Sometimes casinos can't figure
Dear Mark,
I recently received a flyer in the mail from a casino showing
some of their current specials. One was being paid 2 to 1
for blackjacks on Wednesdays. A good deal for the player?
Louise J.
Geez, Louise, I just love it when the marketing department
of a casino makes the rules. They may, or may not have known
it, but when that casino decided as a promotion that it will
pay you 2 to 1 for a blackjack versus 3 to 2, by God, they
gave you an edge over the house. How much? Well if you played
perfect basic strategy on a $5 game, you'll gain an extra
$2.50 once every 20.7 hands. That's an improvement of 12 cents
a hand-enough for some extra greenback in your wallet and
a cheap buffet as well. But what's most important here, Louise,
is that opportunities like this do happen occasionally, and
anytime you can one-up the casino, jump on it!
Dear Mark,
When a pit boss brought in new cards on our blackjack game,
a friend I'm with tells me to lower my bet on the first shuffle.
Does it really make any difference? John D.
Whether I answer yes or no, John, it's still bound to stir
an argument among purists on both sides of the issue.
First, a study I recently read stated that a new deck of cards
only becomes random after it's been shuffled seven times.
It's also my experience that most casinos only require a dealer
to shuffle, even with a new deck on the game, from three to
five times. So why are these statements important? Because,
when a new deck of cards arrives on your game fresh out of
the box, it comes in a predefined order (A-K hearts, A-K clubs,
K-A diamonds, K-A spades), which contains 10-value card clumps
not completely broken up by the initial shuffle.
So though my answer leans towards yes, albeit mildly, I do
confess I also back off until the second shuffle-which should
make the cards as random as they can be.
Dear Mark,
What are those funny little blackjack abbreviations like H17,
RSA and DOA mean that I've seen on casino newspaper advertising
or internet gambling forums? Bud T.
Authors Ovid Demaris and Ed Reid's conception of DOA was
the cautionary advice they gave in their 1963 book, The Truth
About Las Vegas. "The surest way to beat Las Vegas is
to get off the plane that has taken you there and walk straight
into the propeller." It's actually the rule variations/conditions
that each particular casino offers for blackjack. Below are
some you would typically see.
BSE = Basic Strategy Edge
H17 = Hit soft 17 (dealer must hit)
S17 = Stand on any 17 (dealer must stand)
DOA = Double On Any first two cards
D10 = Double on 10 or 11 only
DAS = Double After Splitting is allowed
RSA = Re-Splitting Aces is allowed
ESR = Early Surrender
LSR = Late Surrender
O/U = Over/Under 13 side bets are allowed
Dear Mark,
In some of your columns you mention the word "grind."
What do you mean by that? Ray R.
In the language of casino gambling, Ray, grind can be used
in a variety of ways. A grind player is generally a term associated
with a low roller. A grind joint is a casino that caters to
these low rollers. Then there's the grind down.
This is where the casino eventually wins all the player's
money due to the built-in advantage it has on all wagers.
Finally, the grind system. This is any system used by a player
that attempts to win small amounts frequently against the
casino. Unfortunately, the latter is highly unlikely. next article »
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