New Blackjack Players

Posts Tagged ‘how to play blackjack’

I was recently playing at a Southern California casino and – as usual – there was someone at the table moaning and groaning about how everyone else played their hand.

Seriously, she almost screamed (and not in delight) when another player contemplated splitting his pair of 9s against the dealer’s 3. He wavered and decided to stand on the hand.

It might have made the woman happy, but it was the wrong move.

If you’re a new blackjack player – and you haven’t studied Basic Strategy – you might be thinking to yourself: “Huh? Wha…? Split a pair of 9s against a dealer 3? But a pair of 9s is a winning hand against a dealer 3!”

That’s probably what most new blackjack players think – and apparently, a lot of “experienced” blackjack players, as well.

Ask yourself something – how do you advance your chip count in blackjack?

1. You raise your bets.
2. You split whenever possible.
3. You double down whenever possible.
4. All of the above

Basic Strategy says you’re going to split that pair of 9s against a dealer up card of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9.

Huh? Wha…??

Yes, that’s what it says. And here’s why…

It should be obvious why you’re going to split them against a dealer’s 2-6. Any time you can, you’re going to try and increase your chip count by splitting. What’s the worst that can happen? If the deck is rich in 10s, instead of having one hand of 18, you’re going to have two hands of 19 or possibly 20 (if you get an Ace). If the deck is depleted of 10s, you may catch a 2, which will give you a double down against a dealer bust card and another opportunity to increase your chip count. In any case, you’re going to have 2 hands to play against a dealer bust card.

But why, you may ask, am I splitting them against an 8 or a 9?

If the dealer is showing an 8 and you expect the down card is a 10, all you have is a push – and you may be okay with that. The Wizard of Odds says to stay on this hand, but it appears to me the cost of splitting versus standing is minimal and I can’t find any other statistics on split v. stand on this play. All things being equal, I’ll go with the Basic Strategy engine, which says split it. If the shoe is heavy with 10s, you’ve got a good chance of improving your 18 to two better hands of 19 or 20. If it’s light with 10s, then you have a good chance of a getting a 3 or 4 and a double down on one or both of your hands.

I always split against a dealer 9. An 18 is not a winning hand if the dealer has a 10 or an Ace under the 9 they’re showing. If you stand on this hand, you’ll beat the dealer’s hand (on average) 8 hands out of 20. If you split this hand, your chances of beating the dealer’s hand improves to about even.

Now, I could understand if the woman mentioned at the beginning of this story was upset about a player contemplating splitting 9s against a dealer 7, 8 or 9. A lot of players don’t know those are splits; or, even if they know it, they may choose not to split. But to have a fit about splitting 9s against a dealer 3? Another bonehead move and another reason why you should learn Basic Strategy for yourself and not let the other players at the table influence how you play.

I made the mistake of going to a casino on Sunday, the middle day of a 3-day holiday weekend.

Oh.My.God. I know I should know better – but what about all the other people there??

I’m not going to name the casino or do a review about that visit – I figured I’d give them a chance midweek some time and do a review when there were fewer people there.

I went over to the pits to check out the blackjack and some tables were not only full, there was a crowd behind the players, waiting for a seat. Obviously, this was more prevalent at the $5 min table, but the $10 tables were nearly as bad. There were two pits and only one $5 in each, with one being a non-smoking table. At this particular casino, probably 50% of the tables had a CSM – and I won’t play at one of those. So – I decided to just stand and practice counting. The crowd waiting for a seat at the $5 gave me good cover for the practice and with the number of people, nobody was going to recognize me another day of the week.

(I won’t even talk about the crowds at the numerous slot machines – holy moly. It was a fight to get to the bathroom. Which also had a line.)

Here’s something I don’t understand… there were people who waited 2 hours to get a seat at the $5 min table, then sat down and pulled… $40 out of their pocket.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph – who spends 2+ hours waiting to play a whole whopping $40? One woman lasted a whole 15 minutes before she lost her $40 buy-in. Lessee – 2 hours for 15 minutes of play that costs $40?

Someone explain to me how that’s fun.

