ENGLISH BLOW
Myth or reality?

In first years of XX century, an English player succeded in striking the game. He invented a particular counter technique which in specific cases had a mathematical advantage on the Bank. He had this advatnage only in the last hand of the game.

He had won a good deal of money in Monte Carlo, till a croupier found out the way to oppose him. This croupier proposed to "burn" the first five cards, to not consider them during the game, obviously without showing them to palyers.

In this way, at the last hand of the game, the Enlgish man couldn't be sure about remaining cards value. This little trick checkmated the king and the English man could not use anymore his fatal strategy.

We have to say that, before they found out his trick, to increase game chances, the English man turned to some secretaries; everyone had to control a specifc table and had to inform the "boss" once the game chance had become favourable. Obviously, little by little, the secret became so popular that everyone knew it. In fact, in 1929, Billedivoire, whose real name was Pierre Argò, a famous game scholar, revealed the secret:

"You only have to count cards, considering their own face value. Everytime you come to the last handof the game, having a score between 1969 and 1977, the Red chance is much more favourite."

Obviously Argò gave also a mathematical explanation of this phenomenon, with specific percentages too.

How simple they were! This was not the real secret, and Argò mathematical explanation moved between ridicule and pathetic, and even a smart thirteen-years.old boy could disprove it! As we so in a specific section, Red and Black have both ALWAYS THE SAME CHANCES. leaving aside the pack composition.

The English man used to play, besides R and B, also with Colour and Inverse; and the combination of these chances made his system absolutely winning. We mean that, in some blows, the player could only draw or win. Mathematically, he could not lose.In some other cases the loss was really rare.

Let's analyse an extreme example of some remaining cards from a pack we can not lose with.

Remaining cards are seven Red 10 and a Black 3. The black can obviously move in 8 different poisitions, having the same chance. Here there is a schedule about positions, scores and blow's results.

Note: N (noir) = Black // R (rouge) = Red

Let's try to imagine what can happen to an hypothetical English man, who, knowing the pack composition decides to overwork it, staking at the same time on Black and Colour.

In 1st case he wins to pieces.
In 2nd case he draws.
In 3rd case he draws.
In 4th case he draws.
In 5th case he draws.
In 6th case he draws.
In 7th case he draws.
In 8th case he draws.

The loss is impossible: we can stake our own house. In numbers, we are talking about an advantage of 25%, having impossibility to lose, and a capital of just two pieces! Obviously, this is a particular case, but we could consider hundreds of them (even if manyt of these can have a minimum percentage of risk). The practice of burning the 5 starting cards has destroyed most part of "English man advantages".


At this point, our readers will ask us if we know the English man counter, and if, with some specific alterations, having a rendering diminution, it can be applied succesfully (as game scholar Henry Daniel adfirmed) also today.

The answer is affirmative in both cases. We have to say that advantage percentages are not so important but quite attractive.

In our treatise " The secret science of 30-40: from the English blow till the Italian one" we will reveal the secret.

Readers do not have to think about the idea of becoming rich. The mathematical advantage exists (higher than C-I game) but game chances are still rare. But, maybe, it is worth while following the game.