Favorite Blackjack stories

Quote: BedWetterBetter

Once bitten, twice shy.

The best way to lose profits is to abuse profits.

Irrelevant. Each BJ hand/opportunity should be independently judged in terms of it's EV.

Don't overbet your bankroll, but otherwise you should take these shots.

Quote: dwheatley

Irrelevant. Each BJ hand/opportunity should be independently judged in terms of it's EV.

Don't overbet your bankroll, but otherwise you should take these shots.

$1000 was a bit over my roll at that time.

Also the count was not favorable in the second instance, even with the man pulling so many low cards.

Quote: BedWetterBetter

Once bitten, twice shy.

The best way to lose profits is to abuse profits.

No, the best way to lose profits is to stop making +EV bets.

I'm sure you've had losing sessions before. Did that make you stop playing altogether?

Quote: BedWetterBetter

$1000 was a bit over my roll at that time.

Also the count was not favorable in the second instance, even with the man pulling so many low cards.

Well, that is very different.

For the first point, maybe you could have gotten in for less. It's not $1000 or nothing. Maybe toss him a black or two?

For the 2nd point, of course you would not want to do it if it's not +EV. But I am pretty sure it's +EV with just about any count.

I was back counting a 4 deck game at Ceasar's Palace in Vegas in 1984. Two guys at the table - one betting blacks and one betting greens. The black chip better was wasted but was having a great run with maybe $20,000 in chips mounded up in front of him. At one point it looks like he is getting up to go to the washroom - he is half way out of his chair when he proceeds to vomit all over the table. The green chip player couldn't leave the table fast enough. I take a few steps back but can't leave the scene of this train wreck wanting to see what unfolds. The drunk mumbles something to the floorman about his chips and the floorman brings him a rack. It takes a few minutes, but he manages to get his puke splattered chips into the rack. The poor janitor gets called over to the table and cleans up the mess as best as possible. After finishing this dreadful task the drunk mumbles a thank you and tosses him a five dollar chip. The guy is sitting there with 20 grand in chips and puke on his face and he tips the poor guy 5 bucks - classy! You would think at this point, no matter how drunk you are, you should at least be embarrassed enough to leave the table - but no - he decides that this was only a minor set back to his winning streak and continues to play! To this day I can still remember the look of disgust on the dealers face as she was forced to continue dealing to this moron while leaning back as much as was humanly possible!

Quote: AB21

I was back counting a 4 deck game at Ceasar's Palace in Vegas in 1984. Two guys at the table - one betting blacks and one betting greens. The black chip better was wasted but was having a great run with maybe $20,000 in chips mounded up in front of him. At one point it looks like he is getting up to go to the washroom - he is half way out of his chair when he proceeds to vomit all over the table. The green chip player couldn't leave the table fast enough. I take a few steps back but can't leave the scene of this train wreck wanting to see what unfolds. The drunk mumbles something to the floorman about his chips and the floorman brings him a rack. It takes a few minutes, but he manages to get his puke splattered chips into the rack. The poor janitor gets called over to the table and cleans up the mess as best as possible. After finishing this dreadful task the drunk mumbles a thank you and tosses him a five dollar chip. The guy is sitting there with 20 grand in chips and puke on his face and he tips the poor guy 5 bucks - classy! You would think at this point, no matter how drunk you are, you should at least be embarrassed enough to leave the table - but no - he decides that this was only a minor set back to his winning streak and continues to play! To this day I can still remember the look of disgust on the dealers face as she was forced to continue dealing to this moron while leaning back as much as was humanly possible!

Yeah, but what was the count?

I think I lost the count after witnessing this, but that begs the question......

To what lengths will you go to Wong into a juicy shoe?

1) Slap your bet down on a freshly puked upon table?
2) Bowl over a hot cocktail waitress in order to get that bet down?

Maybe a topic for a new thread.......

Quote: AB21

I think I lost the count after witnessing this

Amateur.... :)

I guess I was an amateur at the time only being 23 years old. After reading every blackjack book I could find and getting 60 hours of practice at low stakes under my belt at a local casino, I hopped on a plane for my first trip to Vegas carrying my life savings in my pocket. After 3 weeks, I had doubled my bankroll 3 times - talk about being on a high!

