Blackjack System

Blackjack systems are mainly progressive which can be split into two classes – Positive and Negative Progressive systems. A Blackjack system is composed of five air vehicles and two ground control systems. The air vehicles can be launched on land or on a ship by a rail and land using a 'skyhook' recovery system, where a vertical. Blackjack Card Counting Card counting is a system that experienced blackjack players use to get a profitable advantage over the casino. There are many individual “counts” or systems. Many of them are.

This article has completed Phase 5of the Overhaul effort.

This article is about the planet. For the BattleMech, see Blackjack (BattleMech).

Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to Terra at (0, 0)

The Blackjack system was home to at least one habitable world, Blackjack III, and as at 3145 was located in the Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone.^[4][5]

• 1Blackjack
• 2Blackjack III
  • 2.1Planetary History
  • 2.3Military Deployment

System Description[edit]

The Blackjack system was located near the Goat Path and Hot Springs systems^[4][5] and consists of a class G3V primary orbited by at least three planets.^[1][2][3]

System History[edit]

Blackjack was settled during or shortly before the Age of War.^[6][7]

Blackjack III - more commonly referred to simply as Blackjack - is the fifth planet in the Black jack system and has two moons named Club and Spade.^[1][2][3]

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

Blackjack was settled by English and French settlers from Terra. These early pioneers had come to Blackjack due to its accessible mineral wealth. Though ores were in limited qualities, heavy industry had built up on the planet. By the Second Succession War, the valuable ores had dried up and its industries were destroyed by Combine and Periphery Raiders.^[1]

The planet became infamously known to being the home of the Blackjack School of Conflict, which continued to operate well into the mid-31st Century.

Clan Invasion[edit]

In August 3050, the Clan Jade Falcon's Delta Galaxy invaded the planet. In a Trial of Possession for Blackjack, the planet's only defenders was the Blackjack School's Training Battalion. Fighting the Second Falcon Jaegers, the training battalion had suffered 80 percent casualties. The Falcons were so impressed by the cadets' actions they let most of the survivors retreat from the planet.^[1]

In 3052, Clan Steel Viper was given control of the planet and shortly after razed the Blackjack School.^[8]

Lyran Alliance Invasion[edit]

During the Clan Jade Falcon's Incursion in the Lyran space, coalition of Lyran Alliance forces had counter-attacked the Falcon's Occupational Zone. In December 3064General Christifori led the Archer's Avengers in a Trial of Possession for Blackjack. The Lyran forces had set up their base in the ruins of the Blackjack School. In the course of the battle with the defending Eighth and Tenth Provisional Garrison Clusters the Trial of Possession had turned into a Trial of Annihilation due to events of various regiments on Twycross. In orbit above Blackjack the Lyran forces had an allied Clan Wolf in Exile'sWarShip, the Aegis-class heavy cruiser CWS Black Paw, providing support for them. The Black Paw engaged in battle with a Jade Falcon Warship, the Aegis-class CJF White Talon during conflict for Blackjack. The Black Paw also provided Orbit-to-Ground fire support for the Lyran troops. Six days into the conflict, General Adam Steiner arrived with reinforcements and assisted the increasingly weary Archer's Avengers. The Trial ended shortly after saKhanSamantha Clees arrived in system and declared the Lyrans winner of the trial.^[9]

Second Falcon Incursion[edit]

Although the Lyran Alliance held the world in the late 3060s, they did little to actually improve the life of their former countrymen. The inhabitants of Blackjack maintained the Clan caste system they'd been living under for two decades, and the Alliance couldn't spare the money or manpower to rehabilitate them back into the Spheroid way of life.^[2] The Falcons invaded again in late January 3069,^[10] and this time the Alliance simply left the world in their hands after putting up a token fight.^[2]

