Craziest Blackjack Stories

Quote: beachbumbabs

Well, I thought it went one further, with the school using purple lammers, and the newbie not knowing that the purple chips in his/her tray weren't lammers and had cash value.

That's exactly the way I took it, the dealer put out three purple $500 value chips to save the seats rather than use the lammers in her tray.

Quote: Greasyjohn

I was hoping someone would ask about that because I didn't get it either. Or the one about the guy that borrowed the $10. Seems like there was a sentence or two missing in that one.

I think what is missing is that the dealer asked for the $10 'loan' back and the player refused. So, then the dealer unintentionally ratted herself out to the floor by calling the floor over. The point being that the loan should have never been given out in the first place.

In the unlikely event the player had a credit line, some joints will 'mark up' the shortage in a situation like this and essentially loan it to the player, but if the bet loses the player needs to pay it back right away in cash or through their credit line. But even in these situations, the floor is consulted and it needs to be handled properly from a procedural standpoint. I don't think this was the case here, I think a fresh dealer bought into the loan suggestion from the player, and then called the floor over when it wasn't paid back, and was probably surprised to discover she violated procedures.

Quote: Mission146

(.000240/13)^2 = 3.408284e-10---- 1/3.408284e-10 = 1 in 2,934,027,798.15

Almost one in three billion, unless the fifth card also has to be the same or the 4OaK cards have to appear in the same position.

EDIT: For the record, I have seen a 4OaK beaten by a straight flush and a royal flush, but it was a five card draw home game where Deuces and One-Eyed Jacks were wild...and only the SF was a natural hand.

I disagree.

It should be (.000240)*(.000240/13) because we don't care which 4k the first one is.

Quote: DRich

I disagree.

It should be (.000240)*(.000240/13) because we don't care which 4k the first one is.

And you would be absolutely right, good catch!

Quote: MidwestAP

I think what is missing is that the dealer asked for the $10 'loan' back and the player refused. So, then the dealer unintentionally ratted herself out to the floor by calling the floor over. The point being that the loan should have never been given out in the first place.

In the unlikely event the player had a credit line, some joints will 'mark up' the shortage in a situation like this and essentially loan it to the player, but if the bet loses the player needs to pay it back right away in cash or through their credit line. But even in these situations, the floor is consulted and it needs to be handled properly from a procedural standpoint. I don't think this was the case here, I think a fresh dealer bought into the loan suggestion from the player, and then called the floor over when it wasn't paid back, and was probably surprised to discover she violated procedures.

Thanks for the clarification.

I played at a casino that would take money out of the rack for players to use for splits or double downs.If you lost then you had to buy in and pay back the loan.

Quote: Hunterhill

I played at a casino that would take money out of the rack for players to use for splits or double downs.If you lost then you had to buy in and pay back the loan.

without getting approval from the pit?

I don't get the purple lamer thing.

I mean, even if they are the same size and color, it's pretty hard to mistake a chip with all it's artwork, with a lamer that has simple engraved lettering.

Must have been a dealer who was very stupid and/or has never been inside a casino before.

Not crazy but kinda funny. Maybe 25 years ago me and a buddy were playing low limit and the table was almost full. Nobody had more than $5 bet and the dealer has an ace showing and asks for insurance. Nobody bites and before she checks her hole card the pit boss comes up, looks at the hole card and slowly says "does ANY ONE want insurance????". It was obvious he was telling us there was a face card down, so my buddy and I take insurance....but nobody else did.

Dealer had blackjack, and the pit boss looked at us like "WTF is wrong with these other players". We got a good laugh at that.

Quote: Mission146

And you would be absolutely right, good catch!

I can't easily interpret the calculations presented, but when I saw the question about 4oK of the same card back-to-back, I assumed that the first one is a gimmie. Once you get any 4oK then the calculation is just a matter of "What are the odds of getting a 4oK of, say 2s, on the next hand?. Is that correct? About one in 5,720?

Depends on how much VP you play. If you play long enough, the chance of getting two dealt 4oaks in a row of the same rank is about 100%.

Saw a woman color up for $15k last night. I know it was $15k, because I watched the pit boss rack up her chips and carry them to the cage with her.

This is a small hinterlands shop, black is their biggest chip. Table limit $300.

The crazy part is that when I mentioned what I saw to my dealer (i was sitting across the pit), he said "good - she usually loses that much a night".

She did not strike me as a counter. Comps at this shop certainly don't make that type of loss sustainable. Middle of nowhere at a shop with 6 tables total, only 3 of which are open on a typical night, does not qualify as a mecca for high stakes gambling.

Just crazy to me can "usually lose" that kind of money.

Up until last night, craziest I'd seen was a guy go back to the ATM repeatedly - $3000 while I was watching, he said at least $5000 total, lost it all. Said his wife was going to kill him if he didn't make it back. Didn't alter his playing style a bit, just kept on with his subjective* interpretation of basic strategy, refusing to reduce his bet from table max, and losing 5 out of 6 rounds.

