If your board count doesn't meet the above requirements, then just follow the basic strategy. The picture on the next page shows a situational opportunity with a Magnificent 7 hand.

Suppose you're halfway through a six deck shoe and have no idea what's been played thus far. You're sitting at third base. There are three other players at the table and they all have 20.

When the basic strategy says to stand with this hand, it assumes you have 94 Babies and 95 Tens to draw from. Using that information, yes, you should stand. But in the example shown, as far as you can tell you still have 94 Babies, but only 89 Tens (a net shortage of five available 10's). Standing was the correct play for some other deck composition -- but for this composition, the best play is to hit! Here's another slightly advanced play: This time you're sitting in center field with a soft 19 against the dealer's 6. With the five net excess Babies on this board, your percentage play is now to double down! The dealer is more likely than usual to have 16 and you're a little more likely to make another 19 with your next hit. You've got to do it! Yeah, you'll get plenty of stares from all the "experts" at your table. That comes with the territory. But you're playing the game at a deeper level than they realize exists.

Now let me call your attention to a potentially confusing fact about board counting the Babies vs. 10's:

[ 1 ][ 2 ]