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BLACKJACK

How To Play and Profit from Shuffle Machines

Many years ago, we started to see the use of ShuffleMaster automatic shuffling machines appear, mostly in multi-deck games. Some casinos find these machines to have attractive features. The manufacturer boasts a forty percent increase in hands played per unit of time. Some casinos have jumped on them with visions of corresponding forty percent revenue increases. Automatic shuffling machines do thwart shuffle-tracking techniques. A few years ago, Tommy Hyland took a small shuffle tracking team into the Windsor Casino (Canada) and reportedly won well over $100,000 in a single weekend betting over $2,000 each hand in favorable rounds. Windsor officials countered by first having the team members arrested, then immediately installed ShuffleMaster machines at all their blackjack tables. After significant legal hassle, Hyland's team was found innocent of any wrongdoing and the case was dismissed.

Our observations of ShuffleMaster shoe games have found a weakness. We have found many of these games to be consistently neutral or even slightly player-biased. We found that standard basic strategy seems to work with exceptional integrity. We have watched entire tables of average players spend hours just going back and forth with the dealer, their chip stacks never varying more than a few chips one way or the other. The ShuffleMaster machines can produce above average back-and-forth games, i.e. TARGET 21 Plus games. Players appear to simply go back and forth with the house all day long, neither side making any significant headway.

We believe that management in most casinos is aware of this weakness in the ShuffleMaster games and that is why we are seeing less of them in casinos that do not feel they are reaping the expected higher profit results. But as long as they are there, we can exploit them nicely.

We find that these games frequently become back-and-forth games after the cards have been in play for a couple of hours. Each table uses two shoes; one in play while the other is shuffled. Both shoes tend to display the back-and-forth game-types but each deck must be qualified individually to insure we are using the optimum betting strategy.

We recommend two playing strategies in qualified consistently neutral or slightly player-biased games and back-and-forth game types.

If the game appears to be neutral to slightly player-biased, you can use an ultraconservative flat-betting approach. Simply flat bet each hand and rely on the double-downs, splits and Blackjacks for profit (this approach should yield perhaps 2-3 units/hr with minimal "drawdowns" of only 5-10 units).

If the game has a recognizable back-and-forth pattern of player - and dealer - favorable rounds, you may try an up-as-you-lose, negative betting progression such as 1-2-4. For the very strong at heart, use a 1-3-7 negative progression. This aggressive approach is clearly riskier but offers greater profit potential. With this approach, be prepared to experience drawdowns of up to 50 units. Also, use a 6-unit Stop Loss and start with a 1-2-3 progression until you have won 6 or more units. ShuffleMaster games tend to be very stable. Using the 1-2-4 or 1-3-7 negative progression, you can achieve consistent profits in the range of 10-12 units/hr providing the game maintains a level of playable integrity. All ways use a good "lock-win" money management strategy to protect your profits and your bankroll. Should this game deteriorate, be prepared to "cash-in" with your profits in hand.

SUMMARY OF SHUFFLEMASTER TECHNIQUES

If you opt to try beating these games with the aggressive 1-2-4 or 1-3-7 approach, here's the play strategy:

1. Qualify the ShuffleMaster game to be consistently neutral or slightly player-biased. Watch at least half a shoe. Integrity should be near perfect, dealer breaks should come every three hands or so, and any player should not lose more than two to three hands in a row, three max. We believe you will find many ShuffleMaster games qualify.

2. Enter. Play the hands using standard Basic Strategy.

3. Follow the (negative) betting progression: On the first hand, bet one unit. If you lose, bet two units. If you lose again, bet four units. Upon every win, revert to your starting one-unit bet. Upon any loss of three in a row, leave the game. Very aggressive players may substitute this 1-2-4 progression with a 1-3-7 for greater profit potential.

Yes, you do double and split, even with the big 4-unit or 7-unit bet.

CAUTIONS

Approach each new, unqualified shoe with caution.

Do not confuse the ShuffleMaster Automatic shuffling machines with

Continuous shuffling machines.

We do NOT recommend playing Continuous-shuffling machines

We have not found a strategy to beat the type of games these machines produce.

We only play in winnable games.

We frequently find, good Blackjack players avoid these type machines

and casinos are finding that players at large are not accepting these machines very well either.

Our Target 21 DVDs provide an easy to understand demonstration method of qualifying a Neutral Type C, back and forth game and how to monitor this game to insure it is maintaining integrity allowing us to optimize our negative betting strategy and pull very nice profits from this type game. We call this monitoring method the "Barber Poll". It's actually very simple to use, but so effective. It allows you to "qualify" each deck of cards such as the red deck separate from the blue deck. It's demonstrated in our Target 21 DVDs and its also included as part of our "Ultimate Confirmation Process", (UCP) contained in our Target 21 Bonus CD-ROM. This one item is worth it's weight in gold.

This type game can be a lot of fun to play, and while the other players are just going sideways with their money, you can be racking up some very nice profits through the "negative up as you loose progression".

John Vance

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