ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BLACKJACK
UAPC. See Uston Advanced Point Count.
Ubalo. {PCS/L2}. (Brett Harris). An unbalanced counting system for the Over/Under 13 game. See BRH. MORE INFO
UBE. See Real World Casino: Universal Blackjack Engine in software section.
UBS. See Ultimate Blackjack System.
UBT. See Ultimate Blackjack Tour.
UBZ2. See Unbalanced Zen Count.
Ultimate. A German blackjack player who posts under the name of “Ultimate” and has made extended card counting trips in the United States and Europe. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Mar 29, 2018 ]
Ultimate Blackjack. (aka Ultimate 21) (c2002) A blackjack game variant where you wager on the best blackjack hand that can be made with 4 cards. (HA ~ 2.84% to 17%)
[ smartgaming.com ] [ wizardofodds.com ]
Ultimate Blackjack System. {PCS/L1}. (UBS) (M. H. Millman). See entry in book section. Not recommended.
Ultimate Blackjack Tour. (UBT) (Sept 16, 2006 – Nov 10, 2007) A televised series of Elimination Blackjack tournaments debuting in 2006, on CBS. Max Rubin hosted this show and Anthony Curtis conducted the analysis of all hands shown. See Halloween Blackjack Ball.
[ WIKIPEDIA ] [ blackjackhero.com ] [ gameshows.wikia.com ]
ultimate count. A point count system optimized to give the player a maximum betting correlation and playing efficiency.
The Ultimate Gambit. {CS} (1990s) A high-stakes camouflage playing and betting strategy proposed by Ian Andersen in his book Burning the Tables in Las Vegas. Warning: This strategy costs money and is designed to increase longevity. Ian Andersen’s comments, “The main drawback is that the standard deviation is higher… and this method is not for the faint of heart.”
unbalanced count. A card counting system that does not end with a count of zero or with the same count at the beginning of the deck or shoe (e.g., Red Seven Count). A true count adjustment is typically not required.
[ Spr 93 Wong BJR 7 ] [ Sum 93 Banker Letter BJR 5 ]
Unbalanced Zen 11 (aka UBZ2) {PCS/L2}. (George C.). An advanced unbalanced count. See Zen Count.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 -2
[ qfit.com ]
Unbalo. See Ubalo.
uneven picks. A shuffling term referring to shuffles that are done with uneven picks. (e.g., one hand might have 20 cards and the other hand might have 30 cards before shuffling.)
Ungar, Stu. (Sept 8, 1953 – Nov 22, 1998) (aka Stuey, The Kid, The Comeback Kid) Stu Ungar was not only an expert poker and gin rummy player. He was also an accomplished blackjack card counter and was frequently banned from playing in casinos. According to many, Ungar had a prodigy-level IQ and a total recall ability. One story, which demonstrated his skill at blackjack, goes like this: In 1977, Bob Stupak offered Ungar $100,000 to count down the last three decks of a six-deck shoe. If Ungar lost, he would pay Stupak $10,000. Well, of course, Stu Ungar won the bet!
[ WIKIPEDIA ] [ The Tortured Champion ]
Unisonic. See calculators.
unit. A measure used to signify an amount won or spread without actually indicating the dollar amount. One unit is typically a players minimum or regular bet. (e.g., I won 10 units last night.)
up. Acronym for dealer’s two cards are both face up.
[ Wong CBN 93 ]
up-as-you-lose / up-as-you-win. {PBS} Progressive betting terms for increasing your bet based on whether or not you won or lost a previous hand.
up-card. The dealer’s card that is exposed to the player. In the casino, the up-card is the first card dealt to the dealer. There are 10 different possible dealer up-cards. Most playing strategies place great importance to this one card. See hole-card. See break. See hand. See dealer odds.
Upcard Luck. (UL) (c2014) A blackjack side bet that is determined by the dealer’s up-card together with the two cards the player is dealt. If the dealer’s up-card is not a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, then the player loses the side bet immediately . The player then needs either a total of 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21 or he needs two suited Aces, to win UL. Aces always count as 11 in figuring the player total for the side bet. HA~ 4.3% – 5.89%
[ 888casino.com ]
upside-down 7. A hole-card play term. A 7 card, of which only a portion of its face without the center pip is visible, thus resembling a 6. This is a well known problem for spotters.
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack 322 ] [ 11/87, 9/88 Olsen BJC ] [ 09 Grosjean Beyond Counting Exhibit CAA ]
Uston, Beth. Daughter of Ken Uston. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast in 2012.
[ PODCAST: Apr 6, 2012 ]
Uston, Kenneth. ← SEE SPECIAL SECTION
[ Photo credit: Ken Uston Casino Surveillance Photos ]
Uston Ace-Five Count. {RCS}. (Ken Uston).
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack ] [ 86 Gwynn El Cheapo Systems BJF 23 ]
Uston Advanced Plus-Minus Count. {PCS/L1}. (Ken Uston).
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack ] [ qfit.com ]
Uston Advanced Point Count. {PCS/L3}. (UAPC) (Ken Uston) (c1977).
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack ] [ XX Braun C&S Vol.2, 48 ] [ XX Uston C&S Letter Vol.3, 54 ] [ 87 Snyder Ken Uston Dies at 52 BJF 22 ] [ qfit.com ]
Uston SS Count. {PCS/L3}. (Ken Uston) (1986). The Uston Institute of Blackjack, Atlantic City, NJ. An unbalanced count developed by Ken Uston with corroboration by Arnold Snyder and Sam Case.
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-2 2 2 2 3 2 1 0 -1 -2
[ 12/86 Snyder BJF 47 ] [ qfit.com ]
Uston 21Counter. See Blackjack Calculators, Games and Wheels section.
Uston vs Resorts International Hotel, Inc. 89 N.J. 163, 445 A.2d 370 (1982), affirming 179 N.J. Super. 223, 431 A.2d 173 (N.J. Super. A.D. 1981). A card counting case stating that the Supreme Court of New Jersey held the Casino Control Commission alone has the authority to set rules for licensed card games. This prevents Atlantic City casinos from excluding professional blackjack players and card counters.
[ 83 Ken Uston Interviewed BJF ] [ 86 Rose Gambling and the Law 201,287 ]
The Uston. See calculators.
Usui, Kenneth. Ken Uston‘s birth name.
U-Turn Blackjack. (c2018) A blackjack variant by Shuffle Master. This game makes the use of bar-coded cards and an electronic card reader in the shuffler. Before the player makes a decision, players will know how many additional cards the dealer will draw to make (or bust) his hand. If the dealer draws to 22, then any remaining player bets will push.
[ wizardofodds.com ] [ U-Turn Rack Card ]
Uyal, Andrew. Author of the book The Blackjack Insiders. Andrew Uyal was a casino floor supervisor in Las Vegas where he managed casino pits in an upscale Strip resort. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Sep 12, 2019 ] [ YOUTUBE: Jun 3, 2020 ] [ ARCHIVE: AndrewUyal.com ] [ PHOTO CREDIT: Huntington Press ]