Ideal number of other players

[Burnitdown]

Is there an ideal maximum number of other players at the table? I play 6d games.

My experience is that my best results are playing with one other civilian and the dealer. This could just be an aberration.
It seems as though the count fluctuates less round to round with less players which would be advantageous, no?

 

[DSchles]

Is there an ideal maximum number of other players at the table? I play 6d games.

My experience is that my best results are playing with one other civilian and the dealer. This could just be an aberration.
It seems as though the count fluctuates less round to round with less players which would be advantageous, no?

The sole advantage to playing with fewer players is to get more rounds per hour, which should always be the goal. If you play 6-deck shoes alone, you lose the opportunity to sit out negative counts, which you can do if you have someone else at the table. So, yes, one other player (preferably to your right, to see more cards before you play your hand), is ideal.

Don

 

[KewlJ]

The sole advantage to playing with fewer players is to get more rounds per hour, which should always be the goal. If you play 6-deck shoes alone, you lose the opportunity to sit out negative counts, which you can do if you have someone else at the table. So, yes, one other player (preferably to your right, to see mo re cards before you play your hand, is ideal.

Don

Of course Don is correct. No one should even say that as it is redundant.

I don't sit out many hands. Probably should try to incorporate a little more of that, but related to the sitting out problem when playing alone, is exiting when playing alone. I exit negative counts aggressively (instead of sitting out). I like to exit quietly and quickly. No color-up unless I have won an awful lot and have many excess chips. So if there is another player and it is time for me to exit, I just jump up and leave, usually declining the color up as I walk away. And the game goes on because there is another player. When I am heads up and do this, the game comes to a halt (no one left playing) and dealer's eyes and sometimes pit are on me. We all know the advantages of heads up play, but for this exit strategy, 1 other player is best for me

 

[scorpio]

Another advantage with one other player is that you can spread to 2 hands at higher TC to get more EV while still keeping ROR the same.

 

[Meistro]

The ideal number of players is just yourself, anyone else will just slow you down.

 

[The G Man]

Not at all. Reread Don's comment.

 

[Hell'nBack]

The ideal number of players is just yourself, anyone else will just slow you down.

That's only true for pitch games or games where the dealer is flashing.

 

[Meistro]

That's only true for pitch games or games where the dealer is flashing.

I would say the opposite, a ploppy comrade slows me down significantly more in a shoe game than in a pitch game, as my top speed (in terms of rounds per hour) is so much higher when playing shoe vs pitch.