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Blackjack Insider Newsletter, July 2004, #54

A WORD FROM HENRY

BIG NEWS FOR OUR SUBSCRIBERS AND AUTHORS!

This month, we begin with a big change to the way the Blackjack Insider is published for our readers. While BJI will continue to be published and brought to our readers free each month, some of each issue's articles will be for paid subscribers/members only. When you click on some articles below, you will need to enter your unique user name and password that are given to you immediately after you purchase a membership (no waiting... enjoy members-only articles right away!). If you want to view and read all the great articles in every issue, you'll want to purchase a membership now. A membership gives you 12 months of unlimited access to all past and present Blackjack Insider content and articles.

$5 from every subscription goes directly to pay our Blackjack Insider writers... please subscribe to help us obtain and acquire the best possible authors on blackjack and gaming.

Purchase a one-year membership... only $19.95

If you have questions about this change, you can probably get answers at our dedicated Members page. We also have a special Member Services system to help with common requests such as getting your user name and password resent, viewing your membership, or changing your password, etc.

In this BJI issue...

Our July issue of BJI contains a wealth of information for players at all skill levels. If you've played in blackjack tournaments or plan to, don't miss reading Kenneth Smith's article on Thinking Your Way to a Good Bet. It contains some of the best advice you'll read anywhere on tournament betting. If you are a card counter using cover, then you'll be enlightened and perhaps surprised by JPB's analysis of different cover strategies and his recommendation (Blackjack Cover Strategies). Michael Shackleford (a.k.a., Wizard of Odds) provides the details and the playing strategy for the new game Blackjack Switch. Find out if LV Pro recovered from his $1,500 deficit during his May trip to Sin City in Part 2 of his trip report (you want to bet he did?). LV Tournament Pro found a gem of a casino for blackjack players amongst the casino "rocks" that currently offer lousy games on the Strip. See which casino this is in his Las Vegas Blackjack Report. JPB also provides a glimpse of blackjack playing conditions in Detroit (and it isn't pretty) and Frank Scoblete and Alene Paone provide an update on the summer blackjack conditions in Atlantic City. You'll also find our schedule of upcoming major blackjack tournaments and a listing of blackjack mini-tournaments in Las Vegas.

Congratulations to LV Tournament Pro who recently won another major blackjack tournament in Las Vegas. This puts his total winnings from blackjack tournaments at $400,000. Yours truly also finished first ($12,700 prize) in a tournament sponsored by our Rick Jensen (Texas Tournaments) that was held at Fitzgerald's Casino in LV. The July issue of Casino Player Magazine also contains my interview with Eric Kiel, the grand prize winner of the Las Vegas Hilton's Million Dollar Blackjack Tournament II (you can get a special BJI discount subscription or renewal of Casino Player Magazine by clicking here).

Reminder- there are only two Golden Touch Blackjack courses left in 2004, July 31 and Aug. 1 at Tunica/Memphis and Sept. 25 and 26 in Las Vegas. Classes fill up quickly so if you want to attend it's best to sign up ASAP. Our 2005 course schedule is now available as well.

A reminder - if you come across an unfamiliar blackjack term in one of our articles or reports, see our Blackjack Glossary: www.bjinsider.com/questions_glossary.shtml

E-mail subscribers can also read each month's issue online at our web site: BJI Issue #54, July 2004.

Henry Tamburin

Editor

BLACKJACK COVER STRATEGIES by JPB

"Cover is easy and it works-at disguising your blackjack skills. The problem is that cover is not cheap because it reduces your advantage over the house. In this day and age, with penetration deteriorating and more and more casinos switching to "Dealer Hits Soft 17", the games are getting more difficult to beat. Use too much cover, and you will not need it because you will be playing at a disadvantage (and the casino will be happy to let you play)..."

Read JPB's complete article.

BLACKJACK SWITCH by Michael Shackleford

"One way to win at blackjack is to play two hands and try to change two bad hands into two good ones by surreptitiously switching the cards. That's not allowed; it's cheating. Unless, that is, you're playing a new game at the Four Queens called Blackjack Switch, in which case you can switch cards right out in the open..."

Read Shackleford's complete article.

LAS VEGAS TRIP REPORT - May 2004 (Part 2) by LV Pro

"During this evening, I had cut my losses in half and was now down only $750 by the time I hit the sack. With half a day to go, I had my work cut out for me. My plan for the next morning was to start at the south end of the Strip and work my way northward, hitting-and-running at each casino. As soon as I got a few hundred ahead, I was going to pocket my small wins and hope they add up until I had erased the deficit and finally get into the black..."

Read LVPro's complete article.

ATLANTIC CITY BLACKJACK REPORT by Alene Paone and Frank Scoblete

"The summer is Atlantic City's season. The beaches are beautiful; most casinos have their own "beach clubs," and the place is crowded with tourists and players. Unfortunately, with summer comes a few things that we don't particularly like - such as high table minimums (it's very hard to find a $5 game) and poorer than normal penetration. Blackjack takes a hit..."

Read Paone's and Scoblete's complete article.

DETROIT BLACKJACK REPORT by JPB

"My first disappointment came as I went to the player's card desk and asked for a card hoping that I could get a new clean MGM card and that the database was not linked to the Las Vegas MGM properties, most of which I have been asked to no longer play blackjack. Unfortunately, the clerk advised me that I already have a card (I am sure she did not have access to the back-off history) but even if she did, I do not think it would have impacted my ability to play because I did not show that card at the tables..."

Read JPB's complete article.

LAS VEGAS BLACKJACK REPORT- A GEM AMONG THE ROCKS by LV Tournament Pro

"When you first arrive in Las Vegas your eyes play tricks on you. What you see is not what you get. Your eyes are telling you that these large buildings with bright neon lights and breathtaking landscapes that draw you in must be real casinos dealing real blackjack games that are dealt fairly. However, once inside the knowledgeable player will quickly realize that they have been had..."

Read Tour Pro's complete article.

THINKING YOUR WAY TO A GOOD BET by KENNETH SMITH

"One of the visitors to BlackjackTournaments.com recently posted a question that I thought was the fundamental question of all tournament strategy. Paraphrased, his question was "What is the thought process you use to arrive at the appropriate amount to bet?" Well, that's a question that would take a whole book to answer well. Playing strategy is important, but there's little doubt that the most crucial decisions you make during a tournament round are your attempts to answer that seemingly simple question: How much should I bet?..."

Read Smith's complete article.

BLACKJACK TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

"Check out the schedule of major blackjack tournaments by region in our Blackjack Tournament Report..."

Read the complete article.

LAS VEGAS MINI-TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE by LV Tournament Pro

"Check out the schedule of mini-tournaments in Las Vegas..."

Read Tour Pro's complete article.