ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BLACKJACK
RA. 1) See re-split aces. 2) See risk averse.
rack. See chip tray.
Radar. Playing partner and Wife of Arnold Snyder for 20 years. Snyder dedicated his book Radical Blackjack to Radar who indicated she was the best shuffle tracker he ever met.
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 191 ]
rainbow. See barber pole.
rainbow bet. To place a bet with different denominations (colors). For example, a bet with $100 + $25 + $5 with the $5 chip on top would be called a rainbow bet. See barber pole.
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 78 ]
Rainbow Blackjack. A blackjack variation believed to have originated in Mississippi. The layout of this game identifies each player’s position at the table with a color thus allowing each player to bet on other players’ hands as well as his own.
Raise the Roof. (c2017) A blackjack side-bet that wins if the dealer busts. Payout is based on what the dealer’s bust card was. The lower the card, the more it pays. After seeing the dealer’s up card, the player has the opportunity to raise his side-bet.
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ robcogaming.com ]
Ramm, Richard. See entry under The Amazing Blackjack Machine in the blackjack software review section.
random. A statistical term pertaining to or characterizing a set of items every member of which has an equal chance of occurring with a particular frequency.
[ 68 Webster’s New World Dictionary ]
[ 7/90 Baxter Shuffles in Atlantic City… BJC 10 ]
random number generator. (RNG) A computer program that yields pseudo-random or truly random numbers.
random shuffle. To perform a shuffle, intermixing the cards in such a manner as to completely destroy any previous sequence, rank patterns, or intentional clumping of cards. It can be shown that it requires at least 7 shuffles to produce randomness in a single-deck game. In general, most casinos require 3 or 4 shuffles for single-deck and only 2 shuffles for multiple-deck games. See non-random shuffle. See perfect shuffle.
[ 77 Epstein Theory of Gambling & Stat Logic 162 ]
[ 88 Griffin Theory of Blackjack ]
[ 90 Diaconis Trailing the Dovetail Shuffle to its Lair ]
rank. The denomination or value of a card (e.g., The 8 of spades has a rank of 8. The queen of hearts has a rank of 10). See suit.
rank count system. (RCS) {RCS} A simplified counting system taking into account only one or two card values. See ace count. See five count.
Ranogajec, Zeljko. (aka John Wilson) (Born May 22, 1961) A professional gambler from Australia and a former professional blackjack player. According to reports, Ranogajec was one of the most prolific and innovative APs of all time. The legend goes that he started with only a few hundred dollars and built it into millions in blackjack and in other gambling endeavors. A 2011 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame. See Alan Woods. See Australian Syndicate Team.
[ BlackjackHallOfFame.com ]
[ Wiki: Zeljko Ranogajec ]
[ BJinsider ]
[ gamblingsites.org ]
[ Meet the Joker ]
Rasi, Henrik. Original code author of the Basic Strategy Calculator app on the Blackjack Review site.
[ wordpress.org/plugins/black-jack-strategy-guide ]
rat holing. To hide or place chips secretly in your pocket or purse. This is done in order to make the pit believe you have won less or lost more at the table.
rated player. A player who has had his or her play rated in order to qualify for comps and other privileges. Many card counters shy away from being rated for obvious reasons. See rating slip.
rating slip. A form on which the activities of a player are recorded, showing wins, losses, amounts bet and variations of play. Also used to record dealer performance. A rating procedure is typically performed before granting a player comp privileges. See rated player.
RB. See Red/Black.
RC. Acronym for running count.
RCS. See Rank Count System.
readable. As in a readable dealer. 1) A dealer whose hole-card can be spotted by a player or other person in the casino. 2) A dealer whose body language can be read. See tells.
Real World Casino. (RWC) See Real World Casino by John Imming in the software section.
