Thorp’s Ultimate
Thorp eventually came up with a system that provided almost perfect wagering information. He called his last program the “Thorp Ultimate,” and it represented a 99.6% correct betting strategy. The point-values were assigned as follows: 2s = 5, 3s = 6, 4s = 8, 5s = 11, 6s = 6, 7s = 4,8s = 0,9s = -3, Ts = -7, and Aces = -9. Unfortunately, the Thorp Ultimate is so difficult to count and implement, it is not worth serious consideration at all. Imagine using this system, trying to tally up the RC at a full table after the dealer flips over a blackjack and begins scooping up the cards! For anyone other than mathematical magicians, it is totally impractical for actual casino use.
At the other extreme, J. L. Patterson’s Blackjack: A Winners Handblog (1990 edition) suggests that no counting system is dependable these days since “card counting doesn’t always work.” Patterson cites examples of players who sometimes win when the count is actually negative and of players losing while the count is very positive. He claims that counting works best when the game is played on computers, but not very well in real casinos. Apparently Patterson cannot accept the inherent short-term fluctuations that inevitably occur within probability theory and has thrown the proverbial blackjack “baby” out with its bathwater. (Gullible readers can purchase Patterson’s “TARGET 21 Home-Study Course,” which is basically an empirical approach to the game, for a mere $295 plus shipping and handling, of course.)
