Blackjack

Reply #23

Rip Snorter — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 14:46:08 GMT

Thanks Todd:It's one of those backwater casinoes between ABQ and Santa Fe..... a bit run down, small... maybe six tables working on a busy night.... one craps table, one roulette wheel, maybe 150, 200 machines. Dingy sort of place with personable, friendly dealers, mostly, aside from an NA, or two who make it obvious they hate non-NAs and are barely able to tolerate the players. I've never been able to win against those, so I don't play them.Anyway, I'd imagine the number of names in the hat f... [ More ]

Reply #22

Todd — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 13:48:00 GMT

Wow, you've got great luck! I hope you win, even if just to sell it. It's possible that the dealership would give you money for it in leau of the car, because then they could sell it as a new car. Probably not as much as the sticker price, but maybe something a little under the invoice price. It's worth a try, at least.

Reply #21

Rip Snorter — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 13:22:29 GMT

Interesting twist on things...... I was playing blackjack over at the Casino Hollywood (San Felipe Pueblo) the other day, 3rd base, full table, when the security and customer service people surrounded me in the middle of the hand. Wanted to see my ID and player card.I usually don't get a player card, but I recently had done so because these folks offer a free buffet and $10 in gasoline money every Monday for our senior citizens if they have a player card. I figured I might as well, and if I wa... [ More ]

Reply #20

Rip Snorter — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 13:34:28 GMT

Hi Just6ntlc:Thanks for the observations. I agree.... I hate 12s and 13s no matter what the dealer shows. But I frequently hit them, sometimes double down on a 12 if I'm having the kind of day that makes me think I can get by with it. Or if the table's not hitting against dealer bust cards time after time, and the dealer's making those 5s and 6s into 19s and 20s after the whole table trusted him.But if I've been busting at every opportunity, I never hit them. (More 'ifs', but I live in an if... [ More ]

Reply #19

Just6ntlc — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 05:02:18 GMT

I don't like to hit on 12 when a dealer shows a 2 or a 3. If I have a soft 18 against a dealer 10, I would hit and try to get a soft or a hard 20 or 21. I wouldn't split 10s and face cards. I would always split Aces and 8s no matter what the dealer shows. If I had 7s or 9s against the dealer 10, I would split that. I agree about the surrender situation. I would split 2s and 3s and take insurance if dealer shows an A because I think the dealer has blackjack.

Reply #18

Rip Snorter — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 03:57:11 GMT

I'm glad I started the thread, my ownself, Todd.I went down to the Santa Ana Star Casino for a few hours of blackjack today. During the course of the play I tried out just about everything anyone mentioned as to their own techniques. Came home with a middling chunk of casino money.I don't know whether all those techniques are better than mine, but I surmise none are worse... at least equally effective as my own.I didn't split any 10s, but it didn't have anything to do with any objection to doi... [ More ]

Reply #17

Todd — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 02:45:36 GMT

Jack,Thanks for starting this topic! I love hearing how others play the game.

Reply #16

Rip Snorter — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 00:28:57 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion.Jack

Reply #15

CalifDude — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 20:42:16 GMT

Here is some very valuable free advice. Go to newsgroup rec.gambling.blackjack and look for and read the FAQ by the same name. That FAQ has been written over the years from experience of some of the best blackjack players around. I agree with virtually everything that is in that FAQ. Pay particular attention to the basic strategy section. The FAQ spends a lot of time talking about card counting and I don't do that. I'm not sure if it talks about money management, but that is a very importa... [ More ]

Reply #14

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 20:25:32 GMT

If this thread serves any purpose at all, it ought to prove to each of us that we don't know as much about the game of blackjack as we believe we do. We have differing views on how things should be played, evidently each of us has a body of experience to give us reason for our views, including a history of winning. All of us probably know a few professional gamblers and have enough experience in that line to know the difference between a pekinese and a pit bull.But evidently there's a lot more... [ More ]

Reply #13

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 19:56:03 GMT

Califdude:Yeah, I hate them too.Good luck.Jack

Reply #12

CalifDude — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 19:53:01 GMT

You don't have to believe me. I don't lie and I hate liars and cheats. I'm sorry you think I'm a liar but that is your call. Good Luck with your blackjack. You will need it

Reply #11

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 19:01:41 GMT

Todd:Interesting thoughts. Nice reply. Thanks.Jack

Reply #10

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 18:59:11 GMT

Califdude:The fact I don't believe what you're saying in that post doesn't mean it isn't true. It just means I don't believe you.However, thanks for the reply.Jack

