Revere Plus-Minus

When Lawrence Revere published "Playing Blackjack as a Business," it wasn't very long after Dr. Edward O. Thorp had first introduced blackjack strategies for counting cards and playing blackjack for profit in his own book "Beat the Dealer." Revere's book, which first appeared in 1971, was a revelation, and it’s still is a must-have for anyone who wants to be serious about the game of blackjack.

I happened upon Revere's book by accident, as I was staying at a friend's house in Las Vegas when I was very young; in fact, too young to even play in a casino! When I finally read it, I had discovered something that I could really sink my teeth into.

Revere surely was not the only man who was winning money at blackjack, but he did a good job convincing you that he was the one who won the most. His text explains a number of different systems. One go them was a primitive system that could be picked in a few minutes by the average player, and it was based on counting fives. Of course, that wasn't going to have any real affect, so for those people who were a little more dedicated to picking up a long-term edge over the game he also presented the Revere Plus-Minus.

This was a one-level counting system where the values resemble a lot of which has come since (or is it the other way around?). The "small cards" were 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, and they were counted as +1 as they were removed from the deck. The Aces and ten-value cards, which include the 10, Jack, Queen and King, are counted as -1, while the 7, 8 and 9 are determined to be neutral and not counted at all.

Revere explained that his count was very similar to Thorp's count, but there was one significant difference - while Thorp simply presented his one-level count as a mechanism by which to determine betting strategy and suggested that the player follow Basic Strategy, Revere included a playing strategy with his system that outlined variations from the Basic Strategy that were dependent upon how positive or negative or positive the count was.

For example, Revere told the player that when the count was +1 or higher, that he should not stand on 12 against a dealer's 3, 4, 5 or 6, but instead hit. The same went for 13's against a dealer's 2, 3 or 4. Doubling down decisions also changed. With a nine in hand, the player would double against any dealer upcard from a 2 through a 6, according to Revere's Basic Strategy, but he refined it in the Plus-Minus, where a +1 or higher had to exist for the player to double against the 2, 3, 4 or 5. There are obviously plenty of other strategy variations.

Revere's betting philosophy, of course, called for the player to wager in accordance with the count. Regardless of the limits of the blackjack game were, the player was advised to bet one unit with the count at +1 or less, then two units at +2 or higher. If there was a win on that hand, the player would parlay if the count stayed at +2 or better, and continue to bet four units while the count was +2 or higher. Sure, blackjack betting strategies may have become more sophisticated since then, but the Revere Plus-Minus was a very good system for its time.