From: mayd@chrysanthemum.localdomain (David May) Newsgroups: sci.math Subject: Re: can blackjack odds be calculated exactly Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 01:20:39 +0800 In article <1998061200452700.UAA21767@ladder03.news.aol.com>, mon2fri@aol.com (Mon2fri) writes: > I wrote a program to simulate blackjack in order to confirm for myself the odds > given in many sources. My program, however, can only give statistical results. > Is anyone familiar with a reference for combinatorial analysis of the odds in > blackjack? I tried looking in Purdue university`s library but couldn`t find > anything at all on the subject of blackjack let alone combinatorial analysis of > blackjack odds. This is a fascinating topic which has generated a lot of research over the years. I am surprised that you found no references, especially at a big university like Purdue. Here are a few references which might be of interest: The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic by Richard A. Epstein. The Casino Gambler's Guide by Allan N. Wilson. Unlike other casino games, blackjack allows the player a great deal of freedom in choosing a strategy. (The dealer, on the other hand is required to play a fixed strategy.) The expected win (or loss) depends on the player's adopted strategy. Obviously the player should adopt the strategy that maximizes the expected win - computing this accurately is quite difficult. Note also that the rules of blackjack vary slightly between casinos and the number of card decks used varies too. These factors affect the probabilites. Edward O. Thorp published a famous paper on this entitled "A Favourable Strategy for Twenty-One" in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, followed by a classic book entitled "Beat the Dealer". All these and more recent publications should be easily available at any big university library. -- David May | mailto:mayd@cygnus.uwa.edu.au | Finger for | finger:mayd@cygnus.uwa.edu.au | PGP Public Key | http://cygnus.uwa.edu.au/~mayd |