How To Beat the Casino

A statistical analysis of blackjack basic strategy and card counting

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About the game

We set out to learn a bit more about blackjack strategy. But before we could do that, we had to learn a bit more about the game itself. Learn about how blackjack is played and find out our goals in setting out.

The Basic Strategy

Stand

You have a ten and an eight. The dealer is showing a six. You should stand.

Why?

Hit

You have an ace and a four. The dealer is showing a six. You should hit.

Why?

Card Counting

-1

A count is simply a way of tracking what cards have passed by in play and what cards are yet to come. This number can then be used to inform decisions on betting. For example, if we were to keep count of the above cards using the Hi-Lo system, we would have a count of -1.

Learn to Count

Additional Information

Still interested in learning more about our project? Learn more about our simulation data, our process notebook, and a screencast covering the highlights of the project.