Blackjack ILLUSTRIOUS 18, STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES

So you heard: 'If you are a practicing Hi-Lo player and have diligently committed to memory 150 to 200 index numbers, you may be interested to learn that for this particular game and style of play, you might as well throw 90% of your numbers away and keep just the “Illustrious 18.” On the other hand, if you have just mastered true count and were about to embark upon your study of the index-number matrix, I have saved you a great deal of work. Learn the plays in the chart and forget about the rest. You can trust me that you won’t be missing much.'

Bravos! Wouldn't it be nice if my chemistry teacher had told me that I only need to know 18 important elements of the periodic tables and throw the rest away?

 

One Day in the Life of a Blackjack Deviation Army Training Camp (See Footnote)

Drill Sergeant: “Gump! What is your sole purpose in this army?”
Camper Forrest Gump Junior: “To do whatever you tell me, Drill Sergeant.”
Drill Sergeant: “Goddamn it, Gump! You’re a goddamn genius! This is the most outstanding answer I have ever heard. Listen! People! The number of deviation indexes you need to remember is 18, not 81, not 150, not 200 as some outside scumbag have said.”
All Campers: “YES, DRILL SERGEANT!”

Note: Lines mostly adapted from Forrest Gump

 

And don’t forget you only play with a red chip but tell everyone you play black. Tell everyone you earn $2 million by playing 5 hours a weekend. You don’t need anything when you just lie to various forums.

 

Making $2 million? Dream on! The reality: Illustrious 18 makes counters poor, and enriches casinos. STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES.

 

The true cost of Illustrious 18 if you stop right then and there:

Moraine heard it from card counting gurus that you might have heard it too: Just by learning the 18 top deviation indices alone, card counters can reap 90% of all possible benefits from full deviation indices. A good deal, isn’t it? So far so good, but there is a cost to you if you stop right then and there.

Based on the 90% estimate, the performance of full indexes v. Top 18 indexes = 1 vs. 0.9, and 1/0.9 =1.111. This translates into that an Illustrious18 practitioner would leave 11.1% of his/her card counting profit on blackjack tables in a year. And in 10 years, 11.1% compounds into 1.111 ^ 10 = 2.87 = 287%. In 20 years, 1.111 ^ 20 = 822%.

From an Illustrious 18 adherent from the get-go : "Are you saying that I have lost 2.87 - 1 = 1.87 = 187% of my card counting profit in the past 10 years? And 8.22 -1 = 722% in the past 20 years?"

From Blackjack Deviation Training Camp Drill Sergeant: “Stupid! Winning less is not the same as losing."