Real World Conditions Strategy. {RWC} Methods based on the hypothesis that dealer and player biases exist due to the effects of non-random shuffles. Some RWC labeled methods listed in this book also include progressive betting requirements. These systems and methods are not recommended unless you are using them for cover. Not to be confused with the Real World Casino software by John Imming.
rebate zone. Any win/loss position where you can earn a loss rebate on a single round of play. This zone or period of play is when the player has the greatest advantage.
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 123 ]
rec.gambling. (RG) The Internet’s Usenet gambling community and the largest online group available in the early 1990s. Several message groups belonged to the rec.gambling hierarchy including groups for blackjack, craps, lottery, poker, racing, sports, other games, and miscellaneous. The primary blackjack related groups were:
- rec.gambling.blackjack. (RGB) The Internet Usenet newsgroup for blackjack. Now hosted by Google Groups.
[news:rec . gambling . blackjack] - rec.gambling.blackjack.moderated. (RGBM) The Internet Usenet moderated newsgroup for blackjack. Now hosted by Google Groups.
[news:rec . gambling . blackjack . moderated]
[PosEV.com/rgbm/post-archive/threads.html]
Other rec.gambling groups are now hosted on Google. See Abdul Jalib. See Michael Solinas. See FAQ. See BARGE. See Card Counter’s Cafe’. [ Rec.Gambling.Blackjack Frequently Asked Questions ]
redBJ. Abbreviation for red naturals pay 2 to 1.
[ Wong CBN 93 ]
Red/Black. (RB or R/B) This is a side bet believed to have been introduced at the Four Queens casino in 1992. In addition to your regular bet you may bet on the color of the dealer’s up-card. Like the Over/Under 13 side bet this proposition can be beaten by a proper counting system. (HA = 3.85%) (Each count per deck worth 1.92%)
[ 9/92 Schlesinger Lost in the Maze of New Rules BJF ]
[ 9/92 Saugen How to play Red or Black 21 BJC 16 ]
red chip. A $5 value casino chip.
Red Flex. (RF) (c2013) A blackjack side bet based on the number of consecutive red cards in the dealer’s hand. Red Flex is a side bet for the blackjack variant Pure 21.5 Blackjack that is played in California card rooms. (HA ~ 5.47%)
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ 888casino.com ]
[ oag.ca.gov ]
Red Hand. See Oregon Surveillance Network.
Red Seven Count. {PCS/L1}. (Arnold Snyder). An unbalanced card counting system first described in Snyder’s book Blackbelt in Blackjack.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 1 1 1 1 1 * 0 0 -1
* Unbalanced count
Red or Black sevens count 1
[ 83 Snyder Blackbelt in Blackjack 37 ]
[ qfit.com ]
[ 12/83 Snyder Red Seven Vs Hi-Lo Count BJF 4 ]
[ 3/86 George 59000 Hands With Red 7 Count BJF 21 ]
Red Zen Count. {PCS/L2}. (Patrick Linsenmeyer) A level-2 unbalanced card counting system described in Linsenmeyer’s book Modern Card Counting.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 * 2 2 2 2 * 0 0 -2
* Unbalanced count
Red or Black sevens count 2
[ Modern Card Counting: Blackjack by Patrick Linsenmeyer ]
Red Zone. (RZ) A reference to the free message forum pages on the Blackjack Review Network site. See green zone. NOTE: Message forums are no longer available here.
[ BJRnet.com ]
Reed, Philip. Author of the book Wild Cards. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Dec 2, 2015 ]
Reeves, Monica. (Born 1972) A Canadian professional poker and blackjack player. A former model, she won the fourth preliminary tournament in the televised Ultimate Blackjack Tour in 2006.
[ Wiki: Monica Reeves ]
Refinery. An advantage player (blackjack, carnival games, slots) who was interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Mar 12, 2020 ]
Reid, Richard. Reid is a retired mathematics professor who created the former excellent site bjmath.com in the 1990s. He also wrote an eBook titled Dynamic Blackjack that is no longer available. Edward Thorp comments, “Richard Reid’s website www.bjmath.com was a treasury of articles, workshops and discussions. The network that arose accelerated the development of new methods for advantageous play“. See EBJ.
