Switching dealers superstition

I know I know I know that switching dealers and burn cards do not upset the "sacred order of the cards" - but, yesterday, I arrived for the grand opening weekend of the Revel and on my first hand was dealt a blackjack - immediately, the dealer "went on break", a card was burned, and I proceeded to lose the next 8 hands - I know it is superstitious, but somehow, this is a superstition I can't let go of - ok, everyone can laugh at me now :)

Ok you can all laugh at me too but I agree with you. I try to make a table reserved and depending on day and how busy they are I am sometime successful. I also ask the relief dealer not to burn a card and sometimes they will oblige me. FYI $ 100 table. My fellow members can also laugh but I don't play with house dealers and I usually look for my regular dealers that I play with.

So tell us,how do you recognize a house dealer.

I guess I just felt a bit let down that I would get a blackjack and then they change dealers and I lose 8 hands

I'm generally not superstitious. The only casino superstition I have is that when I play Pai Gow with a new deck, I sit out the first two hands making sure each deck goes through the shuffler. Yeah, I know it's dumb.

Oh, this seems like a good thread to start...

What's your casino superstition?

Should I start it..... Of course I will. After all, I'm going to Vegas tomorrow, and am pumped.

Quote: FinsRule

I'm generally not superstitious. The only casino superstition I have is that when I play Pai Gow with a new deck, I sit out the first two hands making sure each deck goes through the shuffler. Yeah, I know it's dumb.

Oh, this seems like a good thread to start...

What's your casino superstition?

Should I start it..... Of course I will. After all, I'm going to Vegas tomorrow, and am pumped.

Fin - place a link in here to your thread so we can all join in :)

Gambling "superstitions" are not superstitions in my opinion. They happen for a reason! The hard part is not accepting the superstitions as random and following through with a plan of action with it.

I've been gambling for 12 years, losing for 12 years for the most part because I keep deeming the same patterns as "random".

I have friends who make a lot of money playing Blackjack! Their advice: Burn cards usually changes things. No mathematic formula, just life experiences playing Blackjack through the years.

If you lose three hands in a row after the dealer is switched; LEAVE THE TABLE!
If the dealer hits a Blackjack after the dealer is switched; LEAVE THE TABLE!

I cost myself money the past few days because I kept on trying to convince myself my "superstitions" are random and based on "selective memory" even though the same pattern happens in almost every single craps session. I left a lot of money on the Craps table with Idiots destroying the flow. I need to have a craps table with every single person thinking alike and we would KILL the casino. We are our own worst enemies, we are trying to make money and we don't realize that there is "momentum" in life, sports and gambling. We know we are on a hot streak DURING the streak, we chase our losses even though we KNOW we are on a bad streak.

Sorry for venting! I'm down $600 but should be up at least $3,000 because I was too stupid not to listen to my freaking intuition every single time and was betting too freaking passively during my "hot roll" even though I knew I was on a great roll!

I located the "hot shooter" while playing craps the past two days. There were 4 altogether during specific sessions. My plan was to only bet on the "hot shooter" during his/her roll. I ended up being the hottest shooter and only made $600 on my roll while everybody else made $Thousands! I did not keep my patience by sitting out and kept on betting on LOSERS including myself at times when I "knew" things were not going well and the table went ridiculously cold!

Gambling is not random! Follow your instincts!

PLEASE somebody teach ME how to follow my instincts; I am so close to figuring this game out!

CRAPS PRESS BETS/STRATEGY COACH NEEDED!

I am offering a % of my winnings for somebody to press my bets for me while I'm on a Craps table shooting the dice...I am 100% serious!

You have absolutely NOTHING to lose! I am gambling solely with my money...I'll throw the dice, you press my bets...we decide beforehand the % split. I will be at Bethlehem Sands tonight at 7pm.

PM me and let's do this!

Quote: Hunterhill

So tell us,how do you recognize a house dealer.

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/blackjack/7296-does-previous-results-at-a-blackjack-table-contribute-to-your-decision-to-sit-down-and-play/
A previous thread on this matter.

