Matt: Hi Opt I

[Matt]

I just finished reading 'The World's Greatest Blackjack Book' and after memorizing basic strategy, Hi-Opt I card counting, and the strategy tables based on count, I decided to check the results before heading to my local Casino. My local rules are
6 Decks
double after split allowed
one card on split aces
dealer hits soft 17
insurace 2-1
reshuffle at 1.2 decks remaining
My results for Hi-Opt 1 agree closely with the authors,
-0.33 % disadvantage for flat betting (-0.3% book)
+0.36 % advantage for 5-10-15-20-25 betting (+0.5 % book) based on Kelly criterion and $1000 bankroll

with 1 Deck I get +1.96% advantage with the same betting and bankroll as above (vs +2.1% book)

My results seem close enough to validate them, and I used 18 million blackjack hands so the numbers should be statistically sound.
The problem I am having is that learning all of the strategy tables provides 0.3% of the advantage for 1 Deck and only 0.02% advantage for 6 decks. All the other improvements over basic strategy come from ranging the bet by a factor of 5 and buying insurance based on the count.

Am I in error, or did I waste my time memorizing anything beyond basic strategy with this system? ( I also haven't added the ace side count yet...)

[Don Schlesinger]

> My results seem close enough to validate
> them, and I used 18 million blackjack hands
> so the numbers should be statistically
> sound.

Norm typically uses about a billion hands before he'll swear to anything, so I'd say you have a little ways to go! :-)

> The problem I am having is that learning all
> of the strategy tables provides 0.3% of the
> advantage for 1 Deck and only 0.02%
> advantage for 6 decks.

Surely that is very wrong. Unless you're talking about flat-betting, and it would still be wrong.

> All the other
> improvements over basic strategy come from
> ranging the bet by a factor of 5 and buying
> insurance based on the count.

Just not true.

> Am I in error, or did I waste my time
> memorizing anything beyond basic strategy
> with this system? ( I also haven't added the
> ace side count yet...)

You're in error.

Don