Blackjack Basic Strategy and House Edge Calculation Spreadsheet

This video is a supplement to “Blackjack Basic Strategy for Infinite Decks” and “Blackjack House Edge with Infinite Decks,” two videos by the Wizard of Odds, Michael Shackleford. The Wizard calculates the complete blackjack basic strategy and house edge, starting from a blank Excel spreadsheet, without using computer programming. He completes these tasks in less than one hour, explaining step-by-step how to fill in the spreadsheet.

Overview (0:00)
Introduction to the spreadsheet (3:45)
Modify the spreadsheet for no surrender allowed (5:55)
Modify the spreadsheet for dealer hits soft 17 (9:50)
Modify the spreadsheet for 6:5 blackjack payoff (14:20)
Terminology: infinite decks (17:00)
Terminology: European hole card rule (18:35)
Magic formula that fills a whole table (20:30)

Wizard’s strategy calculation video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCF-Btu5ZCk

Wizard’s house edge calculation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJsGnXgrGvg

Wizard’s spreadsheet file: http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2R98Qfvr8GldVlUZVJFeHVLZ1U/edit

If you’re a skeptical type who doesn’t accept things on faith, this spreadsheet provides proof that the basic strategy is truly correct. You can modify the spreadsheet for different playing rules and examine the effects on the strategy and house edge.

Watch the Wizard’s videos first. He does a superb job of explaining how he creates the spreadsheet. If you understand him completely, you have no need for my video. On the other hand, if you reach a point where you can’t follow his explanation, pause it at that point and take a look at my video here, and see if that helps. After that, you can go back to the Wizard’s video and pick up where you left off.

For a good introduction to blackjack, go to the Wizard’s web site:

http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/

For a very good (and free) online book on blackjack, see “Modern Blackjack, An Illustrated Guide to Blackjack Advantage Play,” by Norman Wattenberger:

http://www.qfit.com/book/ModernBlackjackPage-10.htm

For a detailed technical look at the game, see Wattenberger’s “How Blackjack Works”:

http://www.blackjackincolor.com/

The house edge depends to a large degree on the specific playing rules. For a detailed description of blackjack rules and playing conditions for every casino in the United States that deals the game, see Stanford Wong’s Current Blackjack News (https://bj21.com/); scroll down to CBJN Current Blackjack News and click [Sample Issue] to get the September 2016 issue for free. The single-issue price is $17 for the current month (well worth it for any serious player).

For a highly simplified blackjack basic strategy developed with the assistance of the spreadsheet, see the Super-Easy Casual strategy video:

or the companion website:

http://blackjackcalculation.com/

I would like to acknowledge and thank the Wizard of Odds, Michael Shackleford, for creating the spreadsheet and offering it to the public for free. I could not have done it myself.