FLASH1296 said:
Since the decision on whether or not to Hit the 16 vs. the dealer's Face Card is a close one, on average, if your 16 is composed of 3 or more cards, by itself the small cards will tend outweigh the (single) large card, tilting you ever-so-slightly in the direction of standing.
What FLASH1296 forgot to explain is that a 3-card 16 is more likely include more small cards than large cards (T42, T33, 952, 943, 862, 853, 844, 772, 763, 754, 664, 655) than more large cards than small cards (T5A) or equal (96A, 87A). So when you look at 3-card 16's, you're assuming the count is slightly negative.
For the mathematicians, it's important to note that, in contrast to most combinatorial analysis done for blackjack, the order of cards
does matter here. A ten, a five, and an ace can appear in the following orders: T5A, 5TA, A5T, 5AT; but not in the following orders: AT5, TA5. Unless you're dumb enough to hit your blackjack, of course. :grin: