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Fred Renzey Gaming Guru - Page 14 Blackjack Players' Moral Standards Vary Widely9 September 2005
Last month we discussed some ways I'd seen blackjack players receive extra money through dealers' mistakes. Asking your opinions on the moral issue of keeping that money brought a downpour of e-mails. Here are condensed versions of some interesting responses.
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I was in a situation at the craps table where I was playing the "don't" and the point was 8. ... (read more)
Honesty in Blackjack: Where Do You Draw the Line?26 August 2005
Anybody who's played blackjack for a number of years has somewhere, sometime been paid on a losing hand. It usually occurs when your hand contains several cards and somehow looks higher than the dealer's total.
How should you handle this situation? Is it right to quietly accept this kind gift – or ... (read more)
Poker Strategy Doesn't Have One 'Sacred' Way to Play12 August 2005
The thing that makes poker infinitely deep and endlessly challenging is the psychological aspect of the game. If your blackjack dealer could choose whether to hit or stand on 16, for example, playing your own hand would be far more complicated. Against a "tight" dealer who you don't think will hit 16, you should probably hit your 12 when she has a 6 up. ... (read more)
What's the Logic of Soft Doubling Down in Blackjack?23 July 2005
The first thing any new blackjack player learns is when to stand and when to hit. Soon after, they start learning when to double down and split pairs. Then, way down at the bottom of the barrel comes doubling down with their "soft" hands, like Ace/2 or Ace/7.
Sad as it is, this confusing cluster of hands is never learned correctly by 98% of the blackjack players. ... (read more)
Playing Suited Hands and "Connectors" in Texas Hold'em16 July 2005
I'm amazed at how many new Texas Hold'em players are in the local card rooms these days. I'm also amazed at how wild most of these new players play.
The other night I was in a $20/$40 Hold'em game at a local casino. The "under-the-gun" player (first to act) came in raising it to $40. I folded my K/J offsuit, and the player behind me made it $60 to go. ... (read more)
Joe Blackjack Doesn't Play As Well As He Thinks9 July 2005
Yeah, I know you. You're Joe Blackjack -- the kind of player who figures he knows everything there is to know about casino 21. You've been playing the game forever and you even keep a blackjack strategy chart in your wallet. Well Joe, let's find out just how much you really know.
I'll ask you about a few everyday blackjack hands, and you tell me what to do with them. ... (read more)
What Is the Dealer's Average Hand in Blackjack?20 June 2005
A few weeks ago, we talked about the fact that overall, 18 is not a good enough hand to win at blackjack. Well then, on average just how good a hand do you need to beat the dealer?
Many aspiring students of the game have asked me, "What's the dealer's average hand?" Of the three dozen blackjack books I ... (read more)
What Are Your Odds in Texas Hold'em Poker?12 June 2005
Due to the popularity of Texas Hold'em, new poker rooms are springing up everywhere. Although various kinds of poker are played in public card rooms, the majority of games are Texas Hold'em these days. The lowest stakes tables usually begin at around $3/$6 limit. So for a $100 bill, you can get a decent ... (read more)
18 Is Not a Winning Blackjack Hand5 June 2005
Did you know that if you were dealt 18 on every single hand for the rest of your life, you'd die a loser at blackjack? That's right -- 18 is just enough to make you a small loser overall.
So what can you do about it? Well, when you're dealt a hand like 10/8, there's nothing you can do. It would be insane to hit a hard 18. ... (read more)
How Would You Handle These Hold'em and Omaha Hands?21 May 2005
Flop-style poker has become so popular in casino card rooms that old-style stud poker is practically dead. Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hi/Lo monopolize the poker action with many of their players being newbies to the game.
The question is, how capably do the newbies play? If they've adopted their strategy ... (read more)
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