Relatively, the guy who was down $5k, was doing worse. He was down 100 table max bets ($50 max! tiny shop!). The woman who was up $15k was only up 50 table max bets.



*Wrong.

Not too crazy... but FINALLY someone to accept a prop bet about the game. Generally if someone is yelling at me for making the proper play, and it's basic strategy, I don't say too much unless they're really not letting it go. Then I'll just look at them and say "I'll bet you $100 that I made the correct basic strategy play for this game." That usually shuts them up pretty quick. However, this was about a side bet. This kid sitting next to me was yelling that the "Pair Square" side bet was 90% house edge. I laughed when he asked me to confirm this and mumbled it was something more like 10% (I knew the exact number but didn't want to say it exactly). He said I was totally wrong, so I said my usual bet me then phrase. He hesitated for about 3 seconds and said "Okay I'll bet you $10." to which I accepted and then HE referred me to Wizard of Odds as I pulled my phone out to go to WoO and prove him wrong anyways lol. How could he know about WoO and still think the house edge was 90%?

At least he paid up =).

The craziest hand I ever played doesn't really top these, but I was in the finals of a tournament, and it was the last hand. Adrenalin was really high, with quite a few spectators. I had to bet first from seat 5, and I had the largest stack, but only by a few hundred chips, so I bet 1/2 my stack, trying to have it both ways while out of position. My husband, as it happened, had the 2nd largest stack and he bet it all. The other players were well behind us, to where if I busted, my 1/2 stack left would beat them, but my husband and I are very competitive people, so it wasn't like either one of us winning was both of us winning. Usually, yeah, but not in games.

Anyway, he got a 20 dealt, and I got a 16. The dealer got an 8. So the only way for me to win was to doubledown my 16, which had everybody groaning, but what are you going to do? Miracle of miracles, I caught a 5. The dealer had an Ace under for 19, so we both won the hand, and I won the money (winner take all). My husband swore the dealer bottom-carded me because she liked me better. Never let me forget it.

Quote: beachbumbabs

The craziest hand I ever played doesn't really top these, but I was in the finals of a tournament, and it was the last hand. Adrenalin was really high, with quite a few spectators. I had to bet first from seat 5, and I had the largest stack, but only by a few hundred chips, so I bet 1/2 my stack, trying to have it both ways while out of position. My husband, as it happened, had the 2nd largest stack and he bet it all. The other players were well behind us, to where if I busted, my 1/2 stack left would beat them, but my husband and I are very competitive people, so it wasn't like either one of us winning was both of us winning. Usually, yeah, but not in games.

Anyway, he got a 20 dealt, and I got a 16. The dealer got an 8. So the only way for me to win was to doubledown my 16, which had everybody groaning, but what are you going to do? Miracle of miracles, I caught a 5. The dealer had an Ace under for 19, so we both won the hand, and I won the money (winner take all). My husband swore the dealer bottom-carded me because she liked me better. Never let me forget it.

Absolutely love this story. I love blackjack tournaments, and would love to do some more reading on the strategy for them, because it's really quite interesting. Plays like the one you made are probably considered textbook.

In a smaller blackjack tournament, we were on the last hand. I had a 17 and my opponent had a 20, dealer face showing. As the bets were, my only way to win the tournament was to win that hand, and hope my opponent doesn't win the hand. Basically all I could hope for was to hit for a 4, and have the dealer be pat with 20.

I hit for a 4, and the dealer was pat with 20.

The dealer and the pit boss talked about it for weeks.

I was playing blackjack some years ago at a SD table at the Four Queens. Full table and the dealer busts when he hits his 2-card stiff. Guy at third base turns over his 3,2 and says, "I saved the table!!."

This happened many years at the Claridge in Atlantic City. I sat at a table intending to wait for the shuffle since I had spent a considerable amount of time back counting with nothing to show for it. The lone player barked at me to "wait for the shoe" as if I needed his encouragement to do so. There weren't many hands left.

The strangest thing happened while I was watching. A couple of times more than one card came out of the shoe. I could have sworn that the dealer flashed them, especially when the guy took down his big bet. On the last hand, three cards came out and the dealer not only flashed them but told the player that a blackjack was coming and tucked the cards under the shoe. There was a nine sandwiched between an ace and a ten. The player pulled back his bet to wait for the floor but the dealer explained that the shoe was "broken and he didn't want to bother the floor.

The guy had about $1200 in front of him and had been betting light green. Faster than you could blink, he put up the table max of $1000 and told the dealer to wait because he needed to buy in for another $1000. He opened a second box for $1000 reasoning that there was already a guaranteed blackjack on the first spot. Yikes!

I was so tempted to play but after all that I didn't want to be swept up in that mess, besides I never cheat.