After retaking the planet the Jade Falcons rebuilt the Blackjack School of Combat as the Jade Falcon School of Conflict on Blackjack. On this campus the Clan maintained its traditional warrior training programs, with trueborns raised in sibkos and freeborns able to apply at age 13. Unlike other Falcon training sites, however, the Jade Falcon School of Combat on Blackjack also had a militia training facility. This was a much shorter program and trained its students to guard worlds and resources that didn't warrant front-line or second-line troops from the Falcon touman. The militia program's focus was on driving off raiding forces and operating in search-and-rescue operations.^[2]

Political Affiliation[edit]

• 2341 - No record ^[6]
• 2571 - Lyran Commonwealth^[7]
• 2596 - Lyran Commonwealth ^[11]
• 2750 - Lyran Commonwealth ^[12][13]
• 2765 - Lyran Commonwealth ^[14]
• 2822 - Lyran Commonwealth ^[15]
• 2864 - Lyran Commonwealth ^[16]
• 3025 - Lyran Commonwealth ^[17]
• 3030 - Lyran Commonwealth ^[18]
• 3040 - Federated Commonwealth^[19][20]
• 3050 - Federated Commonwealth ^[21] / Clan Jade Falcon (from August)^[1]
• 3052 - Clan Steel Viper^[8][22][23]
• 3057 - Clan Jade Falcon/Clan Steel Viper ^[24]
• 3063 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[25]
• 3064 - Lyran Alliance (from December) ^[9]
• 3067 - Lyran Alliance ^[26]
• 3069 - Clan Jade Falcon (from February)^[10]
• 3075 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[27]
• 3079 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[28]
• 3081 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[29]
• 3085 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[30]
• 3130 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[31]
• 3135 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[32]
• 3145 - Clan Jade Falcon ^[4][5]

Military Deployment[edit]

3038[edit]

• Blackjack Training Battalion^[33]

3050[edit]

• Blackjack Training Battalion^[34]

3054 to 3061[edit]

• Eightieth Fang^[35][36]

3067[edit]

• Rubinsky's Light Horse^[37]

Geography[edit]

Blackjack has three continents, Diamond, Orbule and Vada.^[3]

Planetary Locations[edit]

• Blackjack School of Conflict - House Steiner Military academy, which was unique due to being the Commonwealth's only privately owned military school. The school was notorious for its courses shadier classes in less professional military skills. The School was razed in 3052 by Clan Steel Viper.^[8] The School was subsequently rebuilt as the Jade Falcon School of Combat during the Jihad.
• Lott's Revenge: the planetary capital city, located on Diamond.^[3]

Nearby Systems[edit]

References[edit]

