Actually this is somewhat of a misleading title because mathematics is definitely needed to play successful blackjack as it is with poker of course. Now before we go any further, I have spent considerable time down the years analysing both blackjack and poker and there are striking similarities between the two in many areas. This analysis also stretched across into online casino games and online poker as well.

Also I am not a mathematician and my understanding of mathematics is probably around GCSE standard so in no way am I qualified to talk about mathematics. However there comes a time in both blackjack and poker where mathematics and the use of it have a dramatically diminishing effect.

For instance, when I played blackjack I was more concerned with other issues like shuffle tracking, evading detection and finding profitable games. Mathematics have their rightful place of course and people like Donald Schlesinger, Standford Wong and Peter Griffin explored the game mathematically far deeper than I ever could.

But there are clear differences between understanding blackjack very deeply and being able to get away with it consistently. In my mind, this requires skills that books probably cannot teach. It is similar to poker in many ways, no amount of reading can make a player keep emotional control all the time or respect their bankroll and use it professionally.

No amount of reading can make a player take the time and effort to select optimal games or optimal playing times either. This is the same with blackjack, game selection and bankroll management are critical but how do you teach someone self control? How do you teach them to have an increased attitude to risk so that they can play the game at all?

How do you teach them when to do certain things and when not to do them based on how a certain pit boss is positioned and what certain looks by managers actually mean? All this comes with experience and while I never had the mathematical prowess of a Peter Griffin, I did have the crucial experience of operating on the actual shop floor so to speak and that in my mind is absolutely essential.

This is why card counters get caught, they learn all about blackjack (in most cases they simply do not learn enough) but they know jack about casinos and how they operate and react to certain things. The ones that are successful are only successful for a while and they get caught. They learn highly complicated level three and level four counting systems that have excellent betting and playing efficiencies and then think that they have a chance to make money.

I am positive that the greatest poker players in the world both live and online are not the best mathematically. But they do have a gift for knowing how to make money and selecting who to play against and when and some online players make millions doing this. In blackjack you need to know basic strategy obviously and a few strategy deviations but even these are nowhere near as numerous as what many people believe.

Then obviously you need to learn a counting system and learn it well and be able to count so fast that you can do so without having to stare at the table and look like a counter. Then you need to be able to get money on the table without getting heat and not just once but on repeated occasions. It’s a difficult game and mathematics play their part but they also have their limits too.

This article was written by Carl “The Dean” Sampson

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