Monday, May 22, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.
As a former manager of the MIT blackjack team that won an estimated $5 million to $10 million from casinos worldwide, professional gambler Andy Bloch of Las Vegas knows better than anyone that blackjack can be beaten.
Although it's still possible to make money at blackjack on a steady and consistent basis, Bloch said, counting cards is not a guaranteed road to riches.
It takes practice, dedication and an almost superhuman ability to deal with devastating defeats and the ensuing bankroll fluctuations. (In fact, Bloch's definition of bankroll is the best I've seen anywhere: "Your bankroll is how much you're willing to lose without going crazy.")
Bloch draws on his experience with the high-stakes MIT team and describes how even an ambitious beginner can follow suit in his newly released instructional DVD, "Beating Blackjack with Andy Bloch" ($29.95). The DVD is the second in the Expert Insight series, following an instructional poker release featuring tournament champion Phil Gordon.
Bloch's real-world experience in the trenches of the blackjack wars gives "Beating Blackjack" an edge over the myriad blackjack-related products already on the market.
"We didn't want to put out a product that would mislead people into thinking it's easy to get rich right away," said Bloch, who has degrees from MIT and Harvard Law School. "You can beat blackjack, but it takes a lot of work."
The DVD was designed to appeal to those who want to take a crack at pro-level blackjack themselves, as well as people interested in the pursuit from a theoretical perspective.
"We want to teach people they can actually beat the casino, to let them know that blackjack is still beatable," said Bloch, also a successful tournament poker player. "It's also for people who have no intention of playing (professionally) against the casino but who just want to check it out and find out what it's like, almost firsthand. The idea of the series is to let you get inside the mind of the expert."
The main portion of the DVD is divided into four chapters, covering basic strategy, counting cards, optimal betting and team play.
On a much smaller scale than Bloch, I'm often asked how to get started in blackjack card counting, and I always reply that the first step is to learn basic strategy until you have it down pat. So it was gratifying to see that Bloch takes the same approach, stressing the importance of basic strategy as a building block for more advanced concepts.In the card counting section, Bloch reveals the MIT team prefers to use a "hi-lo" count, which is relatively basic but powerful enough to get the money.
The chapter on team play describes some of the cloak-and-dagger techniques Bloch and his partners employed to beat the casinos. I was particularly impressed by the "verbal signals" used to relay the current count to a teammate. Each number has a corresponding code word. For instance, the signal for 8 is "pool" (as in 8-ball), so as his teammate arrives at the table, a player might ask the dealer if the pool is still open.
That's in stark contrast to the clumsy techniques I've used in some limited play involving partners. (If the count is plus-4, my method usually consists of leaning over and whispering, "plus-4!")
Bloch and Gordon will host a one-day seminar on blackjack and poker June 24 at the Village Square Stadium 18 movie theaters (9400 W. Sahara Ave., $199 for the first 100 seats or until Wednesday). For more information, visit expertinsight.com and click on LV Academy.
A movie theater might seem like an unusual location, but it will allow them to take advantage of the big screen for presentations, Bloch said.
And besides, Bloch said, "We couldn't find a casino that would let us hold it there, as you might imagine."
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