Going 1 vs 1 against the Dealer

[VanEck]

So Sunday night, I got bored and made the 45 minute drive to the casino to play some Double Deck BJ.

I guess Sunday nights are slow there, because there were large stretches of time where I was the only one playing. People would sit down play a few hands and leave, so it was just me and the dealer for the most part. I held my own for a good while just using Basic Strategy... but then there was an hour straight where the Dealer seriously laid a whooping on me. He was turning Six's into 21's FFS! It was brutal. never have I been handed such a bunch of consecutive crap hands while the Dealer continuously had winning hands. He complimented me for "making all the right hits", and I know deep down I was making the right plays... but it did not help.

I left there $200 in the hole... and I am sitting here wondering now, did I make a big mistake going 1 vs 1? Are the odds more favorable when there are more people? I was playing at the same table just a couple nights before, on Friday, and it was packed. I walked out that night $300 up.

So was it just a turn of the tide, or did I make a mistake?

 

[Slick]

BS BJ is a losing game. Playing 1 on 1 means more hands per hour. Do the math. Someone who just wants to use BS and no counting or anthing will want to play with more people to play less hands per hour which will result in less losses.

 

[Mr. T]

Never play BS 1 to 1 with the Dealer. The speed of play will kill you. It is like playing with a 3% house advantage. It is about 6 times faster than playing at a full table with the usual 0.50% HA.

 

[BMDD]

I would say it depends on your goal. If you are just bored looking to distract yourself for a couple hours, then slow your play down a bit, look for a fuller table, maybe even play some pai gow. You must understand what this kind of play will cost you and decide if it is worth the price.

If you are there to attempt to win some money, perhaps double your stake, that's fine too. In this case I think playing heads up is the way to go. If you lose, at least you haven't lost more time then "necessary". Just understand that with basic strategy you will lose more than you will win.

However, for the most part this is an advantage play community. So I will suggest that if you plan to continue to play blackjack you should spend a bit of time getting to understand the game better. Learn a simple count, maybe KO, red 7, or hi-lo.. or even a good card watching technique could be fairly effective on a double deck game.

BTW, the experiences you've had sound like very normal variance.

 

[VanEck]

Thanks guys. I guess that was a hard learned lesson for me.

Luckily I did well on Friday, so my Sunday night ass kicking doesn't hurt too bad now... but it still left a sting that's for sure. :whip:

 

[VanEck]

I would say it depends on your goal. If you are just bored looking to distract yourself for a couple hours, then slow your play down a bit, look for a fuller table, maybe even play some pai gow. You must understand what this kind of play will cost you and decide if it is worth the price.

If you are there to attempt to win some money, perhaps double your stake, that's fine too. In this case I think playing heads up is the way to go. If you lose, at least you haven't lost more time then "necessary". Just understand that with basic strategy you will lose more than you will win.

However, for the most part this is an advantage play community. So I will suggest that if you plan to continue to play blackjack you should spend a bit of time getting to understand the game better. Learn a simple count, maybe KO, red 7, or hi-lo.. or even a good card watching technique could be fairly effective on a double deck game.

BTW, the experiences you've had sound like very normal variance.

Very insightful. Thanks for the tips.

I do fully intend on learning Hi-Lo, but at the moment, I am still memorizing BS. I am close to having it all in my head to the point where I don't have to really think about it... once I reach that point (hopefully in a few more weeks) I will focus purely on Hi-Lo.

This reminds me of a conversation the dealer had that night with another player... the player made a joke about being a counter because he got two BJ's during the same DD shoe. The dealer laughed and said he doubts anyone who was a real counter would waste his time on DD BJ, because once you have a good count going, the shoe is over... is this true? If I intend on implementing Hi-Lo, should I not be bothering with DD?

 

[BMDD]

Haha, I would say that 98% of dealers are just as misinformed as the players.

DD and 6D games have a very different feel. It is true that many counters play 6D games, but not necessarily because they are better. Many counters, as well as non-counters, will play 6D because it is all that is available to them. Also, it can be easier to go undetected as a counter on 6D games.

On DD, the EOR's(effect of removal) are greater. for example, removing 1 card from 104, has more significance than removing 1 card from 312. So to bet optimally on DD you will frequently be spreading your bets all over the place.

Anyways, before I ramble for too long I will just direct you toward the words of a pro. I would recommend the book Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder for an all purpose blackjack book. He covers a lot of valuble topics. As for Hi-Lo info, perhaps Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong would be a good resource, though I have not read it myself.

I hope this helps!

 

[Blue Efficacy]

DD is actually better for the counter generally speaking, since you see high counts much more often.

This statement does not apply to double deck with poor (50%) penetration.

 

[canam99]

canam99

1on1 is riskier sometimes cuz the dealer holds the cards in his?her hand, so there is always a chance of being cheated i have seen it cheating on several occassions, the crudest cheating is where the dealer turns her hand over repetelty while holding the cards, but the good ones use bottom peeking and deal from bottom insted of top if bottom card might bust u , a very good cheat is called a mechanic and all big casinos have 1 on duty or on call 24-7

 

[canam99]

jumping from 2d to 6 or more

hi i am 73 i use to beat bj just by bs and money management back in the early 80!s, i had 100 to lose or stop when i won 100, i would change tables if i lost 2 more bets than i won , flat betting {of course rules where a bit better then i played only in reno or tahoe} i overcame aprox 1% disadvantage by playing many tables when i found a dealer, who was cold i would triple my bet, til i won a 100 and i always would quit then, then i used a card counting system by canfield it took me many years to realise it was a poor card counting system, i did worse than my old bs money management. i used the money and bs only on aprox 60 trips i always reached my goal, but i was a grinder and played up to 45 tables in 1 day! i now use the much simpler hi-low. BUT i am not sure i can count down more than 2 decks , i tried 6 and it was hard to not lose the count before shuffle , esp. if the dealer was very fast it took more concentration therefore i was more easily spoted. i would greatly appreciate any input

 

[ycming]

1on1 is riskier sometimes cuz the dealer holds the cards in his?her hand, so there is always a chance of being cheated i have seen it cheating on several occassions, the crudest cheating is where the dealer turns her hand over repetelty while holding the cards, but the good ones use bottom peeking and deal from bottom insted of top if bottom card might bust u , a very good cheat is called a mechanic and all big casinos have 1 on duty or on call 24-7

You can't be serious lol ? Like that's a joke right?

Ming