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.
-- 
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