Quote: 1BB

The strangest thing happened while I was watching. A couple of times more than one card came out of the shoe. I could have sworn that the dealer flashed them, especially when the guy took down his big bet. On the last hand, three cards came out and the dealer not only flashed them but told the player that a blackjack was coming and tucked the cards under the shoe. There was a nine sandwiched between an ace and a ten. The player pulled back his bet to wait for the floor but the dealer explained that the shoe was "broken and he didn't want to bother the floor.

The guy had about $1200 in front of him and had been betting light green. Faster than you could blink, he put up the table max of $1000 and told the dealer to wait because he needed to buy in for another $1000. He opened a second box for $1000 reasoning that there was already a guaranteed blackjack on the first spot. Yikes!

So card 1 an ace, and card 3 was a ten? And he played two hands, breaking up the blackjack?

Quote: 1BB

This happened many years at the Claridge in Atlantic City. I sat at a table intending to wait for the shuffle since I had spent a considerable amount of time back counting with nothing to show for it. The lone player barked at me to "wait for the shoe" as if I needed his encouragement to do so. There weren't many hands left.

The strangest thing happened while I was watching. A couple of times more than one card came out of the shoe. I could have sworn that the dealer flashed them, especially when the guy took down his big bet. On the last hand, three cards came out and the dealer not only flashed them but told the player that a blackjack was coming and tucked the cards under the shoe. There was a nine sandwiched between an ace and a ten. The player pulled back his bet to wait for the floor but the dealer explained that the shoe was "broken and he didn't want to bother the floor.

The guy had about $1200 in front of him and had been betting light green. Faster than you could blink, he put up the table max of $1000 and told the dealer to wait because he needed to buy in for another $1000. He opened a second box for $1000 reasoning that there was already a guaranteed blackjack on the first spot. Yikes!

I was so tempted to play but after all that I didn't want to be swept up in that mess, besides I never cheat.

Good story. Seems like a modern morality tale about greed outweighing common sense.

Quote: Dieter

Saw a woman color up for $15k last night. I know it was $15k, because I watched the pit boss rack up her chips and carry them to the cage with her.

This is a small hinterlands shop, black is their biggest chip. Table limit $300.

The crazy part is that when I mentioned what I saw to my dealer (i was sitting across the pit), he said "good - she usually loses that much a night".

She did not strike me as a counter. Comps at this shop certainly don't make that type of loss sustainable. Middle of nowhere at a shop with 6 tables total, only 3 of which are open on a typical night, does not qualify as a mecca for high stakes gambling.

Just crazy to me can "usually lose" that kind of money.

Up until last night, craziest I'd seen was a guy go back to the ATM repeatedly - $3000 while I was watching, he said at least $5000 total, lost it all. Said his wife was going to kill him if he didn't make it back. Didn't alter his playing style a bit, just kept on with his subjective* interpretation of basic strategy, refusing to reduce his bet from table max, and losing 5 out of 6 rounds.

Relatively, the guy who was down $5k, was doing worse. He was down 100 table max bets ($50 max! tiny shop!). The woman who was up $15k was only up 50 table max bets.



*Wrong.

The other thread mentioned that $5 BJ table does not make sense financially. But once a while you catch a big fish like this. I have seen people betting from $300 to $1000 at the $5 table in the low-end casinos. And those people don't play by basic strategy and they easily give out 2% edge to the house.

2% is way low. These people who go with their gut on decisions are giving the casino a much larger advantage. They would be better off at slots.

Quote: Deucekies

So card 1 an ace, and card 3 was a ten? And he played two hands, breaking up the blackjack?

Yes he did. The dealer paused and told him to play one hand but he wouldn't hear of it. The end result was a push with one win and one loss. Now we've all heard dealers and players prattle on about a push being a win but, I'm sorry, this was a $1500 loss no two ways about it.

I posted to show just how dumb some people are and this was one of the dumbest. Because of the bizarre chain of events, the story needed a set up. The entire experience lasted no more than five minutes and was a procedural train wreck. The dealer was tapped out when the shoe ended. I don't know if it was his scheduled break or if he won a trip to the Meadowlands to visit Jimmy Hoffa. Remember where we are. :-)

Some thoughts and observations in no particular order:

The dealer did not call max bet when the first $1000 was put up. This would not be uncommon if that betting pattern had already been established. I have no way of knowing.

The player pulled back his bet when the three cards came out. I found that to be very strange, three cards tucked under the shoe and no bet in the circle.

When the player bought in for $1000 for the second bet, the dealer called out changing one, just one and not $1000. The floor acknowledged it from across the pit, probably assuming it was $100.

I have played a lot of shoe blackjack and I have never seen three cards come out at once. Occasionally two will come out and there is a strict procedure for that. The cards are tucked under the shoe and the floor is called to confirm the next card to be played. That did not happen.

What the heck is a broken shoe? Why hadn't it been replaced? Remember, I saw three "malfunctions" in less than five minutes.

Was this a comedy of errors or blatant cheating? If the latter, how could anyone expect to pull it off? What about surveillance? I think there was a good possibility that they were giving this dealer, and maybe the player, enough rope to hang themselves.

Back to the extra hand. What a dope!