Page 8 - Jackpot Magazine South ~ October, 2023

PLAY TO WIN
Time to teach is before sitting at the table
“Success is when you teach someone else to do something better than you.”
— Anonymous
When it comes to blackjack, the less said at a blackjack table the better. Never give unsolicited advice to someone playing (“aw man, you should have stood with that hand”) and, quite honestly, it is best to stay quiet even when someone does ask for your opinion. If you say, “this is what I would do in this situation” and the player next to you does it and then loses... well, who are they going to blame. Not the cards, my friend.
But, what do you do when a friend asks for help? Henry Tamburin, gaming expert and author of many best-selling books, including Blackjack: Take the Money and Run, told of a time when one of his friends wanted to learn how to play blackjack. There is a lot to teach and always the chance things wouldn’t go well.
Tamburin first taught her the basics of the game and then the basic playing strategy. His advice was solid and helpful — and not given to her at the table when chips
(aka real money) was at
stake. After playing the
first time, Tamburin’s
friend had questions on
a few hands. He helped her
with those hands and then shared the information with Jackpot! readers
Tamburin takes up the story about a week after his friend ventured out on her own to play: A week later she called me and when I asked her how she did, there was a long pause. Although she remembered the majority of the strategy, a few hands stumped her. We got together again and went over these hands.
Three-Card Soft Hand
She knew the strategy for soft hands (hands that contain an ace, counted as 11). The hand that stumped her occurred when
she was dealt an ace-3
and the dealer showed a
3. She knew the correct
strategy for this hand was
to hit and not double
down (you double down only if the dealer showsa5or6).
Shehitanddrewa4andnowshehad a soft 18. The basic strategy for soft 18 against a dealer’s 3 is to double down. However, since she already drew a card, the double down option was no longer available to her. She panicked for a moment, not knowing how to play her ace-3-4.
I told her that when you have a soft hand containing three or more cards and the double down option is no longer available, then you should follow this rule:
Hit if you have soft 13 through soft 17.
Stand if you have soft 18 and the dealer shows a 2-8 upcard, and hit if the dealer’s upcard is 9, 10 or ace.
The correct play to the ace-3-4 against the 3 was to stand. I also gave her a strategy card that showed the playing option for three-card soft hands on the card and told her to bring it with her when she played and refer to it if she was not
sure how to play any hand.
Pair of 4s
During her visit to the casino, she decided to switch from a six-deck game to a single-deck game. She knew to play only single-deck games if a blackjack is paid 3-2 and to avoid any single-deck game that paid 6-5. She also knew the strategy changes
for a single-deck vs. a multiple-deck game. The hand that stumped her was 4-4 against a dealer 6. For a split second, all that went through her mind was double down 8 against a 6 but somewhere she also remembered that you should split 4s against a 6. Therefore, she didn’t know whether to
split or double down.
I told her the basic strategy for a pair of
4s against a 6 is to split. If you had an 8 consisting of 5-3 and 6-2, then you would double down against the 6. (With any
pairs, follow the pair splitting strategy first.)
11 Against an Ace
She told me that she was dealt a 7-4 and the dealer showed an ace and she forgot whether to double down or just hit. I told her the reason she was probably confused is that she was playing a multiple-deck game and then switched to a single-deck game. When she was playing a six-deck game (rules were s17 and das), you should hit against the ace. However, in the single-deck game (h17 and no das), the correct strategy is to double down an 11 against an ace. I told her it is best to focus on playing only one game per casino visit so she wouldn’t be confused between the slightly different playing strategies.
Tipping
My advice to my friend is that if you want to make a bet (a tip) for the dealer, place the chip on top of the chip(s) in your betting spot. Bets made outside of the betting spot are controlled by the dealer (as opposed to bets made inside, which are controlled by the player). If you place the chip inside and the hand wins, the dealer pays you (not herself). You then turn around and give the dealer the chip she won for the chip you bet for her on the hand. I suggested to my friend to let the chip ride hand after hand until she lost.
The last time we spoke, my friend told me she loves blackjack, and so far, she is ahead and having a ball. She thanked me for all the advice I had given her. I, in turn, told her she was a great student.
Do you have a question on the best way to play to win? Email us at jackpotmagazine@ gmail.com.
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8 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • October 2023
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