I was counting the seconds till someone asked, it took 4 minutes. I know that I will be subject to ridicule but everyone plays by certain standards and I answer your question because you asked me. I frequent the mohegansun 3 days a week every week. I come on the mid day shift so I know every dealer, floor person pit boss and shift manager and many directors. When I mention a "house dealer" I refer to a dealer that consistently wins for the house. I feel that it is no coincidence that normally these dealers get the high limit games. You would not be able to"spot one" as you ask walking into a casino blindly. I have spent countless hours talking with dealers about how some dealers can win day after day. We have come to the conclusion that their is no scientific reason for this abnormality but I stand by this one rule of thumb. Counting or non-counting. If you observe a table and the players are getting absolutely smoked and seem to be playing with some resemblance to basic strategy are you going to sit down and try to buck that trend or are you going to another table?

Only1choice,

Absolutely ZERO ridicule. You are thinking outside the box! Different energy from different dealers.

I have a ridiculous addiction to anything gambling related and do lots of research...I have lots of friends who gamble on a weekly basis. We all share one common belief; some dealers...no matter what....you always do well when they are around. Some dealers.....you always do badly with. When the "bad" dealers arrive, LEAVE! Don't even play one hand.

Thinking that a burn card or a dealer or anything else changes the outcome of your session is silly. The cards don't know who is dealing. The cards don't know how many players are playing at the table. The cards don't know who is going to hit to how many cards and who is going to stay or hit on a 16. Someone splitting 10's or hitting a hard hand when a dealer has a bust card doesn't make any difference either.

The cards are just random cards. The hand you lose this hand because someone "took the dealers bust card" could end up giving you cards that help you win the next few that you would have lost if the player stayed. Gamblers love to blame their losses on every reason in the world except for the one that is true, you are not supposed to win.

I've heard sooooooo many excuses it just goes in one ear and out the other now. "The stupid player next to me doesn't know how to play", "The dealer burned/forgot to burn a card", "Some idiot jumped in mid-shoe", "A moron on 3rd base didn't hit his 15 and the dealer had a 8 showing".

None of it matters because you have no idea what the next card or squence of cards are and the cards don't know the future either. So if it makes you happy to think all sorts of things effect your session, more power to you. But other than your happiness, none of it really matters.

Zcore13

I respect your opinion, but I ask you to please answer my question If you observe a dealer smoking the table will you sit down or go to another table?

Quote: CrapsForever

CRAPS PRESS BETS/STRATEGY COACH NEEDED!
I am offering a % of my winnings for somebody to press my bets for me while I'm on a Craps table shooting the dice...I am 100% serious!
You have absolutely NOTHING to lose! I am gambling solely with my money...I'll throw the dice, you press my bets...we decide beforehand the % split. I will be at Bethlehem Sands tonight at 7pm.
PM me and let's do this!

LOL, it's hard to be the hot shooter AND make money..like I said, on my nearly 2 hour (record setting) roll, I only made a couple hundred bucks..while other people (who play the same way as me) made THOUSANDS...
I'm taking my gf to gamble tonight, it's her FIRST TIME playing PGP and Craps (I tought her how to play video poker last week at an indian casino)
I'm going to see if she's lucky and if she is..BET THE SHIT OUTTA HER ROLL! lol

Quote: Hunterhill

So tell us,how do you recognize a house dealer.

I'll tell you how...a dealer who doesn't seem HONESTLY happy to be paying out FREQUENTLY...you'll notice it too...
Hell, all of the dealers at JANugget seem to have this problem (but it's apaprently because they get their pay "capped" at $10 per hour)
It's REALLY obvious at the crap table when someone rolls a MONSTER hand, and it's almost as if they seem to be like "Hurry up and 7-out so it isn't this busy."
However, no disrespect to other dealers on this forum...because at other house's it's obvious that the dealers WANT you to win (Last time I was playing in SanDiego @ Barona, I was playing the DP and it was almost as if the stick was apologetic when he called passline winners {of course I was tipping})
Same for Vegas @ Rio...the dealers were HAPPY I was rolling a monster.

only1,

I don't even look at who's winning or losing when I approach a table. And if I did pay attention I wouldn't care if someone had just lost $10,000 or has $10,000 stacked in front of them. I think it's funny when someone at the table talks about how the dealer or another player or the cards are affecting things. Generally I just laugh to myself, but if the player is offensive or verbally berating the dealer I'll mention how stupid he/she sounds.

