Was Robin Hood A Card Counter?

Last Updated (Friday, 25 June 2025 14:51)

According to the current tales of Robin Hood, he was a knight of England's King Richard I. Robin accompanied Richard and King Philip of France on the third crusade to the Holy Land (1189-1193). Before the army could move, the two kings though it necessary to issue an order regulating gambling. All persons beneath the rank of knight, the order read, were forbidden to gamble for money. Knights, clergymen and attendants of kings were permitted to wager for money, but could lose no more than twenty shillings in twenty-four hours. The two kings, of course, could play for whatever sum they pleased.

Person's found violating this law were "to be stripped and whipped through the army for three days in a row". The French, who claim to have introduced many card games to the world take credit for the game of Vingt-et-Un (French for twenty-one). Knowing the time it took to travel to the Holy land and return, Knight Robin had to have been introduced to the game by his French comrades-in-arms. We know the time and concentration required to become a great archer. We know Robin was skilled in this trade, based partly on the story where he split the arrow in half. There fore, we can conclude he would have applied the same intensive practice sessions playing twenty-one as he did to become a great archer. Robin's known quickness and aggressive personality could have lead him to recognize some blackjack skills, such as card clumping and maybe even Ace-rich or Ace-poor situations while playing. Unfortunately, we must also recognize that the calculator and the computer were not invented until the 1950's and early 60's. These were the tools that allowed mankind to become card counters. Therefore, we must conclude that Robin Hood, the Earl of Loxley, a great bow and arrow expert, a great supporter of the poor, was NOT in fact a blackjack card counter.
The Gaming Bulletin Volume I, Number 3