Dealer called me a chicken!

Yesterday I was playing blackjack at a $5.00 table. At one point the dealer called me a Chicken I probably deserved it, but thought I would post it here as a learning experience.

I normally double any 11 against whatever the dealer has. I know some charts say don't against an A, but I haven't noticed any reason why I shouldn't. So, when I get the first card unless it's a 10, I get my DD bet ready. If after the second card the total is 11, I push the DD bet out, before seeing the dealers up card. Anything else I have to wait to see what the dealer has.

I had been getting slaughtered when DD on an 11 most of the day. I'd won a few but very few 9's or 10's as the DD card. I was using a progressive betting scheme and was up to $40. I had the stack of chips ready to slide out but at the last minute, I remembered I had been getting crap so didn't send it out. I was 3rd base so I had a long time to think about it and convinced myself to not double. When it came to me, I signalled a hit. The dealer threw down a Q of Diamonds and said Chicken :laugh:.

The moral of the story is, If you always double on 11, don't let what you've done before or the size of your bet affect your decision. Just do it!

That's when you know its not your night.. when you change your strategy to try to fix things and end up making it worse. It's like the shoe was taunting you. I have had my share of nights like that... for example, 6 hours straight of nothing more than losing and pushes. Just couldn't fix my cards no matter what i did, or what table i went to.

Correct!

I am working with a "professional" gambler... and we have discussed stuff like doubling an 11 vs. 11, hitting a soft 17, hitting 16, etc. ALL of which can be a 50/50 venture, at best.

What he said to me was, "decide what you want to do, and just do it CONSISTENTLY."

Consistency is the key, in my mind.

I'm NOT stalking you Manray <LOL> though it might seem like it. You can do things "consistantly" and be "consistantly WRONG!"

I've heard virtually everytime I've sat at a table concerning hitting 16 against a face...."Whatever you do, do it consistantly". When hitting 12 against a 2 or 3..."whatever you do, do it all the time!" BULL!!!!!

If you are playing straight Basic Strategy, the only variation in your plays should be those concerning the number of decks being played with and the rules on splitting and doubling. In the case of the hard 16's, hitting them will give you mathematically the probability of losing 1% less than if you don't hit. You are going to loose most of the time no matter what you do, but playing it correctly, you will loose less. The only reconciliation to this is that the amount you'd lose by standing is so minute that you probalby wouldn't be able to notice the difference <grin>.

Soft 17's.....what good is a soft 17? The only way you can win with a soft 17 is if the dealer busts! A soft 18 isn't much better. You conceed a stand on soft 18 if the dealer has a 2, 7 or 8 because you are more likely to beat the dealer....but both numbers are "action hands". You either hit or double on either except for the stands on soft 18.

The average hand that a dealer will have is 18.6. 17 and 18 do not beat that!

Point is, there are very valid reasons that the Basic Strategy is set to make those moves you question. Folks a lot smarter than I developed them and I for one, will put my faith in them.

I agree with you. I am a newbie and have no problems admitting that. I have a strategy card and keep it with me at all times. I have committed them to memory, and when I can't remember for sure, I consult them, regardless of how stupid I might look.

So, jedi master mike... you and I are on the same team.

And I don't see you as a stalker... at all. In fact, if you lived here, or I there, I would LOVE to have you come play with me.

Bottom line, I am here to learn.

Mike, sorry for being an idiot, but I'm not sure I follow this one.

12 DOES hit, but not against Dealer 4-6.

So, according to what I have memorized, 12 hits against a 2 or 3. So why am I being so dense about this?

Urgh. :joker:

Some numbers

When you double 11 vs a 10/face You will win 6 times and lose 5 times (on average)

As for hitting 12 vs the dealers 4, it is a very close play.
It is one of Renezy's Mag. 7 hands.
Braun shows it as 40/60 if you hit and 40/60 if you stand.
(It is .04% better to stand )

Hitting a 16 vs 10/face is another close play, but it is right to hit it.
You will gain less than one win, per every 100 times you hit it.

Now you can see knowing if the deck is rich or poor with face cards can help.

I think there are different levels of play.
(0) No Strategy
(1) Basic Strategy
(2) Beyond Basic Strategy
(3) Counting
(4) Counting/with Index's and more

Well, I would call myself a pretty solid basic strategy guy.

I am starting to pick up on little "beyond" tricks... for example dealer 5 being a bust card statistically.

I ordered the knockout book as well... maybe I should hold off on that until I improve my "beyond basic strategy" acumen?

B J Book

Manray- You may want to order Blackjack Bluebook II by Fred Renezy.
It is a very good book and you can order it from this site.

Chicken

If you flip a coin and try to guess what is going to turn up, you could (if unlucky) not get your 50%. If you guess heads on all flips, the book says you will get 50%. Play it the same and take whatever the edge is.

I will look it up, but what is the book about, and why do you like it?

Actually Midnite, the store here doesn't carry Renzey's book. I'm actually only familiar with Renzey through the handful of magazine articles and web articles I've read. I need to pick up a copy of the book you mention for myself.

I have a pretty thorough library, but I somehow missed this one, and I've seen it recommended several times.

Book

Sorry, Ken. I thought you carried it. I doubt there is anything it for a player like you, but there is a lot of usefull info for the newer players.