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Silly
Superstitions
By Stephen Mead
Have you ever been playing at a Blackjack table when one of the players who
has been getting a run of bad luck has made the declaration, "I'm going to sit
out a hand to change the cards" or has refused to take a double down or a split
because "the dealer is lucky". Unfortunately I hear some variation of these
comments every day. I see players who will drop their bets simply because the
dealer has changed or as a result of seeing another player make, what is to
them, a bad decision. I can tell you this from experience - it doesn't make
a difference. The fact is, the way other people play their hands does
not in any way determine whether or not you will win or lose, neither will it
influence the dealer's hand.
The cards come out of the shoe in a completely random order, the sequence of
which nobody could know. The fact that another player before you either does
or does not take a card will not affect the odds of you either pulling a 5 on
a 16 or getting an 8 to go with your 12. If the card is there then the card
is there. Who's to say that he is not helping by removing a 10 before your much
needed 5. The foolish or stupid plays by other players do not alter your long-term
results. The flow of the cards may be altered, but the final results offset.
You are just as likely to win a hand or lose a hand as the result of a player's
"mistake" in play. How many times have you seen a player drop his bet because
the dealer changed, only to receive a 20 or a blackjack on the next hand? Yes
the new dealer did burn a card and yes, this does change the sequence of the
coming shoe, but for better or worse, who knows? The same applies to the player
who refuses to double his 11 proclaiming "I can't win a hand against this dealer
" and then is promptly dealt the 10 he needed.
All of these superstitions are just that - superstition. Playing proper basic
strategy gives you the best odds of winning against the house with any given
hand and by not following those guidelines you are just playing into the hands
of the casino.
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Stephen Mead has over 15 years experience in Table Games Operations as a Dealer,
Table Games Supervisor, Slot Supervisor and as a Poker Room Assistant Manager,
working in England, on Cruise Ships and in the United States. For more winning
strategies and tips, be sure to check out Stephen's book entitled You
Can Win! Black Jack Made Easy.
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