Stanford Wong and Game Selection: Why Sitting Out Can Matter

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Method study · Selective entry

Choosing which situations to play changes the sample of bets you actually make.

The setting

Wong’s approach highlights selection rather than continuous participation. Observing a game can provide information before a wager is placed. Whether a player can act on that information depends on the game’s entry rules, its dealing process and the reliability of the observation.

The method is easy to misunderstand as “wait until a table looks lucky.” That substitutes a recent result for a measured condition. A streak of wins is not, by itself, the information that a finite-deck strategy requires.

What the case teaches

In a toy model, situation A has an expected result of −1 unit per bet and situation B +1 unit. Playing an equal number of both produces an average of 0. Playing only B changes the average per bet to +1, assuming B can be identified correctly. It does not tell us earnings per hour: observation time, missed opportunities, minimum stakes and mistaken classifications still matter. This is a selection example, not a claim about a specific casino.

Can this be copied into any online blackjack game?

Only if the game preserves useful card information and permits the relevant entry pattern. Neither condition follows from a “live blackjack” label.

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Sources

Source pages checked 5 October 2026. Historical results refer to the dates stated; examples marked hypothetical are Casino101 calculations.