If you imagine the 10 and 16 placed on the centerline of a 2" X 2" square, the 0 is offset so your left thumb covers the number. As you go through the stack, recite "sixtten versus 10, stand at zero" (or higher). For a hand of 15 vs. 10, a card will look like this

When you come to this card, you'll recite "15 versus 10; stand at 4".

As time goes on, you won't need to remind yourself that you should stand with the 15 against 10, so you'll recite "15 versus 10 is 4".

Got the idea? If you don't, please e-mail me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Here are the numbers you'll need to learn. These may vary a bit from numbers you'll see published in books like Stanford Wong's "Professional Blackjack" because the ones I use are specifically for a six-deck game where the dealer stands on A-6 and a few have been modified based upon the theory of 'risk averse' play which was developed about 15 years ago. These numbers work well; they have been proven in thousands of hours of actual casino play by me and my students. Do NOT use them for single-deck games, however. Single-deck play requires different numbers and will be covered in a future lesson.

And to finish it off, one weird play: Stand with A-7 against Ace at 1 or higher.

Homework

Make up a set of flashcards and begin learning these variations.

As always, if you have any questions, e-mail me at and Ill get back to you ASAP.