Fred Renzey article

Ken, you sound like you endorse this article. First of all to hit A,8 against the dealers 5 is wrong according to BS. Scientifically how do you count the number of "babies" cards critically to justify departing from BS. Secondly it will not against the CSM. And thirdly, the most important, you would not last very long playing this way as your fellow players at the table will think you are absolutely a crazy player and in a crowded table will put alot of heat on you.
 
How to count the 'babies'? That's card counting. Renzey's point is that many of these decisions are very close calls, and it doesn't take much of a change in the count to make these plays appropriate.

Even against a CSM, if the table is covered with small cards, some changes in strategy become mathematically correct. I definitely don't advise that anyone make these plays by guessing when it is appropriate. The true basic strategy player is better off just ignoring these situations.

The main thing the basic strategy player should take from this article is the idea that if you see another player not playing exact basic strategy, don't assume it is because they don't know any better. They may just have a better handle on the game than you think.

As for pressure from the rest of the table, you're right about that. A good example is the commonly correct play for a card counter of hitting 12 against a dealer 4,5, or 6. It's a play that is appropriate quite often, but it invariably draws unwanted attention from the other players. That's another good reason to play heads-up if possible.
 
johntks said:
Ken, you sound like you endorse this article. First of all to hit A,8 against the dealers 5 is wrong according to BS. Scientifically how do you count the number of "babies" cards critically to justify departing from BS. Secondly it will not against the CSM. And thirdly, the most important, you would not last very long playing this way as your fellow players at the table will think you are absolutely a crazy player and in a crowded table will put alot of heat on you.
Click to expand...

Let me address a couple of your questions. There a some plays that are very close to a 'toss up'. Hitting or staying 16 vs 10. Hitting 12 vs dealer 4, doubling A/8 vs dealer 5, etc. If you have a 16 vs dealer 10 and you see 4's and 5's already in the hands of others, you might consider staying, even though you usually hit with BS. As for other players giving you heat for your play, most of them don't know what they are doing. It won't be too long before you can point out mistakes they make, if you choose to do so. A while back someone posted a great reply that I now use. If you have any of the above hands and are thinking of hitting: Announce to the table that " I'm going to hit this hand, unless any of you want to buy it from me and play it yourself."
 
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