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O

object of the game. The object of the game of twenty-one, also known as blackjack,  is to beat the dealer.  This is accomplished by obtaining a hand that totals higher than that of the dealer, but not greater than 21.  It can also be accomplished by having the dealer bust or go over 21.  If the player busts before the dealer then the player automatically loses even if the dealer subsequently busts as well.  See Rules of the Game.

off-the-top. The first hand of a new deck or shoe immediately after the shuffle.

Olsen, Eddie. Co-author of the book Break the Dealer and original developer of the TARGET system.  Publisher and editor of Blackjack Confidential magazine.

Olsen TruCount {PCS/L2}. (Eddie Olsen) (1991) An unbalanced card counting system developed by Eddie Olsen with original computer system analysis by Michael Dalton.

BC = .98 (approx.) PE = .55 (approx.)

Omega II. {PCS/L2}. (Bryce Carlson) (1992) An advanced point count system. See Canfield Master.

0 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 -1 -2

BC = .92 PE = .67

[93 Carlson Blackjack For Blood]

opposition betting. {CS}. This is a multi-deck betting strategy where the player waits for the count to turn down before raising a bet. Although originally intended as a way to cover bet spread it may be a useful strategy in games that have insufficiently shuffled cards or like-card clumping.
[83 Snyder Blackbelt in Blackjack 85]
[90 Patterson Blackjack: A Winner's Handbook 103]
[90 Patterson Count Reversal Strategy WIN 62]

Oscar's Grind. {PBS} The goal of this system is to win one betting unit for each series of bets. First bet is 1 unit. If lost the next bet is also 1 unit. After each successive loss the next bet is always the same size as the bet just lost. When a series is losing the proceeds of a won bet are used to increase the next bet by one unit. No bet should ever be larger than necessary to end a series with a profit of one unit.
[79 Ainslie How to Gamble in a Casino 74]
[70 Wilson The Casino Gambler's Guide]

OSR. See Overall System Rating.

OU or O/U. See Over/Under 13.

out shuffle. See perfect shuffle.  See in shuffle.
[03 Poolside The Poolside Report: Blackjack Ace Tracking]

outfielder. A team player who is not seated.

Overall System Rating. (OSR) A combined rating which includes betting correlation, playing efficiency, and the insurance correlation.
[99 Reid http://www.bjmath.com/bjmath/counting/OSRating.htm ]

Over/Under 13. (OU or O/U) An optional side bet first introduced in 1988 at Caesars Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada that allows the player to wager on his original 2 cards as to whether they will total over 13 or under 13. The developer, Ken Perrie, a Caesars pit boss, owns the rights to the design of the unique table layout used. Typical rules have been:

• No requirement to play over/under.
• Wager based on original two card hand.
• Not to exceed wager on blackjack hand.
• Even money pays on win.
• Aces count as 1 only.
• Face cards count as 10.
• Must have wager on blackjack hand to make Over/Under 13 bet.
• House wins any 2 card totals of exactly 13.

Basic strategy for the over/under bet is to never take it. A modified counting system is required to take advantage of the excellent profit potential in this game. A typical card count that would be effective for detecting favorable opportunities for this bet is:

BC = .59 PE = .47 Ü Regular BJ play only

[89 Snyder The Over/Under Report]
[89 Snyder Inside the Over/Under BJF]
[12/89 Snyder The Over/Under Spreads BJF]
[12/89 Wong Current Blackjack News]
[3/90 Snyder Over/Under Goes Over BJF]
[3/90 Smallwood Crushing the O/U Bet BJM 8]
[9/90 Snyder Over/Under Update BJF]
[90 Chambliss Fundamentals of Blackjack 67]
[7/91 Olsen Ken Perrie - An Innovator on the... BJC]
[9/92 Schlesinger Lost in the Maze of New Rules BJF]

Owens, Griffith K. See Lawrence Revere.

Last Update 08/23/03