[ qfit.com ]
[ Archive: bjmath.com 2014 ]
Reitzen, Rob. (aka Robert Reitzen) Card counter, shuffle tracker, ace sequencer and advantage player. Reitzen studied probability and game theory at UCLA and ultimately pursued a career as a professional blackjack player in the 1980s. According to Max Rubin, “There are few, if any, players that have won more money in the history of blackjack than Rob Reitzen. From simple card counting to shuffle tracking/sequencing to bottom steering to advanced computer play, Rob has beaten games in more innovative ways than most professional blackjack players even know to exist.” Reitzen was …”a founding partner of CORE, which went on to become the largest and most profitable player-banking operation in history. Rob was featured in an Esquire Magazine article in which the reporter followed him and watched him beat Caesars Palace in Las Vegas out of more than $500,000 while using a sequencing technique he dubbed “The Hammer” on a single weekend!” Inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2019.
[ BlackjackHallOfFame.com ]
[ bjinsider.com ]
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 304 ]
[ PATENTS ] [ PODCAST: May 30, 2019 ]
REKO. Acronym for Ridiculously Easy KO count. In REKO, you use the KO count, but use only one play variation table at a +2 count or higher.
[ 2010 Wattenberger Modern Blackjack 68 ]
[ qfit.com ]
relay. A team player who relays signals from one person to another.
Reno. City in the northwestern part of Nevada near Lake Tahoe and Carson City with a major concentration of casinos. Population in 2019 was 250,998.
[ 5/90 Olsen Reno/Sparks Area Report BJC 4 ]
From an old Reno post cardReno rules 
Reno / Sparks / Lake Tahoe rules have historically (before 2000) been as follows:
- Double on 10 or 11 only.
- Dealer hits soft 17.
[ 10/90 Wong Instant Update CBN ]
[ 90 Snyder BJF ]
Renzey, Fred. Blackjack, poker and gambling expert. Author of Blackjack Bluebook. A freelance casino gaming columnist for the Daily Herald newspaper in the Chicago area. He also writes monthly blackjack and poker articles for several gaming magazines/newspapers/internet sites. See Rule of 45.
[ casinocitytimes.com/fred-renzey ] [ renzey.casinocitytimes.com/archives ]
Reppert System. {PCS/L2}. (Reppert). See Andersen Count.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-2 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 -1 -1
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 168 ]
[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 80 ]
rescue. See double down rescue.
re-split aces. (RSA) The advantageous rule that allows the player to re-split a pair of aces after having already split a pair of aces. This rule is of little importance in a single-deck game but significant in a multiple-deck game. See split aces.
PA = + .03% (1-deck)
PA = + .1% (6 deck)
[ 95 Wong Basic Blackjack 121 ]
re-split pairs. (RS) The advantageous rule that allows the player to split a pair after having already split a pair. Most casinos allow players to re-split pairs but not re-split aces. See RSx.
PA = +.02% (1 deck) (no ace re-split)
PA = +.04% (6 deck) (no ace re-split)
Revere, Lawrence. (aka Griffith K. Owens, Leonard “Specs” Parsons, Paul Mann) (Nov 5, 1915 – April 23, 1977) Former casino pit-boss and author of the classic blackjack text-book Playing Blackjack as a Business and co-developer of several counting systems. Lawrence Revere was a leading blackjack expert during the 60’s and early 70’s. His Advanced Point Count (APC) was one of the top working tools of the professional blackjack player of the time. Revere died in 1977, after a seven week bout with cancer of the liver and lung. A 2005 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
[ BlackjackHallOfFame.com ]
[ Wiki: Lawrence Revere ]
[ Wiki: Blackjack Hall of Fame ]
[ Archive: blackjackbomb.com/lawrence-revere/ ]
[ July 77 Rouge Et Noir News ]
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 278 ]
Revere Advanced Plus-Minus. {PCS/L1}. (Lawrence Revere / Julian Braun).
