21 (the movie)

**Jimmy B** · #1 04-06-2008, 02:11 PM

This is my must-see movie of the year 2008. I believe it might already be available in theaters worldwide.

Anyone who has spent an appreciable amount of time at the Blackjack table at a casino, whether playing and/or watching will probably, besides developing a feel for basic strategy, be familiar with the method of counting cards. I have played Blackjack (off and on) for nearly eight years that's why I am very intrigued to see this movie.

For those of you who have never heard of this method of playing Blackjack, the way card counting works in a nutshell is that players keep a running mental notebook of play as it happens over time and continuously analyze the cards deck as it keeps getting processed on the table to gauge the degree of the house advantage based on the remaining cards in the deck in order to adjust their play according to the cards that are out of play after being processed though the game.

The idea of card counting is anticipating the next several plays ahead and adjust the wagers accordingly to minimize losses and maximize gains for the players. This method is so powerful that a proficient card counter can drastically shred the game's house advantage down and possibly even overturn the advantage to the player. But be aware, although counting card has been accepted by Nevada state law (as well as in most other states), casinos generally do not consider it fair practice by players and will discourage them from continuing with that method or eject the player from the table, which they have the right to do so because casinos are privately owned. Casinos may reserve the right to eject players from the game or even the casino, but they cannot void the pay earned by the player, because counting cards does not violate the law, so at least if you attempt, you have nothing to lose and could walk away with a lot.

Another thing to consider is that card counting takes months, if not years, of practice to become very proficient. You also have to come up with a game plan on paper off the tables to determine how you're going to analyze your play. Different players will come up with different ways to assess the deck, but ultimately the idea is all the same.

The movie from what I saw in the previews, seems to be a compelling race of beating the system and winning big, and although I'm not a big drama fan, the performance of card counting displayed in the movie as well as the allure of the game has captured my interest in the movie and has made this my must-see movie of the year.

**Wes** · #2 04-06-2008, 02:45 PM

Frankly most of the reviews though I've seen panned it.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1000...itic=creamcrop

miamidolphins · #3 04-06-2008, 04:41 PM

I heard it was near impossible to get past the narration, but i havent seen it

coolstarwasim · #4 04-06-2008, 08:14 PM

I saw it, it was good. Not great though.

epijlh · #5 04-06-2008, 09:01 PM

I haven't seen this movie yet.

The thing to keep in mind is if you do card count,and you use an outside device, basically anything except your mind, the it IS illegal.

Just out of curiosity, what method do they use? I use the +1 method and it usually works very well. I just wouldn't double-down with it though.

**Jimmy B** · #6 04-06-2008, 11:50 PM

The only way I know how to use the method is assigning integer numerals (positive and negative values) to the card based on the card values themselves. That might be the same as you mentioned.

Doubling Down (if nothing else) is an option that can potentially favor the player due to the considerable probability that the next card being of a ten or eleven value provided the initial pair of cards ideally add up to ten. In that case, doubling down gives the player a 38.5% chance to get a 20 or 21....not a very likely probability, but still far greater chance than ending up with any specific number less than a 20 (7.7% for each number from 11 to 19, adding up to the remaining 61.5%).