Shuffle Tracking as a Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack is a game where although the basic statistics, as calculated using basic blackjack strategy, are in favor of the house, this advantage is relatively slight and blackjack is thus a very even game where blackjack strategy plays an important part. The significance of this near equality is that if the blackjack strategy can be improved even slightly, the odds can be turned in favor of the player. There are many ways by which people have attempted to improve their blackjack strategy and thus obtain the necessary slight advantage that is needed in order to make the game of blackjack a profitable one. One of these methods for improving on the basic blackjack strategy is the method of shuffle tracking. Cards dealt from a shoe need to be reshuffled before they can be reused. The shuffling can be done using highly complex and lengthy shuffling techniques or it can be done using simpler techniques. When simpler techniques are used for shuffling, certain groupings of cards remain more or less intact. This leaves room for the observant player to estimate the location of certain card within a deck. Such observation and analysis is known as shuffle tracking. In shuffle tracking, a player attempts to acquire information regarding the probable approximate location of certain cards within the playing deck and based on this information to modify the blackjack strategy that he is using. If enough information is garnered from shuffle tracking that the shuffle tracking player can significantly modify his blackjack strategy correctly, then the shuffle tracking player is going to be successful in the long run. There are many techniques of shuffle tracking and some of these are more complex than others. The underlying theory is always the same though. When using shuffle tracking, certain information can be garnered which can help improve the player's blackjack strategy and these modifications to the blackjack strategy can be sufficient to shift the odds in favor of the player.

Different Techniques in Shuffle Tracking

As previously stated regarding shuffle tracking, there are several different techniques that can be used when shuffle tracking. Perhaps the simplest of the shuffle tracking techniques is that of tracking the aces in a deck. The knowledge of when an ace is bound to turn up can be invaluable and can have great impact on the player's blackjack strategy. Some shuffle tracking players are even skilled enough to manipulate the card game so that the ace goes to them. This is usually considered a highly favorable outcome. The statistical benefit this confers on top of the basic blackjack strategy is enormous and quite effectively shifts the game in favor of the player. Another possibility with shuffle tracking is trying to manipulate 10 valued cards in the dealer's hand. This greatly increases the chance for a dealer bust. Again, this manipulation is done combined with the basic blackjack strategy for a more improved blackjack strategy that can assure the successful shuffle tracking player a net profit in the long run. For those who are considering using shuffle tracking as part of their blackjack strategy, it is highly recommended that they first get a lot of practice. It is has been said that the MIT blackjack teams occasionally made use of advanced shuffle tracking techniques in order to improve their blackjack strategy. It has also been said that these techniques were difficult to employ and that is why, for the most part, the MIT blackjack teams stuck to more simple formulas of blackjack counting and simple straight forward basic blackjack strategy.

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