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 -1
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business ]
[ qfit.com ]
Revere Five-Count. {RCS}. (Lawrence Revere / Julian Braun). See five-count.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 83 ]
Revere Point Count. {PCS/L2}. (Lawrence Revere / Julian Braun) (c1971).
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-2 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 -2
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 117 ]
[ qfit.com ]
Revere Plus-Minus. {PCS/L1}. (Lawrence Revere / Julian Braun) (c1969). See Hi-Lo.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 93 ]
Revere Ten-Count. {TCS}. (Lawrence Revere / Julian Braun). With this strategy 10-valued cards and others are counted separately. For example, if in the first hand dealt, there were 2 tens and 8 non-tens, your count would be 2-8. Then you would use a chart to convert this to a code. In this particular example, the code would be 6. Then you would use this code to play your hand and size your bet on the next hand.
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 105 ]
Revere 1971 Advanced Point Count. {PCS/L4. (APC) (Lawrence Revere / Julian Braun) (c1971). Notice the perfect betting correlation.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-4 2 3 3 4 3 2 0 -1 -3
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 145 ]
[ qfit.com ]
Revere 1973 Advanced Point Count. {PCS/L4}. (APC) (Lawrence Revere / Julian Braun) (c1973). Also known as the 14 Count since the positive card values add up to 14.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0 2 2 3 4 2 1 0 -2 -3
[ 77 Rouge et Noir News V9 #7&8 p. 1 ]
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 145 ]
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack 105 ]
[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 76 ]
[ qfit.com ]
reverse index. A card counting variation index number that acts opposite to what you would normally expect. (e.g., A defensive basic strategy play is to always split 8,8 vs 10. But there is a high count where splitting is worse than standing. )
[ blackjackincolor.com ]
[ 10 Wattenberger Modern Blackjack Vol 2 396 ]
RFB. Acronym for Room, Food and Beverage. See comp.
RFID Chips. Acronym for Radio Frequency Transmitter Chips. Some casinos have implemented RFID chips to combat counterfeit chips and to help in tracking large denomination chips.
RG. Acronym for the rec.gambling Internet newsgroups.
RGB. Acronym for the rec.gambling.blackjack Internet newsgroup.
RGBM. Acronym for the moderated rec.gambling.blackjack Internet newsgroup.
RGE. Acronym for RGE Publishing. Originally Arnold Snyder’s publishing company which published Blackjack Forum magazine. On July 1, 2000, RGE Publishing ceased operations in Oakland, California and was resurrected in Las Vegas as RGE Publishing, Ltd., a Nevada corporation. Snyder is no longer affiliated with RGE since being taken over by Viktor Nacht in 2002. See rge21.com.
[ Archive: rge21.com 2001 ]
ABOUT RGE PAGE |
rge21.com. (April 29, 1996 – c2002) This was originally the official web site for Arnold Snyder’s Blackjack Forum magazine and RGE Publishing. After leaving RGE, Snyder created a new site at BlackjackForumOnline.com. See RGE. See Bishop. See AdvantagePlayer.com.
[ Blackjack Forum Index ]
[ Archive: rge21.com ]
[ Viktor Nacht Open Letter to the RGE Community ]
rich. As in the deck is 10 rich. To have a larger than normal percentage of that card value present in the deck. See poor.
Rich, Richie. An card counter and advantage player for ~ 40 years. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Oct 17, 2019 ]
rider. A bet made by a player behind another player’s (caller’s) bet. In most casinos, the player who has the original bet controls the play of the hand. In some casinos, the person who has placed the largest bet controls the hand. There are some basic strategy variations for casinos who allow rider bets and also allow a rider to not split while allowing the caller to split.
