AZBJ: Basic strategy tables

[AZBJ]

I have read Blackbelt in Blackjack and have a question on the strategy tables for basic strategy on any number of decks. The pair splitting reads that you split 88 all the time. You also surrender 16 vs 9,10,A . I know surrender takes precedence, but if that is the case then why print that you split 88 vs 9,10, A at all? Why not print an S in those spots? Is this just for when surrender is unavailable? I have also seen some entries in other strategy charts that aren't explained and I am curious as to the logic/math behind them. Such as: stand on 16 vs 10 with 3 or more cards. Again if that is the case and you surrender on 2 cards and stand on 3 or more then you would never hit 16 vs 10. Or is this just for when surrender is unavailable? if so what is the reason for standing on 3 or more? I have also seen exceptions for surrender totals of 14,15 and 16 depending on the composition of cards. Why does that matter? Should I just play the basic strategy of surrender 16 vs 9,10,A and 15 vs 10 with that taking priority over pair splitting?

[Don Schlesinger]

> I have read Blackbelt in Blackjack and have
> a question on the strategy tables for basic
> strategy on any number of decks. The pair
> splitting reads that you split 88 all the
> time. You also surrender 16 vs 9,10,A . I
> know surrender takes precedence, but if that
> is the case then why print that you split 88
> vs 9,10, A at all? Why not print an S in
> those spots? Is this just for when surrender
> is unavailable?

Surrendering 16 in the strategy tables is NOT meant to imply surrendering 8,8. You need to get used to reading such tables. Pairs have their own section and their own strategy; they are NOT lumped in with the generic totals. The correct BS for most games is to split 8,8 vs. all dealer upcards. Surrendering 16 is reserved for two-card holdings of 10,6 and 9,7.

> I have also seen some
> entries in other strategy charts that aren't
> explained and I am curious as to the
> logic/math behind them. Such as: stand on 16
> vs 10 with 3 or more cards. Again if that is
> the case and you surrender on 2 cards and
> stand on 3 or more then you would never hit
> 16 vs 10. Or is this just for when surrender
> is unavailable? If so what is the reason for
> standing on 3 or more?

A suggestion for what to do with 3-card 16 has nothing to do with whether surrender is available or not, obviously. But, for the basic strategy player, if surrender is available, you surrender 16 v. 10, so you have no 3-card hand to worry about, nor do you worry about hitting or standing.

If surrender isn't available, BS says to hit the two-card holding and to stand on what would become a three-card holding, vs. 10 (perhaps you hit a 12 with a 4). The idea here is that the composition of your hand now starts to have extra small cards in it, and those cards are no longer available to you as hit cards that you would like, nor as hole cards that you would like the dealer to have, forcing him to draw.

> I have also seen
> exceptions for surrender totals of 14,15 and
> 16 depending on the composition of cards.
> Why does that matter?

Same reason as above. Some plays are just so close that the actual composition of the hand becomes important. The removal of each rank of card has different effects on overall favorability of a hand. Take 15 v. 10. if you hold 9,6 or 10,5, you surrender. But, if you hold 8,7, you don't. Can you see why? With the first two hands, you have one card that it good for the dealer's hole card, but one that is bad. In the second instance, you've taken away two cards that would make him pat, so the odds against his drawing have increased by just enough to keep you from throwing the hand away.

> Should I just play the
> basic strategy of surrender 16 vs 9,10,A and
> 15 vs 10 with that taking priority over pair
> splitting?

No. Splitting 8s takes priority over surrendering, if you aren't counting cards. BS is to split.

Don

[AZBJ]

> No. Splitting 8s takes priority over
> surrendering, if you aren't counting cards.
> BS is to split.

> Don

This is where my confusion began: On page 31 of BB in BJ the "Order of decisions" says to use the basic strategy tables in this order:
1). If surrender is allowed, this takes priority over any other decision. If basic strategy calls for surrender, throw in the hand.

2) If you have a pair, determine whether or not basic strategy calls for a split.

I will take your advice and always split 8s. Thank you for the reply.