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Risk and Reward

The Science of Casino Blackjack

  • Book
  • © 2018

Overview

  • Fully and clearly describes how best to play casino blackjack, what result the player can expect from their optimal play, and the key choices the player must make that determine that result

  • Lays out, completely and rigorously, the analysis that derives the optimal play and its results

  • Goes beyond the purely descriptive to include the mathematics analysis to help increase ones chances of winning the game of Blackjack

  • Updated and expanded section on Bet Strategies

  • 3657 Accesses

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Strategy

  2. Analysis

Keywords

About this book

For decades, casino gaming has been steadily increasing in popularity worldwide. Blackjack, among the usual casino table games, is the only one where astute choices of playing strategy can create an advantage for the player.

Risk and Reward analyzes the game in depth, pinpointing not just its optimal strategies but also its financial performance, in terms of both expected cash flow and associated risk.

This Second Edition begins by laying out the strategies and their performance in a clear, descriptive style. The presentation is self-contained, non-mathematical, and accessible to readers at all levels of playing skill, from novice to expert. Careful attention is also given to simplified but still nearly optimal strategies that are easier to use in a casino environment. Unlike other books in the literature, each aspect of the strategy is derived mathematically, to justify its claim to optimality. The derivations mostly use algebra and calculus, although some require more advanced analysis detailed in appendices.

For easier comprehension, formulae are translated into tables and graphs, many of which are linked to interactive versions on the author's website that recompute for each reader's choice of playing conditions.

Risk and Reward will appeal to everyone interested in blackjack: every player seeking to improve their performance as well as those with training in mathematics and intrigued by its application to a game they enjoy.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Chelsea Technologies, Sag Harbor, USA

    N. Richard Werthamer

About the author

N. Richard Werthamer is retired from a successful career as a scientist and executive,mostly recently as the Executive Officer of The American Physical Society. He earned
a B.A. summa cum laude from Harvard College, followed by a Ph.D. from the University
of California, Berkeley. His original scientific research has been published in the
world's leading journals. In RISK AND REWARD, he applies that background to his
analysis of blackjack.

Bibliographic Information

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