1. ↑ ^{1.001.011.021.031.041.051.061.071.081.091.101.111.121.131.141.151.161.171.181.191.20}Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 80-81, 'Blackjack Planet Profile'
2. ↑ ^{2.002.012.022.032.042.052.062.072.082.092.102.112.122.132.142.152.162.172.182.19}Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, pp. 134, 'Clan Jade Falcon Key Worlds'
3. ↑ ^{3.003.013.023.033.043.053.063.073.083.093.103.113.123.133.143.153.163.173.183.19}Objectives: The Clans, p. 14, 'Blackjack'
4. ↑ ^4.04.14.2Era Report: 3145, p. 39, 'Inner Sphere Map - [3145]'
5. ↑ ^5.05.15.2Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, 'Inner Sphere - 3145'
6. ↑ ^6.06.1Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13, 'Lyran Commonwealth at their Founding [2341] Map'
7. ↑ ^7.07.1Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25, 'Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War [2571] Map'
8. ↑ ^8.08.18.2Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 41, Blackjack - Trial of Possession ends in defeat for Blackjack school students & school gets destroyed later.
9. ↑ ^9.09.1FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), p. 118, 'Blackjack' - Conflict between Archer's Avengers & Jade Falcons on Blackjack.
10. ↑ ^10.010.1Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 46, 'The Jihad In Review'
11. ↑Historical: Reunification War, p. 158, 'Inner Sphere Map [2596]'
12. ↑Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 25, 'Rim Worlds Republic At the Fall of the Star League [2750]'
13. ↑Era Report: 2750, p. 36, 'Inner Sphere - 2750'
14. ↑Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 10, 'Inner Sphere - 2765'
15. ↑Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36, 'Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822] Map'
16. ↑Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40, 'Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2864] Map'
17. ↑Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47, 'Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025] Map'
18. ↑Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56, 'Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030] Map'
19. ↑Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59, 'Lyran Commonwealth after War of 3039 [3040] Map'
20. ↑Historical: War of 3039, p. 132, 'Inner Sphere - 3040'
21. ↑Era Report: 3052, p. 11, 'Inner Sphere Map [3050]'
22. ↑Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61, 'Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052] Map'
23. ↑Era Report: 3052, p. 23, 'Inner Sphere Map [3052]'
24. ↑Era Report: 3062, p. 11, 'Inner Sphere Map [3057]'
25. ↑Era Report: 3062, p. 29, 'Inner Sphere Map [3063]'
26. ↑Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70, 'Lyran Alliance after FedCom Civil War [3067] Map'
27. ↑Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65, 'Inner Sphere [3075] Map'
28. ↑Field Report: LAAF, p. 19, 'Lyran Commonwealth Deployment Map [3079]'
29. ↑Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, 'Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]'
30. ↑Field Manual: 3085, p. 127, 'Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]'
31. ↑Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
32. ↑Era Report: 3145, p. 11, 'Inner Sphere Map - [3135]'
33. ↑Historical: War of 3039, p. 138 'Deployment Table'
34. ↑20 Year Update, p. 24, 'Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table'
35. ↑Objective Raids, p. 58, 'Unit Note'
36. ↑Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 166, 'Warden Clans Deployment Table'
37. ↑Merceanries Supplemental, p. 68, Mercenary Employment Table

Bibliography[edit]

Card counting is a system that experienced blackjack players use to get a profitable advantage over the casino. There are many individual “counts” or systems. Many of them are named after colorful professional gamblers from times past.

The 2008 movie “21” bought card counting to the attention of the general public. It followed the true story of members of the MIT blackjack team as they won millions from casinos in LasVegas. This movie also highlighted the key challenge faced by card counters. To make a profit using these systems, you need to bet significantly more when the odds turn in your favor. Casinos are aware of this — and will quickly ban players they believe are counting cards.

This page has everything you need to know to get started with card counting. Below you will find the basics of how it works. Famoussystems, the ideal games for counters and how online blackjack can help you learn to count are also covered below.

How to count cards in blackjack

Blackjack is a game of incomplete information. Players act based on their own two cards and the single dealer up-card. Players must risk busting in many situations, even though the decisions are mathematically correct.

Small cards are the enemy of blackjack players. Values of two through six can make for the trickiest decisions. In fact, if you remove any significant number of small cards from the shoe, blackjack not only becomes easier, the player gets a mathematical edge over the house.

This is where card counting comes in.

Counters track the proportion of small cards to face cards and aces. At a certain point, the deck turns “positive.” The higher proportion of face cards means every hand played will generate long term profit for the player — not the house. This is because profit comes from doubling, splitting and hitting blackjack (natural21). All of these are more frequent when there are more high cards in the shoe.

To take advantage of this edge, counting players must boost their bet size. Without this bet size boost, money spent playing while waiting for the deck to turn positive would cancel out any wins.

There are multiple factors that affect whether a specific game is a candidate for card counting. The number of decks of cards in play, the rules on splitting and doubling down, and how the dealer reacts to a soft 17 all come into play. To get the best from counting cards, you need to find the games with the lowest house edge.

Level 3 card counting systems & true count explained

Card counting systems have three levels of complexity. The simplest systems are Hi-LoCounts. You count low cards as +1 and high cards as -1. The higher the count, the bigger the proportion of high cards to low cards.

Advantage players will increase their bets once a specific count is reached. To be sure that they have an advantage, they need to translate the current total into the “true count” first. This involves dividing the count by the number of decks still in play. If the count is +10, with five decks remaining in a six-deck shoe, then the “true count” is 10/5 = 2. This means games like double-deck blackjack are better for counting. Players do not need to play through those first decks in the shoe while waiting for the true count to be positive.

