Counting Is Not Enough
Many card counters believe that as long as a game is called "blackjack," and is being offered by a legitimate casino, they can win by applying their counting systems. But the fact is that while some games can be beaten by card counting strategies many can't, and table conditions make the difference. I've written two books on this subject already, my first two books, The Blackjack Formula, and Blackjack for Profit, plus five technical reports: "Beat the 1-Deck Game," "Beat the 2-Deck Game," "Beat the 4-Deck Game," "Beat the 6-Deck Game," and "Beat the 8-Deck Game." The first two books are now out of print, but the reports have been recently updated and are available (See the reference section in the back of this book).

In this chapter, I will attempt to update and condense some of the most important information from these books and reports so that you may choose your games wisely. There are simple guidelines you can follow that will help to keep you from throwing your money away in unbeatable games.

First, let's define table conditions. There are four distinct conditions of any blackjack game that directly affect the profit potential for card counters:

1. The number of decks in play: In U.S. casinos, this may range from one to eight.
2. Rules: There are about a dozen common rule variations, and dozens more uncommon variations in U.S. casinos.
3. Crowd conditions: You may be the only player at the table, or one of as many as seven.
4. Depth of deal, or deck penetration, between shuffles: Anywhere from 2% to 90% of the cards may be dealt out.
Let's go through these conditions one at a time.

• The Number Of Players At Blackjack The Table (0)
• The Number Of Decks In Play (0)
• The Blackjack Rules Part2 (0)