Readers Q&A #19

Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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Do BJ tournament play differ from regular play
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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear John,

Yes it does because in blackjack tournaments you are not only playing against a dealer you are competing with your fellow players. The table player with the most ending bankroll after a specified number of hands will advance. Therefore it’s important you know how much to bet in the final hands depending on whether you are the table leader or whether you are trying to catch the leader. Sometimes you also have to be knowledgable enough to make some strange plays if that is what it takes to get ahead (I once lost to a player who doubled on a blackjack hand to get more money on the table and guess what?, he won the hand, I lost the hand and he won just enough to beat me). I suggest you read Tournament Blackjack by Stanford Wong for more strategy information.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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At a lot of casinos I've been to, the blackjack dealers tend to make assumptions about whether you are going to hit or not. Many of these assumptions tend to go against what your basic strategy table says that I should do. What would be the correct (polite) way of handling this?
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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear Mark,

Most dealers do not have a clue about basic strategy. You should play your hand by the basic strategy all the time and not worry what the dealer tells you to do. The polite way to handle this is to just the dealer you prefer to play your hand your way, not his way.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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what betting system would you recommend to the non-counter to maximize their earning potential?
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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear Bill,

There is no betting system for the non-counter that will increase your earnings potential in the long run. The only way to increase your earnings potential is to bet more when you have the edge and less when you don’t (ie. card count). I’d suggest you try Fred Renzey’s Ace/10 Front Count (see Blackjack Insider #14 for details). It’s a very simple system where you just count the number of aces and 10’s and it will help you win more money in the long run compared to a betting progression system.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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wheres the best places to play blackjack in biloxi/gulfport area?
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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear Bill,

According to our Gulf Coast Blackjack reporter, CC Rider, the best places to play blackjack are at these casinos: Palace (double deck), Beau Rivage (double deck), treasure bay (double deck), Beau Rivage (shoe), Casino Magic Bay St. Louis (double deck), cops, and Grand in Biloxi & Gulfport. For more details read CC Rider’s report in Blackjack Insider Newsletter #19.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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Dear Petrofos,

The best single deck game is at the Horseshoe casino. The best double deck games ($25 or less minimum bets) are at the Bellagio, Mirage, Bally’s, Frontier, Hyatt Lake Las Vegas, Las Vegas Hilton, Monte Carlo, Riviera, Stardust, and Treasure Island.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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I am a weekend warrior who plays in 6 deck games using the KO count. I use a progressiona betting method but I keep my bet high with high counts. What do you suggest my bet spread should be on $25 min. table with 65-70% pen.
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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear Petrofast,

What’s more important is your max. bet to bankroll ratio. If you spread $25 to $125 and have only a $625 starting bankroll you will have a 47% chance of going broke before doubling the bankroll (using KO preferred count). If you up your bankroll to $2500, your chance of failure drops to 36%. I would reread Chapter 4 in the book but certainly a 1 to 5 spread with a sufficient bankroll should be OK.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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Insurance. Why not take if I have blackjack. If dealer has, isn't it a puch and I win ins, if he doesn't I srill win main bet. either way come out ahead.
Thanks for great site

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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear Martg,

Because you will come out even further ahaed in the long run when you pass on insurance when you have a blackjack. You win a guaranteed 1 unit for every 1 unit you bet and you take insurance when you have a blackjack. if you pass on the insurance (or even money) sometimes you will push (win nothing) and sometimes you will 1.5 units 9the latter will occur more times than the former)., Overall you will wind up with an average win of 1.4 units. You will come out ahead more when you pass on the even money or insurance bet when you have a blackjack.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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While playing BJ on a doubledeck, $5 table in Gulfport,MS., a seemingly suspicious pit boss approached (I was playing one-on-one) the table and quickly snatched the max bet sign of $1000 and replaced it with a max bet sign of $200. He never a said a word and I asked no questions (I had no intentions of high bets at the time anyway. But for my future reference; is the action he took fair? It seemed shady. Should I have said something in protest, and if so, what should I have said? Thanks. Wayne Flatt.
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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear Wayne,

A pit boss can change the maximum bet of any table at any time for any reason or no reason. I wouldn’t protest but just politely asked him why he changes the max. betting limit. If you intedn to bet more then the maximum tell him and see what he says. But be careful because I assume you are a competent card counter that has a good act and knows when it’s time to bail out and play elsewhere.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin