Patent US 5,895,048

Specially made combination cards for learning and practicing the optimal decisions which arise in the game of blackjack as played in casinos. The face of each card is an overlapping combination of cards found in a standard deck of playing cards. They are presented so as to resemble the way they look to the player when dealt with both initial cards dealt face down or face up. A first card portion (11) appears at the upper left-most edge. A second card portion (12) appears to overlap the first one. Each of the composite cards has the same combination in separate sections (10 and 10) presented in opposing orientations so that they can be readily read in either direction. The back of each card is either blank or patterned similarly to those used in casinos. No information about the front of the card can be deduced or inferred from the back of the card. Each combination card represents a situation in which the optimal way to play the hand varies according to which playing strategy the player uses, the number of cards played and the number of cards yet to be dealt, the composition of the cards yet to be dealt and the rules of the casino and/or its governing authority.