Illustrious 18 Deviations — Breaking Basic Strategy at the Right Moment

Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal way to play blackjack when starting with a neutral, shuffled shoe. However, as the composition of the cards changes, the optimal plays change too. The "Illustrious 18" is a set of the 18 most profitable deviations from basic strategy identified by Stanford Wong.

For instance, while basic strategy says to never take Insurance, a deviation says you must take Insurance when the True Count is ≥ +3. Other examples include standing on 16 vs a dealer's 10 when the count is ≥ 0, or standing on 15 vs 10 when the count is ≥ +4. Memorizing these is complex, but the BlackJackForAll app generates a visual alert the exact moment a mathematical deviation is required.