7 Card Blackjack
Jun 27, 2014
Card counting is legal and is not considered cheating as long as the counter is not using an external device,: 6–7 but if a casino realizes players are counting, the casino might inform them that they are no longer welcome to play blackjack. Sometimes a casino might ban a card counter from the property. 247 Games offers a full lineup of seasonal Blackjack games. Click on any of the games below to play directly in your browser. All of our Blackjack games are 100% free, all day, every day!
Representations of card counting range from the rousing to the ridiculous so we take a look at 7 of the very best.
Earlier this year those nice people over at the Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino had to ask that Hollywood hunk Ben Affleck to stop playing blackjack at their tables citing the fact that he was counting cards…too obviously.
Do these lucky 7 get portrayals of card counting right?• What else do Kevin Costner and Kevin Spacey have in common?
• Which actor has the best casino table manners?
• Where will Affleck take his affliction next?
Well what did they expect from Mr. Affleck? Acting? He’s never shown any ability in that regard before so why did they think he’d manage under pressure at the blackjack tables?
Mr. Affleck should stick to online blackjack tournaments if he can’t keep it on the down low. Of course Hollywood has always had a fascination for gambling.
From “The Sting” to “The Hangover” gambling is a big part of the dramatic repertoire and whilst not every movie can reach the dazzling heights of “Casino” with Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone, there are plenty of others to choose from.
But in tribute to Mr Affleck’s lack of thespian prowess let’s look at some of the portrayals of card counting that have graced the silver screen in our Top 7 Card Counting Movies.
Stacy’s Knights
Starring Kevin Costner, and the distinctly foxy Andra Millian, this 1983 classic concerns Stacy, a young novice, who our Kev teaches to count cards in order that she has that edge necessary for winning at blackjack.
Unfortunately corrupt casino bosses (don’t you just hate ’em?) not only set cheating dealers on her but actually have Will killed leaving Stacy with no absolutely no alternative but to put together a team of players and get her revenge.
Holy Rollers
When someone tells you there’s a 2011 movie about committed Christians counting cards in casinos it can be tempting to make sure they’re not holding any sharp objects and that you know precisely where all the exits are.
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It sounds so implausible, and yet Holy Rollers is that movie. Is it a documentary or a badly scripted drama? Are they hypocrites or heroes? Is prayer a blackjack strategy? You decide. If nothing else it’ll leave you wondering, “Where would Jesus gamble?”
The Hot Shoe
This 2005 documentary by the Director David Layton charts the history of blackjack card counting. Mixing interviews with gambling authors, casino employees and card counters themselves (including that bunch of guys from MIT) and reviews the math behind these smart strategies.
He then goes on to practice what he’s been preached by learning to count cards and gambling $5000 of the films budget. How did he make out? You’ll have to see it to get the answer to that one.
The Last Casino
A professor recruits three bright students, teaches them to count blackjack cards then sets out on a spree. Sound familiar? It should.
Excellent performances in this 2004 film from Charles Martin Smith, Katharine Isabelle and Kris Lemche more than make up for a slightly made-for-TV feel and a card counting system that probably wouldn’t work anywhere anymore.
Breaking Vegas
Although a 2004 dramatic recreation of the MIT teams now legendary pursuits this documentary styled film doesn’t overly egg the theme with good performances from the “actors” and a nice pacing that lends itself to the mood.
If they don’t explain the blackjack tips in enough mathematical detail for many it’s still an excellent watch for a movie that could have done with a slightly larger budget and perhaps just a little more substance to add to the quite piquant atmosphere.
Rain Man
Couldn’t leave everyone’s favorite card counter out of the list, could I? Of course I couldn’t. With four Oscars, two Golden Globes and an Eddie award to its credit there’s no good reason to sit down and watch this.
