Casino Blackjack Player's Countertactics
Casinos obviously control the type of game they will provide.
All this includes when and to what degree countertactics will be invoked, the player enjoys exclusive control over when and where he plays--- unless a casino simply runs up the white flag and bars him from playing there at all.
In general, the substantial measures available to the player for minimizing the effect of casino countertactics involve the option of choosing his game.
Some have already been discussed in more or less detail, but a unified presentation is now in order.
In order to avoid errors, the player should be sober, reasonably well rested, and prepared to concentrate exclusively on the game. Single-deck games should be preferred to the multi-deck variety.
A bit of exploring will disclose which casinos have the more favorable rules and customs. It is generally best to play near the third-base position and at an uncrowded table. Card counting is easier when not many players are present.
More important, favorable situations will tend to last longer when few people are present to take cards and deplete the deck.
If you care to play for amounts larger than the usual minimum bets, many casinos will have one or several tables with a $5 minimum, sometimes one with a $25 minimum and a rare one with $100 minimum.
For obvious reasons, these tables tend to attract fewer players than the others, and thus they can be chosen to avoid the crowds.
Too much conspicuous table-hopping within a casino is inadvisable. Nevertheless, you often can find it convenient to move from a crowded table to an uncrowded one. Perhaps you have had a run of losses; a change of tables may appear merely to be a superstitious move to get away from a dealer who is 'hot'.
A noisy, unpleasant, or otherwise distracting fellow-player may appear to be your inducement to move. And sometimes this can be legitimate as well as a tactical reason.
Most players dislike being at a table with a bad player: the type who doesn't understand the mechanics of the game and who must repeatedly be instructed by the dealer in how to ask for cards, the proper way to indicate a decision to stand, the courtesy of turning up broken hands, and similar patterns.
Such a player disrupts the rhythm of the game, slows it down, and often deprives the counter of an opportunity to see cards. A drunken player can create the same problems.
June:07:2007:Thursday
It is transparently clear that whenever a casino's countertactics become too onerous to permit satisfactory play, the player should go elsewhere. However, many more subtle measures than merely walking away are available to the player to help him reduce the compromising effects that casino countertac ... [read more]
June:06:2007:Wednesday
This article is about the basics of the blackjack game. To put it as simple as possible, the object of the game is to beat the dealer, who represents the casino and its bankroll. [read more]
January:23:2007:Tuesday
This is a discussion about whether it's a good decision for a blackjack player to take an insurance bet, especially when he or she has a natural blackjack. Insurance usually happens if a dealer shows their upcard to be an ace. [read more]