How to Read the Casino Blackjack Charts A-F
All the casino lists (Chart A through Chart F) are to be read in the following manner. The first column is the name of the casino. Column two gives the total number of Blackjack tables in that casino (remember that some or all of the tables may be closed, due to the season, shift or the day of the week). Column three shows the number of decks that are used. For example, "1/6" indicates that both single-deck games and six-deck shoes are available in that casino. Again, this will change due to the time of day (shift), day of the week, season of the year, holidays, and the whims and wishes of the casino managers.
Column four tells you the shuffle point (such as one deck remaining, half a deck remaining, etc.). This will only be useful for shoes, as the shuffle point for single and double-deck games will vary widely, even within the same casino, due to the whims of particular pit bosses, dealers, and the size of your bet.
Column five tells you whether or not the casino offers Surrender. A dot in column five indicates that Surrender is allowed, and an "E" in column thirteen indicates Early Surrender. (Although New Jersey canceled Surrender, it may be reinstated.)
Column six shows the casinos that allow doubling after the split (DASA), and column seven indicates the casinos that allow doubling down on hard totals of nine or less. Column eight tells which casinos permit soft doubling, and nine shows whether or not the casino hits soft seventeen.
The house limit for Blackjack is shown in column ten. This would be the maximum dollar amount you could bet on any one hand. This limit may be raised for you if you ask the casino pit boss.
Column eleven tells you if the shoe games are dealt face up or face down. All other things being equal, the face-up games are preferred because they make the counting easier.
Column twelve indicates the number of playing positions available per table. The greater the number of positions, the easier it will be for you to find an empty spot at a table.
The last column, titled "Other," is coded in the following manner:
A = You may re-split Aces. B = A bonus will be paid to you on certain hands, such as a spade Blackjack (Ace of spades and Jack of spades), or 6-7-8 of the same suit, etc. T = You must have a pair of like 10's in order to split them (10,10 or Q, Q, etc.), as opposed to splitting any combination of 10's. NI = No insurance may be taken. W = Double exposure. (Dealer's hole card is dealt up. Do not play, they take all pushes.) E = Early Surrender is allowed 3 = You may double down on three cards for example: you have 2, 4 and hit versus the dealer's 6. Your hit card is a 5 and now you want to double down on your hard total of eleven. There are casinos that allow this.
4 = You may double down on four-card totals from eight to eleven, or soft four-card hands, if, of course, the strategy so indicates.