[ 92 Wong Basic Blackjack 64 ]
riffle. A type of shuffle. Typically, several riffles make up a complete shuffle. As used in the literature, a riffle is usually defined as the breaking of a deck into two approximately equal parts and the interleaving of one part into the other. Most people would call this procedure a shuffle but to avoid confusion the term riffle has been used instead. A shuffle is typically used to refer to the sum-total of the actions to reorder the cards. (e.g., A riffle-riffle-strip-riffle would be considered a complete shuffle.) See strip.
ring. Rings have been used by blackjack players to:
- Keep track of the count.
- Keep track of aces or other cards.
- Mark or nick the cards.
- Peeking at the dealer’s hole-card.
Riordan, Mike. See Max Rubin.
Riot Act. As in reading them the Riot Act. What many card counters and professional blackjack players are told as they are told quietly, but forcefully, to leave and not return, upon pain of arrest for trespassing. See heat. See barring.
[ 86 Rose Gambling and the Law 201 ]
rising sequence. See sequence.
risk-adjusted return. 
When you decide to gamble (with or without an edge) your goal should always be to get the best risk-adjusted return (as opposed to playing forever). See Certainty Equivalence.
[ papers.ssrn.com ]
risk averse. (RA) As in risk averse strategies. To include the size of your bankroll and your risk of going broke in any playing or betting strategy. See Risk of Ruin below.
risk averse indices. Risk-averse indices were first proposed by Joel Friedman in the early 1980s. According to Karel Janecek, author of the Statistical Blackjack Analyzer (SBA) software, the importance of the risk-averse indices was underestimated and the indices were not much used in practice until recently, when the feature of risk-averse indices generation were first included in SBA. The basic idea behind risk-averse indices is that when making a playing decision the player should not always maximize the expected (average) profit, but should also take the possibly increased risk into consideration. Simulations run by several blackjack experts, John Auston among others, show that the correct usage of risk-averse indices improves player’s performance by about 3%. Now, you may think that 3% is not that much, and may not be worth the extra trouble. In general this could be true. But the point is that the 3% improvement comes with practically no extra effort! The only change is that few indices have different numbers. Today players strive to achieve extra few percent improvement and are often willing to change their counting system. Here you can reach the same improvement by just changing, say, 10 index numbers.
[ BJRNET: About SBA ]
risk of ruin. (ROR) The probability of losing your bankroll. Can be expressed as a trip risk of ruin or total bank risk of ruin. The software Blackjack Risk Manager was a very useful tool for calculating this figure. As a general rule of thumb, advantage players should set their risk of ruin threshold at or below 5%, and preferably closer to 1%. See gambler’s ruin. See Kelly Criterion. See element of ruin.
[ bjstrat.net ]
[ blackjackincolor.com ]
[ wizardofodds.com ]
riverboat gambling. Riverboat casino gambling is legal in several states. At time of writing the major concentration has been along the Mississippi river. States that have legalized riverboat gambling include:
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
Also, at time of writing, several other states were considering legalizing riverboat gambling.
[ Spr 93 Dalton The Blackjack Map BJR ]
RM. Acronym for Royal Match 21.
RM21. Acronym for Royal Match 21.
RNG. Acronym for Random Number Generator.
Roberts, Stanley. (aka Stanley R. Sludikoff) (July 17, 1935 – March 12, 2016) Publisher of Gambling Times Magazine, Win Magazine and several books on blackjack. Stanley Roberts passed away from a long battle with leukemia in 2016.
