Page 8 - Jackpot Magazine South ~ August, 2022

PLAY TO WIN
A few tips to help even seasoned ‘21’ players
“Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it.”
— Publilius Syrus, writer, circa 45 BC
An issue or two ago, I wrote about my father, who loved his game of blackjack. He had his quirks, like most players, I suppose, and while some of his quirks were perhaps quirkier than others and he had a temper after a few bad hands, he was a smart player and knew the game well.
He liked to play at a table by himself, so while it wasn’t slow play (like it would be with several additional players), it was play at an even pace. He knew the best tables to play at (tables that allowed for doubling down and paid the best for blackjacks). And he knew playing strategy — to hit or stay depending on what the dealer’s upcard was. These things came naturally to him, but everyone could use a little refresher with a few tips to help win more, or at least, maybe get more playing time.
Best-selling author and gaming expert Henry Tamburin shared some of his tips for recreational blackjack players in a
past column for Jackpot!
His topics include being
selective about choosing
a table; the best number of
decks to have at a table;
getting rated; and knowing
strategy. Let’s see what he says about all of this:
Select Where to Play
Not all blackjack games are created equal, so don’t just sit down at the first uncrowded blackjack table that you come across. You should scout the tables in the casino to be sure the blackjack game that you want to play has fair rules. For example, stay away from any game where a player blackjack gets paid at 6 to 5 payoff odds (or worse, even money).
You want to play on a table where blackjacks pay3to2.Ifyouarenot sure what the payout is, ask the dealer before you get in to the game.
As a generally guideline, casinos that offer the less favorable 6 to 5 blackjack games will do so on single-deck games (although a few casinos have implemented 6 to 5 on double-deck games so be careful). On double-deck and especially six-deck games, you are better off with these playing rules: the dealer must stand on all 17s including soft 17 (known as an s17 game, as opposed to a h17 game where the dealer must hit soft 17); you can double down on any two cards (doa); and you can also double down after splitting a pair (das). Be selective where you play and above all, avoid those 6-5 games.
How Many Decks Are There
The house edge in blackjack increases as the number of decks increases. So, a single-deck game is better than a double-deck game, which
is better than a six-deck game and so forth. But be careful. As mentioned above, many casinos have put single- deck games in their casino (which isgood)butonlypay6to5ona
blackjack (which is very, very bad).
In most casinos, minimum betting limits on double-deck games are usually higher than six- or eight-deck games. However, there are some casinos that offer low-limit double deck games especially during the week. If you locate a double-deck game within your betting limit, the ones with the best rules are s17, doa and das. However, most likely you will find h17, doa and das, which are OK for a double-deck game. What you want to avoid is a double-deck game where you can’t double on any two
cards or double down after splitting a pair.
With six- or eight- deck games, you should shoot for an s17, doa, das game at the minimum. These games are readily
available in most gaming jurisdictions but again be careful. Many casinos offer these shoe dealt games with h17, while other nearby tables have s17. Check the rules on the layout or ask the dealer whether the game is s17 or h17, and given a choice, stick to the s17 game.
Know Your Playing Strategy
If you want to play longer and win more, you shouldn’t use intuition to play your hands — especially when the mathematically correct playing strategy is readily available in blackjack books and online. If you don’t want to bother memorizing the entire basic playing strategy, then purchase an inexpensive basic strategy card and bring it to the table when you play. These strategy cards are perfectly legal to use.
Take Your Time
It is best to play at a full table of players rather than playing heads-up (alone) against the dealer. The more players there are, the less hands you will be dealt per hour, and the lower your expected hourly loss will be because you reduce your exposure to that tiny house edge. As a general guideline, you’ll get about 60-80 hands dealt per hour at a full table, whereas playing heads-up, you’ll be playing 150-200 hands per hour, which is a big difference.
Secondly, don’t play blackjack on any table if a Continuous Shuffling Machine (CSM) is used to randomly shuffle the cards. By using a CSM, the casino can deal about 20 percent more hands per hour than a game where the dealer manually shuffles the cards or uses a traditional automatic shuffler (the latter are OK, it’s just the CSM that should be avoided).
Play To Win Again
The Best of... Series
8 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • August 2022
THE SOUTH’S LARGEST GUIDE TO GAMING & FUN • www.jackpotmagazine.com