Figure 1: Table mode
Figure 2: Drill mode
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In Table mode (Figure 1), you can view all of the basic strategy plays. The hands are broken up into hard hands from 8 to 16, soft hands from Ace-2 to Ace-9, and all pairs. You can select specific hands to be tested on, and view your error statistics.
Drill mode (Figure 2) is the meat-and-potatoes of the program. Random hands are displayed, and you have to pick the right action. The program remembers which ones you get right or wrong, and tends to pick the ones you are having problems with (biased testing). The 'Mistake' dialogs have been carefully designed to give you the right information to help learn the correct plays.
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Figure 1: Table mode |
Figure 2: Drill mode |
In Action mode, you can select or change the basic strategy tables. A number of default tables are included for common variations (multi deck, single deck, DAS, etc.). But you can create your own tables, or modify any existing ones. The editor is incredible simple to use.
The last mode, Memorize mode, displays an empty strategy table and let's you fill in the correct plays one cell at a time. If you get the action wrong, it tells you and marks the error.
For $10 (Palm OS), this program is hard to beat for value. Very stable, easy to use, and crammed with great features, it's the right place to start the first step to becoming a better Blackjack player... learning correct basic strategy. The Windows version is $15, and the Pocket PC version is $20.
As an added bonus, detailed documentation is available on-line in the program and in a separate PDF file included with the software. The PDF documentation includes a nice summary of basic strategy and even a beginner's guide to card counting. Although buying the corresponding Blackjack books for the count systems is highly recommended, these sections provide a great starting point for beginners.