Re: New Player Needs Some Advice

Rod Garvey wrote:
> Hello, fellow BlackJackers -
>
> One more question: I am fully aware that you don't hit on 18-21, but
> what is the general consensus of the group for the following numbers:
>
> 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
>
> My gut says hit on everything up to 16, but I'd love to hear another
> opinion or two.

Depends on the game. Double down a 9 with dealer 3-6, double down a 10 
with dealer 2-9, double down all 11's.. Always split 8's and A's. Stand 
on 12 with a dealer 4-6. 13-16 stand on a dealers 2-6. Stand on all 
17-20. and never ever pay for insurance. If given the option for even 
money when you have blackjack and the dealer shows an Ace you might want 
to take it, but sometimes I'll gamble. It's really 50/50.  you must 
always assume the dealer hole card (card face down) is a 10

I'd go to www.bj21.com and learn the strategy very well.. There is a 
section called blackjack school or something and it will teach you the 
strategy..

Second, you can loose all of your money in a very short time playing 
blackjack and you have to be prepared for this. BUT. If you follow the 
strategy for the game you are playing (and they vary) you can cut the 
house odds down substantially. e.g. My wife and I play as a 'team' 
(somewhat frowned upon by the casinos) as we have a common 'bankroll' 
but the casino's dont know this. We go to 5 and 10 dollar tables, we are 
up close to $2000 in 9 playing apperances. We've only lost money once. 
We start play with $40-$60 each. We follow the strategy closely.. but 
sometimes stray (and this is when you can get 'lucky' or 'unlucky').

So, with that said, if you are following the strategy for the following 
game..

6 deck, dealer hits soft 17, double down any two cards,  double after 
split, original bet only, no surrender (6 deck, S17, DA2, DAS, OBO) the 
house odds are 0.44% in the houses favor, that is to say that if you 
follow the strategy faithfully over many many hands, you will loose 
around 50 cents on one hundred dollars. The 'matrix' that the strategy 
is based on is a computer simulation of thousands and thousands of 
hands. And thats how the house odds are calculated.. If you learn to 
count cards, which wh have 'somewhat' but not really, you can get a feel 
for the high card to low card ratio left in the unplayed deck and can 
modify your betting (the amount of your bet) accordingly and reduce the 
hose odds down to .05%.

It is complicated, don't be fooled by computer programs. Play for fun..

dimitri