[ nolandalla.com ]
[ cardplayer.com ]
Roberts Ace-Count. {RCS}. (Stanley Roberts) TBD
[ 73 Roberts How to Win at Weekend Blackjack ]
Roberts Five-Six Count. {RCS}. (Stanley Roberts) TBD
[ 73 Roberts How to Win at Weekend Blackjack ]
Roberts Ten-Count. {TCS}. (Stanley Roberts) (c1980) TBD
[ 2/78 Mitchell BJ Systems From BS to Expert GT 15 ]
[ 82 Roberts Winning Blackjack ]
Roberts One-Number Register. {PCS/L1}. (Stanley Roberts). Notice the perfect insurance correlation.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -2
(Unbalanced converted 10 count)
[ 8/73 Argosy Magazine 42,60 ]
[ C&S Vol.17,47 & Vol.19,59 ]
[ 78 Braun C&S Vol.5, 24 ]
[ 82 Roberts Winning Blackjack ]
[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 70 ]
Robinson, Spencer. A member of one of the largest and most successful blackjack teams in history. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Jan 26, 2017 ]
Rogers, Al. A resident of Las Vegas and the general manager of Stanford Wong’s Pi Yee Press, which publishes the monthly Current Blackjack News. Rogers was a professional blackjack player.
Roginski, Thomas C. Co-author of the book Fundamentals of Blackjack. Roginski holds a B.S. degree from the Univ. of Maryland, a M.S. degree in engineering from Villanova Univ. and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Purdue Univ. See C-R Point Count. See Carlson Chambliss.
[ Need to verify birth date ??? Jun 12, 1942 ]
Rolling Chip Program. An alternative form of player tracking. The player buys non-negotiable (NN) chips and uses them in the casino. The casino keeps track of all NN chips and at the end of a session, the player can redeem his unused NN chips for cash and receive a rebate for chips used. The rolling chip method for rating players was first used overseas in the Far East to rate baccarat customers. Rolling chips are also known as “dead” chips, “non-negotiables”, and “multi-play” chips. Rolling chips are also known as “play-till-you-lose” chips since the chips are only taken when wagered on losing decisions. See match play.
[ billzender.com ]
[ 888casino.com ]
[ Archive: gamingtoday.com ]
rollover. When the top half of a stack of cards becomes the bottom. A 2 step rollover refers to a stack of cards A over B over C becoming C over B over A.
Romes. A professional blackjack player that has given interviews on the Gambling with an Edge podcast. According to the podcast, in addition to counting cards, he exploits casino carnival games and various casino side bets.
[ PODCASTS: Jun 28, 2016, Feb 22, 2017, Apr 6, 2017 ]
ROR. Acronym for Risk Of Ruin.
Rosa, Mickey. A former member of the MIT Blackjack Team. TBD
[ Archive: MickeyRosa.com 2008 ]
Rose, I. Nelson. Author of Gambling and the Law. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ BLOG ]
[ PODCASTS: Nov 11, 2011, Sep 7, 2012, Sep 13, 2013, Aug 29, 2014, Apr 28, 2015 ]
round. 1) When all players have completed their hand against one dealer hand. 2) A blackjack tournament term referring to the number of hands played per table session.
Rouge et Noir System. {PCS/L1}. aka Rouge et Noir Expert (c1969) TBD (Staff of Rouge et Noir) See Hi-Lo.
[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 161 ]
Royal 20’s. (R20) (c2011) A blackjack side bet where the player is paid on any two-card 20. (HA ~ 17.56% to 21.96%)
[ 888casino.com ]
[ wizardofodds.com ]
royal 21. (R21) Also called royal pontoon. When the player gets 7-7-7. This is a popular bonus hand in social blackjack games and in some casinos. Typically, a 7-7-7 pays double or some bonus amount. See 6-7-8. See A-J of spades. PA = 0.01% (If winning 7-7-7 pays 3 to 2)
[ 90 Chambliss Fundamentals of Blackjack 59 ]
[ 92 Schlesinger Lost in the Maze of New Rules 15]
[ 92 Wong Basic Blackjack]
Royal Match. (RM) (c1992) There are several versions of this blackjack side bet (see below for examples of two versions). See links below for more information. See Mega Match.
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ 888casino.com ]
[ Archive: blackjackforumonline.com ]
[ discountgambling.net ]
Royal Match 21. (RM, RM21) A blackjack side bet from Bally Technologies. According to their literature: … side bet focuses on the first two cards a player receives and its top hand has a maximum payout of more than 50 to 1. To begin each round, players make the standard blackjack wager and the Royal Match wager. Players will then receive their first two cards, and if the cards are the same suit or a Royal Match (a King and Queen in suit), they win. If both the player and the dealer receive a Royal Match, an optional Crown Treasure bonus may be awarded. Note: All bonus payouts apply to the player’s first two cards only. Another version of this side bet from Bally’s is called Royal Match 21 Deluxe.
[ Archive: ballytech.com 2015 ]
Royal Match 21. (RM , RM21) A product of Bet Technology of Carson City, NV this side bet was introduced in 1992 at the Nugget Casino in Carson City. This $1 side bet has the player wagering that his first two cards will be of the same suit. Typical rules were that if your first two cards were K,Q of the same suit you won either 10 to 1 or 25 to 1 on your Royal Match bet. In addition, some casinos offered 2.5 to 1 if your first two cards were in suit. (HA ~ 3.8%)
[ 92 Wong Basic Blackjack ]
[ 8/7/92 Liggett Royal Match 21 Making a Hit CP ]
[ 9/92 Schlesinger Lost in the Maze of New Rules BJF ]
[ Archive: betech.com ]
RPC. Acronym for Revere Point Count.
RPI. See Carter RPI.
RS. See Re-Split Pairs.
RSA. Acronym for re-split aces.
RSx. Acronym for “re-split pairs up to x number of hands.”
R&T Point Count. {PCS/L2}. Mike Francis (1980). R&T Publishing Co., Reno, NV.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 -2
[ 80 R&T Complete Point Count… C&S Vol.13, 58 ]
[ 80 Francis Complete Point Count Strategy for… ]
rubber band. 1) A term coined to describe a system of assigning dealers to table games who are not assigned a specific table during a shift. So called because a rubber band is often placed around the clip-board under the name of the last dealer assigned. 2) What players sometime use to keep bundles of cash together.
[ 1) 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack 320 ]
Rubin, Max. (aka Mike Riordan) (Born 1947) Gambling expert, professional card counter, former dealer, casino manager and author. He is best known for his book Comp City: A Guide to Free Gambling Vacations which exposed weaknesses in the casino’s comp system. Max Rubin has been the host of GSN’s World Series of Blackjack and in 1997, Rubin started hosting the Blackjack Ball, a secret annual event for professional players. A 2004 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, in which he was primarily responsible for organizing.
[ BlackjackHallOfFame.com ]
[ maxrubin.com/ ]
[ Wiki: Max Rubin ]
[ Archive: blackjackbomb.com ]
[ blackjackapprenticeship.com ]
[ Archive: jhupressblog.com ]
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 299 ]
[ PODCASTS: Nov 18, 2011, Feb 15, 2013 ]
ruin. See risk of ruin.
Rule of 2, 4 and 5. A blackjack tournament strategy to quickly determine an optimal bet in situations where you have to bet first and are trailing the table leader.
[ ?? BJC Jan 98 ]
[ blackjackinfo.com ]
Rule of 6. (Ro6) A common single deck policy in many casinos. The rule of 6 states that a dealer may deal five rounds to one player, four rounds to two players, three rounds to three players and two rounds to four players. Some casinos will also only deal one round to five or more players.
Rule of 10, 2, 4. (aka Dr. Pepper rule) This is another composition-sensitive refinement to basic strategy and intended for 12 against a dealer’s 2 only. The rule says hit 10 + 2 against a 4, but stand with any other kind of hard 12. This rule is only accurate for single and double deck whether or not the dealer stands on soft-17. For games greater than 2 decks it depends whether the dealer stands on soft-17 or not. Note: If you are counting with a balanced count you generally will be hitting “all” 12s vs 4 in a negative count.