I fondly remember some of my favorite places to play on the strip:

A four deck game at the Maxim with less than half a deck cut off.
Six decks at the Holiday Inn where they dealt five and a half.
Two large pits of double deck at the Flamingo where you could easily Wong around for a session on a crowded evening.
And my favorite, Ceasar's Palace. They only had four 4 deck tables, but I spent a lot of time there with absolutely no heat. Maybe my max bet of 200 bucks at the time wasn't enough to get them excited, but the pit just didn't seem to care.

The good old days......

Quote: AB21

I guess I was an amateur at the time only being 23 years old. After reading every blackjack book I could find and getting 60 hours of practice at low stakes under my belt at a local casino, I hopped on a plane for my first trip to Vegas carrying my life savings in my pocket. After 3 weeks, I had doubled my bankroll 3 times - talk about being on a high!

I fondly remember some of my favorite places to play on the strip:

A four deck game at the Maxim with less than half a deck cut off.
Six decks at the Holiday Inn where they dealt five and a half.
Two large pits of double deck at the Flamingo where you could easily Wong around for a session on a crowded evening.
And my favorite, Ceasar's Palace. They only had four 4 deck tables, but I spent a lot of time there with absolutely no heat. Maybe my max bet of 200 bucks at the time wasn't enough to get them excited, but the pit just didn't seem to care.

The good old days......

Ah yes ...... the good old days. I also fondly remember Ceasars one deck table, $25 limit with the best rules in the world. Played two hands and never got looked at. Let my girlfriend (now my wife) carry my white chips around the casino.

Quote: AB21

I guess I was an amateur at the time only being 23 years old. After reading every blackjack book I could find and getting 60 hours of practice at low stakes under my belt at a local casino, I hopped on a plane for my first trip to Vegas carrying my life savings in my pocket. After 3 weeks, I had doubled my bankroll 3 times - talk about being on a high!

I fondly remember some of my favorite places to play on the strip:

A four deck game at the Maxim with less than half a deck cut off.
Six decks at the Holiday Inn where they dealt five and a half.
Two large pits of double deck at the Flamingo where you could easily Wong around for a session on a crowded evening.
And my favorite, Ceasar's Palace. They only had four 4 deck tables, but I spent a lot of time there with absolutely no heat. Maybe my max bet of 200 bucks at the time wasn't enough to get them excited, but the pit just didn't seem to care.

The good old days......

What about the Maxim single deck dealt until the dealer ran out of cards? It had the very best rules including surrender which the four deck did not. You could spread from table minimum to table max with no heat.

In the summer of 2007, my wife and I stayed at Harveys as we do every summer. Her cousin, who has been a resident of South Lake Tahoe since 1976, visited us in our room. He brought his wife, son, and an old friend of his. His friend was named Joe. When he introduced us, he said Joe was the casino manager of Harveys, but now retired. I looked at him and knew him right away since I worked at Harveys in 1979. They laid me off because of the gas crisis then. Last one hired, first one fired. I told Joe this and he was shocked. He asked the name of the shift manager at the time. I said his name and Joe believed me. I told him it was a blessing because I moved on to deal the best craps games in Las Vegas. I was upset that I had to leave Lake Tahoe and my dreams were crushed then. For payback of my layoff, I used my Ten Count in 1992 at Harveys and crushed them at single deck blackjack. Joe was surprised that I got away with it under his watch. I spread $5-$150 and only made big bets when the hi-lo count was negative and the Ten Count showed positive blackjack expectation by side counting the aces. I assumed the eye in the sky used hi-lo to evaluate blackjack skill. Won $4000 in 6 hours of nonstop play utilizing this card count. The pit bosses were fooled, and Joe was dismayed.

Our conversation changed to Ed Thorp. Since Joe was the casino manager at the time, I asked him about Thorp's story in "Beat The Dealer" (1962) about Harveys. Thorp wrote on page 112, "In two hours we broke the bank again. The great heaps of chips in front of us included more than $17,000 in profits. I had won about $6,000 and Mr. X, betting wildly, had won $11,000. I was tiring rapidly. The aftereffects of our huge dinner, the increased effort in managing two hands, and the strain of the last few days were telling. I began to find it very difficult to count properly and saw that Mr. X was equally far gone. I insisted that we quit, and I cashed in my $6,000." Joe's eyes lit up and said, "I threw that bum out of here and you know what he did? He hugged me and kissed me and said thank you!" I asked him about Mr. X and Joe said that he was a known player and let Mr. X play on. Thorp was backed off by Joe instead of "insisting that we quit" as written in "Beat The Dealer." It was surreal spending that afternoon with a part of blackjack history. To hear the untold story of Thorp's adventure at Harveys with the casino manager whom we both beat as card counters right under his nose.

Quote: AB21

I was back counting a 4 deck game at Ceasar's Palace in Vegas in 1984. Two guys at the table - one betting blacks and one betting greens. The black chip better was wasted but was having a great run with maybe $20,000 in chips mounded up in front of him.

In the early Eighties, a friend and I would drive to Atlantic City to play Black Jack. We would combine our buy-ins, back count and one person would play (Hi-OPT I), while the other person stood behind the player counting aces. One evening, we decided to play at the Claridge. I didn’t like this casino because they had a split casino with most of the BJ tables in an Art Deco ballroom separate from the other games and crowds. Other players must not have liked the layout because the BJ pit never seemed busy; however, the Claridge continued to offer a six deck game on select tables which was attractive to our partnership, especially when most of the Atlantic City casinos changed rules and switched to eight decks after Mr. Uston’s book and legal actions. This particular evening was a blustery, bitter cold January night. The casino seemed depressed, desperate and deserted. The BJ ballroom managed to only have four or five other players at the different tables. I felt naked, we should have left and walked to another casino but the memory of the heavy, penetrating cold air blowing off the ocean influenced our decision to stay. I started back-counting a green chip player on the only six deck game open and sat down to buy-in with a decent count. I was in “the zone” and waiting for the dealer to change our $400 buy-in. From somewhere behind me I heard someone screaming in the distance. My friend hit me on the shoulder and shouted my name. I looked up and to the right of me, six inches from my face, was the pit boss screaming SHUFFLE!!! He was red in the face, his veins were popping out of his neck and his eyes were bulging like Roth’s Rat Fink cartoon. Again he spit and screamed “SHUFFLE!!!” in my ear. My only reply was a guttural sounding “what?” Looking around I noticed the dealer ready to break the shoe, the green chip player silently pleading for me to stand-up and walk away from this +8 goldmine, and my friend saying “let’s go.” We left and drove to Harrah’s, where; at least, there was a small crowd to provide some cover. I hoped the green chip play placed and won a few maximum bets off that sweet shoe since we provided great cover for him. Several months later, my friend and I tried our luck again at the Claridge. We were met at the top of the stairs leading to the casino by this same pit boss who asked us “are you here to learn about shuffling?” We didn’t answer, just turned around and never went back.

Nine months later, over the Labor Day weekend, my friend and I were in Las Vegas and on our way into Caesar’s Palace, in the early evening, to eat at the buffet and to play their very liberal game in one of my favorite pits. Back in the olden days, I “luved” playing at Caesar’s Palace, because it was always busy with dozens of tables open all the time. It was easy to drop into and out of games without causing any heart attacks or pit conniptions. As we descended into the casino my friend grabbed my arm, jerked me around one hundred and eighty degrees and told me, in a scared sh*tless voice, to meet him at the buffet. “Don’t walk through the casino,” he warned. Outside of the buffet he told me that he recognized the Rat Fink looking Claridge pit boss working my favorite pit. We broke up, agreeing to meet at the Marina casino where we had booked rooms. I had to see for myself and sure enough it was him in all his Rat Finkiness, polyester suit, perfect hair, disco boots and white belt. “I could tell by the way he used his walk that he was a women’s man; no time to talk.” We did enjoy playing at Caesar’s that later that week-end but on a reduced schedule and only after hypervigilant, careful surveillance.

Great post, robbiehood! I've got to ask though Hi- Opt I in a shoe game? One memory of the Claridge that I will always cherish is losing 21 hands of blackjack in a row. This was in a positive shoe and did not include any pushes. As if I didn't know, the dealer was only too happy to keep track for me. Do you remember the Hi-Ho chips that had the silver insert that looked like a coin?

I too have been recognized by pit bosses from other casinos. When the original Golden Nugget opened in AC I was made by a boss from Vegas. When Foxwoods opened a boss from AC was there waiting for me. This one was a problem. Whenever the dealer showed the burn card after shuffling as they often do in Connecticut, he would stare at me and scream plus 1 or minus 1. He was a big fat slob who finally got the ax for sexual harassment of co workers.