Level two and level three counting systems are more accurate. They assign +2 to some cards and +1 to others. This splits the twos and sevens from cards three throughsix, with some systems also counting nines differently. There are systems with separate counts for aces. Your bet sizes need to increase in line with the positive count — for example adding a unit every time the true count increases by two points.

If you are new to cardcounting, then a simple Hi-Lo Count is the place to start. Once you have mastered keeping track of the count while playing each hand perfectly and chatting with the other players, you will be ready to move to the next level.

Examples of card counting systems

The systems below range from level one to three. These are five of hundreds of possible systems, giving you an overview of how different systems vary in their complexity.

• Hi-Lo Count: This is a balanced count and is the first system that new counters use. You add one to the total for each card value from two through six — and subtract one for 10s through aces. Seven, eight and nine are neutral. You then divide this count by the number of undealt decks and round up as needed. You should increase your bets when the count is positive — betting more the larger the positive number that you count. The advantage of the Hi-Lo system is simplicity. Compared with other blackjack counts, Hi Lo card counting does lackprecision.
• Hi-Opt1 and 2: These systems were developed by LanceHumble, though they can be traced back to the 1960s. There are many more“neutral”cards compared to the Hi-Lo Count. Hi-Opt 1 uses aces, twos, sevens, eights and nines as zero for the count. Three, four, five and six are +1, and 10s through kings are -1. This system works best for single deckgames. Hi-Opt 2 makes 10s through kings -2 on the count, with +2 for fours and fives, +1 for twos, threes, sixes and sevens. Aces, eights and nines are neutral. These are accurate systems, though with single deck games rare (and closely watched), it can be difficult to find a suitable game to use them.
• Ace-Five System: You will need to double your bet repeatedly as the count increases to make the Ace-Five System work. This is a simple count, involving only aces andfives. Every time a five is dealt, you add one, and every ace you see removes one. When the count is +2, you double your bet. Increasing it again for every +2 that gets added. If the count reverts to +1 or less, you go back to your initial bet size. The key advantage of this system is the simplicity. The always-changing bet size is likely to attract the attention of casino pit bosses.
• Uston Advanced Count: Ken Uston was a famous card counter, known for his flamboyant lifestyle. His most complex system is the “Uston Advanced Count.” Aces count as zero in this system. Fives are +3; 10s through kings are -3; nines are -1; twos and eights are +1; and threes, fours, sixes and sevens are +2. As with the other systems, you increase your bets in line with how positive the count gets — keeping the number of decks in mind. This system is designed to work best with a separate count of theaces. The complexity means that it is for experienced card counters only.
• KO Counting System: This system works like Hi-Lo, with an extra feature involving the insurance against dealer blackjack bet. It counts cards two through seven as +1, eight and nine as neutral and 10 through ace as -1. You should increase your bet at +2 or more (based on the true count). At +3 or greater, the insurance side bet becomes profitable and should be taken.

Which blackjack games are best for card counting?

Big casino resorts in Las Vegas, AtlanticCity, downtown Detroit and elsewhere run a wide selection of blackjack games. At the lowest buy-ins (typically $5 and up per hand), the rules give the casino a huge edge over theplayers. Examples include paying 6:5 instead of 3:2 for blackjack, limiting doubles after splits and having the dealer hit on soft 17. These unfavorable rules can easily boost the house edge to 3% or even more. With six or eight decks, getting a true count can be difficult.

Contrast this with the best games. An ideal setup is a single deck game, with liberal splitting/doubling rules, dealer standing on soft 17, late surrender and 3:2 for blackjack. With a house edge of 0.5% orless, these games are restricted to the high-limit rooms. This type of game is most likely to be closely monitored. Suddenly increasing your bet would be an instant trigger for experienced casino staff to watch closely.

