blackjack surrender chart. It has six decks and betting limits from £0. blackjack surrender chart

 
 It has six decks and betting limits from £0blackjack surrender chart 56% with basic strategy

It is simple to use once you understand its features and how it functions. Ace. There are loads more rules variants – the above are just a few common ones. The dealer will not be required to hit on a soft 17 consisting of an ace and 6. H17 makes a big difference when the dealer has an Ace up. Blackjack is one of the most played card games world wide and belongs to the dealer games. Players can use a strategy to ensure they make the best moves every round, thus increasing the RTP even further and earning big winnings. The strategy charts for Spanish 21 are available in the pay table of the game - so if you aren. See the blackjack page for more information about the rule options. Free Perfect Pairs Blackjack Reference Charts - Get Yours! Strategy for blackjack variations overlaps significantly, unless there are huge changes to the rules like those in Blackjack Switch. 1. You can resize the documents based on your liking. Offers a range of sweeps games. This is because it increases your chances of winning, which leads to a more enjoyable gaming experience. 3-Deck Hard Totals Blackjack Chart. If the casino dealer gets to hit a soft 17 then we have some different decisions from most charts out there and they all involve the ace: Double 11 versus ace. There are a couple of notes to make when reading our blackjack charts. • Player hand 18, Dealer card Ace STAND. Split 2s and 3s vs dealer 4-7. 25% chance, and 30-1 odds means a 3. Blackjack Strategy. d10 Double down only on two-card ten or more. 56% with basic strategy. There are several rule variations for this game, especially as it is a popular game played in brick-and-mortar casinos all over the U. Daniel Grant. 4: Blackjack standard deviation details; 5: Infinite deck expected return by player hand and dealer upcard; 6: Fine points of when to surrender; 7: Effect of card removal; 8: Analysis of blackjack side bets; 9: Composition-dependent expected returns for 1 to 8 decks; 10: Continuous shuffling machine vs. 21+3 blackjack odds pay well, but the chances aren’t great, and the house edge is quite big. Once both the player’s and dealer’s cards have been dealt, the game begins. The best way to learn this approach is to use a basic blackjack strategy chart. 67%, 15-1 odds means 6. Sometimes the rules on the blackjack table also differ. com】Es wird von einem Live-Dealer moderiert und die Spieler setzen auf verschiedene Nummern auf dem Rad, um zu gewinnen,blackjack surrender chart die verschiedene Auszahlungen bieten und das Spiel noch spannender machen,live baccarat online bitcoin Hier sind einige der bekanntesten und am häufigsten. The dealer has an A and you have been dealt a pair of 3s. The game is mostly self-explanatory. Charts are commonly used in blackjack as they give you a “best move” indication with every. You can ‘Hit’ or ‘Stand. Double on soft 13-18 if dealer has 4, 5 or 6. The house edge in blackjack for a player using "perfect" or optimal basic strategy is only around 0. Don’t confuse surrender with insurance, which is an entirely different concept. A player may decide to surrender if they feel they have a substantially weak initial hand, especially if the dealer has a strong face up card, and they therefore consider themselves to have a poor chance of. So, what does it mean? 16vT is shorthand for the player hand of sixteen against a dealer upcard of Ten. Here is a typical set of European blackjack rules, although even between blackjack tables, it’s possible to find variations in doubling and splitting: S17: Dealer stands on 17 or more. In games with more than four decks, surrender to any 9, 10, or ace. Accordingly, players must surrender with hard hands of 5-7 and 12-17 when the dealer shows an ace. For you to use the basic strategy, you look up your hand from the vertical edge and the upcard of the dealer. 15%. Enhance your gameplay today!The odds would be heavily stacked against the house if this was the case. Add these six horses together, and you only get 52. 6 to 5 Blackjack Payout Rule. Players will not have the ability to surrender or double down after a split. The lowest-limit blackjack game at Horseshoe Baltimore is $10. A is for Advantage. Trending Article. Blackjack Surrender Chart - Our amazing Spins No Deposit offer at Daily Spins Casino. Keep this card with you until you have the correct surrender strategy down pat. 0532%. 240 Free Spins 100 Match Bonus At Lake Palace Casino, Blackjack Surrender Chart, Tesco Online. Basic Strategy In BlackJack. . The others are 6:5 games. In both cases, an A stands for ace. Basic strategy also provides information on insurance, even money, early surrender, and late surrender. 