Strategy Charts
“Sorting Through The Misleading”

Ending The Confusion 

It wouldn’t be appropriate to continue cursing each time we talk about another Blackjack nightmare from the past, but we definitely feel a little frustrated with all the misleading information given to us players.  A simple Internet search can show you how much variation exists on other sites on the Internet.  This is without the misleading information many casinos have "graciously" been giving to players, or the books that were supposed to be, at least somewhat, accurate.  Face it...millions and millions of Blackjack players, and you, have been duped! 

Almost anywhere you find Blackjack, you will find Basic Play Charts.  These charts are very simple to read, and supposedly contain accurate information. They show you your starting hand, and the dealer’s up card.  Using all the decisions afforded by the rules of a certain game, these charts are supposed to clearly show you one thing; the correct mathematical way to play that particular hand!  If it shows you anything else, the chart is totally misleading. Guess what?  They are! Some of the charts are so totally misleading, we cannot imagine the coin flipping that went into making them.  We haven’t seen a chart anywhere (at the time of the Playing 21 Program’s release) that is 100% correct.  We will applaud any that we do see, and give them credit.  It is much easier to guarantee that there has never been a book written with all the correct math, for they can’t change the books on the book shelves, as easily as they will scramble to change their web sites.

We have several theories  as to why so much misleading information exists about the game Blackjack.  Some of it might, like it does us, disgust you.  It is the belief of McB Duplin, that past “supposedly-made" Blackjack programs are inaccurate.  How dare they supply misleading information?  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to prove all this. The average person can find the results right on their own kitchen table.  We think some books were written simply for monetary gain.  Sadly, that is our belief.  We also challenge any book, that refers to its program, to now produce the program.  We think many are flat out lies, no programs, or at least accurate ones, ever existed!   

We don’t know where the casinos received the misleading information that appears on basic play charts.  You know...the ones they've handed out in, we’d assume, the millions or tens of millions.  Where did they get their information?  I hope it comes out in some inquiry or court case, for we are dying to hear the answers.  Maybe some media people could ask the casinos that question and email us their reply. 

Are the casinos going to tell us they have never had a program made on Blackjack?  Maybe they had bad programmers, but that is very insulting to the programmers' intelligence.  Obviously, if even just one casino did have a program to simulate the game Blackjack, which you would think would make sense considering all the hype about card counting and such, they would have made it public knowledge that the industry was handing out misleading basic play charts.  That almost goes without saying.  Morally and ethically, no casino is going to withhold information from the public...right?  Especially when by not doing so, it would cost the public millions of dollars…right? 

They Didn’t Know? 

So yes, we have to admit the casinos “not” knowing theory is hard to swallow and accept.  They spend billions on building just one casino, and make almost $30 billion annually as an industry.  It wouldn’t be shortage of capital.  We managed to do it, and there are more casinos in the world than there are people in my hometown (Hi everyone).  So it is hard to believe that they didn’t know the answers!?  Who’s word did they decided to take for the information they used on the basic play charts?  It's beyond us. We don’t buy them, or distribute them.  (We do, however, collect them and prove them wrong).  Clearly, a few Pit Bosses never stayed after work one night and over a few cold pops came up with the optimum way to play every hand?  So where did they get the information?   

Furthermore, if YOU believe the casinos do know the correct way to play the game Blackjack, but choose to continue handing out inaccurate information then that would mean YOU don’t just think the casinos are negligent, but YOU are accusing the casinos of fraud.  THAT is a serious accusation pal, and exactly why we feel they must not have known.  (By chance, if you have ever made a computer program simulating the game Blackjack for the casinos, please email us.  Your confidentiality is guaranteed). 

Who’s Watching Who? 

Clearly some responsibility must be shared by the over 80 Gaming Commissions and Jurisdictions.  The commissions are put in place to, among other things, oversee and ensure the casinos are dealing a fair game.  Someone has to stand up for the players.  Someone has to hold the casinos accountable when they cross the line.  Surely the fact that the commissions are government agencies that receive their revenue from the casinos, has nothing to do with any decision they would - or would not - make...even if it would mean giving the entire industry a black eye in the process.  We will do our part for you the player, and send letters to all the Gaming Commissions requesting they stop the offending casinos from handing out more and more inaccurate and misleading information.  We hope our letters don’t end up in the discard rack! 

The Correct Charts          

The Playing 21 Program was designed for the very purpose of showing the player exactly how, the correct mathematical way, to play every single hand found in the game Blackjack. Compare the results with those found on those Basic Play Charts.  We broke the game down into very simple and easy to read information.  This involved something truly exciting, and obviously never before done with the game Blackjack.  We called this the Hand Breakdown vs. Dealers Up Card.  This was the most amazing invention and Blackjack tool ever.  Now, with something as simple as a mouse click, you can view how you fared with each starting hand versus each individual dealer up card.  By knowing this information, you can determine, by running each way to play each hand, exactly what is the most correct mathematical way to play each hand, and therefore, what are all the wrong ways to play each hand. 

Lets say you wanted to know what is the best way to play a Hard 9 vs. the dealers 7 up.  Well, you could set up player one to Hit this hand, and player two to Stand on it, player three to Surrender, and player four to Double Down.  Now you could run a million hands and, when finished, go into each player’s Hand Breakdown vs. Dealers Up Card and look at the Hard 9 vs. the Dealer's 7.  Right before your very eyes, taking no one’s word for it ever again, you can see how to play every single possible hand, played using any house rules you decide.  It is all there, and not just your Win/Loss percentage, but the hand is further broken down into 45 categories, and at 21 counts, if you choose to card count. 

The Playing 21 Program truly does allow you to do it all.  Maybe better still, it exposed that much of the crap out there is inaccurate and totally misleading.  It isn’t a Blackjack for the entire gaming industry, but it is for you and we are very happy to finally set the record straight.