ZCore13

Quote: only1choice

I respect your opinion, but I ask you to please answer my question If you observe a dealer smoking the table will you sit down or go to another table?

I don't really play Blackjack so I can't answer that fairly however I will say If I had to choose, I would not play on a "cold" table. I'd wait for the "shoe" to end before joining a warm/hot table.

Why does a new shoe change the cold table? Are you saying it's the specific cards in a shoe that are hot or cold and not the table itself or the dealer? If that's the case are the cards in that shoe hot only for the current players and if someone leaves the table or joins this could make the cards unhapy and turn them un-hot?

I'm confused by all the hottness and coldness. What if cards are hot, but the dealer is cold? Does everyone break even? What about if the cards and dealer are hot but the table is cold? If I have a fever does that effect anything?

ZCore13

Have you ever been to a table where the count is in your favor but the dealer just keeps making his hands and you eventually leave the table shaking your head in disbelief that you had the count but lost nearly every hand? This is an example. Certain players like yourself will never understand nor believe what we are talking about. Thats what make the world go round. We politely disagree with each other.

Yes, I have been at those tables and I laugh at my bad luck and how I lost when the odds were actually in my favor at the time. I laugh the same way when playing poker and lose 3 straight hands in No Limit Hold'em with Pocket Aces, Pocket Kings and AQ and I'm ahead heads up pre-flop with the same guy each time. As the old saying goes "Shit Happens".

I have no problem with us disagreeing. And I agree it's what makes the world go 'round and life interesting. I also enjoy hearing people talk that think the world is flat, that we have Aliens captured at Area 51 and when children talk about the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. :)

Zcore13

I appreciated your entire response until the end I don't know why it is necessary for you to call me an idiot in your coded response. I also did not refer to any other games except bj which I feel is unique to itself. I wish I could take you one day to the mohegansun high limit area so you could see for yourself what i am talking about. For example I will see one of my buddies dealing and he will tell me not tonite I am smoking hot. I usually play about 2-3 hours and it is an area where you can on most nites except weekends observe whats going on. I would see lambs being led to slaughter. One player after another would go to my buddies table and they would last about 10-15 minutes. This would go on the whole time I was playing. I say black you say white, I know I can't convince you but don't call me an idiot!

I didn't call you an idiot. Kids that believe in Santa Claus are not idiots. They believe because they have either been told or experienced things that make them think it's true. Perception is reality in many instances in the world. It has nothing to do with being an idiot. It's all about what you've personally experienced or been taught.

ZCore13

Quote: TIMSPEED

LOL, it's hard to be the hot shooter AND make money..like I said, on my nearly 2 hour (record setting) roll, I only made a couple hundred bucks..while other people (who play the same way as me) made THOUSANDS..

TIMSPEED, I think you may be 100% accurate on this. A very small sample size but the last couple of craps sessions; I noticed the "hot shooter" did not make that much money on his/her roll while others on the table made a lot more money. I'll keep track of this over the next few sessions and report back.

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I've read enough on the math and used enough common sense to not believe in blackjack superstitions. But I've got to tell you, when you're constantly playing with superstitious people and certain bad things start happening (like a new dealer coming in and wiping out the whole table), you almost get sucked in and start believing that stuff. Maybe it's confirmation bias, maybe it's just happening to be on the wrong side of variance at that point in time. Whatever it is, it's no good.

exactly right Ibeatyouraces. A counter's advantage is very slim, just as the house edge is very slim. I've seen green chip players who were not counters take the house for 25k in a negative shoe, sometimes the cards are falling your way and sometimes they aren't. A good counter won't get flustered by bad variance and will be able to take small wins over the long run when variance begins to even out.

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Quote: Zcore13

Thinking that a burn card or a dealer or anything else changes the outcome of your session is silly. The cards don't know who is dealing. The cards don't know how many players are playing at the table. The cards don't know who is going to hit to how many cards and who is going to stay or hit on a 16. Someone splitting 10's or hitting a hard hand when a dealer has a bust card doesn't make any difference either.

The cards are just random cards. The hand you lose this hand because someone "took the dealers bust card" could end up giving you cards that help you win the next few that you would have lost if the player stayed. Gamblers love to blame their losses on every reason in the world except for the one that is true, you are not supposed to win.

I've heard sooooooo many excuses it just goes in one ear and out the other now. "The stupid player next to me doesn't know how to play", "The dealer burned/forgot to burn a card", "Some idiot jumped in mid-shoe", "A moron on 3rd base didn't hit his 15 and the dealer had a 8 showing".

None of it matters because you have no idea what the next card or squence of cards are and the cards don't know the future either. So if it makes you happy to think all sorts of things effect your session, more power to you. But other than your happiness, none of it really matters.

Zcore13

I agree with all of this. Player superstitions crack me up, but I have to admit I'll play along with them if it's getting me tips. :)

One of my favorites is that the shuffler is rigged. Um... ok, so then how does the shuffler know how many players are at the table? How does it know if you play perfect basic strategy or just "go with your gut"? I've seen someone playing perfectly by the book get crushed, while some newbie player makes all kinds of strange plays and wins, and vice versa.

Quote: TIMSPEED

I'll tell you how...a dealer who doesn't seem HONESTLY happy to be paying out FREQUENTLY...you'll notice it too...

As far as uncanny weirdness that happens, I've seen many times that the players attitude seems to effect their winning. I always try to encourage the players to get happy and hoot and hollar over their wins, because as little sense as it makes, the cards seem to like it. I've dealt a table win and everyone is like "Great, now I'm only $200 down" and sure enough the luck gods seem to take umbrage at this. But happy players are a different story. And hey, it's a lot easier to laugh off the dealer drawing a 9 card 21 when you're winning a lot of hands.

Quote: MonkeyMonkey

One of my favorites is that the shuffler is rigged. Um... ok, so then how does the shuffler know how many players are at the table? How does it know if you play perfect basic strategy or just "go with your gut"?

Obviously you have buttons hidden under the edge of the table to properly instruct the shufler. That's why players aren't allowed to wonder through the pit at most casinos ;)

Quote:

I've seen someone playing perfectly by the book get crushed, while some newbie player makes all kinds of strange plays and wins, and vice versa.

I'm sure all of us have played by the book, even at positive EV games like 10/7 DB, and gotten crushed, too. It happens.

Quote: Nareed

Obviously you have buttons hidden under the edge of the table to properly instruct the shufler. That's why players aren't allowed to wonder through the pit at most casinos ;)

I've heard that one many times. :)

My favorite is that when I put a new set of cards in the shoe I'll bounce it a couple times on the table to settle the cards making them easier to deal... I've been told that's how I'm telling the shuffler how many players are at the table. LOL, too funny.

Quote: Nareed

I'm sure all of us have played by the book, even at positive EV games like 10/7 DB, and gotten crushed, too. It happens.

I think it's a little sad when players can't accept that sometimes you just have bad luck. I've seen soooo many players that think that they're supposed to win (and by win, I mean win BIG) by playing basic strategy then they get upset when someone splits 10's or whatever. It's boggling to me how they can believe in the logic behind basic strategy but at the same time have superstitious beliefs. Oh well, as long as they're tipping... :)

Quote: MonkeyMonkey

My favorite is that when I put a new set of cards in the shoe I'll bounce it a couple times on the table to settle the cards making them easier to deal... I've been told that's how I'm telling the shuffler how many players are at the table. LOL, too funny.

Becasue actually you tap a number in Morse-Braille code, right? :)

Quote:

I think it's a little sad when players can't accept that sometimes you just have bad luck. I've seen soooo many players that think that they're supposed to win (and by win, I mean win BIG) by playing basic strategy then they get upset when someone splits 10's or whatever. It's boggling to me how they can believe in the logic behind basic strategy but at the same time have superstitious beliefs.

Oh, well. Even card counters with an advantage lose now and then. Even the casino, with a more consistent advantage and no heat to worry about, loses now and then. If this wasn't the case, no one would ever win anything at any casino. You go in with a negative expectation, you should expect to lose. It's fun to daydream about drawing nothing lower than a straight at VP, or making every point at craps and shooting for six hours straight, as long as you keep it at a daydream level.

Quote:

Oh well, as long as they're tipping... :)

I think that's called kidding on the square. I tip more when I'm winning, I admit, but I always tip something per session win or lose (with very rare exceptions).