Direct from Vegas...

Direct from a Vegas casino:

Player has 13 vs 10, asks another player what he should do.
Guy says "If you have to ask, you should go home."

I think that the VAST majority of blackjack players consider this play to be a judgement call, based on one's hunch about the dealer's down card and what the next card off the deck might be. Playing these hunches is what makes the game fun for them.

IMO, "Guy" is an ass. My response to this question, which I have provided many, many times, is "Basic strategy says you should take a card. But you should do whatever you think is best."

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Its a balance between a gambler knowing what they are doing versus just simply tossing their money away while getting soused.

There is indeed some burden on the player to know that roulette is a random game and that the croupier does not actually have a magnet or a foot pedal or any other influence on that little white ball. She is paid to look good and be encouraging but its up to the player to learn the game and take the risks.

Its the same way with BlackJack... the dealer is there to be cheerful and attentive and to keep the game moving in an honest manner. Yes, there is booze involved. There is booze involved in most casinos for the same reason there is booze involved in most social situations in our society. Basic Strategy is a fluid term and has no component that is so over riding that the fun factor should be ignored.

Basic Strategy can be likened unto Basic Automechanics: you will do well in life to learn it but its no guarantee that you won't lose a whopping sum of money anyway. The dealers have to stand there and look happy, but stay sober. The Players pretty much have looser standards but its their money so we at least hold them to basic efforts.

Quote: PapaChubby

I think that the VAST majority of blackjack players consider this play to be a judgement call, based on one's hunch about the dealer's down card and what the next card off the deck might be. Playing these hunches is what makes the game fun for them.

IMO, "Guy" is an ass. My response to this question, which I have provided many, many times, is "Basic strategy says you should take a card. But you should do whatever you think is best."

"Guy" may be a bit of an ass there, but it may have been more helpful than "do what you want" or silence, haha. And I hope that most players don't think this is close. I don't play much blackjack, but I can't recall anyone standing on a 13 v 10.

If you don't play perfect basic strategy then your a dumb ass. People play hunches, it's fricking gambling not some exercise in probability. It's fun to watch players piss and moan when somebody doesn't play perfect basic strategy. The same players forget to thank the dumb ass that tweaked the deck one card so THEY could win five hands in a row. I'll hit on 20 if the table is full of basic strategy vigilantes who voice displeasure at somebody's play. I've cleared out many tables to make a point.

Perhaps, "i know if i were you I'd hit, but do what you want"

Of course you should play basic strategy, but for the casual $5 gambler who plays one weekend a year, it doesn't really matter.

The correct play on 13 vs 10 is to hit. Doing that will cost you $2.14 on S17, 6 decks. Standing costs you an extra .56. So you are giving up $.56 by making the wrong decision. If a player plays 10 hours of $5 blackjack on a weekend and sees 600 hands, he will 13 vs a 10 on on average of 14 hands. This will cost him $7.14. course, he will also stay on 14, 15, and 16 against a 10 as well.

But the net cost of this over 600 hands is $14.53. That's because you only see, on average 13-16 v10 on 8.07% of hands (48.4 hands) and the cost of staying on 14 v 10 is about 37.5 cents, 15 v 10 21 cents, and 16 c 10 nothing.

So, $14.53 is within three hands of breaking even and can easily be resolved via variance.

Playing errors don't cost as much as one thinks.

Quote: treetopbuddy

If you don't play perfect basic strategy then your a dumb ass. People play hunches, it's fricking gambling not some exercise in probability. It's fun to watch players piss and moan when somebody doesn't play perfect basic strategy. The same players forget to thank the dumb ass that tweaked the deck one card so THEY could win five hands in a row. I'll hit on 20 if the table is full of basic strategy vigilantes who voice displeasure at somebody's play. I've cleared out many tables to make a point.

This reminds me of playing Texas holdem. A player will make a tough call with a marginal hand. The bluffer becomes furious when he loses screaming"I cant believe you made that call with that hand, you are a terrible player" I see this all the time at tables and just laugh. The loser of the hand calls the winner of the hand a terrible player. In my book, if you call and win, you made the right move.