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Fred Renzey Gaming Guru Solve the Riddle of the Dealer's Bust Card20 February 2009
By Fred Renzey Most blackjack buffs are firmly convinced that if another player misplays a hand, it will probably hurt the rest of the players at the table. This belief becomes particularly evident when the player at third base takes a hit to a hand that that the other players think should be held pat. In this spot, if the dealer ends up making a good hand, third base usually receives the blame. Often, it's loud and indignant blame. Have you ever been one of the accusers in this type of situation? Well, it's time to look at this logically. Talk is cheap. It's easy to blame somebody else when things go wrong. But let's try to find out how much you truly believe in what you're accusing. What if the player at third base had 12 against the dealer's 4 up. Now, most everybody feels certain that third base's best play is to stand. But just before he acted on his hand, he turned to you and asked, "Which card is going to be more likely to break the dealer – the first one out of the shoe, or the card after it?" What would your most intelligent answer be? Suppose third base wanted to hit his 12, and you sternly objected. So he would agree to play his hand your way only if you would make him a little side bet. He would bet that the second card out of the shoe would be worse for the dealer than the first. But he insists that you put up $30 of your money to $25 of his for the privilege of dictating how he must play his hand. Now be honest here. Would you take that bet? If you believe wholeheartedly in the bad player myth, you could turn one bad situation into two good ones by giving the dealer her worst card – and winning a $25 side bet to boot. As for me, I like the other fella's chances better, getting 6-to-5 odds on a 50-50 proposition. Why do I say it's 50-50? Just play along with me a little further in my silly game. Suppose you were the one at third base with that 12 and this irrepressible voice in your head kept whispering, "Don't take the dealer's bust card". The man to your right has $1000 riding on his hand and holds 16. All the other players are sitting there in stone silence, but their eyes are shouting, "Don't take the dealer's bust card!" Finally, you decide to stand, when the dealer unbelievably reaches into the shoe and reverses the order of the first two cards. Panicky, you look to the other players. They say nothing, but you can literally read their minds, "Save the table -- Don't take the dealer's bust card". Problem is, which card is the dealer's bust card now? In fact, which was the dealer's bust card before? The truth is, you never know which card is the dealer's bust card and you can never deliberately save or kill the table. Even if you knew exactly what the next two cards were, without knowing their order you'd never know whether you preferred that the dealer get the first card or the second. The whole reason third base has one best play is because of all the cards he can catch versus all the cards the dealer can catch. But exactly where are those cards? Nobody knows. Once everyone else has made their own best play, the dealer's draw card is blind chance. So being all concerned over what third base does is just plain silly. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Getting Counterfeited in Omaha Hi/Lo Split13 February 2009
Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better is an action game. With nine cards to pick from, once the flop comes down nearly everybody has some kind of a hand – or at least a draw to a high or a low. A perplexing dilemma arises, however, when you're going low and have no realistic high hand possibilities. Let's say you've ... (read more)
Blackjack Players Gain an Edge When High Cards Come16 January 2009
Blackjack contains two important strategic elements that no other casino game has both of. The first is discretion. That's what you use when you place your bet and then decide whether to hit, stand, double down or split. You don't get to use such discretion in craps, roulette or the slots.
The second ... (read more)
The language of poker9 January 2009
Here we are in a major poker room watching a hot $50/$100 side game from a distance. Let's get up closer and hear what the players are saying as the hand unfolds.
Dealer; "Blinds please". The small and big blinds post their mandatory $25 and $50 bets and the cards are dealt. "Shoot it up!" says the fourth player as he tosses $100 into the pot. ... (read more)
Texas Hold'em Is a "High Card" GameAs you read this, there is a veritable Texas Hold'em explosion going on. At nearly any social event -- weddings, birthdays, what-have-you, somebody eventually starts talking about the game and what fun it is to watch or play. Right after that, the questions and opinions about Hold'em strategy usually start flying. ... (read more)"No Way I Can Lose This Hand" and Other Famous Last WordsThe well-dressed, distinguished gentleman was playing at a $100 blackjack table and betting b-i-g with his cohort standing behind him, rooting him on. He had just bemoaned losing five hands in a row and defiantly quadrupled his bet on the sixth hand. He was dealt another stiff, 13 against the dealer's 8 up. ... (read more)Loose Poker Players Shouldn't Play Caribbean StudI often get e-mails from readers on blackjack and poker strategy, but the other day I received an unusual inquiry concerning the game of Caribbean Stud. It read: Dear Fred, I enjoy all your columns, but we need an article on the odds of playing Caribbean Stud "in the blind" (staying on every ... (read more)What on Earth Were These Blackjack Players Thinking?Day after day, I sit at the blackjack tables and watch players throw money away by making irrational mistakes. Many of these people appear to be quite experienced at the game and are playing for serious money. When they come out of the blue with some of these beauties I have to wonder to myself, ... (read more)Most Blackjack Players Don't Understand the OddsToday I want to give an illustration of how most people shoot themselves in the foot by misinterpreting the odds while playing blackjack. Suppose you walk up to a table where the dealer has just finished shuffling her six decks. You take a seat at third base and put a bet up on each of two spots. ... (read more)Fred Renzey |
Fred Renzey |