5% (assuming a 0. As a result, there are different blackjack charts for 1-deck (single deck), 2-deck, 3-deck, and 4-deck tables. S = Stand. Multiple Deck Blackjack Strategy Chart where the Dealer Hits on Soft 17. · S= Stand. iRage89 13 years ago #1. It. d10 Double down only on two-card ten or more. Surrender hard 16 against a dealer 10 and Ace in both H17 and S17 games; The correct strategy changes a little bit when you join a table where the game plays with two decks. Hit 21 – or at least get closer than the dealer – and win the game. This is assuming you’re playing a multi-deck game and not counting cards. SlotsSpot. Jacks, Queens, and Kings remain, but all natural 10's are removed from every. 19% with basic strategy. SpD/D - Split if allowed to double down after a split; otherwise, double down. Free daily Sweepstakes Coins. Surrender – The surrender option allows players to only risk half the bet amount. H is for Hole-card. If you’re looking for general advice on how to play Blackjack, read our . Don’t overuse the surrendering option. You can Surrender on the first two cards after the dealer checks for blackjack and this is when you would do it. Those sections are hard hands, soft hands, pairs, and surrendering. 83%, according to gaming consultant Bill Zender. 09% depending on the other rules of the game. Surrender: End round prematurely and forfeit half your wager. Single: House edge of 0. Tip #3 Know When to Surrender. The face cards, or big cards, 10, jack, queen, king, and ace are all given a -1 value. 17 versus ace is surrender instead of stand. 32%: Six-card Charlie pays 3 to 2Simply put, blackjack players surrender because they think that the dealer has the better hand. *Excluding Soft 16 and a pair of 8s. The Playtech Blackjack Surrender can be played with one or up to five active hands. dealer hits soft 17. dealer’s 2. The default set of rules is as follows: surrender allowed. com] [ 01 May Get the Edge at Blackjack 39 ] [ 96 Griffin The Theory of Blackjack 71] front loader. Blackjack memorize betandbeatBlackjack charts that give the perfect play every time. The * is explained below and it says surrender if the count is less than the index number, in this case 2. Spanish 21 is a variation of blackjack, that in some cases is the best bet in the casino. No surrender. no surrender, and blackjack pays 3:2. The main difference between Spanish 21 compared to blackjack is the removal of all 10's in the decks. If you have a pair of 4, you may split against the. Of those, ten pay 3:2. org is very simple. So the player can always see what. Basic Strategy for Single Deck Blackjack: Dealer Stands on Soft 17. G is for Griffin. RH: Surrender if the option is available, else Hit. 71%: As published in Professional Blackjack. If you have a pair of fives, you may double down against the dealer’s 2 through 9; otherwise, hit. The house edge is ridiculously high at these tables, or 1. Here is the chart I am looking at. Early surrender basic strategy chart. 126 for doubling). Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. Wait for the blackjack calculator to show you your best move. Reading blackjack charts may seem confusing to unfamiliar players, but it's as easy as these three steps:Basic strategy in a six-deck game (with double after split, dealer stays on soft 17 etc. Learn to play perfect blackjack strategy quickly!The value stands for fraction of the bet for given player hand and dealer up card under the condition the dealer does not have blackjack. If you go over 21, it is called a bust and automatically forfeits your bet. 4-4: Split if the dealer shows 4-6, or else Hit. If you plan to use it at a land-based casino, you probably want them to be. PD: Split if doubling down is permitted after splitting, else double down. 2. Blackjack rule variations that effects expected return, in combination with blackjack strategies. If the strategy says to double but you’re not allowed, then hit, except you should stand with a soft 18. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule differences, is played in casinos under the name "Pontoon". As for Etownguy's question, 88vA should be surrendered when the dealer hits soft 17, even with late surrender and the US hole card rule. With the second choice, the bet will be automatically. Rs – Surrender if possible, otherwise hit; Rp – Surrender if possible, otherwise split; When you read blackjack charts, the player score is usually depicted to the left in columns, while the dealer’s cards are in rows. That single deck game has really good rules, I would kill to play with those rules live. Blackjack Strategy Surrender. Surrender is a legitimate strategy in a few cases when playing blackjack, though many players surrender far too often. Select the Switch to Advanced Calc button to add support for less common rule selections including 5-card 21 bonuses, charlie bonuses, 777 bonuses; split restrictions; and peek on 10. In other words, for a $10. Moving to a $100 minimum table, you can sit at a game where the dealer stands on all 17’s. Surrender hard 15 against a dealer 10 upcard. In this instance the optimal moves are the following: Surrender hard 15 and hard 16 against a dealer 10 and Ace in H17 blackjack; Surrender hard 15 against a dealer 10 in. This concept has spawned a number of techniques that players might employ in order to increase their odds of winning. H Hit S Stand D Double SP Split R Surrender : Your total (hard hands, excluding pairs)When you are dealt a total of 5-8, always hit. Blackjack rules differ among different casinos. A pair of 6’s splits against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. Probably the best choice, if there’s a soft 17 or less, is that you still hit. Blackjack 3 to 2 payout means that the player will receive 3 dollars for every 2 dollars they stake on the casino. Cards from 2-9 hold face value. By playing perfect basic strategy, your expected return is 99. Key. Dealer Hits S17Surrender is only permitted on the first two cards and only available after the Dealer has checked for blackjack. If you are a $10 bettor, you should save about 50 cents an hour over the long run. Não só. Don't go over though, or you automatically lose. Early surrender against ace +0. Then look on the x-axis, or 'dealer card' to find their upcard value. Using basic blackjack strategy charts can assist you in making the right choices in most situations. dealer’s 6. (DAS), resplit aces (RSA), surrender offered. Split: You can split any 2 cards of the same. A player's action in a single-deck blackjack game when dealt the following pairs should be: 2-2: Split if the dealer shows 3-7, or else Hit. Only a few players understand the blackjack basic strategy sheet or chart. Blackjack is the most popular casino card game in America for a reason: easy to play, lots of fun and potentially big payouts. First, the X symbol – Surrender/Hit – this means that if the table allows Surrender, then you should surrender your hand. Players can surrender if the dealer has blackjack and the upcard is ten. Split 3’s and 2’s if dealer has 6 or less. Unlike games such as poker. How Blackjack Charts Differ Depending on where you’re playing blackjack, the chart you use can vary greatly. Note: The above strategy differs slightly depending on the number of decks of cards being used and the mix of playing. 2 as a double, which is wrong. If you follow the basic strategy, you can cut the house edge down to around 1. If no map is visible after you search, try broadening your proximity distance. 3. Before you start playing at a table, it’s important to find out how you will be paid for a blackjack. Factor in the following changes: Double 11 vs. Folding early is unusual because it actually increases the player’s rate of return by 0. Like the ‘Soft 17 Rule’, basic blackjack strategy is also affected by the number of decks used in a blackjack game. There are only 4 opportunities to correctly surrender in a typical European 8 Deck game where the dealer stands on Soft 17 in Blackjack . The right two columns represent a dealer ace according to whether the dealer stands (S17) or hits (H17) a soft 17. You can take as much time as you need to study the blackjack chart and make. When the value of dealer's revealed card is 4,5 or 6, it may be fruitful to double your bet with an Ace and 4 in hand. 61% or an RTP of 99. This is one of the strangest blackjacks chart of them all. If you surrender you lose half of your initial wager and the game round is over for that particular hand. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule differences, is played in casinos under the name "Pontoon". Double after split allowed. D-DOWN. If you have 10, hit if the dealer shows an ace or a 10. Free Bet Blackjack is by far the most popular blackjack variant in Las Vegas. This is for 8 decks which is the standard for online casinos. Blackjack Basic Strategy Author: Subject: Blackjack Basic Strategy - Keywords: Blackjack Basic Strategy, Basic Strategy for Soft Hands, Basic Strategy for Hard Hands, Basic Strategy for Splitting Pairs, Las Vegas Created Date: 12/15/2021 9:40:52 PMSo the true odds of guessing one single number correctly are 38:1 but the house only pays out odds of 35:1. Featured categories. How to read blackjack strategy chart. The Blackjack basic strategy chart is one of the most essential things for any blackjack player. 