• Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Tactics
• Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Builder
• Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Example
• Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Examples

In 2000 Shuffle Master introduced the first Continuous Shuffling Machine (CSM) for the game of Blackjack. Their machine was called “The King” and its main purpose was to help casinos foil card counters. In fact, the ads for Shuffle Masters Continuous Shuffling Machine proclaimed, “The King continuous shuffler is the card counters worst nightmare.”

A card counter executing their count perfectly as well as playing with perfect basic blackjack strategy is estimated to have a 1% to 2% advantage over the house at most tables. Even with perfect play, it takes a large bankroll and sometimes many hours of play to see a significant profit from card counting. Basic blackjack strategy Real Deck mode can assist in blackjack card counting strategies. The blackjack basic strategy trainer is only based on the blackjack basic strategy specific odds of each. The basic strategy player stands to lose more in the long run because they are exposing more money to the house edge. It’s a treat to visit a casino that offers double and single deck games and it would be unfortunate to see them eliminated altogether. Even a multi-deck shoe game is preferable to the Continuous Shuffling Machines. Basic strategy is not enough! We get emails from people all the time talking about how they downloaded our blackjack charts, took them to a casino, and won some money. That’s great news for them, but it could have easily gone the other way. Basic strategy cannot overcome the house edge even if you get lucky with it from time to time.

For years casinos have been trying to thwart card counters who gain an advantage at blackjack by using expert play. While card counting isn't illegal, casinos don’t take kindly to it. In Las Vegas, casinos are allowed to bar players they suspect of counting. In Atlantic City, casinos can't ban players but they can limit the size of their bets and shuffle up on any player suspected of counting.

Card counters all over the country do their best to disguise their skills to avoid getting caught. It has become somewhat of a cat and mouse game and casinos would like nothing better than to eliminate card counting permanently.

Shuffle Master heavily lobbied casinos for the benefits of using CSMs for their Blackjack games. They claimed the advantage of a continuous shuffler is three-fold:

1. It eliminates card counting.
2. It speeds up the game by eliminating shuffling time.
3. It offers substantial cost savings because it uses four decks instead of six or eight in the shoe.

Six years later many casinos around the world have adopted the Continuous Shuffling Machines for use in their blackjack pits, much to the displeasure of players and dealers alike. We spoke with several dealers and the consensus among them is a strong dislike for the automatic shuffler. Shuffling gives them a welcome physical and mental break from the game. While shuffling, they can talk and interact with the players and friendly conversation can also help their tips.

How A CSM Works

After a hand is over the cards just used are placed back into the shuffler to be mixed with the other cards in the shoe. Shuffle Master’s King uses an elevator system to randomize the cards. As the elevator is moved up and down, cards are randomly inserted into one of the 19 shelves in the elevator. The shuffler randomly selects a shelf of cards to deliver into the shoe. Because of the non-linear process, every discard re-inserted following a hand has a chance of appearing in the next round.

Although Shuffle Master says The King differs from their competitor's continuous shufflers because the others use a linear design, most CSMs do the same thing. They put the discards back into play and do away with the dealers having to physically shuffle the cards at the end of a shoe.

The House Edge

The continuous shufflers have no benefits for the player and have been dubbed the 'uncomfortable shoes.' It eliminates card counting for the skilled player and has a major disadvantage for the basic strategy player: it speeds up the game!

When the CSM was first introduced, many players felt it would likely increase the house edge. As it turns out this is not entirely true. Michael Shackleford--The Wizard of Odds--did a mathematical analysis of Continuous Shuffling Machines and found that there was a very slight reduction in the house edge.

In a four deck game the edge is 0.034 percent and in an eight-deck game it is 0.014 percent. Before you get excited about the slight reduction remember that when casinos use a CSM the speed of the games is increased by about 20 percent. The basic strategy player stands to lose more in the long run because they are exposing more money to the house edge.

It’s a treat to visit a casino that offers double and single deck games and it would be unfortunate to see them eliminated altogether. Even a multi-deck shoe game is preferable to the Continuous Shuffling Machines. The best way to make yourself heard is by refusing to play Blackjack at casinos that use a CSM for their Blackjack games.

The essential steps to becoming an expert player

By Henry Tamburin

If you’re a recreational blackjack player, you don’t need a Ph.D. to take your game to an expert level. You just need to know which games to play, and how to play them. Here’s a roadmap that will show you how to become a better player.

Game Selection

Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Tactics

Nowadays, sitting at the first empty seat you spot at a blackjack table isn’t a smart thing to do. The reason is that not all blackjack games are the same any more. Here are a few guidelines to help you pick the best game.

Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Builder

1) Do NOT play at any table where a blackjack is paid at 6-5 (or worse, even money). You should only play a game where a blackjack is paid at 3-2. (Usually the playing rules, including the blackjack payoff, are posted somewhere on the table, or the payoff for a blackjack will be imprinted on the cloth layout. If you aren’t sure, ask the dealer.)

2) Do NOT play on any table that uses a continuous shuffling machine (known as CSM). You’ll know if the automatic shuffling device is a CSM if the dealer places the discards from every round back into the CSM (another hint is the table usually doesn’t have a discard tray). Play blackjack on tables where the dealer manually shuffles the cards or the table has a traditional automatic shuffler.

3) All else being equal, a blackjack game that uses a single deck or two decks of cards is better than one that uses six or eight decks. However, that is not always the case. You must check the mix of playing rules. Player-favorable rules include dealer standing on soft 17, double on any two cards and after pair splitting, surrender, resplit aces, and, of course, getting paid 3-2 for a blackjack. Rules that increase the house edge include using multiple decks of cards, dealer hitting soft 17, restrictions on what hands you can double down, and paying only 6-5 or even money for a blackjack. The house edge should be about 0.5% or lower for any game that you play. (If you are unsure what the house edge is, use the Blackjack House Edge Calculator located on the blackjack page at www.wizardofodds.com to compute the house edge for any game. Just key in the number of decks of cards and the playing rules and the calculator will compute the house edge).

Playing Strategy

If you want to become a better blackjack player, you must learn the basic playing strategy. This is essential.

The basic playing strategy tells you the correct way to play all of the 550 different possible hands that will arise when playing blackjack. You must memorize the basic strategy and be able to make the correct play with speed and accuracy. The basic playing strategy will vary slightly based on the rules and the number of decks of cards. You can get an accurate basic strategy for any game by using the Basic Strategy Calculator located on the blackjack page at www.wizardofodds.com. You simply key in the number of decks and the playing rules, and the computer prepares an accurate basic playing strategy.

An easy way to learn the basic strategy is to practice with the Blackjack Mentor software program, which is available for iPhone, Microsoft Windows, Palm OS, and Pocket PC (for details go to www.handheldblackjack.com). Playing mistakes will cost you money. To ensure that you always make the correct playing decision, bring a hand-held strategy card with you when you play (they are casino legal).

Using the basic playing strategy accurately when you play will make you a better player. However, if you do nothing else to enhance your skills, at the end of your playing career, you will lose more money than win. If you want to be a better blackjack player, you must take the next step and learn when to bet more.

When to Bet More

Many players use progressive betting systems when they play blackjack. However, as I explained in detail in my column in the August 2009 issue of Casino Player magazine, progressive betting systems don’t work and won’t make you a better, or more successful, player. To accomplish that, you’ll have to discipline yourself to increase your bets only when you have the edge on the next hand (rather than increase your bets based on whether you won or lost the previous hand). Here are some ways to do this.

1. Learn to scan the cards

Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Example

You can use this technique in single- and double-deck games. After a shuffle, there is a balance (or equal number)) of small cards (2s though 6s) and large cards (10s, picture cards, and aces) in the deck(s) of cards. This balance can change depending upon the mix of cards dealt from one round to the next. By scanning all the cards that have been played on each round, you will be able to get some idea whether there were a greater number of small cards compared to high cards played in previous rounds. If your scanning indicates that more small cards have been dealt out compared to high cards, then the remaining unplayed cards must be richer in high cards (inverse relationship). When the latter occurs, the edge shifts to the player and you should bet more. Scanning is not an exact science and it takes a little practice; however, if you only increase your bets when the unplayed cards are richer in high cards, you will be taking a big step toward becoming a better player.

2. Use a simple card counting system

There are some very simple card counting systems for recreational players that are easy to learn and use, and allow a basic strategy player to play a break-even game or have a slight edge over the house. They include the Ace/10 Front Count (Blackjack Bluebook II by Fred Renzey), the Ace/Five Count (Appendix 17 on the blackjack page on www.wizardofodds.com), Rookie Knock-Out System (Knock-Out Blackjack by Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs), and Speed Count (Beat Blackjack Now! by Frank Scoblete). Any of these simple systems will help you be a better blackjack player.

Blackjack Csm Basic Strategy Examples

I hope you will discipline yourself to incorporate some or all of the above tips when you play blackjack. You have the information… the ball is now in your court. Are you going to continue dribbling in circles, or score a basket?

Henry Tamburin is the editor of Blackjack Insider Newsletter (www.bjinsider.com), Lead Instructor for the Golden Touch Blackjack Course (www.goldentouchblackjack.com), and host of www.smartgaming.com. For a free three-month subscription to his blackjack newsletter, go to www.bjinsider.com/freetrial.com. To receive his free Casino Gambling Catalog, call 1-888-353-3234 or visit www.smartgaming.com.