When I got tired of practicing the count (or lost it completely and gave up for the shoe – this is why I’m not a card counter), I’d talk to some of the people who were waiting. Very few had any clue how to play – they were there to have a good time. And wait 2 hours to have it. God help the player who got up to stretch or go to the bathroom or go have a smoke. There’d be a rush for the seat, at which point the player – and the dealer – would have to explain that the seat wasn’t being vacated, the player was just taking a break. And even if the seat wasn’t being vacated, there would then be a discussion about whose seat it would be if it was being vacated. The poor dealer, head down and dealing, had no idea who came when or who had wandered off to see if something else might be available – then come back. At one point, the pit boss numbered off who was next (I stepped away so I wouldn’t be numbered). That was when there were only 3 people waiting. Another fellow arrived shortly after the #3 numbered person – no doubt feeling safe that a place at the table was assured – went to the bathroom. When she returned and the dealer told her replacement who was who and what order they were in, he had a fit. I mean – there wasn’t even a seat available yet and he was fighting over it! He told her she wasn’t there when he got there – how could she be #3? She explained she’d gone to the bathroom, at which point he insisted that meant she lost her place. A real gentleman, that. He left long before even the person in the #2 spot got a seat at the table.

One poor woman who was waiting (after the pit boss gave up numbering) took a nap at one of the slot machines. And what was really hilarious was that, in this very crowded casino where obviously slots are the #1 game in town, some fellow just couldn’t resist playing the slot machine she was sleeping in front of – he was just trying to be very, very careful not to disturb her slumber.

In addition to waiting an unbelievable amount of time to play, most of these people showed how little they knew by the way they played. People, a “no-bust” playing strategy is a losing strategy. If you’re afraid of busting, don’t play blackjack. Your chances of pulling a card and making a hand are much better if you hit a stiff hand 12-16 against a dealer’s 7 or higher than your chances of the dealer busting if you don’t. I’m wondering if some players don’t realize that 12-16 cannot beat any hand the dealer may make and that the dealer must bust in order for them to win. Well, I’m here to tell ya – that’s how it works. If the dealer has 7 or higher, you need to hit 12-16 even if you think you might bust. Standing on it is just plain stupid unless you’re a card counter – and trust me, there aren’t any card counters at a $5 min table on a holiday weekend, especially any willing to wait 2 hours to get a seat.

By the same token, don’t stand on 14 against a dealer 10 – then hit 13 against a dealer 6! Honest to God – what I saw on Sunday wasn’t bad strategy – it was no strategy!

I continue to be amazed at how many people will sit down and play a game about which they (apparently) know absolutely nothing. We were all beginners once – but there’s no excuse for remaining a beginner.

I’m not always going to say where I was playing blackjack when I report on my gambling trips and adventures – I’m afraid one of these days someone will recognize me from the posts.

However, I just returned late yesterday from a three-day playing binge where I actually made some money. What I like about blackjack is the social experience. I talk to the other players, the dealers, the pit bosses – it’s all part of the game to me.

I’ve been a regular at a somewhat local casino for the last several weeks and encountered a dealer I nicknamed the Stern Asian Dealer.  I think in all the times I’ve been at her table, she’s cracked a smile once or twice. Most of the time, however, she’s just there to do her job. And I gotta give it to her – she does it very well. She deals the cards nice and neat, not too fast, not too slow (another dealer at the same casino is painfully slow – and he always seems to come on shift at my table just when I’m trying to make a few extra bucks before I have to meet my deadline to leave). The Stern Asian Dealer does not give any indication to players that their blackjack strategy is good, bad or nonexistent – she just deals the cards, plays her hands and collects or pays out the chips. If you want to hit a hard hand against her bust card, go right ahead. She will not even hesitate to give you another card – you don’t even get a polite “are you sure?” – which, for most dealers, is the nice way of saying only a complete moron would hit this – are you asleep or just drunk? Not the Stern Asian Dealer – she will stand there with one hand on the shoe, waiting to pull a card out of it once you are done agonizing – but she will not offer unsolicited advice.

Now, should you ask her what you should do, she will quietly and nicely tell you what “the book” advises. Her basic strategy is good – she knows how the game is played.

But that’s only if you ask. If you don’t ask, she will deal you a card if that’s what you want. She will watch while you double down a 4 and a 2 against her 5 or 6 and then efficiently lay your next card face down over the others. If you put out a matching stack of chips and indicate you want to split your 10s, she will line up the cards with the chips and deal you a hit on the first split hand.

At no time while the hand is being played will her facial expression or other body language indicate to you that you are about to spit in the face of basic strategy for blackjack and do something no player with a brain would do.

However…….

When the hand is done being played, she will look at you and tell you – in a tone of voice I’m positive her children never want to hear for as long as they live – exactly what you did wrong and how it affected the play at the table for that hand. God help you if you do something stupid while playing at the table where Stern Asian Dealer is dealing cards! If you thought your fellow players were tough to deal with after a stupid move, it’s nothing compared to the stern matriarchial expression and tone of voice you’ll encounter at this table!

So remember: if you’re not sure about your basic strategy, don’t hesitate to ask. Some dealers will give you subtle signals, but table etiquette says not to tell someone else how to play unless they ask and there are some dealers who won’t even give you subtle signals.