3-Deck Soft Totals Blackjack Chart 6-Deck Blackjack Chart/ Late Surrender/ Dealer Peek. Below we have a blackjack basic strategy chart which is helpful for 4-8. As long as the rules dictate that a dealer stands on soft 17, then the following applies. Blackjack Strategy Chart Surrender. PAYS. When halfway through a deck, if your value is high, there are more 10’s, face card, and aces remaining than low cards. . Follow the two lines until you reach the cell where they meet. 2. , charts and tables). There’s no need to sign up to a casino site or download any software. nmm No mid-game entry and no mid-game spreading to multiple hands. Still, with optimal strategy there will be a house edge of 0. Split 4s vs dealer 5-6. nms No mid-game entry and no sitting out hands. Basic Strategy for 4 to 8-Deck Blackjack: Dealer Hits on Soft 17. An example of a basic strategy chart for a dealer hitting a soft 17. Four decks. Always stand on soft 19 and up. Here is a short list of the side bets: Insurance – insurance against “Blackjack” if the dealer has an ace with its face up. Avoid tables where blackjack pays 6/5 as these have the biggest effect on the house edge. It makes sense since if TC is high, higher than the threshold, you want to split, double, surrender and stand. Play all of your favourite casino games and slots here. Increasing the number of decks lowers the rate of. The first two sections (hard and soft) tell you how you should play that hand against the dealer’s upcard, the pairs section tells you whether or not to split your hand against the dealer’s. Jan 7, 2021. 07% and 0. 38% which you can decrease and even overcome if you pick a nice bonus which is usable on the game. 6-Deck Strategy Tips. Always split aces – The mother of all blackjack splits. Unlike normal blackjack, in 21+3 the lower the number of decks, the higher the house edge. Split 9’s against 2 to 9, except for 7. The Playtech Blackjack Surrender can be played with one or up to five active hands. Play instantly from your PC, Laptop, Tablet or mobile device like iPhone, iPad or Android! This is where you’ll find the best new and old free slot machines that don’t require a deposit, registration or email address for. Yet, on the appendix, the player's expected return is HIGHER if you hit, rather than double (compare . TRAVEL. nms No mid-game entry and no sitting out hands. If the table doesn’t allow surrendering, then hit. The early surrender in blackjack strategies, therefore, remains the same irrespective of the number of decks used in the game. Offers a range of sweeps games. D is for Double Down. If your first two cards are 2 and 8, 2 and 9, 3 and 7, 3 and 8, 4 and 6, 4 and 7, 5 and 5, or 5 and 6, and the dealer’s card is lower than yours, probability is in your favour. Las Vegas Blackjack Table Minimums. Blackjack tables & charts with surrender decisions. DECKS . 5 4. A soft hand is arguably the best thing that can happen to you as a player when opening. Always stand on hard 17 and up. Divirta-se com os melhores jogos de blackjack online grátis em 2023. Under these rules, the estimated House Edge against recommended play is just 0. The big changes have to do with some of the doubling-down strategies. In locations where the dealer stands on a soft 17, or redoubling is allowed, Spanish 21 may be a better bet than blackjack, depending on the specific blackjack rules. 10 applies only when there is no hole card. Just like almost every bigger casino, Pechanga also has the 6:5 single deck games which are becoming a standard in the industry. One very. Insurance in blackjack is often misunderstood by players, and is a big money-maker for casinos. Memorizing the strategy chart can be time-consuming and boring, but the free online blackjack basic strategy trainer and the free online Spanish 21 basic strategy trainer at HitOrSplit make it easy by helping you learn as you play. These tactics are presented on a chart known as the blackjack strategy chart, which is a beginner’s guide to play. 11 Aug 2023. Never split 10s and 5s. Learn more about early and late surrender in our basic blackjack strategy guide. In this card game you try to beat the dealer but not the other player. This is for. Then, there is another set of charts for 4 to 8 deck tables. Check Details. If. no surrender, and blackjack pays 3:2. FASHION. Surrender is available in some blackjack games, allowing you to forfeit very bad starting hands against strong dealer upcards. org is very simple. The surrender rule in blackjack is an option that lets you surrender the bet you’ve already placed. nm No mid-game entry. Don't go over though, or you automatically lose. 29% and goes to 8. - all the usual Strip rules), dictates that an A,2 against a dealer 5 is a double-down. D = Double if permitted, or else hit. We will provide charts only for the situations in which you must consider the game decision. 