Successful counters look for games with the lowest natural houseedge. They know the basic blackjack card counting strategy perfectly, so as not to give any edge back to the casino in the form of mistakes. If you do not know how to adapt blackjack strategy to subtle differences in the rules, then you are not yet ready to learn card counting techniques.

Is counting cards illegal in the US?

Counting cards is legal, unless you are using a mechanical or electronic device to help you keep track of the cards. Casinos do not want card counters in their games. People who are suspected of counting will be asked to leave the casino. Repeat offenses can see players banned — with trespass laws coming into effect if they attempt to return.

Blackjack System Trainer

In 1979, Ken Uston took a casino in Atlantic City to court, challenging its right to ban “skilled” players. The court found in his favor. Rather than banning players, AC casinos now implement measures to stop card counting from working. They include regularshuffling, limiting players to flat bet sizes on each shoe and not allowing players to join a game mid-shoe.

Blackjack System Tester

Elsewhere, casinos will quickly ban players caught counting. This was the reason that the MIT team played in pairs. One player (betting small) would keep count, then signal to the big bet player when the count was positive. This player could then join the table, betting big amounts, while the original counter continued with smaller bets.

Card counting in other casino games

Very few casino games use a shoe containing several decks of cards. Casino poker variations like Caribbean stud or Ultimate Texas Hold ’em have a continual shuffle system, where a fresh shuffled deck is used for each hand. Baccarat does use a shoe, though it is not suitable for counting due to the complex scoring rules. Edge sorting is used in baccarat, though it is considered illegal in many jurisdictions.

This leaves blackjack variations like Spanish 21 and Free Bet Blackjack as the only candidates for card counting systems. Many variations of blackjack have a higher house edge than the main game. Spanish 21 removes 10s from the deck — starting the count on a negative.

Experienced advantage players use card counting to beat optional side bets. This requires a separate understanding of how each side bet works, with a counting system developed separately. Separate aces counts in blackjack can determine when the insurance against dealer blackjack bet becomes profitable.

Is it possible to count cards online?

Online casinos in regulated states have both live dealer and software-based blackjack options. They also have a range of games with different rules and side bets. Add in the game variations based on the 21 concept — and you will find a wide array of choices.

Advantage play through card counting is not possible at online casinos. Software based games use random number generator software to shuffle the cards for every hand. This means no count is possible. Live dealer games that are dealt in real time use eight deck shoes. What they do differently from brick and mortar casinos is reshuffle after around half of the cards are dealt. This makes it hard to spot situations where there is a positive true count. Add to this software that will instantly detect the bet sizing changes associated with counting.

What you can effectively do online is practice your counting skills. There are live dealer rooms at many of the biggest online casino brands, including Golden Nugget and BetMGM. You can enjoy a game and learn to keep score of the count while you play. Starting with simple systems like Ace-Five and Hi-Lo is ideal — you can move on to the more advanced systems as you gain experience.

If you live in a state with legal online casinos, make sure you keep a close eye on the casino bonus and promotion offers. You never know when a bonus aimed at blackjack players will become available.

Wrapping up: Card counting in blackjack

Card counting has been a part of blackjack since the1960s. Famous players including Humble and Uston published books on beating the house. Many of them are now considered among the classics of gambling literature.

Counting cards in blackjack gives you an edge over the house when there are relatively more high cards in the deck. This takes advantage of the player’s option to split, double down and to take insurance against dealer blackjack. Counting systems are graded into three levels, depending on their complexity. More complex systems are more accurate — though harder to use.

There is an Achilles’ heel for card counters. To make your knowledge of the count profitable, you need to significantly boost your bet sizes when the odds are in your favor. These bet size increases are a flag to casino staff to watch your play closely — which leads to card counters being banned. Card counting is not illegal, unless you use a device to help you keep track.

Online casinos are the perfect place to practice your card counting skills. You will not be able to get an advantage from them — as safeguards are in place. Live dealer casinos show a real table, making this the ideal way to find the right card counting system for you ahead of your next visit to a brick and mortar casino.