Risk and Reward

Blackjack is hugely popular in casinos worldwide. This book analyzes the game in depth, covering its optimal strategies and its financial performance in terms of expected cash flow and associated risk. It is accessible to readers at all levels of skill.

For decades, casino gaming has been steadily increasing in popularity worldwide. Blackjack is among the most popular of the casino table games, 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.

The book begins by describing the strategies and their performance in a clear, straightforward style. The presentation is self-contained, nonmathematical, and accessible to readers at all levels of playing skill, from the novice to the blackjack expert. Careful attention is also given to simplified, but still nearly optimal strategies that are easier to use in a casino. Unlike other books in the literature the author then derives each aspect of the strategy mathematically, to justify its claim to optimality. The derivations mostly use algebra and calculus, although some require more advanced analysis detailed in supporting appendices. For easy comprehension, formulae are translated into tables and graphs through extensive computation.

This book will appeal to everyone interested in blackjack: those with mathematical training intrigued by its application to this popular game as well as all players seeking to improve their performance.

N. Richard Werthamer is retired from a successful career as a scientist and executive, most recently as the Executive Officer of the American Physical Society. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College before receiving his PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of California at Berkeley. His original research has been published extensively in the world's leading journals. In this book, he applies his scientific background to the analysis of blackjack.

Suggests optimal strategies for playing blackjack based on analytical treatment of the game of blackjack Presents ideas in a systematic, clear, and concise manner Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Zusammenfassung
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.The book begins by describing the strategies and their performance in a clear, straightforward style.

Inhalt
Strategy.- The Game.- Playing the Hand.- Tracking the Cards.- Betting.- Playing the Hand When the Count and Bet Vary.- Synthesis and Observations.- Analysis.- Play Strategies.- Card Counting.- Bet Strategies.- Play Strategies with Card Counting.