ABSTRACT
Elementary blackjack mathematics is interesting in its own right, but since blackjack stands alone among common casino games as one where the past influences the future, the infinite deck approximation is not as useful for deep mathematical exploration of the game. This leads into a discussion of card counting techniques and their effect on player strategy. The chapter also considers a number of blackjack variations developed for California card rooms–though the collection fees mean that gaining an edge by counting cards is far more difficult than in conventional blackjack, there are nonetheless some interesting ideas that merit examination.