5 per cent, which is why blackjack is widely regarded as the most profitable game to play at casinos. Nearly all physical casinos use a six-deck shoe, giving the house a slightly higher edge. FREE Blackjack basic strategy trainer online app. Great first purchase bonus. Hit 21 – or at least get closer than the dealer – and win the game. 39%; Late surrender against an Ace: 0%The game uses 6-8 decks. There are a couple of notes to make when reading our blackjack charts. Stand on 17 and above. cut card; 11: Value and strategy for 678. Hitting rock bottom isn't a bad thing with this slot. Can resplit any pair except aces up to four hands. Having a hand value equal to 21 from the first two cards dealt to the player. Finally, always double down on a soft 18 if the dealer has a 2. 35%: 5-card win pays 3-2 +0. LCB tested their withdrawal process and faced many issues, full story HERE. Hit on 12-16 against dealer 7 or more. Blackjack Surrender is another popular version of the game. Twenty one (21) - a hand that is not a BlackJack, but totals 21. Yes, in an ENHC game you should surrender 88vT and 88vA. The basic blackjack strategy is the first key to reducing the casino’s odds and winning in blackjack. Part 4 – Insurance and Surrender Insurance. 08%: early surrender-0. Cards from 10 to King hold a value of 10. If the two initial cards that are dealt have the same value, they can be split, forming two hands. According to the basic single deck blackjack strategy, we should always stand if the sum of cards is between 12 and 16. 5 SC. That single deck game has really good rules, I would kill to play with those rules live. All cards count at face value, while the king, queen and jack count as. Surrender 16 against 9- Ace and 15 against a 10. It will help you learn how to play blackjack smartly by eliminating potential errors. . Double on 11 (except if dealer has Ace) Double on 10 (especially if dealer has 9 or less) Double on 9 if dealer has 6 or less. There are a few small adjustments that you may want to consider if you are playing a blackjack game where the dealer hits on soft 17. Late surrender allowed. The index listed is 2*. P – Split. The blackjack basic playing strategy for surrender in a six-deck game with the dealer standing on soft 17 is: Surrender hard 16 (but not 8-8) against a dealer 9, 10, or Ace upcard. This is a side bet on whether the dealer has a blackjack. Check the table’s blackjack rules. The chart below is based on the fact that the surrender option is not available. If the dealer does not get BlackJack, the player loses the insurance bet. Look at the top line and find there a dealer’s card value. Double on soft 13-18 if dealer has 4, 5 or 6. SPLIT. The dealer does not make decisions, and all crucial moves and gameplay are solely up to the player. Split 3’s and 2’s if dealer has 6 or less. This is because you have a fantastic chance to hit 21, and even if you don’t, you’re likely to get a score close to that magic number. Stanford Wong. However, one of the dealer’s card will be open – this is called a “hole card”. In other words, you get to surrender instead of hitting, standing, splitting, or doubling. This takes the guesswork out of whether you should hit, stand, double, split or surrender. Lloyd is passionate about online gambling, he lives and breathes blackjack and. Double on 11 (except if dealer has Ace) Double on 10 (especially if dealer has 9 or less) Double on 9 if dealer has 6 or less. The early surrender rule is more uncommon because it improves the return to the player by 0. In the most popular, classic version of blackjack, the dealer will dish out two cards to themselves and two to you. The BJA chart is not 100% accurate for all rule sets. roger moore poker free bet blackjack kansas city heat of. Hard 11: Double Down unless the dealer has an Ace up, then you Hit. It’s also possible to gain the monetary edge over the casino. On top of the blackjack strategy charts above, here are a few additional rules to remember: Surrender if you have a 16 and the dealer is showing a 10. In other words, these two terms are interdependent. Warning: Beware of 6:5 Blackjack Payoff Games! Many casinos offer games that pay only 6:5 instead of 3:2 on blackjack. 