Playing Blackjack in the Casino

When the entire casino is crowded, little is usually gained by moving to an uncrowded table; it will soon be crowded, too.

However, success does not demand an uncrowded table; and often there are some comfortable tactical compensations to be gained by having several other players present.

For one thing, casino countertactics are sometimes less severely invoked with a full complement of players present. Also, with six or seven players, the dealer's shuffling habits usually become quickly predictable.

The dealer, often will deal only two rounds of hands before he shuffles. Thus, you can establish a simple, advantageous routine of small or medium bet on the first hand followed by a minimum or large bet on the second, depending on the point count after the first.

Of course, those dealers who sometimes deal a third round before shuffling make the situation even more desirable, and the reverse point count often can be used.

If a friend is with you and both of you plan to play, you probably will want to choose separate tables. Why should you crowd one another when relatively uncrowded tables provide the best rewards?

But if the entire casino is very busy, you will probably be unable to play at uncrowded tables in any event. Thus you may as well sit together and make sure you see each other's hole cards.

Obviously, place five will not be available to both of you, but you can take places four and five. If your friend does not case the deck, he should have no objection to sitting to your right, thus giving you the benefit of seeing all his cards before your turn to draw.

When you have decided to leave the table--- to rest a while, change tables, change casinos, etc.---- do so at an opportune time. Clearly, you wouldn't want to leave when more hands were about to be dealt from a favorable deck.

The player's equivalent of shuffle-up is to quit playing temporarily when the deck has turned unfavorable.

Sometimes, when you are about to take a seat and begin play just after the dealer shuffles, you may be able to delay for a moment to allow him to deal a hand to the other players before you start. Thus, you can take the count and have a running start for that deck at least.

This latter tactic is relatively minor in itself--- one to be employed when the opportunity arises but not worth conspicuous seeking.

A closely related maneuver, however, can be employed by an expert with casino chips in his pocket, who chooses to stand and watch games, like a curious onlooker, in a crowded casino.

He can watch until a deck is highly favorable and the dealer is expected to deal another hand before shuffling. Then the expert can suddenly join the players, without even sitting down, and make a single bet, preferably, large.

Not all were too fond of the technique; if employed enough to offer the player a good chance of any substantial profit, it would become very conspicuous and would take undue time and effort.

Nevertheless, it is a stratagem you may want to use now and then when you happen to be present in a casino and, for one reason or another, do not choose to play a sustained session.

Still another related stratagem is to play two hands, instead of merely one, at a time when the point count has become favorable.