Last week it was reported that actor Ben Affleck was kicked out of the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas for counting cards whilst playing blackjack (also known by novices as 21).

I have some advice for Mr. Affleck to avoid such embarrassment in the future.


While I certainly have no room to give him advice on women -- he is married to the lovely Jennifer Garner, after all -- I would suggest that he employ a Progressive Betting System to help maintain a winning edge while throwing the pit bosses off his tail.

Card counting, while entirely legal, is frowned upon by most casinos.  If they even suspect you may be doing it, they will likely ask you to leave.  A progressive system of wagering, however, is entirely legit.

When I began to play blackjack (for recreation!) I was just like any other shlub. Lay down a twenty, win a hand or two but eventually bust out in just a few minutes. It wasn't until I learned Basic Strategy that I began winning or pushing decidedly more hands. While I was winning more individual hands, however, I still wasn't winning that much more money, if at all.

It was then I decided to read a few books by so-called "experts." Most of them were like Quantum Physics to me. I then came across an easy-to-read book called "Blackjack for the Clueless" by Walter Thomason. In it, he described progressive betting.

Basically, I increase my bet by one unit (chip/token) every time I win a hand and drop down to my original bet when I lose.  In a nutshell, you are betting heavier when on winning streaks and losing less while on a losing streak, thus increasing the amount of winnings.

It is MUCH easier than card counting and has increased my enjoyment of the game -- and my gambling bankroll -- exponentially!

Shuffle up and deal!

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