1. When you surrender blackjack hands, you get back half of your money while the casino takes the other half. If you are dealt a hard 16, then you should always surrender if the dealer has anything above a 9. This is because the dealer has two chances to make a stiff hand of 17 or better. The only difference listed is surrender but another big difference is how many hands you can split to. 5-5: Double if the dealer shows 2-9, Hit on aces and 10♠. Note: Some blackjack charts use “+” for hit and “-” for stand. Play instantly from your PC, Laptop, Tablet or mobile device like iPhone, iPad or Android! This is where you’ll find the best new and old free slot machines that don’t require a deposit, registration or email address for. A Blackjack strategy chart is a chart that shows you which is the best possible move you can make based on your hand and the face-up card the dealer has. Visit Site. Free blackjack strategy chartBlackjack strategy chart optimal play read when playing win dealer simple Blackjack strategy guidePlay blackjack: blackjack strategy trainer. This, or any chart. 44 %. Check Details. Stand on soft 18 (hit when the dealer has 10, 9 or A). 2b: Probabilities of dealer blackjack before peek; 3a: Exceptions to single-deck S17 basic strategy; 3b: Exceptions to double-deck S17 basic strategy; 3c: Exceptions to single-deck H17 basic strategy; 4: Blackjack standard deviation details; 5: Infinite deck expected return by player hand and dealer upcard; 6: Fine points of when to surrenderA Blackjack Strategy Chart is essentially a tabular representation of the best possible moves (or "plays") a player can make based on the total of their hand and the dealer's up card. The game will begin by players placing a bet on the table and will then be dealt two cards. You can only learn so much from reading from a book. More Blackjack Tips. Blackjack Strategy Chart: 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack pays 6 to 5 View All Blackjack Strategy Cards and Charts. Suppose you are playing a S17, DAS game and you are dealt 10-6 and the dealer shows a 10 upcard. Basic Strategy Decision Chart Developed for these rules (as specified in Lesson 1) 6 Decks, S17, DA2, DAS, no surrender. 5% casino edge). This blackjack calculator will help teach you the correct play to make for every scenario possible. RS: Surrender if the option is available, else Stand. The rule will only affect your decisions when having hard hands for both hit or stand on soft 17 games, plus splittable hands in the hit on soft 17 games. Essentially, the basic strategy is a template which shows you the best course of action to take based on the cards dealt. h17 Dealer hits soft seventeen. Follow Hard 17 across to the only entry on that line, which is A-h17. a Soft 17, the number of decks in play, and the composition of the player’s hand are all potential factors in the ‘Surrender’ decision. By way of comparison, Stanford Wong, in his book Professional Blackjack (page 203) says the variance is 1. Blackjack surrender isn’t a retreat; it’s a calculated maneuver that can significantly impact your overall game strategy. You. But. Dealer hand. This is because the charts differ depending on the number of decks that your chosen game is played with. Blackjack Strategy Chart Key: H = Hit. Players can expect slow payments, low cashout limits and slow response from customer support. Blackjack. We begin with an examination of 5 player hands, dealer upcards, and the actions taken by players: • Player hand 10, Dealer card 8 DOUBLE, or HIT. Failing that, you can always have a chart handy at the games table. If you have a suspicion that the true odds of winning blackjack aren’t set high enough, the casino may allow you to surrender. 2. You can match your hand’s total with the dealer’s “upcard” on this chart, and then take the suggested action. 341. No. No surrender; These rules result in a house edge of 0. 5%. Ace. Live!Surrender is only permitted on the first two cards and only available after the Dealer has checked for blackjack. I is for the Illustrious 18. What rules version does this chart use? Our blackjack trainer game and the basic strategy chart in it use the set of rules usually found in online blackjack:. BlackJack Charts Abbreviations and their meaning. Blackjack Surrender Rule. Stand on soft 19 and 20. Just like in regular blackjack, your chance to win depends on the total of your hand and the final total of the dealer’s hand. Blackjack Strategy Additional Rules. BJA is a amalgamation of the various rules that exist and can effect the basic strategy of the game it the most general chart version when comparing the different versions of the game, Wizard of odds has a filter for the rules that will effect your playing decisions. Tip 2: ‘hit’ if you’re dealt 8 or lessBy adding the value of the casino comps to your expected return when you play blackjack, you can, at a minimum, virtually eliminate the house edge against you. Blackjack Surrender. According to my February 20, 2010 Ask the Wizard column, the cost of mistakes in blackjack is about 0. Surrender 15, 8’s, and 17 vs. It is dealt at 39 casinos. Dan Grant has been writing about gambling for 15 years, and been fascinated by beating the odds for even.