Question related to BS

[Traveler]

I am pleased to have found this site. What a wealth of information is made available to all who have an affinity for the game.
Would any of you help me better relate to the logic of the following which is taken out of context of a previous posting.
Basic Strategy is "Basic Only" as the name indicates, there are exceptions to BS if you count cards or not. One example is; BS states always hit hard 16 against a dealer 10 if surrender is not offered, the exception is if your hard 16 is 3 or more cards and contains either a 4 or 5, stand don't hit.
My thanks to all who respond.

 

[Canceler]

Here's the logic

16 vs. 10 is bad no matter what you do. And whether to stand or hit is a very close call. Getting a 4 or 5 would give you a nice hand of 20 or 21. But you won't get that particular 4 or 5 because you already have it. That factor is just enough to tip the correct play from being hitting to standing.

 

[GeorgeD]

16 vs. 10 is bad no matter what you do. And whether to stand or hit is a very close call. Getting a 4 or 5 would give you a nice hand of 20 or 21. But you won't get that particular 4 or 5 because you already have it. That factor is just enough to tip the correct play from being hitting to standing.

I thought Renzy's book says this type of table composition play only matters with a 4 or less deck game. Even then, it's pretty close.

I know CV tells you to never hit a 3 card 16 vs 10.

 

[Sonny]

Basic strategy gives you the correct play when you don't know anything about the composition of the shoe. If you are counting cards then you will have a much better idea of what cards are in the shoe so you can adjust your plays based on what cards you are likely to get. Basic strategy will give you a general idea of how to play an average shoe while card counting will tell you how to play the specific shoe in front of you.

-Sonny-

 

[Traveler]

16 vs. 10 is bad no matter what you do. And whether to stand or hit is a very close call. Getting a 4 or 5 would give you a nice hand of 20 or 21. But you won't get that particular 4 or 5 because you already have it. That factor is just enough to tip the correct play from being hitting to standing.

Am I to understand you to suggest that if I were holding a nine and a seven to hit, as opposed to having a four or a five within a combined total of 16 which obviously reduces my possibilities of receiving another 4 or 5 and should consider standing?

 

[Canceler]

You got it!

Am I to understand you to suggest that if I were holding a nine and a seven to hit, as opposed to having a four or a five within a combined total of 16 which obviously reduces my possibilities of receiving another 4 or 5 and should consider standing?

Yes, that's the theory.

At the risk of going beyond the scope of your question:

There is a hierarchy of levels of play, as described here: http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?p=39300#post39300. Your question was a hand composition question (Tier 2). If you are counting cards (Tier 4), you should do whatever the count says to do, regardless of hand composition.

 

[Traveler]

More then enough

My thanks to have contributed to my ever growing store of knowledge of this
wonderful and challenging game.
I don't understand anything about "Tier" play.
Would anyone care to provide input on the subject of differing tiers of play?
This novice has a lot to learn.

 

[Mimosine]

I thought Renzy's book says this type of table composition play only matters with a 4 or less deck game. Even then, it's pretty close.

I know CV tells you to never hit a 3 card 16 vs 10.

it's 6 decks or less. forget about the 8Ders, but 6 is still ok.

 

[Canceler]

More than you want to know...

Would anyone care to provide input on the subject of differing tiers of play?

Okay, but only because you asked! It's just about the amount of information being taken into account.

Tier 1: Total Dependent Basic Strategy - This is where you play according to the basic strategy (BS) charts, which are based on what your cards add up to. This level does not recognize that your 16 could consist of 9, 7 or 5, 5, 4, 2.

Tier 2: Composition Dependent Basic Strategy - This is where you make decisions based on what cards are in your hand. This is where things like the Rule of 45 (which is what you asked about) come in.

Tier 3: Board Composition Hand Playing Strategy - This is where you make decisions based on what cards are visible on the entire table at the time. Don't ask me for an example!

Tier 4: Deck/Shoe Composition Hand Playing Strategy - This is where you're employing some system of card counting. You might make departures from BS based on the count. These are called index plays.