Page 8 - Jackpot Magazine South ~ June, 2022

PLAY TO WIN
Seat choice just the beginning in blackjack
“If you haven’t got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.”
— Alice Roosevelt Longworth
My father was a blackjack enthusiast who had some definite thoughts about the game and how it should be played. One of his habits was to play at a table that no one else was at. He didn’t want some newbie, or even someone with years of playing time, to make what he considered a mistake in play — a mistake that would cost him money.
I cringed whenever a player took a risk and hit their hand, getting the face card my
the far left of the table is known as third base, with the player seated in that spot known as the anchor player.
The first base player is the first player that must act on his hand (decide whether to take another card, double down, split or stand). Because the dealer quickly points to the first base player for a decision, my recommendation is for beginners is to avoid sitting in that position.
If you need a little more time to decide how to play your hand or glance at your strategy card then it’s best that you take a
groan when a beginner sits at third base and makes a playing mistake that caused everyone to lose.
Let me set the record straight. It doesn’t make one bit of difference what the skill level is of the anchor player on the other players’ chances of winning. Sometimes a playing mistake will cause everyone to win and other times it will cause everyone to lose. It’s a 50/50 proposition — only most blackjack players have selective memory and only remember the hands they lose when the anchor player screwed-up.
Look at this way. If a clueless player sitting at third base can cause everyone else to lose, don’t you think the casinos would hire a bunch of players to sit at third base and make incorrect plays? The fact of the matter is that in the long run the skill level of the anchor player seated at third base has no effect on the other player’s chance of winning.
But let’s get back to reality. Because so many blackjack players have this notion that the third base player can affect the outcome of the round by the way they play their hands, I recommend that novice players simply not sit at third base.
This will avoid the aggravation that unfortunately some players heap on a third base player.
The fact of seat position at blackjack is this: If you are a recreational player, it doesn’t make any difference, as far as your odds of winning, which seat you take. One seat is just as good as another. The bottom line is that most players shouldn’t worry about seat position when they play blackjack. Just play where you are comfortable and are having an enjoyable time playing the game.
Do you have a question on the best way to play to win? Email jackpotmagazine@gmail.com.
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dad was sure was meant to and give my dad the win. When instead of the 10 the player just got, the dealer turns over a low card to win the hand, I could see the frustration in my father’s face — and sometimes even hear it as he expressed his displeasure.
bust the dealer
I tried to tell my dad
something best-selling
author and gaming expert
Henry Tamburin once
wrote: “Sometimes a playing mistake will cause everyone to win and other times it will cause everyone to lose. It’s a 50/50 proposition — only most blackjack players have selective memory and only remember the hands they lose when the anchor player screwed-up.”
My dad remembered those hands, but that got me thinking about whether it really matters where players sit at a blackjack table. In a past column for Jackpot!, Tamburin wrote about the subject. Let’s see what he said, starting with the correct terminology for the positions:
As you face the dealer, the player spot to the far right is known as first base. The player in the last player position to
seat in the middle of the table so you have a little more time to decide how you are going to play your hand (the dealer will point to each player starting with the first base player and go clockwise for a hand decision).
So who should sit at first base? My recommendation is more experienced players who know the basic playing strategy well and those who are using a counting system.
The third base playing spot usually garnishes the most attention from players. The reason is that the player seated there is the last to act before the dealer. There is a misconception amongst most blackjack players that the skill of the anchor player has an effect on whether the dealer makes a hand or busts. Many players will grumble and
8 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • June 2022
THE SOUTH’S LARGEST GUIDE TO GAMING & FUN • www.jackpotmagazine.com