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Take the Money & Run and publisher of the Blackjack Insider Newsletter.
See Part 1 for Myth #1- through 7.
Which of the following statements is true.
Myth #8. “You can’t win at blackjack.”.
Here’s what players most often say to support this myth. “Casino’s do not offer beatable games. They always have the edge”.While that’s true for most casino games and slots, it’s not for blackjack. It has been proven over and over again through millions and millions of computer trials that blackjack is not just a game of luck, it’s also a game of skill. By knowing how to play your hands correctly you can reduce the casinos edge to 0.5% or less. Learn card counting and you can turn the tables on the casino and have the edge. Why? Because unlike most other casino games where the odds never vary from one bet to the next, the odds in blackjack are constantly changing with the removal of cards from the deck. This is what makes the game of blackjack different and beatable.
Myth #9.“A player who enters a game in the middle of a shoe will cause the order of the cards to be changed in subsequent hands resulting in bad results for players.”
When players are winning, they don’t want anything to change especially the way the cards are suppose to fall from the shoe. They mistakenly believe that if a player enters a game in the middle of a shoe, bad results will happen. They even point to the signs that you find on some blackjack tables stating “No Mid-shoe Entry” as proof that even the casinos agree that changing the order of the cards is bad news for players.
It’s true that players who enter a game in the middle of the shoe will change the ordering of the cards on the next deal. But so does a player who quits and leaves a table in the middle of a shoe. Or how about a player who decides to play two hands in the middle of a shoe? Aren’t they changing the way the cards fall on the next hand?
Suppose the dealer offered you the choice of taking the next card from the shoe or any card you want from the shoe. Would it make any difference? Of course not. The odds do not change one bit if the ordering of the cards is changed.
By the way, there are two reasons for casinos not allowing players to enter mid-shoe. The main reason is to discourage card counters who back count blackjack tables (counting as a spectator) and then jump in and make large bets when the odds shift in the players favor. The second reason is to pacify a small minority of high rolling, superstitious players who believe in this myth
Myth #10. Always stand on soft 18
Many players argue that standing on soft 18 is the correct play because 18 is a good standing total and if you hit, you’ll risk ending up with less then 18. “It’s a sure winner” , they say, “so don’t mess with the 18”
Let me ask you this question. If your favorite casino offered to give you an automatic 18 on every hand would you take it? Most players would save yes, but guess what? Long term you’d end up losing money.
When you are dealt a hard 18 (that’s an 18 hand that does not have an ace counting as 11), you’ve got to stand because if you hit you have a high probability of busting. But when you hold a soft 18, you can always draw a card and never bust. In fact hitting and doubling down on soft 18 is the better percentage play with most dealer upcards. Here is how you should play it in multiple deck games.
Against the dealer’s upcard of 3, 4 , 5 and 6 you should double down.
Against a dealer’s 9, 10 and ace you should hit.
Against a dealer’s 2, 7, and 8 you should stand.
You will always win more money long term by following the above playing strategy versus always standing on soft 18.
Myth # 11. “Never surrender a hand without a fight.”
Most players’ attitude toward surrender runs like this. “How can I win if I lose half my bet by surrendering?”
I counter that argument with this. When you surrender properly, you will be saving money.
Take the case of holding a hard 16 against a dealer’s 10 upcard. You will lose more hands then you win regardless of whether you hit or stand. In fact the percentages are very close and whether you hit or stand you’ll lose about $54 out of every $100 bet. If instead you surrendered every time you’d lose 50% of the $100 bet or $50. Isn’t it better to lose $50 by surrendering instead of $54 by either hitting or standing? In this case, surrendering saves you $4.
Many casinos allow you to surrender your hand as long as the dealer does not have blackjack. You can take advantage of this rule by surrendering these hands in multiple deck games.
Hard 16 (but not 8,8) against dealer 9,10, or ace Hard 15 against dealer 10
Don’t think of surrendering as a losing play. When used correctly it’s a way to save you money when you play blackjack
Myth # 12. “Card counters win every time they play blackjack.”
Many blackjack players know that card counters have the edge over the casino therefore they assume that counters win every time they play. Believe me this ain’t so.
It’s a fact that counter’s have a slight statistical edge over the casinos. Good counters have as much as a 1.0 to 1.5% edge. Average counters, maybe a 0.5% or so edge. But having the edge does not guarantee you will win every time you play. This is because of the normal fluctuations that are inherent in a game like blackjack. In the short run, card counters sometimes win and sometimes lose. Anything can and usually does happen. But long term, assuming they are properly bankrolled and don’t over bet, their statistical edge will prevail and they will win more then they lose.
Card counters will show a profit over time but they do not win every playing session. That’s a fact that every card counter lives with and the realization that over the short run, long losing streaks can and do occur. Successful card counters understand this which is why they never over bet in relation to their bankroll no matter how much of an edge they may have on a hand.
Myth # 13.“Dealer’s sometimes cheat players.”
Sometimes dealers seem to miraculously draw to a total that beats a player. You’ve got 17 and he draws to 18. Worse, you’ve got 20 and you watch in disbelief as he draws a 5 card 21. Surely the odds of this happening is slim especially when it occurs on successive hands. The only other explanation is the dealer is somehow cheating.
The facts are this. Dealers do not cheat players just to win a bet. If anything dealers prefer that players win because winning players tip more. That’s not to say dealer cheating does not occur. But when it does and the perpetrator is caught more often it involves a scam with other players to cheat the casino not other players.
As long as you play blackjack in a regulated gaming jurisdiction, you need not worry about a dealer cheating you; so don’t blame them for your losses.
Myth # 14. .“It’s impossible to card count in multiple deck games.”
The reason for this myth is that most players mistakenly believe that card counting involves memorizing every card that comes out of a shoe. That is not what card counting is all about.
Here are the facts. Card counting involves keeping track of the composition of the cards as they are played. Assigning a value or tag to each card in the deck does this. Most counting systems tag small cards as plus 1 and high cards as minus 1. Counters simply add the tags of each card that they see on the table. The arithmetic sum of all the tags is known as the running count. When the running count is a positive number it means there were more small value cards played then high value cards. If that’s the case then the unplayed cards still remaining in the shoe must contain an abundance of high value cards vs. small value cards.
Card counters vary the size of their bets and sometimes their playing strategy based upon whether their count is a positive or negative number and how much of an edge they have on a hand. That’s how counting works. It does not involve memorizing every card dealt from a shoe. Even though it is more difficult to win in a multiple deck game, the mechanics of adding the tags is the same as a single deck game. Therefore, the statement that “it’s impossible to card count counting in multiple deck games” is simply not true.
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