[ 06 Renzey Blackjack Bluebook II ]
[ blackjackinfo.com ]
Rule of 18. Coined by James Grosjean to refer to a rule of thumb to identify another card counter in the room. On the average, a hand of 18 is a loser. So, if you notice a player hitting or doubling on a 44 vs a 5 or 6, or standing on an A7* or 99* then you can generally rule out the card counter possibility.
* Where the strong play is “usually” to double or hit with A7 or split 99
[ 09 Grosjean Exhibit CAA: Beyond Counting 7 ]
Rule of 45. Believed to have been coined by Fred Renzey, this is a composition-sensitive refinement to basic strategy and intended for 16 against a dealer’s 10 only. If your hand contains any 4s or 5s then stand. For example, if your hand is 4 + 3 + 9, then you stand because you have a 4 in it. If your hand were to be 6 + 9 + A, then the rule instructs you to hit the hand. Note: If you are counting with a balanced count you generally will be standing on “all” 16s vs 10 in a positive count.
[ 06 Renzey Blackjack Bluebook II ]
rules. The laws or regulations that govern the play of the game. See Rules of the Game section. See S-17. See H-17. See insurance. See blackjack.
[ Sum 92 Dalton The Rules of the Game BJR 10 ]
rule variations. A reference to the different rules that a house may enforce in a blackjack game. Such as whether to hit or stand on soft-17, whether to allow double after splitting, etc. SEE SPECIAL SECTION
Rummy. This is what they call blackjack in Costa Rica. Rules are similar to regular blackjack with a few exceptions. There are no blackjacks, however, there is early surrender, dealer stands on soft 17, double any 2 cards, double after splits, re-split any pair, including Aces, up to 4 hands. Also, some Rummy bonuses may be available such as 3 of a kind and straight flush payouts. (HA ~ 1%)
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ Archive: blackjackforumonline.com ]
running count. (RC) The cumulative value of all cards played at any given time and based on the set of preassigned values for each card denomination. Balanced card counting systems will require the player to convert this number to what is called the true count in order to make accurate variations to basic strategy play and to properly size their bet. Unless the player is using an unbalanced count the running count is zero for a neutral or un-played deck (or shoe).
Russo, Michael. On April 6, 2000, Michael Russo and James Grosjean were arrested and detained at Caesars Palace on grounds they were cheating. In 2005, they would file a defamation lawsuit against Griffin Investigations claiming that they had been improperly detained, labeled as cheaters and arrested, on the basis of information supplied by Griffin. With the help of Las Vegas attorney, Bob Nersesian, Russo and Grosjean won their case in June of 2005 and were awarded punitive damages from both Griffin and Caesar’s Palace. In the aftermath of the lawsuit Griffin Investigations quickly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September of the same year. See entry under Exhibit CAA: Beyond Counting.
[ blackjackapprenticeship.com ]
[ Wiki: Griffin Investigations ]
RWC. 1) Acronym for the Real World Casino software package by John Imming. 2) Acronym for a Real World Conditions strategy.
RX Gamble. A pseudonym for a former Las Vegas casino dealer and professional advantage player.
[ RXgamble.com ]
[ PODCAST: Aug 16, 2018 ]
[ PODCAST: Aug 23, 2018 ]
[ PODCAST: Dec 31, 2020 ]
Ryemo. A professional card counter who goes by the name “Ryemo”. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Jul 12, 2018 ]
Rylance, Paul. The original organizer and manager of the Czech Team in the 1970s. According to Max Rubin, Rylance was “possibly the first player to organize a team and attack the European casinos. His team was able to play simultaneously in multiple countries on multiple continents. He organized and managed one of the largest 1979 Atlantic City teams and paired up with Ken Uston.” Nominated for the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
[ Uston One Third of a Shoe ]