Quote: robbiehood

The casino seemed depressed, desperate and deserted.

So, typical night at The Claridge?

Hehe, just letting you know that lots of folks read these even though few post. Nice stories all, thanks.

Quote: JSTAT

In the summer of 2007, my wife and I stayed at Harveys as we do every summer....

Amazing story, thanks for sharing!

I realize some of those barf stories were a long time ago, but you can't leave a table open that someone has barfed on. Housekeeping or whoever has to come by and clean and disinfect, in fact, the one time I saw it happen, the table was re-felted. I still wouldn't play on it for a month or so, cuz I saw it happen. :-)

Occupational hazard: cabdrivers and blackjack dealers learn to watch out for drunks.

Actually its worse when your companion spills her drink and gets the chips sticky.

Quote: 1BB

Do you remember the Hi-Ho chips that had the silver insert that looked like a coin?

I do now after looking them up. I guess they have value today. Good eye if you kept some for collection.

Last June I bought into a blackjack game at the Mirage and took a seat at first base. The dealer was making standard small talk with the table and asked a guy sitting next to me wearing a Harvard t-shirt, “What kind of law do you practice”? Harvard guy says. “Give me a card”. The dealer continued making small talk and about 15 minutes later asked the lawyer again what kind of law he practiced. Lawyer said. “That’s the second time you asked me that”. A couple of hands later the dealer complimented the lawyer’s watch. Harvard guy turns to me and says, “It’s a cheap $20 watch” and laughs. Now I don’t have anything against Harvard or lawyers, but this guy seemed like a dick. There was a guy at third base who just played his hand and didn’t participate in any of the table talk.

A few minutes later Harvard man decides to tell us a joke. It was an old joke about how competing institutions teach men to wash their hands after relieving themselves. You’ve probably heard it and it’s not worth repeating here. Growing up in Texas I always heard it as Texas A&M vs. U of Texas, but evidently Harvard guy heard it as Marine vs. Army. He started, “ A Marine and a solder are in the men’s room”. At this point, third base looks up for the first time and looks Harvard Law square in the eye. Third base was about 28 and fit with short hair and a cap. It was clear that Harvard guy noticed for the first time that third base had a military look because he started stammering and muttering couldn’t tell the joke. He finally got it out somehow but the way he mumbled it no one really got it. The dealer and I kind of shared a smirk and Harvard didn't say another word and colored up couple of hands later.

What made everyone think the guy with the Harvard t-shirt was a lawyer?

I'm a low stakes beginner player. Usually buy in for 60-100 and bet $6 at a time. At the end of the day yesterday I remembered I had a $5 match play coupon. On my way out of town, I stopped into the casino of the coupon and hit a blackjack table. One guy was playing. I bought in for six dollars. Placed my bet along with the match play coupon. I was dealt a three. Ugh. Then an eight. Dealer showed a six up. Yay! I was supposed to double. But I hadn't bought enough chips. The guy playing says, here's $10. I asked the dealer, do I change one of these for white chips (dollars)? I was expecting to have to double down with six, I didn't realize how the match play affected the hand. The dealer says, 'you can double for less' with ten dollars, since you have eleven out there. So I do. She deals me a ten. I don't even remember what she ended up with. I won. She pays me, I ask if the chips are right. She say yes. I take the chips, give 10 to the guy who lent me ten. Tried to give him a one for his trouble but he wouldn't take it. I gave it to the dealer (I'm not comfortable tipping dealers), and walked away with $26. I was so excited. I turned $6 into $26 in one hand!


Two weeks ago, at the same casino, same table, same dealer, I bought in for $80. After a couple of shoes, I was down to my last three bets (three red chips, table min was $5). The dealer shuffled and made some comment that things could turn around. 35 mins later and I colored up for $125. My other favorite story!

Quote: BlackHawkDown

I'm a low stakes beginner player. Usually buy in for 60-100 and bet $6 at a time. At the end of the day yesterday I remembered I had a $5 match play coupon. On my way out of town, I stopped into the casino of the coupon and hit a blackjack table. One guy was playing. I bought in for six dollars. Placed my bet along with the match play coupon. I was dealt a three. Ugh. Then an eight. Dealer showed a six up. Yay! I was supposed to double. But I hadn't bought enough chips. The guy playing says, here's $10. I asked the dealer, do I change one of these for white chips (dollars)? I was expecting to have to double down with six, I didn't realize how the match play affected the hand. The dealer says, 'you can double for less' with ten dollars, since you have eleven out there. So I do. She deals me a ten. I don't even remember what she ended up with. I won. She pays me, I ask if the chips are right. She say yes. I take the chips, give 10 to the guy who lent me ten. Tried to give him a one for his trouble but he wouldn't take it. I gave it to the dealer (I'm not comfortable tipping dealers), and walked away with $26. I was so excited. I turned $6 into $26 in one hand!

