Skip to main content

Blackjack: The Card Betting Casino Game

Also known as ‘Twenty-One’, Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games’ that is known across the world. Playing casino games is not only a great source of entertainment, but also a game of luck where you can either win or lose money. Unlike other casino games, which involve slot machines and casino chips, blackjack is a card game that is played between the card dealer and a player.

So, a player CANNOT compete against another player, but has to be strictly against the dealer. Using a standard 52-deck card deck, it might be a bit tricky to understand how to play the game at first. However, there are plenty of tutorial books, which are available, which can help transform a novice at the game to an expert! 

Especially in today’s digitised times, it is very easy to find e-books available online; either for free or at reasonable prices. While you may understand the concept while reading, the more practice and experience you have at the game can help you.  Moreover, you can read about plenty of tricks and techniques to improve your game. 

However, which is the right book to read is the tricky question! With attractive titles, one can easily make their selection of the book to read.

Who wouldn’t want to read the basics of the game from the book titled - ‘The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book’ by Lance Humble?  The odds are that many would opt for this book due to its title.

Besides this, there are plenty of experts who agree that this is the perfect one stop solution for all beginners! Providing an easy to understand and appealing introduction to the card game, this particular book contains all the information that is required to know about the game.

Although it was published in 1987, there are also revised versions available for the same. However, one thing remains the same and that is that the system within the book is relevant even today!  

Some of the highlights covered in this book include the benefits of card counting, benefits of interacting with the dealers, when to finish a game and the Hi-Opt 1 blackjack card counting system, which is a renowned technique for single deck games. The book also provides information on the perfect casino destination, basic and advanced Hi-Opt 1 levels and private blackjack. Private Blackjack offers insights and clever analysis of the gameplay outside casinos.

So, who is Lance Humble and how did he manage to write one of the most compelling books about blackjack? Known to be a professional blackjack player himself, this author of the ‘The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book’ was actually a professor at the York University in Toronto where he taught a course called Aspects of Gambling! Originally teaching about horseracing, it wasn’t long before his students asked him to teach them about casino games and techniques to win at it.

Collecting all the possible information from other fellow colleagues and prominent professionals such as Stanford Wong, Lawrence Revere, Arnold Snyder and Ian Anderson to contribute in the development of his own system. While his interest was high, so was his knowledge and finally after many years, Humble developed his own systems, namely the Hi-Opt I and Hi-Opt II; principles of card counting which have been developed to help a player determine the appropriate bet size.  

However, this system was originally designed in 1968 by the author, Charles Einstein who was influenced by the work of Edward Thorp. This was known as the Highly Optimum card counting system. This Einstein Count, which was refined by Lance Humble as well as Carl Cooper, is currently known as ‘Hi-Opt I’ and ‘Hi-Opt II’. 

Not only did he develop his system, but he was also assisted by one of the most influential blackjack strategists of all time – Julian Braun.

So what was Hi-Opt I and Hi-Opt U about? While Hi-Opt I was intended for players on the basic level; Hi-Opt II is the enhanced version for the expert players. However, Humble ensured that Hi-Opt I covers everything to convert a beginner into a winner.


Although Braun was never a professional player, he was definitely a legacy on his own! Being a computer programmer, he had plenty of blackjack strategies up his sleeve! Also a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, he also has s number of blackjack innovations that are connected to his name.

It was only after reading an American mathematics professor, author, hedge fund manager, and blackjack player -Edward O. Thorp’s ‘Beat the Dealer’ did he actually develop an interest for the game. So, Braun made use of his IBM programming skills to improve the strategies that were discussed in Thorp’s book. Therefore, he was able to invent highly effective basic and Hi-Lo blackjack strategies. In addition to this he contributed to the book ‘The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book’ and continued to develop new card counting systems.



           

                                                         

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Karina Pandya in Conversation with Co-Founder of the Banyan, Dr. Vandana Gopikumar

An incident of coming across a homeless and mentally ill woman in distress on the road in front of her college in Chennai paved the route for Vandana Gopikumar to establish one of the leading NGOs in the field of mental health – The Banyan. While she was yet a Master’s student of Social Work, Vandana along with a close friend Vaishnavi Jayakumar encountered several other incidents of not being able to find the right shelter and mental institution for a woman in need of medical and psychiatric attention.     The Banyan, which was established in 1993 has been a one-stop destination to not only rescue, and rehabilitate but also treat mentally ill women from low-income groups. Vandana Gopikumar has pioneered a movement, helping thousands of individuals not only reintegrate into society but also secure long-term medical treatment.    Not only is she the co-founder of the NGO – The Banyan, but is also the co-founder of The Banyan Academy of Leadership (BALM). She is also a member of the advi

NGO Meet Becomes a Fulcrum of Mutual Help

  “There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.”  --Helen Keller   There are numerous social causes which would remain otherwise ignored if it were not for the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) contributing to the cause. January 6th, Saturday saw the coming together of 25-30 NGOs to provide a single platform for mutual help and support. It was organised by the founder trustee of Karmayog – Vinay Somani to discuss strategic planning for social and civic causes.          A Buffet of Purposes: Maybe You're Lost, Maybe You Aren’t. Maybe You’re Meandering with Meaning     Whether it is raising funds, strategy planning, content writing, or volunteering; there are numerous ways by which people can contribute to the welfare of an NGO.    Dr Dhyanraj Patkar, whose Narmada Kidney Foundation works to create awareness about kidney disease said that 6100 people were on the wait list for a kidney transplant in 2023 in Maharashtra bu

A Boutique Passport to New York

New York, the city that NEVER sleeps is one of the most sought-after hotspots for fashionistas across the world.     With astonishingly tall buildings which rise up to a couple of thousand feet in the air, creating a beautiful New York Skyline, New York is home to some of the most popular brands across the world such as Macy’s, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, Valentino, Kate Spade, Fendi, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Huckberry, Nordstrom NYC and many others there are plenty of innovative retailers and retail trends to choose from. However, New York has not always been the fashion capital of the world.  Paris, Milan and London have always been known worldwide for the most influential fashion trend. New only emerged as a fashion capital post World War II when New York’s garment district became a vanguard of a different type.      There were designers in New York who challenged the Parisian couture by introducing sportswear into the high fashion world in the 194 0s and 1950s. New Yor