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Blackjack for Baccarat Players


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I see Keith is offering some special BJ deals to Baccarat Players so I want to add my thoughts on this. Why might a Bac player also want to learn BJ?

First, I would like to know a little more about BJ conditions in Singapore and throughout Asia. Perhaps one of you Singaporeans could supply some BJ information.

First, do they even have BJ in Singapore?

Are they 6 or 7 player tables?

Most important , how crowded are these tables?

Can you usually get head to head games or is it usually too crowded?

History: Looking at per capita casino profits of both games:

Back in the '90s BJ was the no.1 casino game in the US. Most of the casino profits came from BJ. Today BTW it is the slots.

Casino BJ profits went from 6% in the early 90s and settled in at 15%. Today casino BJ profits have been stagnant at 15% for about 15 years and I don't see this changing much.

Over about the same years Bac profits went from 3% to about 25% and have been running at 25% for about 8 years now.

So we can say that 20 years ago Bac was the easier of the two games. But today BJ is the easier by a considerable margin.

In Bac, we can say that the closer the game is to random, the harder it is to play.

But in BJ, the closer the game is to random the easier the game is to play.

In Bac, the more the cards are played, the more random the cards become and the harder the game is to play. This is why in Bac, we prefer new cards.

In BJ, since it is play itself that clumps the cards, we can say that the longer the cards are played and the more players in the game, the more the cards clump and the harder it is to play. So in BJ we also prefer new cards.

So in Bac, as its popularity increases, its difficulty increases.

But in BJ, as its popularity decreases due to the advent of other casino games such as Poker, Bac and the junk table games, BJ becomes easier to play while Bac becomes more and more difficult.

So, while 20 years ago Bac was the easier of the two games to beat, today BJ is, by far, the easier game to beat and the proof is current casino profits, 25% for Bac while only 15% for BJ. Times have changed.

So why wouldn't I drop teaching Bac altogether and go back to only teaching BJ? Ha, believe me the thought has occurred to me. But the fact is that Bac is by far the easier game to learn.

Think about it. In Bac all decisions are made for you except when to bet, which side and how much. Bac isn't really even a game any more than flipping a coin. It requires no skill to play.

In BJ, YOU make all the decisions: It is not automated like Bac is.

Do I hit or stand?

Do I double?

Do I split?

Do I resplit?

Do I insure?

Do I surrender?

When do I increase my bet?

When do I decrease?

See that? BJ is an actual game. Bac is just something to bet on.

And BTW, in BJ you must play every hand. Most casinos will not let you stand out even for a single hand. If you do, you must sit out the rest of the shoe. But shoes only last a few minutes. BJ is a much faster game.

While table selection is important in Bac, it is critical in BJ. In BJ some tables you can beat with Basic Strategy alone requiring no special skills. Other tables are impossible to beat regardless of your skill level. So table selection is everything.

Once equally skilled in both games, which can win the most money? Answer BJ by a country mile.

Have you watched my BJ training film on the NBJ movable stop loss? Remember my first goal was to make a second pile of 12. This is comparable to doubling your buy-in in Bac. You would be happy with that in a Bac game, Right? Well in BJ, with that first pile of 12, I'm just getting started. I might do that in ten minutes that took you an hour and a half to accomplish in a good Bac game. In BJ, I've ended up with 24 piles of 12 in one sitting while you were playing 3 shoes of Bac and thought you were doing good to make one pile of 20.

We have all had days when there are simply no good Bac tables in the whole casino. I can always go play BJ but what are you going to do? You are going to play Bac anyway, aren't you.

While Bac is getting more and more difficult today, BJ is getting easier. But, there is a lot to learn.

I rest my case.

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