Good one but why the $6 bets? Some dealers don't appreciate mixing colors like that, not that I care one iota what they think.

I don't like to get $0.50 when being paid for blackjack. You either get two quarters, or a $2.50 chip (which you cannot wager by itself).
I'm funny that way, I guess.

Table minimum where we play is either $5 or $3, depending on the time of day and the casino. So, I bet $6 regardless of the minimum. That way, when I get blackjack, I get a whole dollar amount of chips ($9). Some dealers have figured it out that they can pay me two reds and take my lone white on a blackjack payout, others give me a red and four whites. I don't mind, since I need a red and a white to wager $6. I've never had anyone say anything about the mixed color bets.

Quote: BlackHawkDown

I don't like to get $0.50 when being paid for blackjack. You either get two quarters, or a $2.50 chip (which you cannot wager by itself).
I'm funny that way, I guess.

Can I ask what state you are in ? working on a BJ game perfectly suited for $3-$5 action. THANKS

Table minimum where we play is either $5 or $3, depending on the time of day and the casino. So, I bet $6 regardless of the minimum. That way, when I get blackjack, I get a whole dollar amount of chips ($9). Some dealers have figured it out that they can pay me two reds and take my lone white on a blackjack payout, others give me a red and four whites. I don't mind, since I need a red and a white to wager $6. I've never had anyone say anything about the mixed color bets.

Quote: 1BB

Good one but why the $6 bets? Some dealers don't appreciate mixing colors like that, not that I care one iota what they think.

there are many players that use 25 and 5 and the dealers never have a problem with that. I do see dealers getting annoyed when people play $6 or $7.50

those are also the dealers who don't deserve a tip.

Quote: JuniorWiz

What made everyone think the guy with the Harvard t-shirt was a lawyer?

The Harvard guy was there when I arrived and I assume that it had already been established that he was a lawyer.

Quote: GWAE

there are many players that use 25 and 5 and the dealers never have a problem with that. I do see dealers getting annoyed when people play $6 or $7.50

those are also the dealers who don't deserve a tip.

Double Post

Quote: GWAE

there are many players that use 25 and 5 and the dealers never have a problem with that. I do see dealers getting annoyed when people play $6 or $7.50

those are also the dealers who don't deserve a tip.

I once had a dealer INSIST that I keep capping my bet with a Pink chip because it was "Good Luck", so he kept the paying the Pink chip instead of adding the extra red and putting the pink back in the Rack.

Won 7 hands in a row with the following bets, First bet $15 get dealt Blackjack, next bet $22.50, then $27.50, $37.50, $47.50, $62.50 (Double Down), and finally on a bet of $77.50, had a Hard 14, dealer turns up 11... gets an Ace and then a 10!

Finally tipped him a Pink chip, instead of capping my bet with it. Which I'm sure is what he wanted the whole time by letting me play a pink on top each hand.

Left the bet at $75 Got dealt a 19, dealer shows a 9 and turns up... Ace. Ouch!

He immediately goes "See, the pink chip on top was bringing you luck!"

I go "Yea, Either that or not changing my underwear this week!"

Left with a nice profit and actually felt bad about not tipping more. But it's nothing personal, just business!

I bet $6 when I play Spanish 21. I use to bet $5, and $1 in the Match The Dealer. (Fully knowing the sucker bet that it is.) After getting tired of asking for singles from the dealer, it made more sense to just bet $6 straight up on the hand. After a while, the dealer asks ME for singles. And yes, the $6 bet avoids the pink $2.50 chip.

Quote: GWAE

there are many players that use 25 and 5 and the dealers never have a problem with that. I do see dealers getting annoyed when people play $6 or $7.50

those are also the dealers who don't deserve a tip.