A 1988 classic about an autistic savant and his less than perfect brother and their helter-skelter journey across the USA with an inheritance in the balance it has it all. Dustin Hoffman is superb, Tom Cruise is actually watchable, and the card scenes are so fabulous they’re now part of blackjack history. A must see.
21
The 2008 incarnation of that now age old story sees Kevin Spacey train a bunch of bright MIT students in blackjack tricks and card counting. A lavish production with some excellent cameos from the likes of Lawrence Fishburne, this movie bounces neatly between high energy casino scenes and the emotional drama behind cunningly created facade.
Kate Bosworth and Jim Sturgess handle their complex roles with suitable professionalism for their age and if the dramatic license taken with real life events means there’s not much of the original true story left, it doesn’t spoil the effect. Worth a watch.
Tags: 21, Andra Millian, Ben Affleck, blackjack cards, blackjack history, blackjack strategy, blackjack tips, blackjack tricks, Breaking Vegas, Casino, casino table manners, Charles Martin Smith, Christians, David Layton, Dustin Hoffman, Eddie, Golden Globes, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Holy Rollers, Jesus, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Katharine Isabelle, Kevin Costners, Kevin Spacey, Kris Lemche, Las Vegas, Lawrence Fishburne, MIT, Online blackjack tournaments, Oscars, Rain Man, Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, smart strategies, Stacy's Knights, The Hangover, The Hot Shoe, The Sting, Tom Cruise, winning at blackjack
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On This Page
Introduction
To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
Other basic strategy rules.
- Never take insurance or 'even money.'
- If there is no row for splitting (fives and tens), then look up your hand as a hard total (10 or 20).
- If you can't split because of a limit on re-splitting, then look up your hand as a hard total, except aces. In the extremely unlikely event you have a pair of aces you can't re-split and drawing to split aces is allowed, then double against a 6, otherwise hit.
If you play a mixture of six-deck games, some where the dealer hits a soft 17, and some where he stands, and you only wish to memorize one strategy, I would recommend you memorize the one where the dealer stands on soft 17. The cost in errors due to playing the wrong strategy is 2.3 times higher playing a stand on soft 17 game, with the hit on 17 strategy, than vise versa.
Basic Strategy in Text
For the benefit of my blind readers, here is the above strategy in text form, when the dealer stands on soft 17 and surrender is allowed. To use the strategy, start at the top, and follow the first rule that applies.
Surrender
- Surrender hard 16 (but not a pair of 8s) vs. dealer 9, 10, or A, and hard 15 vs. dealer 10.
Split
- Always split aces and 8s.
- Never split 5s and 10s.
- Split 2s and 3s against a dealer 4-7, and against a 2 or 3 if DAS is allowed.
- Split 4s only if DAS is allowed and the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
- Split 6s against a dealer 3-6, and against a 2 if DAS is allowed.
- Split 7s against a dealer 2-7.
- Split 9s against a dealer 2-6 or 8-9.
Double
- Double hard 9 vs. dealer 3-6.
- Double hard 10 except against a dealer 10 or A.
- Double hard 11 except against a dealer A.
- Double soft 13 or 14 vs. dealer 5-6.
- Double soft 15 or 16 vs. dealer 4-6.
- Double soft 17 or 18 vs. dealer 3-6.
Hit or Stand
- Always hit hard 11 or less.
- Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4-6, otherwise hit.
- Stand on hard 13-16 against a dealer 2-6, otherwise hit.
- Always stand on hard 17 or more.
- Always hit soft 17 or less.
- Stand on soft 18 except hit against a dealer 9, 10, or A.
- Always stand on soft 19 or more.
As I've said many times, the above strategy will be fine under any set of rules. However, for you perfectionists out there, here are the modifications to make if the dealer hits a soft 17.
- Surrender 15, a pair of 8s, and 17 vs. dealer A.
- Double 11 vs. dealer A.
- Double soft 18 vs. dealer 2.
- Double soft 19 vs. dealer 6.
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My thanks to Kelly for putting together the above text strategy.