Poway CA (San Diego County) United States
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January 25, 2004
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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 important part of playing blackjack. I don't care how good of a player you are, if you don't press your bets when you are winning, you will not win over time. A few weeks ago I saw a player here in one of the Indian Reservation Casinos win $900 in about an hour playing $5 chips and pressing his bet just like I teach. It was amazing!
I have read a lot of the books and watched the videos. In 1980 I programmed a computer to play blackjack 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and store specific information about the hands. I was trying to do better than the people that had written the books!! I found out they were right and I couldn't improve on it.
New Mexico United States
Member #12,305
March 10, 2005
2,984 Posts
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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 doing so.... just worked out that I was playing 3rd on a full table most of the time, and I was doing well enough to not feel the need to be greedier, nor the need to get the other players hacked.
I did double down on a lot of soft 18s against dealer bust cards, which I usually don't, and I don't believe it burned me a single time, which is a bit of a surprise. But I was running sort of hot today.
United States
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June 2, 2005
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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.
New Mexico United States
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March 10, 2005
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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.
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 iffy sort of reality)
I think I said in an earlier entry that I never split 8s against a 9 or 10.... I know it's contrary to wisdom.... but I just end up with two 18s against a 19 or 20 with twice the money on the table so frequently I'm snakebit on it. In those conditions there seems to be a pesky thing that happens a lot for me.... I split those 8s, hit another 8, split it, and then get another one, split again.... now four times the money on the table and things aren't better than they were when I had a 16 I could have surrendered, would have a lot of the time.
Similarly for me, splitting aces looking at a 10... just doesn't happen to work for me most of the time.
Interesting approach you have, splitting 7s and 9s against a dealer 10. I never split 9s and, but it's just how it works best for me. On the other hand, while I don't split 7s against any dealer 8 or higher, I see folks do it and it seems to work better for them frequently than I'd have expected.... sometime when I'm playing lowball just for grins I think I'll try it for an afternoon, just to see how it flies.
I don't care for insurance, though I'll often take even-money on my blackjack if a dealer's showing an ace.... I agree with what the others have said about it being a lousy buy for the money. On the occasions when I do do it, it's usually because I've got a lot of money on the table and the dealer ace causes me to feel a shrivelling, puckering, craven sensation somewhere below my bellybutton. So I find myself tucking my tail and behaving against my better judgement.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts... Interesting stuff.
New Mexico United States
Member #12,305
March 10, 2005
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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 was going to use it Mondays I might just also as well buy in with it.
Anyway, the table action stopped while we all wondered whether they'd caught me using counterfeit chips or a phony hundred dollar bill. Somber looks on the faces of all those examining my card and comparing my DL picture to the guy sitting before them, finding it wanting, it seemed. Guilty conscience, maybe, on my part.
Turns out they have a hand crank keno kind of machine that turns out balls with numbers that somehow indicate some player at some machine or table gets a chance to win a Honda Accord that's sitting out front of the place.
Drawing's Tuesday, August 2nd, and I got my name in the hat.
I can't imagine myself driving a Honda Accord.. been a lot of years since I owned anything without a bed behind the driver for hauling, or something that wasn't boxy and scratched and dented with a 4x4. But I suppose I could sell it.
Provided the tribal governor, or his daughter isn't the winner. Which seems unlikely in the extreme.
New Jersey United States
Member #1
May 31, 2000
27,936 Posts Online
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.
New Mexico United States
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March 10, 2005
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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 for the Hondo probably won't be the usual hundred thousand you'd find at a larger casino. I'll show up for the draw.
The usual prizes of this promotional thing there are more on the order of Pendleton blankets and golf clubs.