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You Know You're a Drunkard When (Part. 7 of ? Shortened) 16 more If ya don't like subject don't open this!

You're stalked by alcoholic vampires.

You have never screwed a cap back onto a liquor bottle.

Your friends pretend to be bartenders, just so you'll pay attention to them.

Your personal mantra is, "where there's a swill, there's a sway."

You suffer from barthritis- every night you get stiff in another joint.

You don't recognize the difference between "waking up" and "coming to."

You donate a pint of blood and the hospital has to card the patient they give it to.

Your liver enters itself in a Tough Man competition.

You wear Hawaiian shirts because it's tougher to see vomit stains on them.

Going out drinking with you is covered by your friends' insurance.

As a child your dad helped you learn math by first explaining a four-count.

Your personal math system is based on the number six, i.e.: "I'll take a twelver of Big Macs, with a sixer of those without cheese."

You use visualization techniques to master beer bongs.

In high school, you were voted most likely to drink in grade school.

2 for 1 is your lucky number.

A perfect date is a few bottles of wine and why ya need anything else?

http://www.total-knowledge.com/~willyblu…

Did you make those up?…because they are clever

The barthritis is my fave

when you read this and think, whats wrong with those things?

You Know You're a Drunkard When (Part. 7 of ? Shortened) 16 more If ya don't like subject don't open this!

Blackjack question – When the dealer hits soft 17s, why double down a soft 18 against a dealer's 2?

The casino I go to hits soft 17s. the strategy charts I use are off of wizardofodds.com………….they are supposed to be exactly the best strategies you can use in every scenario (besides card counting techniques. so we got http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/strategy/4deck.html

As you can see on the left it says to stand with soft 18 to a dealer 2, and stand with a soft 19 to a dealer 6. But when the dealer is hitting soft 17s, it says to double down in both scenarios. My question is why? how would it be any different in these scenarios……hitting soft 17s is about the dealer ace….not a dealer 2/6…….

I was playing blackjack at the casino last night and I had a soft 18 versus a dealer 2. I told everybody that the book says to double down in that scenario….and they all thought that was stupid. even the dealer was trying to talk me out of doing it haha.

A soft 18 against a dealer's 2, according to basic strategy, is a stand. There is a reason why a 2 showing for the dealer is sometimes referred to as a 'Dealer's Wild'. There are a lot of different hands that can be made with that 2 so the odds of the dealer busting are lower.

I would only double a soft 18 against a dealers' 3, 4, 5, and 6. Doubling against a 3 can be risky as well (not as risky as against a 2 though) but I would definitely stand against a 2.

Everything bandit just said. There is a lot of stuff a dealer can put together with a 2 and his chances of busting with such a small card are slim for the first few hits he takes. Much better odds to stand with an 18 which is a strong hand. IF the dealer is showing 3 through 6 double down. that is a much weaker card for him to have. Basically way risk double your money when the dealer is showing such a not obvious but strong card none the less, when you can stand on what is by itself a good hand?

Soft hands are kind of tricky. They never seemed to me to be quite as straight forward and hard hands or pairs.

Blackjack question – When the dealer hits soft 17s, why double down a soft 18 against a dealer's 2?

How to count cards in six decks blackjack?

can some one tell me the best way to count cards in six decks and one deck blackjack? when to bet and which cards to count?

How to count cards in six decks blackjack?

Do all online purchases count as credit purchases even if its a debit card?

any time you use your check card and don't enter your pin # it acts like a credit card charge. You won't have to pay financing on the payment though, so it's different. It isn't like the "count" any differently. It is just a different way to use your ATM card to access the money in your bank account.

It makes no difference whether the transaction is processed as a "debit" or "credit". It still comes directly out of your bank account. Most online purchases are probably processed as credit.

A debit transaction would require your PIN number. I don't think it wise to input your PIN number for an online purchase.

Do all online purchases count as credit purchases even if its a debit card?

When you are card counting the regular way, when should you start making big bets (blackjack)?

I've known how to play blackjack for years but I never got into it until like a couple weeks ago. Ive been researching about card counting and I was just wondering when I should make big bets. The casino works with 6 decks and I understand that 2-6 is +1 and 10-Ace is -1……so should I wait until 3 or 4 decks of cards have been dealt and then make bigger bets if the count is good? or should I start betting higher as soon as the count is a +?

Ya .. might have it backwords there… small cards are a – big are + you want to bet in a – situation. The fewer smaller cards in the deck the better ( 4 U )… Dealer has less chance of getting a 17.

You playing a 6 deck shoe… played 2/3 of the way.. the count is – 15 or better.. Time to rock.. ( In my book )

There is SO much to answering this question correctly. You aren't going to learn what you need to learn from this forum. it depends on your count. it depends on how deep you are into the shoe. it depends on your bankroll. to do card counting right, you really need to read a book thoroughly and study a lot until you've got everything down cold. It's not a simple thing to count cards correctly.

mr.longshot has it backwards, by the way. You were correct in saying that you start thinking of making larger bets with a plus count, not a minus. (Unless he has some sort of system that's backwards from all the other systems out there. perhaps every time a low card comes out, he calls that -1. Again, that would be different from just about everyone on the planet.

When you are card counting the regular way, when should you start making big bets (blackjack)?

A Blackjack Primer « Mike Kueber's Blog

Gambling destinations have become some of the most popular places to vacation in America.  although these destinations have expanded their range of attractions to include shows, food, golf, water activities, and amusement parks, their core competency is still gambling, and it doesn’t seem right to go to Vegas without spending some time gambling.  if you are undecided about what form of gambling you want to do, I suggest that you consider blackjack (also known as twenty-one). 

I prefer blackjack for two primary reasons:

  1. Your odds of winning, if you play properly, are the highest of any form of gambling – i.e., over 49% – although bad players can win as few as 40% of their hands.
  2. Playing properly requires mental acuity and provides mental stimulation.

I am assuming you know the rules to blackjack.  if you don’t, you can find an excellent description of them at the bottom of this entry.  beyond knowing the rules, the key to improving your chances of winning a blackjack hand from as low as 40% to over 49% is to employ the correct strategy. 

Every hand begins with the dealer showing one card and the player showing two cards.  Thus, the dealer has ten possible values (2-10 and ace), and the player has 30 possible values, including hard hands (without an ace), soft hands (with an ace), and pairs.    

Blackjack experts have used mathematical models and billions of computerized game simulations to determine the correct strategy for each variation.  the problem is that if you create a matrix with ten columns for the dealer’s possible values and 30 rows for the player’s possible values, you will end up with a 300-cell matrix that tells you whether to hit, hold, split, double-down, or surrender (if allowed).  you can see an example of a 300-cell matrix at blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php.  

Most players aren’t willing to devote the mental energy to remember each of the 300 plays.  to help these non-obsessed players, there are a variety of blackjack strategies that simplify and generalize the correct strategy without significantly reducing your chance of winning.  my favorite is called the Wizard’s Strategy, by the Wizard of Odds.  his simplified strategy consists of only 21 cells (two columns for dealer values and eleven rows for player values), and he claims it causes only .14% in incorrect moves.  he previously published a Simple Strategy with only seven rules, but that system cost .53% in incorrect moves.  you can see the Wizard’s Strategy in matrix form at wizardofodds.com/blackjack.

I have converted the Wizard’s Strategy to an alternative format that I think is easier to memorize.  the format is from the perspective of what the dealer’s cards are, whereas the Wizard’s matrix format is from the perspective of what the player’s cards are.  

Alternative Format for Wizard’s Strategy – the dealer’s cards

If the dealer has 2 to 6:

  • Stop when you reach 12
  • If you have an ace, stop when you reach 19
  • If you have a hard 9, a soft 16-18, or a 10-11 with more than dealer – double down
  • If you have two 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, or a – split

If the dealer has 7 to a:

  • Stop when you reach 17
  • If you have an ace, stop when you reach 19
  • If you have a 10-11 with more than dealer – double down
  • If you have an 8 or a – split

Surrender only at 16 to 10

Although I previously indicated that the correct blackjack strategy for each of the 300 variations has been definitively determined by computer simulations and mathematical modeling, that is not exactly true.  I have compared the 300-cell matrices on various websites, and they invariably contain a few differences.  I suspect the mathematical modeling or computer simulations aren’t as precise as the gurus implies.

Card-counting

You may have heard of card-counting in blackjack.  what that means is that some players have the mental acuity to remember not only the 300 different plays, but also the cards that have been previously played from the deck.  When the cards in the deck remaining to be played are favorable to card-counting players, they dramatically increase their bet; when the remaining cards are unfavorable, they decrease their bet.  Casinos don’t allow card-counting because these people can actually have more than a 50% chance of winning.  Thus, successful card-counters are routinely and unceremoniously ejected by casinos if detected. 

Most card-counters don’t actually keep track of each card played.  instead, they keep a running tally of whether more high cards (9-A) have been played relative to low cards (2-8).  if there is high ratio of high cards remaining to be played, that is good for the player because those high cards are likely to cause the dealer to break.  the ultimate card-counter might also alter his 300-cell strategy depending on knowledge of which cards remain to be played.  Casinos minimize the effectiveness of card counting by playing with several decks at once and then re-shuffling often.  you are probably better off learning the full, 300-cell strategy before attempting to pull some useful information from counting cards.

