Drunken blackjack and a dealer who needs to shut up.

[TonyF]

Both of these involved blackjack, a game I love to play. I had already blown my self-allotted gambling money for the night so I decided to mosey on over to the bar and use what non-gambling money I had leftover to load up on some liquid goodness.

I was there with two friends (brothers) who were going strong at the tables, certainly having a lot more luck that I was. They get 11s in their initial hands and I get stuck with 13s and 14s.

So, I'm putting back a drink and watching TV when I hear a loud slam. I look to my right and notice some dude kicking the video blackjack machine. Thinking it'd stop, I go back to the TV, I hear it again. I turn and this guy's getting more visibly upset because he's losing.

I direct my attention over to this guy now. I'm too far to see his hands, but it didn't matter since he lost everyone. In addition to kicking the machine, he slams down on the buttons with a closed fist. It starts to become a pattern, slam and kick, slam and kick, and it keeps getting louder and harder. He's now standing up, assaulting the machine, and dropping F-bombs every time he's losing. Security eventually has to go over there and calm him down. He agrees then plays one more hand. He loses, kicks the machine one more time and leaves. I overheard the bartender tell one of the waitresses that he had quite enough to drink for the evening before he went to that machine.


Amused, I walk back over to my friends. One of them has busted out and is now just watching. The other one isn't fairing so well either. I guess me leaving killed Lady Luck. The table had also switched dealers and this one was much more vocal about things. Everybody else had left so it was just my buddy playing against the dealer.

My friend was dealt 15. He chose to stay. The dealer then says to my friend, "I don't know why you didn't hit." The dealer then flips over a 13 then hits a face card to bust. That's why he didn't hit, pal.

The next hand has the dealer showing an ace and he asks for an insurance bet. My friend says no and the dealer asks him to reconsider and again my friend says no. The dealer then asked, "Or do you not know what Insurance is?" My friend had a 17 and lost to a 19. (Ace and an eight) He would have lost his insurance as well and he knew it.

It's my friend's final hand and he busts. He gets up looking defeated and we start to head for the exit. Our backs are to the dealer and he says, "Hey. Hey!"

We turn around and the dealer smiles, shrugs his shoulders and says, "Hey man, you were the one who cut the deck, so...."

I think that dealer might be on my buddy's blacklist.

[Sapphire Silk]

What a jerk. Your friends should have complained about that dealer. He's not supposed to push the players buttons like that.

I love blackjack, too. Never had a dealer interact that way with players. They'd answer questions about the game, and teach newbies how to play, and be genuinely helpful. They don't need to push buttons to get players to lose: the odds will catch up with the players eventually anyway, especially if the deck is not a single deck.

[Jetfire]

I've only played Blackjack IRL once, and loved it. I also had a great dealer and had a blast because of it, even with a few shuffler problems. Played out the night with her (a few break subs along the way granted).

One of the impressions I had though, was that she wanted me to win, and encouraged me to keep playing when I was on a hot streak (or just in friendly conversation). While the dealer represents the house, when the player is winning, the player is more likely to give tips to the dealer after all, so everyone benefits when the player wins; and the House usually comes out ahead in the end.

Can't wait till my summer trip back to Vegas this year so I can play again.

[Captain Trips]

I agree -- that dealer should have been reported. Think - no sales clerk would have told someone "Well, you COULD have tried it on before buying, so it's YOUR fault it doesn't fit. Sucks to be you." (Same thing as the dealer saying, "Hey, YOU cut the cards, your bad luck was YOUR fault.")

Next time you get a dealer like that, ask for his supervisor, the Pit Boss. He needed to be reported as talking shit to customers.

[AtDIelement]

I love blackjack but I'm always too afraid to play IRL. I'm always afraid I'm going to do some hand motion by accident and bet my car or something.

[Jetfire]

I was like you, and very hesitant to start. Best thing to do is to try and find a quiet table with limits you are comfortable with. A one on one table (ie a dealer with no one there to start) is best. Just mention its your first time playing in real life. Try to be friendly, and don't stress out about the gestures too much; if you are a newbie, and the dealer is friendly, they will probably ask you if you are sure if you're about to do something really stupid, at least for the first few hands while you get comfortable.

I went to the Casino floor with an 80$ budget, wandered around for a bit before I built up my nerve to try it. I fully expected to lose it pretty quick. Instead, I played it out for 5-6 hours, and ended up doubling up my money. (It was our last night in Vegas; we had an early morning flight, so I had decided I was going to play the night out instead of going to bed and trying to get up early)

Just set your budget and stick with it. Only bring down the cash you are going to play with and don't mind losing. If you feel your resolve is weak, leave your credit cards, debit cards, extra cash, basically everything but your budget and your ID (and player card) in your room (or locked in your car's glove box if you don't have a room; basically somewhere inaccessible), so it will take time to get it if you try to.

At one point, I had doubled up my winnings, so I put my original pot to one side and only played with my winnings. It was a small thing, but I wasn't stressing out about 'losing' money at that point since it was free money at that point anyway.

[Sapphire Silk]

I love blackjack but I'm always too afraid to play IRL. I'm always afraid I'm going to do some hand motion by accident and bet my car or something.

Jetfire has good suggestions.

As a general rule I avoid "insurance." It's a bad bet. Sometimes I'll double down, but only if the cards are right. There are a lot of good books on blackjack that explain the terms. The dealers can explain them to.

Don't make any bet on a term you don't know or don't feel sure about. Keep it simple.

I prefer single deck games, but they are hard to find. Most are double deck games. However, you should be able to find a table with a $1 minimum . . . go with a budget ($80 is my usual budget too), keep it simple, and remember you are playing against the dealer not the other players.

Do that, and you can play for HOURS.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

This thread is particularly funny to me, as I actually have a friend named BlackJack. Puts a fun spin on it for me.

[Andara Bledin]

Rule #1 - Don't bet more than you can afford, then don't play your stake.

Rule #2 - Insurance is a sucker bet.

Blackjack is actually pretty fun. I've had good luck at it.

Rule #3 - Don't quit your luck. If you're on a hot streak, keep going. If it goes sour, that's when it's time to cut out.

^-.-^

[Geek King]

There's a page I like to look at when my inner math geek twinges that is written by a professional odds-calculator: http://wizardofodds.com/

It has very nearly every version of various Vegas-style games, and what circumstances can change the odds, and how. He's brutally honest about which games are for suckers, the best way to play, and how the house can afford to run games the way they do. He also takes questions about how promotions affect the house edge, and shows you how the math works. I find it interesting, and I don't even gamble outside of videogames.

[mikoyan29]

I'm not sure if I play Blackjack "right" but I do try to play it consistently.

[Andara Bledin]

Consistent is good.

Anyone who bitches that you don't play it "right" can go find another table or stfu.

^-.-^

[TonyF]

Anyone who bitches that you don't play it "right" can go find another table or stfu.

That's what I believe, too.

While I never expect snarky or snippy comments to come from the dealer, I've been told a few things from other players that would often make me want to tell them to go shove it. Most of them are under their breath, so I was probably the only one to hear it...

"You took the dealer's bust card..."
"You're only betting five bucks, don't worry about it.." Uh, I still want to win, jackass.
"I would have stayed/hit..." Worry about your own hand.
"You're splitting those...?" Is there something wrong with splitting a pair of nines?
"This dealer sucks." You busting and losing is the dealer's fault, right?
"You busted." I'm aware of that, thanks.
"You stayed on a 13?" The dealer busted and I won. Is there a problem?
"Luck." So?

[Tuxian]

That's what I believe, too.

While I never expect snarky or snippy comments to come from the dealer, I've been told a few things from other players that would often make me want to tell them to go shove it. Most of them are under their breath, so I was probably the only one to hear it...

"You took the dealer's bust card..."
"You're only betting five bucks, don't worry about it.." Uh, I still want to win, jackass.
"I would have stayed/hit..." Worry about your own hand.
"You're splitting those...?" Is there something wrong with splitting a pair of nines?
"This dealer sucks." You busting and losing is the dealer's fault, right?
"You busted." I'm aware of that, thanks.
"You stayed on a 13?" The dealer busted and I won. Is there a problem?
"Luck." So?

As a dealer myself, I hear those kinds of things coming from players all night long, and I would like to say one thing to you, Tony.

Thank you for telling them off when we can't.

I'm serious, you've never heard such whining some nights. People complaining about how "He didn't cut the cards right," or "You took the dealer's bust card!"

I want to look these complainers right in the face and tell them, flat out, "You don't like how he/she plays? Get your butt up, and move to another table. We've got plenty."

As far as advice for blackjack goes, there's not a whole lot to keep in mind, just a few simple rules, which anyone who's been a dealer or long-time player will probably vouch for, even if "the book" tells you something different (hint, "the book" and those little cards are calibrated for single-deck games, not the 2, 4, or 6, or even sometimes 8 deck games you find out on the floor most places).

Rule 1) Never bet more than you feel comfortable betting. Don't let another player talk you into putting more on the spot than you want to.

Rule 1a) Never let another player "bet on top" of your bet. If they want to wager, let them play their own spot, do not take responsibility for anyone's money but your own. Not only will they likely try and blame you if you lose, if you win they're likely to try and say they had given you more money than they really did. It slows the game down, which leads to less fun being had by all players.

Rule 2) Watch a table for at least 5-10 minutes before you sit down. Is the dealer making hands left and right, sweeping everyone's chips into the rack? Then he's probably going to continue to do so when you sit down. Find a table that's winning, and join in when you're ready.

Rule 3) If the table goes cold, and you start losing multiple hands in a row, pick up and move on instead of chasing your losses. My personal limit is 3 (though you can stretch to 4) consecutive losses and I walk away. People lose more money trying to play "catch up" and recover money they've lost previously.

Rule 3a) Don't Martingale your bets. Martingale is a system of progressive loss betting. Say you're on a $1 table. First bet, you bet $1. If you lose, you bet $2. Lose again? Bet $4. And so on, continuing until you win, under the theory you'll "make back your losses". Well yeah, but you only stand to _profit_ by the original wager. So, expanding the progression on a $5 table results in this: 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640 (and here's where you're forced to stop, as most low-limit tables have a $1000 max bet). So, you might wind up betting $640 to win $5.

Rule 4) You may hear people at the table saying "Well, there's four 10s on the board, so he can't draw another 10." This is 100% false. What's on the table has nothing to do with what the next card out of the deck will be. The only cards you should pay any attention to are the two in front of you, and the one in front of the dealer. Treat all other hands as if they didn't exist.

Rule 4a) You're playing for you, not for the table. If someone tells you to take a card and bust yourself out (go over 21) so they can win, then feel free to look at them like they're crazy. It's not your job to lose so someone else can win. Do you really think they're going to give you anything if you do? Or "return the favor" later? Don't kid yourself.

Rule 5) The Dealer can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. We're people too. Treat us like you want to be treated. Be polite, smile, etc etc. We feel much more kindly towards someone with a good attitude, and are more likely to offer advice to help you, if you're polite to us. Grunt, swear, and treat us like we're just a tool of the casino? Sorry pal, you're getting the bare minimum when it comes to helpful advice.

Rule 6) Don't be afraid to ask the dealer, and only the dealer, for advice on your hand. An experienced dealer has likely seen thousands upon thousands of hands, and will have a fairly good instinct about how a given shoe is running. So don't be afraid to ask a dealer for advice. Don't let other players bully you into playing their way, because they're trying to get you to do what would be good for themselves, not necessarily for you.

Rule 7) On to the playing of hands now. The dealer's card is what you're playing against. You always want to give yourself the best possible chance to win. That being said, if you know the dealer has to take a card, you do not want to bust yourself out. Some may say you should hit a busting hand (12-16) to try and improve it. But if the dealer is also showing a "bust card" (3, 4, 5, 6, or 7) why would you want to remove yourself from the game instead of letting the dealer try to bust? You may not always win, but you'll win more than you would if you kill your hand by drawing a 10.

Rule 8) When the dealer shows a power card (A, 2, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K), you never want to double down or split your hand. You're already looking at losing your bet once, why would you want to make your loss worse by putting more money at risk? Some will say you should "always split A and 8" but think about it. Splitting As you get only one card on each A and have to hope you get one of 10-value cards (which only count for 4 out of every 13 cards), splitting 8s you're looking at the possiblity of making two 18s. If the dealer shows a 10, and turns over 20, you're borked.


Anyways, that's my advice, from behind the table. I'm sure others might have their own advice to give you too. Just remember, it's only a game. If it stops being fun, then stop playing and walk away.

[Captain Trips]

Tuxian, thanks for the good advice. May I summarize?

1) Ignore everyone at the table but yourself and the dealer - unless another player is trying to undermine you for their own gain, in which case tell them to buzz off.

2) Hit on 11 or less, stand on 17 or more, on 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 stand if the dealer shows a "bust" card of 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.

Is that about it? (I know there are systems that refine the 12-16 point hands, but why memorize too much? The idea is to have fun and win something, only professional gamblers care about "maximizing profit.")