Reply #9

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 18:57:25 GMT

Hi Brad. Thanks for the comment. I think I've explained why I split tens sometimes and when. Different strokes, thinks I. I do try to keep it to the tables, circumstances I described. Best you and I never play at the same table, is all..... I don't play for the table.Jack

Reply #8

Bradly_60 — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 18:46:27 GMT

I have to agree with Todd on all of his advice. I play blackjack quite a bit at the local casino and with the experiences I have had I tend to find those rules the best to go by. And about the splitting tens thing...everytime someone does it I was to reach over to their side of the table and smack them. Why would you throw away a winning hand? That makes no since to me whatsoever.Brad

Reply #7

Todd — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 18:38:03 GMT

A few comments from this blackjack fan:For the soft 18's, I agree with your strategy, and I would further recommend doubling down on a soft 18 when the dealer is showing an seven or lower.Splitting aces when dealing is showing a ten: I would ALWAYS do it. In my experience, winning BIG at blackjack involves placing the right (big) bets at the 3-4 key moments that happen in a night. This is one of them.Splitting 10's: Sorry, but never, never do this. You could very easily be giving away your b... [ More ]

Reply #6

CalifDude — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 18:32:42 GMT

Rip Snorter,I'm not going to comment on each item because I charge for my blackjack teaching and it wouldn't be fair to give you a free lesson. A number of my students read my posts here. I have made a living playing blackjack but quit when my wife asked me to. She likes a steady, predictable paycheck and you can't have that when you are a professional gambler. I played $5 hands (pressing when winning, of course) and averaged about $100 a day. But I quit and got a job that paid me $250 a da... [ More ]

Reply #5

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 18:13:05 GMT

Thanks for the reply..... I'm hoping I never mentioned card counting in the treatise above. My thought is that it's not possible to count cards in a shoe game, or on an autoshuffler.I vary my bets a lot.... never been asked to leave a casino anywhere. Maybe I've just been lucky.Gracias for the comments, amigoJack

Reply #4

johnph77 — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 18:02:59 GMT

Jack -Nice work. But card counting, while legal, is frowned upon in Las Vegas and those who make unreasonable bets (usually more than four times what you've been betting per hand) when the cards are right will quickly result in a polite, then a not-so-polite request to leave the casino. And, as your When to Quit story pointed out, it doesn't always work in the short term. Furthermore, do it too often and/or in too amny places and you'll make LV's Griffin Book, people who are persona non grata... [ More ]

Reply #3

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 12:07:34 GMT

Knowing when to leave the tableA hot dealer is a metaphysical event, I believe. It makes no sense any other way. Some dealers stay hot all the time. Others come to work hot, then cool off later in the day. Some never seem to have a hot, even a hot hour.When I'm deciding what table to play I look at the dealer's tray. If it's overflowing it might be the players are not good ones, but it probably means the dealer's been hot or that it's simply a hot table. If I sit down at it, I do so withou... [ More ]

Reply #2

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 04:43:41 GMT

Soft 17No excuse, to my mind, not to hit every soft 17. 17 is the lousiest hand on the table if the dealer is showing anything but a bust card. If the dealer's showing a 4,5, or six I double down on it.SurrenderIf the house allows surrender I'll do it about half the time if I've got a 15 or 16 and the dealer is showing a 9, 10 or ace. If I'm busting every time I hit a bust card, sometimes I'll surrender a 14 or 13 looking at a dealer 10.InsuranceIf I've got a double down hand and my bet is suf... [ More ]

Reply #1

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 02:55:20 GMT

A few other possibilities for discussion:Splitting 6sI don't do it unless I have a table minimum bet out and I'm trying to bust a dealer run. Two 16s and twice the money on the table aren't an improvement, in my view. But I'll listen to other ideas.Playing two hands:I always do it when the table's paying. I alternate between one hand and two as a part of busting a dealer run strategy unless it begins costing too much because the dealer run refuses to bust. When things are mediocre I usually... [ More ]

Blackjack

Rip Snorter — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 02:30:04 GMT

Anyone interested in talking some blackjack....How the book relates to real life play, strategies based on where you're sitting at the table, how many players are at the table, how many decks in the shoe, how to bust a dealer streak, that sort of thing?Soft 18For instance, I tend to usually hit a soft 18 when I'm looking at a dealer 10. It seems to almost always work for me, particularly when the dealer's been 'having' them. I don't see many other people doing this. Any views?Splitting AcesI... [ More ]