 
| ||
|
|
|
THERE IS ALWAYS A BETTER BET, SWINGS,
SURRENDER AND MIND MUDDLING, PART 4
by The Babe
"The Babe" is a dedicated blackjack tournament competitor. He was attracted to the game at the start of the 80’s and has undoubtedly participated in more major blackjack tournaments than anybody. He has won his way to the televised tables of The Million Dollar II Tournament, the Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS, and the new 2007 season of the World Series of Blackjack. He still continues to compete, and has three major titles to his credit in the past two years.
Note: Part 1 in this series appeared in June issue of BJI, Part 2 in July issue and Part 3 in the August issue.
In Parts 1, 2, and 3 in this series, we learned that it is more advantageous for you to make a specific double down (e.g., 7-4 vs. a dealer 5) on the 2nd to the last hand of a tournament round, than it is to hit if winning the double will get you to a maximum bet "plus" lead for the last hand, even when a loss by you and your opponent will turn your lead into a ½ maximum bet deficit. We determined that your round winning percentage would increase by about 6.3% by doubling, proving the winning power of having more than a maximum bet lead for that last hand. Can this knowledge be of much use to you? You bet it can! Some tournament history should help make the point.
An incident occurred over 20 years ago that finally resulted in bringing this four-part article to print. I was sitting in the 3rd base seat of a semi-final round in a tournament at the now closed Lady Luck Casino in downtown Las Vegas. I was last to bet in the 2nd to the last hand of the round. $30,000 to the winner was up for grabs, and I WANTED to be in that final.
In about five years of tournament action, I had done alright, but had never been able to break through to a major first, or even a 2nd place finish, and I was more than eager to prove my theory to myself, which was that I certainly must be one of the best players in this game. More than likely I had a bigger ego than most of the players in the game! Little did I know how much more there was to learn, and at that moment, the $30,000 prize was more cash than I had ever seen up close. My hand was dealt! Can you guess what it was? You’re right! It was the 7-4! Then the dealer turned a 5 for her upcard. While the dealer was busy with the first five players to act, my mind was whirling with questions. If I double this hand and lose, do I have any chance left to win? Probably not! If instead I double and win, can anyone beat me on the last hand? Not likely! What are the odds? I guessed it was about 75% to win this hand and the round.
You should know that until 1985...
...enter your member login information below to read this article/newsletter...
Paid Members-Only Article
You have clicked on a link to a Blackjack Insider web page or article for paid subscribers. You must have a paid membership to the Blackjack Insider newsletter to view this content. About 1/2 of the articles in each issue of the Blackjack Insider are for paid members only, while the rest are viewable by everyone. Your purchased membership will allow you to read all Blackjack Insider articles for 12 months.
Enter your user name and password below (they were listed and e-mailed to you after you purchased your Blackjack Insider membership):
Forgot your membership id or password? Click here.
How do I get a membership?
A membership can be purchased online at our secure store with your credit card for only $19.95 per year. You will receive a user name and password immediately by e-mail which you can use to read the all past and future members-only articles for 12 months, as well as the regular free articles.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP NOW... only $19.95
Do I have to buy a membership?
No. Blackjack Insider will continue to be published as a free monthly e-newsletter. But about 1/2 of the articles each month will be for paid members only. Subscribers without a membership can still view and read the non-members articles for free.
What happens after I buy a membership?
Immediately after you complete your purchase, you will receive a unique login user name and password. These are displayed on the final purchase page, and are e-mailed to you. When you click on a members-only article in our web site, you will be prompted for this user name and password (as shown above). Simply enter them, and enjoy the article! Note: make sure you turn on the checkbox above when you login, to save the user name and password so that you don't have to re-enter them every time you view members-only articles.
Why did you switch to paid memberships?
Blackjack Insider is a professional monthly publication with top-notch articles by world-reknown gaming experts. In addition, we have regular reporters that monitor game conditions and tournament schedules throughout North America. We use a partially paid subscriber model to enable us to continue getting the best content for our readers from leading authors on blackjack and gaming.
|
|
©2015, DeepNet Technologies. No material to be copied without express permission of DeepNet Technologies.
This site developed by
DeepNet Technologies, Ontario, Canada. Contact webmaster @ bjinsider . com
if you have problems.
This site is best viewed in a 800x600 graphics mode, or higher.