Questions,
questions. I get lots of questions from
readers on blackjack. Here are
just a few that I received this past
month.
Does it
make a difference where I sit at a
blackjack table?
Mathematically
no, meaning your odds of winning are
independent of which seat you take
when you play blackjack. However, if you
are a beginner and need a little
more time to decide how to play your
hand, my suggestion is that you
sit more toward the middle of the table.
Since the dealer will go from his left
to right asking players in turn
what they want to do with their hands
(stand, hit, etc), you’ll have a
little more time to think about how to
play your hand if you sit in the
middle.
Is it
legal to use a strategy card when you
play blackjack?
Yes, it
is. In fact I encourage all blackjack
players to have one handy when
they play. After all, doesn’t it make
sense to have the answers at your
fingertip when you play blackjack?
Is it
permissible to tip a floorperson? I have
one that rates me very fairly and
never hesitates to give me a comp when I
ask.
Most
casinos do not allow casino supervisors
to accept cash tips from players.
However, if you want to reward your
floorperson with a nominal gift,
that’s usually OK. For example, ties,
bouquet of flowers, candy, golf
balls, a gift certificate to a nice
restaurant and so on make nice
gifts. It’s best to mail your gift
with a thank you card to the
casino in care of the supervisor.
This
Speed Count that you and Scoblete teach,
does it really work and can I
learn it in a few hours like you say?
Yes,
Speed Count is really that simple to
learn and powerful enough that you
will have the edge when you use it when
you play blackjack. We find that
most students who take our Golden Touch
Blackjack course (where we teach
Speed Count) learn it in less time than
it takes them to learn basic
strategy. Speed Count uses different
metrics than conventional card
counting systems. You track fewer cards
and there is much less mental
arithmetic. Plus Speed Count has been
proven through billions and
billions of computer simulated hands to
give the player the edge when they
play blackjack. If you want more details
about Speed Count, go to www.goldentouchblackjack.com.
A
dealer chastised me when I split a pair
of 8s against a dealer’s ace
even though my strategy card says to do
that. Is that the right play or
not?
Here’s
the final word on splitting 8s against a
dealer’s ace. If you decide not
to split but rather stand or hit your
16, every time you are dealt this
hand you will in the long run lose more
money than you win. This makes
sense because a 16 is a very poor hand
compared to a strong dealer’s
ace. When you split your 8s, you now
have two hands with a starting 8
on each. You’ll still lose more money
than win over time when you split
your 8s but (this is important), if you
compare the amount you lose when
you split vs. stand or hit, you will
lose less.
This is
an important strategy (losing less) on
those hands where the house has an
edge over you. By the way, I would
ignore any dealer that offers
playing advice. Most do not understand
the nuances of blackjack playing
strategies. They try to be helpful but
take what they say with a grain of
salt.
Do I
have to tip the dealer and if so how
much?
There
is no requirement that you must tip a
blackjack dealer. However, if a
dealer has made your playing experience
enjoyable then why not offer her
or him a tip? You tip waiters and
waitresses for good service,
don’t you? Dealers depend on tips from
players for their livelihood.
Here’s how I would recommend tipping.
Place your bet in the betting spot
and then cap your bet with a chip for
the dealer. You can tell the
dealer this bet is for you. If the hand
wins, she gets the payoff for the bet
you made for her as a tip. Of
course if the hand loses, all of the
chips you bet on the hand
including the one for the dealer go to
the house. I would let the tip bet
ride on successive hands. As long as
your hand wins, the dealer will
get a tip.
My
local casino put out a single deck
blackjack game but it only pays 6
to 5 when you get a blackjack. Is this a
good game to play?
No, no
and no! The single deck game is good but
the 6 to 5 payoff is horrible.
Over all, the house edge is nearly three
times greater than a standard
six-deck game that pays 3 to 2 on
blackjack. You are better off
playing the six-deck game.
Does it
make a difference if I play alone
against the dealer or with a full
table of players?
If you
are a casual player (i.e, not a card
counter) you are actually better
off playing at crowded tables. If you
play on crowded tables, you will
be dealt less hands per hour compared to
playing alone against the dealer.
The less hands you play per hour, the
less money you will wager and the
less you will lose (remember that the
casino will have an edge on every bet
you make unless you are card
counting). By playing at full tables you
are essentially reducing your
exposure to the house edge.
I
increase my bet by one unit when I win a
hand and decrease my bet by half a
unit when I lose a hand. What do you
think of this betting system for
blackjack?
I think
you are going to lose a lot of money
playing blackjack. No progressive
betting system based on whether or not
you won or lost the previous hand
will change the house edge against you
one iota. In fact you are better
off just betting one unit on every hand
because your betting system has a
slightly higher average bet and with the
house having an edge on every bet you
make, you’ll naturally lose
more. The only time you should increase
your bet in blackjack is when the
unplayed cards have a disproportionate
number of high cards vs. low
cards. That’s when the edge shifts in
your favor and that’s the only
logical time you should increase your
bets.
I’m
playing in my first blackjack tournament
next week. Can you give me some
tips on how I should play and bet?
Playing
and betting strategy in tournaments is
different than normal table play.
In tournaments, your goal is to wind up
with more chips at the end of the
round than your fellow table players.
Therefore, it’s important that
you keep track of your bankroll compared
to your opponent’s bankroll.
Sometimes you have to make a catch up
bet if you fall very far behind
the chip leader. Or bet contrary to what
the leader bets so if he or she
loses and you win, you can pick up some
ground. Likewise if you have the lead,
you want to bet the same as other
players who are trying to catch you. The
last few hands in tournaments are
critical. If you need to win more than
the amount you bet to overcome the
chip leader, then you must double down
no matter what you are dealt. If
you want to learn more on the basic
playing and betting strategies for
blackjack tournaments, read Kenny
Einiger’s book, Play to Win. Got a
question? Send it directly to me
at HTamburin@aol.com.
- Dr.
Henry Tamburin is a leading
authority on casino gambling. For
copies of his books and tapes at a
30% discount visit www.smartgaming.com;
for a free subscription to his
Blackjack Insider e-newsletter
visit www.bjinsider.com.
For a free catalog call toll
free (888) 353-3234.
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