Does anyone get info from the dealer when they check for BJ?
Has anyone else ever been able to tell this? Sometimes they put the card in there and they have to look multiple times because they can't tell what the card is. I assume there are certain cards that are tough to read but I don't know which ones they might be. Sometimes they put the card in and quicker than quick they know what the card was and it wasn't a BJ.
So I guess my question is, what cards are easier to read and which ones make the dealer really look?
Quote: GWAEquite often when a dealer has a face/ace and they check for black jack I try to determine what they have in hole based on how they look at the card. Unfortunately for me I have never been able to figure it out. I have never looked through the little hole they use so I am not sure how much of the card they can see.
Has anyone else ever been able to tell this? Sometimes they put the card in there and they have to look multiple times because they can't tell what the card is. I assume there are certain cards that are tough to read but I don't know which ones they might be. Sometimes they put the card in and quicker than quick they know what the card was and it wasn't a BJ.
So I guess my question is, what cards are easier to read and which ones make the dealer really look?
Generally speaking you won't get much. Some of them are electronic sensors which will give you no information. Some of them are mirrors with a special lens to enlarge the 10/A. All the dealer sees is 10/A or blank, they don't get any more info out of it. There may exist some casinos still out there (maybe tribal?) where the dealer actually peeks and that would possibly allow you to know.
(1) If the dealer has A showing, he needs to check for a 10/face. The cards are designed so that the 10/J/Q/K marking in the corner of the card is actually a little bit higher than where all the other cards have theirs (including the ace). All he checks for is if he sees anything. He turns the card horizontally to align the corner with the mirror - if he sees anything printed, that means it's a 10/face. Otherwise, all he sees is blank.
(2) If the dealer has a 10/face showing, he checks for the presence of an ace. Aces, like all other non-10-valued cards, have the "A" marking slightly below where the 10s have theirs. However, their opposite corner has a little star or some other kind of marking on them. So, the dealer keeps the card vertical to align the position of the star with the mirror. If he sees it, he knows he has an A, and he flips it over for dealer BJ.
Quote: arcticfunAt Mohegan Sun, the mirror works as follows:
(1) If the dealer has A showing, he needs to check for a 10/face. The cards are designed so that the 10/J/Q/K marking in the corner of the card is actually a little bit higher than where all the other cards have theirs (including the ace). All he checks for is if he sees anything. He turns the card horizontally to align the corner with the mirror - if he sees anything printed, that means it's a 10/face. Otherwise, all he sees is blank.
(2) If the dealer has a 10/face showing, he checks for the presence of an ace. Aces, like all other non-10-valued cards, have the "A" marking slightly below where the 10s have theirs. However, their opposite corner has a little star or some other kind of marking on them. So, the dealer keeps the card vertical to align the position of the star with the mirror. If he sees it, he knows he has an A, and he flips it over for dealer BJ.
Exactly like ours. So if I check for BJ on a face card, I check vertically, and I either see an ace or nothing. If I have an ace up, I turn it horizontally, ask for insurance, wait for the ploppies to take even money because 95% or more of my players take it even when they know insurance is a ripoff, and the close insurance and check - either I see a face card or nothing.
My typical dick move, which gets mixed reviews from players, is to check for BJ, see nothing, and go to flip the card, slide the top card under the hole card to flip it - and then stop, say I was kidding, and continue the hand. Usually I just do that to mess with players who are showing BJ and didn't take even money or can't because I have a face up. My players' favorite dick move is to ask for even money in situations where it's not appropriate, such as when they don't have a BJ or I have a face instead of an ace.
Quote: hwccdealerMy players' favorite dick move is to ask for even money in situations where it's not appropriate, such as when they don't have a BJ or I have a face instead of an ace.
Hah! I actually did that once and got it. She realized her mistake (rest of the table was dead silent) and had to call a floor person over.
Quote: arcticfunHah! I actually did that once and got it. She realized her mistake (rest of the table was dead silent) and had to call a floor person over.
That...is...awesome. Bet she facepalmed pretty hard after that.
I did have one person get up and leave the table after I pulled the fake-BJ thing (he was down to the end of his stack, thought he lost, and left. I had to call him back over to play his hand...which, dag nabbit, he lost. Then he left for real.)
Quote: hwccdealerExactly like ours. So if I check for BJ on a face card, I check vertically, and I either see an ace or nothing. If I have an ace up, I turn it horizontally, ask for insurance, wait for the ploppies to take even money because 95% or more of my players take it even when they know insurance is a ripoff, and the close insurance and check - either I see a face card or nothing.
My typical dick move, which gets mixed reviews from players, is to check for BJ, see nothing, and go to flip the card, slide the top card under the hole card to flip it - and then stop, say I was kidding, and continue the hand. Usually I just do that to mess with players who are showing BJ and didn't take even money or can't because I have a face up. My players' favorite dick move is to ask for even money in situations where it's not appropriate, such as when they don't have a BJ or I have a face instead of an ace.
I hate when dealers do that to me when I have a $5 bet up. I usually chuckle at them and explain that a $5 bet is not going to get me going. The good ones will wait until I have $50 up and do it. Then giggle and ask me if $50 is enough to get me. Then I usually chuckle and say yep.
My d word move is usually to ask to double for more.
anyways, back to the question at hand. I know how the cards work with the numbers raised but I am just wondering why some dealers have to check twice or to really look instead of it just being instant. I was wondering when you look through the little mirror are there some cards that can still be seen even though the numbers are moved down a little. Maybe it is just a weak or tired dealer just trying not to make a mistake and really they are seeing nothing.
Quote: GWAEI hate when dealers do that to me when I have a $5 bet up. I usually chuckle at them and explain that a $5 bet is not going to get me going. The good ones will wait until I have $50 up and do it. Then giggle and ask me if $50 is enough to get me. Then I usually chuckle and say yep.
My d word move is usually to ask to double for more.
anyways, back to the question at hand. I know how the cards work with the numbers raised but I am just wondering why some dealers have to check twice or to really look instead of it just being instant. I was wondering when you look through the little mirror are there some cards that can still be seen even though the numbers are moved down a little. Maybe it is just a weak or tired dealer just trying not to make a mistake and really they are seeing nothing.
It's mostly just being on autopilot. Have you ever pulled your phone out or looked at your watch for the time and then realized afterward you still have no idea what time it is.
Hell, you don't need to buy a deck of cards for that. Just be a little bit more observant while playing, and it will all make sense.Quote: boymimboIf you have a deck of casino cards at home (a used deck, which you can buy from the casino gift shop) you will see the positioning of the As and face cards slightly different for the mirror. So, the dealer won't see if he has 20 either based on how they look through the mirror.
Quote: GWAEanyways, back to the question at hand. I know how the cards work with the numbers raised but I am just wondering why some dealers have to check twice or to really look instead of it just being instant. I was wondering when you look through the little mirror are there some cards that can still be seen even though the numbers are moved down a little. Maybe it is just a weak or tired dealer just trying not to make a mistake and really they are seeing nothing.
Occasionally there will be a little bit of a glare on the mirror, or the mirror will be dingy, and the dealer will have to reposition to see what's on the mirror. This is especially true if tables have recently been moved around.
Quote: hwccdealerMy typical dick move, which gets mixed reviews from players, is to check for BJ, see nothing, and go to flip the card, slide the top card under the hole card to flip it - and then stop, say I was kidding, and continue the hand.
In our in-house dealer training, one of the teachers taught the class that little "joke". If I remember right, it got so abused and pissed off so many players that management actually told us we may not do it anymore.
Next time you play, look at the edges of the cards. An ACE will have paint in the top left and bottom right corner of the card. The FACE cards will have paint on the top right or bottom left corner of the card. This is because when there's an ace, they turn the card 90°, then slide it into the mirror.
The dealer never has to tell the difference between ace or face. Paint means BJ, no paint means no BJ.
The mirrors are awful, and often times there can be poor lighting which makes it very hard to read, especially if that gadget is old and dirty.
Quote: beachbumbabsMy aces (I always play Bees) have A's in all four corners.
The cards at the casino are different. The A's are offset from the rest of the card, into where the white margin would be on any other card. When the dealer checks for an ace, they see either part of that A, or white margin. That's why they rotate the card 90 degrees when they check a 10 vs when they check an ace.
I'm pretty sure that they use the same cards for any table game (other than poker) so you should notice this at any table game that you happen to be playing.
Casinos that use mirrors to peek can use the black mark style cards, but most use the repositioned index style. I.E. All cards except 10s and faces have the index lower. Aces have the additional raised index in the other corner.
Quote: DeucekiesIn our in-house dealer training, one of the teachers taught the class that little "joke". If I remember right, it got so abused and pissed off so many players that management actually told us we may not do it anymore.
This is why I do it with extreme discretion. I don't do it anywhere near close to all the time; if anything, I look at the situation, see if anyone has BJ or a big bet, and more often than not, decide not to do it. It loses its shock value if I do it too much.
I wasn't taught to do this by any stretch, and frankly, blackjack isn't my first game - if you count all our "carnival games" as one game, it's my fourth after dice, roulette, and all of our carnival games. So by the time I learned it, I already knew enough to pass the audition without spending a minute in class and was just there to learn the finer points and shut management up, so my instructor treated me almost like a TA or an intern rather than as a student. (Which meant leaving early a lot, but it also meant going out and getting him milkshakes, teaching people when he wasn't around, etc.) So to keep it interesting, I patented a few...ahem, Richard moves while I was there. I did them ostensibly to teach players to stay alert (i.e. capping bets) but also for entertainment.
After the stiff stood on his 17-19, the dealer would flip up that 10 underneath. LOL
Quote: WizardI looked through one of those mirror readers at a gaming show and it was quite clear when the dealer had a blackjack. If the dealer had to double check, then I would think the device was faulty somehow.
I think sometimes it's similar to looking at your watch/phone and then immediately forgetting what time it is and having to check again.
"Are you sure you don't want to bet insurance? Are you sure? *slow nod* Positive? *wink* Ooooookay."
Quote: AxelWolfMy nephew said A few places he drinks at in North Dakota seem to have some bars with double deck games, they deal very deep (only few cards left) with good rules. They hand check and are very sloppy. $1-$25. He said the dealers often are drunk as well.
I can't tell if this is serious or just a troll. But, it wouldn't be very good AP bait with a $25 max. So I'll assume that you're serious :D
Not sure why you think I would be trolling. I'm serious, I have no clue what it would be worth. I would assume at least $30 an hr, but I cant imagine you would we welcome long. We are talking bars with a rough crowd and probably protective customers.Quote: AcesAndEightsI can't tell if this is serious or just a troll. But, it wouldn't be very good AP bait with a $25 max. So I'll assume that you're serious :D
Quote: AxelWolfNot sure why you think I would be trolling. I'm serious, I have no clue what it would be worth. I would assume at least $30 an hr, but I cant imagine you would we welcome long. We are talking bars with a rough crowd and probably protective customers.
If the dealers are sloppy enough to flash the hole card it's a lot more than that. Of course it depends on how fast these drunk dealers can deal (I assume that it is a very slow game)
Quote: AxelWolfNot sure why you think I would be trolling. I'm serious, I have no clue what it would be worth. I would assume at least $30 an hr, but I cant imagine you would we welcome long. We are talking bars with a rough crowd and probably protective customers.
I was mostly trying to make a joke, and failing miserably :).
Sometimes on bj21.com and other sites someone will describe some phenomenal opportunity under somewhat sketchy circumstances. But the whole thing is usually a joke just to rile up people who take "opportunity divulging" too seriously, etc.
But your post doesn't really fit that model, since the $25 max limits the opportunity. Anyway, that's where I was trying to go.
