 
Blackjack
Questions
by Henry Tamburin,
published on Monday, October 15
2001
Recently, I gave a seminar on blackjack
to an enthusiastic group of casino
players who were not shy with questions.
In fact, I captured some of their
questions below and wrote a brief
summary of what my response was
to them. If you read the questions
it will give you a good idea on
what is on the mind of typical recreational
blackjack players who are trying
hard to become better players.
"I've been
told you should always take insurance
when you have a good hand, like
19 or 20. Is this the correct play?"
Too many casino
players have the misconception that
you should always insure a good
hand. The insurance bet comes into
play when the dealer's upcard is
an ace. He will ask all players
if they wish to make the insurance
bet. In reality the insurance bet
is a side bet that you can make
in which you are betting that the
dealers unseen downcard is a ten
value card (and therefore the dealer
has a blackjack hand). It has nothing
to do with the original bet you
made or what hand you happen to
be dealt (even the good hands).
You are simply betting that the
dealer's downcard is a ten or picture
card. Unless you have some knowledge
of the abundance or deficiency of
the ten value cards in the decks
of cards in the dealing shoe prior
to the dealing of the hand (i.e.
unless you are card counting) you
have no business making the insurance
bet. The bet has a high casino edge
and should be avoided. Even if you
are dealt a blackjack, you'll win
4% more money over the long haul
by not taking insurance (or the
equivalent even money). The bottom
line is that the insurance bet is
a sucker bet and should be avoided.
"Whenever there
are players who don't know how to
play their hands on the table, I
always seem to lose. Is it true
poor players effect the outcome
in a negative way?"
This is another
misconception amongst blackjack
players. It really doesn't matter
how well or for that matter how
poor your fellow players play their
hands including the player who plays
last (the anchor or third base player).
For every incorrect play they make
that causes you to lose a hand,
statistically there will be just
as many times that there "dumb"
play will cause you to win. In essence
it all evens out. However, if you
get upset by the play of some nerdy
players, then you should leave and
play elsewhere. Don't ever play
blackjack when you are emotionally
upset because it could result in
playing errors. Remember- playing
blackjack should be a fun experience!
"I've been
told to never split pairs when the
dealer's upcard is a 10."
This is correct
for all pairs except a pair of 8's
and aces. Your optimum play is to
always split aces and eights no
matter what the dealer's upcard
is. Eights are split to break up
a very poor hand of 16 (8,8). You'll
lose less over the long run by splitting
8's against a dealer's 10 vs standing
or hitting. Aces should always be
split because you have a good chance
of drawing a ten value card for
21.
"I never double
down on an 11 when the dealers upcard
is a 10 because the latter is such
a good card for the dealer. Is this
the right play?"
No it isn't. You'll
gain an additional $6 per $100 bet
when you double down vs hitting.
Even though you will win less times
by doubling because you give up
the opportunity to draw additional
cards, the fact that you get paid
double your initial bet when you
win accounts for the extra gain.
Stick with the percentages and double
on 11 vs dealer 10.
"I never hit
my 14,15 or 16 hands when the dealer
shows a 7. Is this correct?"
No it isn't. But
this does not mean you should always
expect to win every hand when you
hit. The bottom line is that when
you are dealt a 14,15, or 16, and
the dealer's upcard is a 7, you
have only two logical plays to make-hit
or stand. By simulating this playing
situation on a computer and playing
out a million or more hands, the
results show you can expect to win
about 27 percent of the hands when
you stand and about 34 percent when
you hit. Hitting gains you 7 percent,
but note that in either case the
dealer has a greater than 50 percent
chance of beating you. The best
you can do in this losing situation
is to minimize your losses by hitting.
"In the video
the "ABC's of Blackjack",
Telly Savalas stated it's impossible
to card count when the casino uses
more than two decks of cards. Is
this correct"
No it isn't. Most
casino players have the misconception
that card counting involves memorizing
every single card that is dealt
by the dealer. That is not what
card counting is all about. Counters
assign a numerical value like plus
one or minus one to every card (sometimes
these are called tags). They watch
all the cards on the table and then
simply add or subtract the plus
or minus values for every card.
The fact of the matter is that it
is not more difficult to count the
cards in multiple deck games compared
to single or double deck games.
"I follow the
basic playing strategy but still
lose. How come?"
The basic playing
strategy is a set of playing rules
that defines how to play your hand
depending on two factors: the hand
you are dealt and the value of the
dealer's upcard. The strategy is
determined by computer analysis
of million of hands of blackjack.
If you follow the strategy, the
casino's edge against you is about
0.5% which means theoretically over
the long term you will lose about
0.5% of all the money you bet at
blackjack. However, over the short
term, you could lose much more than
the theoretical 0.5% or in fact
win money. This is because of the
variability that exists in the game
of blackjack. But the fact remains
you will always win more using the
basic strategy than any other seat
-of -the -pants playing strategy.
"What is the
best way to tip a blackjack dealer?"
Rather than just
giving a dealer a tip, I usually
will make a bet for the dealer on
my hand. I do so by placing an extra
chip on top of my bet (for example,
if I wagered $5 I would place a
$1 chip on top of my $5 chip). If
I win the hand, the dealer will
pay me $6. I in turn will give the
dealer a $1 tip representing the
amount won on the bet made for her.
You could also place your $1 tip
bet outside of the betting circle
but in this case the dealer would
collect the $1 won on the hand and
also the $1 tip bet that you made
outside of your betting circle.
It also goes without saying I only
tip a dealer if they are helpful,
friendly and courteous.
"Where is the
best place to sit at a blackjack
table?"
I always suggest
that novice players sit more toward
the third base side of the table
(dealers right side). The reason
is that it will give players a little
extra time to decide how they should
play their hand. However, I wouldn't
recommend the very last seat (anchor
spot) because players seem to place
to much pressure on the anchor player
to make the right play that will
'save the table".
"Why not play
the way the dealer does. After all
the casinos win money with that
strategy."
The reason why casinos
have the edge in the game of blackjack
is because when you bust (go over
21) you automatically lose your
bet even if the dealer subsequently
busts. Mimicking how the dealer
plays his hand is a deadly trap
a lot of novice players fall into.
It carries a hefty casino edge of
about 5%.
"How can you
win at blackjack?"
It's no secret that
to gain the upperhand at blackjack
you've got to memorize the basic
stratgey, you've to learn card counting,
and you must use the information
from card counting to make larger
bets when the edge swings in your
favor and smaller bets when the
edge is in the dealer's favor. You've
also got to be properly bankrolled
to withstand the short-term fluctuations
that will occur no matter how good
a player you are. Finally you have
to know where to find the best games,
disguise your counting skills, and
be mentally prepared for some horrendous
losing sessions which in the short
term will occur. It seems like a
daunting task but with practice
and discipline you can learn to
gain the edge in blackjack.
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