading wizardofodds correctly, the 16 vs 7 situation shows different numbers from what you've presented.

For the benefit of newer players, wondering if one of our more experienced players could double-check this and perhaps present the explanation of what the numbers mean in a little different way. Just feels like there's a bit too much "winning" and "gaining" going on here in these 3 losing scenarios. There may be a different way to explain it.

Thanks!

Expected Values for 16 vs 10:

Stand: -0.58
Hit: -0.54
Surrender: -0.50

You save about 4 cents per dollar bet when you hit rather than stand, and save an additional 4 cents/dollar when you surrender rather than hit. A mistake here won't cost much in the short run, but in the long run it is a leak that will certainly affect a player's profits--as much as hundreds of dollars depending on the amount of money invested on the game.

Revere's EV chart, as pretty as it is was published in 1973 and is for single deck. With 6 decks, the difference between hitting and standing with 16 vs 10 is a half percent (-.535 vs -.540). The other hands are similarly affected.

Still, I love Revere's book with all it's vastly informative colored charts, generated by Julian Braun -- a legendary giant in the blackjack analysis movement.

Here's an Excellent Free Website : http://www.bjmath.com/bjmath/toc.htm

No, didn't know that, but BS says to hit them and that is good enough for me :D

learningtocount said:

only imoves your chance of winning by 3% and if there is a positive enough count it could decrease you chance of winning? But hiting 16 vs 7,8,9,and ace is always the right play!!!

Everything depends upon the count, but the right play in basic strategy is to surrender your 16 vs 9,10 and ace if it available, otherwise you are right.

ihate17

learningtocount said:

I live in the lake tahoe area have about 9 player cards and have never seen surrender offered. The best rules are at boomtown where you can double any two cards on a single deck game!! I think ironically even though the very best players would gain an advantage with surrender I think that the casinos would make more money offering it because I believe that it would be so missed played. I think 16 vs. an ace with early surrender is the only profitable surrender!

Alamo has late surrender and also 6-card charlie. I was the only one that used surrender. No one else knew what it was... There are a decent amount of places that deal out SD double any two cards in Reno/Sparks area except if you are black chip player.

learningtocount said:

I'm a red chip player my self but if I where to play black I would sit at a red table any way. Yes a lot of places you can double any two cards but they are usually double deck or more not single deck!!! Single deck is the only game that I have the attention span to win at!!! If anything they should offer the better rules to blackchip players because they lose the most money in the casino!!!

I was talking about SD not DD. My last trip everyplace I played at you could double any two cards SD. Reason I said except blackchip players the places don't have a high Max Bet. For example Max bet at Alamo is $100 the places with the best games have low Max bets usually. Playing black at a red chip table you better have some good camo because if you do that all eyes will be on you even before they suspect you are CC.