North Dakota legalized limited charitable gambling in the early 80s, and it was limited to pull tabs and blackjack.  I can’t remember what prompted me to first play, but I became enamored and started studying the blackjack strategies in books and then spending several hours playing (if my $20 didn’t run out sooner).  Blackjack and I connected emotionally and intellectually because (1) it favors consistent, steady play instead of big risks, and (2) it keeps your mind working, as opposed to the mind-numbing playing of one-arm bandits.   

If you haven’t played blackjack with a strategy based on math instead of intuition, give it a try.  you may be surprised how much fun you have, how quickly time passes, and how long your money lasts.

 

The Rules of Blackjack, as described by WizardofOdds.com (wizardofodds.com/blackjack)

Blackjack can be played with one to eight ordinary decks of cards. Cards of rank 2 through 10 are scored according to their face value. all face cards are 10 points. Aces are semi-wild and can be worth either 1 or 11 points. the highest hand in blackjack is an ace and any 10-point card and is called a blackjack. a winning blackjack pays 3 to 2. if both player and dealer have a blackjack the bet is a push. aside from a blackjack, a winning hand pays even money. the player wins if his hand has more points than the dealer, without going over 21. Thus, a 21-point hand is the highest and is why the game is sometimes called 21. if either the player or dealer go over 21 it is called a break or bust and a busted hand automatically loses. if both the player and the dealer bust the player loses, where lies the house advantage. if the player and the dealer tie, the bet is a push.

A round of blackjack begins with each player placing a bet in the circle or logo directly in front of him. then the dealer will give each player and himself two cards. Player cards are usually dealt face up. one dealer card is dealt face up (the up card) and the other face down (the hole card). if the dealer has a ten or an ace as the up card it is possible he has a blackjack, in which case all player hands will lose except those with another blackjack. in the U.S. the dealer will check for blackjack immediately, if one is possible, and will collect all losing bets immediately if he does have a blackjack.

In the event the dealer has an ace as the up card he will allow the players to insure their hands against a blackjack. this is much like any insurance policy in which you are betting something bad will happen. the insurance bet in blackjack pays 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack. if the dealer has an ace showing and a player has a blackjack the dealer may ask “even money?” this is because if the player has a blackjack the net result of both the blackjack and the insurance bet will be an even money win regardless of whether the dealer has a blackjack. After all players have had a chance to accept or decline insurance the dealer will check the hole card.

After it has been established that the dealer does not have a blackjack the players in turn may play their hands. the following options are available.

Stand: if the player is satisfied with his hand as-is he may stand pat. to signify you wish to stand, wave your hand as if to wave the dealer away. in a single deck game, tuck your cards face down under your bet.

Hit: if the player wishes to take another card he may continue to do so until he either stands or busts. to signify you wish to hit, tap the table with your finger. in a single deck game, scrape your cards lightly against the felt.

Double: if the player feels he needs one and only one more card then he may double his bet and be dealt one more card, good or bad. this option is only offered on the first two cards, and sometimes on the first two cards after splitting. to signify you wish to double, place another wager next to your original wager of equal value. in single deck, place your cards face up by your bet.

Split: If the player’s first two cards are of equal point value he may split them into two hands. in this event each card is the first card of a new hand. the player must also make another wager, of equal value to the first wager, for the second hand. Splitting after splitting is allowed; however, resplitting aces is often an exception. the player may usually split up to 2 or 3 times if another splitting opportunity arises. Doubling after splitting is usually but not always allowed. to signify you wish to split put the additional wager next to the original wager. in single deck, place your cards face up by your bet.

Surrender: Finally, some casinos offer the player the option to surrender on the first two cards. if the player does not like his prospects he may forfeit half the bet as well as his cards. if the dealer has a ten or ace showing, and the dealer peeks at his hole card for a blackjack before the first player’s turn, then the option is called ”late surrender.” if the dealer does not check for blackjack, or does not take a hole card at all, then the option is called ”early surrender.” Early surrender is much better for the player, because of the protection against a dealer blackjack.

After all players have played their hands, from the dealer’s left to right, the dealer will play his hand. the dealer has no free will but must always play by certain house rules. usually the rule is that the dealer must hit until he reaches a score of 17 or more. some casinos stipulate that if the dealer has a soft 17, an ace and any number of cards totaling 6, he must also hit. if the dealer busts, all players that did not bust automatically win.

A Blackjack Primer « Mike Kueber's Blog

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A Blackjack Primer « Mike Kueber's Blog

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