I think most blackjack players know that basic strategy gives you the best odds over the long run. There is no shortage of bad strategies out there, though. One of the most common mistakes that new players make is mimicking the dealer.
I understand why people would do that. They probably know that the dealer has a statistical advantage in blackjack – called the house edge. If not, they at least know that the dealer plays a lot more blackjack hands than they do, so if he knows what to do they should follow him! The problem is that they are wrong.
Dealers will always hit on a 16 or less and always stand on a 17 or more, unless they are at a table where the dealer hits a soft 17. The dealer also never splits or doubles down. If the player mimics that strategy, that results in a house edge of 5.48%. By comparison, basic strategy results in a house edge of 0.5%.
So why is mimicking the dealer bad strategy? It is not the hit or stand rules that the dealer follows that gives him an edge. It is other rules, such as the fact that the players play out their hand before the dealer draws a third card, giving you an opportunity to bust first.
If you mimic the dealer, you are giving up two of the biggest 꽁머니사이트 weapons in your arsenal: splitting and doubling down. Splitting pairs appropriately gives you the change to win two hands instead of one when you have good hands. Likewise, doubling appropriately gives you a chance to win double the money on a good hand. Giving up those pieces of basic strategy gives up the chance to make up for your losing hands. So stop trying to mimic the dealer when playing blackjack and be yourself, as long as “yourself” is someone who follows basic strategy!
Jury: Harrah’s casino liable for brawl
In a surprise ruling, a jury found that a Harrah’s casino is liable for injuries sustained when a biker brawl broke out on their premises.
The casino in question is Harrah’s Laughlin, a casino in southern Nevada on the Colorado River that has slots, blackjack and other standard casino games. The incident in question happened more than six years ago.
On April 28, 2002, the casino was the unfortunate host of a deadly brawl between two rival biker gangs. Early in the morning, bikers from the Hell’s Angels and the Mongols entered the casino and quickly began fighting. The gang members were armed with guns and knives and though security attempted to bring the situation under control, three people were killed and many more injured in the incident, including some innocent casino customers.
I feel for any casino customers who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I wonder if the casino could have done anything to prevent this. Certainly an armed conflict between two dangerous biker gangs is not the type of thing a casino security team can be expected to be prepared for, right?
Though in five previous federal court cases, the jury agreed with me, this time the jurors sided with the injured parties. Plaintiffs in the case included Andrea and Dean Daniels, who were innocently playing blackjack when injured in the fracas, and Michael Bower, whose back was injured when he dove to the floor.
Harrah’s Laughlan is expected to appeal the decision to a higher court. I hate to point it out like this, but you usually don’t have to worry about biker brawls when playing online blackjack at home. I’m just saying…