People play whatever they're going to play. I do get a little baffled when people put some multi-color bets up, especially with pink and white that they are no doubt trying to get rid of, but most of the time it's no big deal unless they hot a BJ, because a) I have to compute 3-2, which is typically no sweat, and b) I can't convert it like I can with a 1-1 pay, which takes away the whole "trying to get rid of their small chips" aspect.

We're discouraged from paying pink chips with pink chips, and I typically pay a pink with a red and take the pink. Rarely does anyone object, and if they want their pink chip kept, it's usually because they think it's lucky. If players want to play for me or do a side bet, they usually ask for pink or white chips as change. I try to keep them in supply of them if I know they want them, i.e. pay a bet partially in a smaller denomination if I see they're running low.

Quote: BlackHawkDown

I bought in for six dollars. Placed my bet along with the match play coupon. I was dealt a three. Ugh. Then an eight. Dealer showed a six up. Yay! I was supposed to double. But I hadn't bought enough chips. The guy playing says, here's $10. I asked the dealer, do I change one of these for white chips (dollars)? I was expecting to have to double down with six, I didn't realize how the match play affected the hand. The dealer says, 'you can double for less' with ten dollars, since you have eleven out there.

Where was this? In WA state, and I had assumed everywhere else, the match play has no value until it is won, so you can only double down the amount of the wager. $6 with a $5 MP should have only been allowed to double for $6. I'm curious what they would have said if you tried to bet the table max and put a match play under that.

I was downstairs at the Trump casino in Buffington Harbor. The floor lady in the pit was a pleasant appearing lady around 60 years old. I went to 2 x 275 and my first hand was a hard 11 and the dealer had a 10 up. I had placed a $5 bet for the dealer and doubled down plus another $5 for the dealer. The dealer pulled 2 cards out of the shoe. The floor walked over and asked what happened. We told her and the dealer and I both agreed on what would have been the first card out of the shoe. The floor instructed the dealer to deal me that card and it was a small card. The floor looked at my dealer bets and turned to the dealer and said, "That obviously wasn't the right card. Burn it and give him the other card." The dealer did as instructed and the second card was another small card. The floor said, "That isn't right either. Burn the card and deal him another card from the shoe." The dealer did and it was a 10. The floor lady smiled and said, "That looks better." The dealer had a 10 in the hole, I pushed my other hand, the floor lady smiled and said, "Don't tell anyone I did that" and walked away. $1100 swing because of the dealer bet.

Evident to me that Dan Lubin trained the floor lady well !

I walk in and sit at the blackjack table, where the only guy there has about $600 in chips in front of him and has an attitude like he has the entire world won. He's obviously on a winning streak and is very proud of himself for his accomplishment. When the floor comes by to take my player's card and I ask him how much in food credit I have. Floor comes back and tells me I have $30 in food credit. The player laughs and mockingly tells me to have him look up how much food credit he has with the obvious implication that it was astronomically bigger than mine (congrats on having hundred of dollars in comp in a place that mostly does cheap run of the mill bar food I guess?). Right about then karma decided to comp him some fresh humble pie. At this point he was at about $1000 but betting $100-$200 a hand, and liberally doubling down. So it didn't take much of a bump for him to suddenly be at about $200. He pushes all his chips in and manages to win the hand, keeping his original bet out there. His confidence returns with the win and he thinks he's right back on course when he's dealt an 11 against a dealer 6. He's back to acting how he's got everything figure out and practically insinuating that he's robbing the casino with his great intellect. He uses what he won last hand to double down, putting him all in. He's dealt a 3, but undeterred he is completely confident the dealer is going to bust and he saved the table by taking the 3. I stay on my 18 and the dealer flips over a 7 for a 13. Dealer hits and gets a 4 to put him at 17. I try to contain a smile while my modest $5 bet gets paid and his $400 gets swept away. He stares at the table for a minute or two in disbelief, then storms out of the casino without a word. I'm not normally one that roots for people to lose but I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't satisfied watching his smug attitude get demolished by the cruel blackjack gods.

I would have yelled after him, "Hey...you never did tell me how much you have in food credit."

Quote: anonimuss

I was downstairs at the Trump casino in Buffington Harbor. The floor lady in the pit was a pleasant appearing lady around 60 years old. I went to 2 x 275 and my first hand was a hard 11 and the dealer had a 10 up. I had placed a $5 bet for the dealer and doubled down plus another $5 for the dealer. The dealer pulled 2 cards out of the shoe. The floor walked over and asked what happened. We told her and the dealer and I both agreed on what would have been the first card out of the shoe. The floor instructed the dealer to deal me that card and it was a small card. The floor looked at my dealer bets and turned to the dealer and said, "That obviously wasn't the right card. Burn it and give him the other card." The dealer did as instructed and the second card was another small card. The floor said, "That isn't right either. Burn the card and deal him another card from the shoe." The dealer did and it was a 10. The floor lady smiled and said, "That looks better." The dealer had a 10 in the hole, I pushed my other hand, the floor lady smiled and said, "Don't tell anyone I did that" and walked away. $1100 swing because of the dealer bet.

Now that's service.

> I went to 2 x 275 and my first hand was a hard 11 and the dealer had a 10 up.
I figure this means 275 in each of two spots.

> I had placed a $5 bet for the dealer and doubled down plus another $5 for the dealer.
I don't know if they care how much the bet is... simply that its a dealer bet.

>the floor lady smiled and said, "Don't tell anyone I did that" and walked away.
They know some people are going to be winning, they might as well see that people who are tipping get some breaks. That floor person isn't sharing in the tip but she sure likes her dealers to be happy. And probably she knows that you will be back sometime and will probably have selected your casino due to some fond memories there.

> $1100 swing because of the dealer bet.
Swing? 1100??

Quote: FleaStiff

> I went to 2 x 275 and my first hand was a hard 11 and the dealer had a 10 up.
I figure this means 275 in each of two spots.

Yes

Quote: FleaStiff

> $1100 swing because of the dealer bet.
Swing? 1100??

275 with a double down is 550. He should have lost, but instead won, so it was an $1100 difference.

Quote: anonimuss

I would have yelled after him, "Hey...you never did tell me how much you have in food credit."

Yeah I was hoping that would be the cherry on the s*** sundae...floor person comes back and says "Sir, you have $15 in food credit."

Quote: Deucekies

Where was this? In WA state, and I had assumed everywhere else, the match play has no value until it is won, so you can only double down the amount of the wager. $6 with a $5 MP should have only been allowed to double for $6. I'm curious what they would have said if you tried to bet the table max and put a match play under that.

No clue about WA state but definitely not everywhere else. Where I play I can double down the full value, including match pay coupons.

If this is not the case, do not use them for blackjack. Walk over to the baccarat table and bet them on player (not banker!) for max value. If they don't have baccarat, craps (pass or don't) is not a bad choice.

Quote: anonimuss

I was downstairs at the Trump casino in Buffington Harbor. The floor lady in the pit was a pleasant appearing lady around 60 years old. I went to 2 x 275 and my first hand was a hard 11 and the dealer had a 10 up. I had placed a $5 bet for the dealer and doubled down plus another $5 for the dealer. The dealer pulled 2 cards out of the shoe. The floor walked over and asked what happened. We told her and the dealer and I both agreed on what would have been the first card out of the shoe. The floor instructed the dealer to deal me that card and it was a small card. The floor looked at my dealer bets and turned to the dealer and said, "That obviously wasn't the right card. Burn it and give him the other card." The dealer did as instructed and the second card was another small card. The floor said, "That isn't right either. Burn the card and deal him another card from the shoe." The dealer did and it was a 10. The floor lady smiled and said, "That looks better." The dealer had a 10 in the hole, I pushed my other hand, the floor lady smiled and said, "Don't tell anyone I did that" and walked away. $1100 swing because of the dealer bet.

Obviously that was very nice the pit.

I am surprised that your $5 dealer-bet was appreciated that much. I find that once you are betting black they think of you as "cheap" if you are not betting green for them (which is why I rarely bet for the dealer)

Quote: AxiomOfChoice

I find that once you are betting black they think of you as "cheap" if you are not betting green for them (which is why I rarely bet for the dealer)

Who's they? Any dealer that looks down his nose at a $5 toke on blackjack is a dealer that doesn't deserve a tip. Especially if that $5 toke happens more than once in my down. A $5 toke win is $10 and down minimum. I only have to hit a few of those to equal 10% of what I'm probably paying you for the down.

Any dealer complains that you're "only" toking $5, save those tokes for the next dealer.

Quote: Buzzard

Can I ask what state you are in ? working on a BJ game perfectly suited for $3-$5 action. THANKS

Sorry! I didn't see that question.

Colorado

Quote: SONBP2

In 2009, my wife and I were at the Majestic Star just outside of Chicago playing blackjack. We play the same way, $10 minimum bet, increase with each win and then back to minimum after a losing hand (I know it doesn't give you an advantage, we just enjoy riding the steaks). I am sitting at third base with my wife directly to my right. There is black woman to my wife's right and the table is all joking and having a great time. I begin the shoe by losing almost every hand, my wife is doing ok and handing me chips to keep me alive. About midway through the shoe my luck changes and I begin to win every hand. I get up to about $50 per bet and everyone at the table is cheering me on with each win. Out of no where the black woman says to me, "You look like Doogie Howser!" The table laughs. With each new hand she starts yelling, "GO DOOGIE, GO DOOGIE!" The shoe is coming to a close and I am now betting $100 per hand. The dealer deals me an 8 and 2 (10) aginst her 4. I double the hand making it a $200 dollar hand. The table, encouraged by the black lady is now all yelling "GO DOOGIE, GO DOOGIE!" My wife and I are laughing hysterically. The dealer turns over an 8 giving herself 12, then a 4, (the table is screaming "GO DOOGIE, GO DOOGIE!") and then a 10 to bust! Everyone cheers, even myself which is embarrasing, but true! We promptly colored up, up almost $700.

My first trip to Las Vegas in 2007 was one of the best runs of blackjack I have ever enjoyed. My wife and I made about $3000 in the course of three days. I was dealt 6 blackjacks in 7 hands during one session at the Stratoshere. The hand I didn't get blackjack, I was dealt an Ace then a 9. The dealer said he had never seen anything like that, so did my friend who was playing with us, also a dealer here in Las Vegas. It was an unbelievable streak. The most I have ever seen since then was three in a row.

I once got 4 blackjacks in a row at the Golden Nugget, LV.

Quote: DBJT

OK, so yes, that would make it even more far-outlier statistical improbability, having to start off with SO bad count (and not have wonged out) and get starting hand of A-A and decide not to split them.

So, then hitting your A-A hand you get, what, 6 more aces in a row...

A-A A-A-A-A-A-A

...So you're at soft-18, but vs dealer TEN still have to keep hitting... get a FOUR

A-A A-A-A-A-A-A-4

...So you're starting over now on a hard twelve, hit with FOUR more aces in a row...

A-A A-A-A-A-A-A-4-A-A-A-A

...So that's a hard sixteen now against dealer 10, only one more hit and it can be anything from another ACE to FIVE...

A-A A-A-A-A-A-A-4-A-A-A-A-5

...So THAT, now, is our really maximum possible single blackjack hand... FOURTEEN cards, TWELVE hits.

Kinda makes my measly little eight-hit, ten card hand look like no big deal after all... LOL

-DBJT

Well, it's possible to have 17 cards, if the dealer accidentally exposed his hole card and had a twenty. And if I had a 17-card 20 I might hit it because an 18-card 21 would be a once-in-all-of-humanity kind of thing. If I got ANOTHER ace for a total of 21 and beat the dealer I'd probably get an offer to be king somehwere. (And I would be kind and benevolent.)

Quote: Greasyjohn

Well, it's possible to have 17 cards, if the dealer accidentally exposed his hole card and had a twenty. And if I had a 17-card 20 I might hit it because an 18-card 21 would be a once-in-all-of-humanity kind of thing. If I got ANOTHER ace for a total of 21 and beat the dealer I'd probably get an offer to be king somehwere. (And I would be kind and benevolent.)

Nope. This isn't correct. Look again at that last line of cards by DBJT. A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-4-A-A-A-A-5. Unless you are playing some new rule were the dealer hits a soft 18, you would be done after 8 aces.

Quote: kewlj

Nope. This isn't correct. Look again at that last line of cards by DBJT. A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-4-A-A-A-A-5. Unless you are playing some new rule were the dealer hits a soft 18, you would be done after 8 aces.

But dealer has TT.

Quote: RS

But dealer has TT.

Oh that's right, I am mixed up. lol.......nevermind. :)

Of course it would never happen, but if the question was how many cards COULD you have in one hand, the answer is 21, all aces. (That assumes no splits. If one were to split 2s into four hands you could have a total that no human being has ever figured out. See, not all the problems in the universe have been solved.)