Readers Q&A #36

Dear BJInsider.com Expert Guide,

The following question was asked by

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Does the other players actions truly effect the outcome of the dealers hand? I play according to strategy while the other players, not knowing ANY strategy, tend to ruin the flow of the table. Does their actions truly effect the dealers outcome or does it really not matter what the other players do?
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Best regards,
The "Ask the Pro" Staff

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Dear Beatmeblever,

The play of other players at your table has no effect on your expectation. Blackjack is not a team game. If the poor play of others would cause you or others to lose, the casino would hire shills to play stupidly on all tables. There is no such thing "as the flow of the table". The cards are in complete random sequence in the shoe. Removing one of more cards (eg. third base player drawing a card when he shouldn’t) will not affect your long term expectation at blackjack. There is nothing another player can do to affect YOUR chances of winning, only their own. Bottom line – it really doesn’t matter one iota what other players do.

Regards,

Henry Tamburin

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-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Vaughn [mailto:vonconu812@hotmail.com]
Sent: den 27 oktober 2001 01:02
To: editor@BJInsider.com
Subject: basic strategy for black jack

I would like to start off by saying that I really enjoy your magazine, I just finished reading your nov. issue#2.

In your story on bj card counting it was mentioned that by buying blackjack trainer and smartcards that one could maximize ones time spend learning how to count cards. My question is this, do these programs also teach basic strategy? If not do you know of any programs that teach basic strategy. I was playing a great game on gambling.com called hit or stand where you are dealt 20 hands in which you must pick the correct bet of hit stand, double or split if you get a perfect score you go to a 3min bonus round where you must pick the correct bet once again except that the hands are not played as soon as you pick hit or stand ect. you move to the next hand. What I learned in a couple of hours would have probally took years to learn! I thought I knew basic strategy why I thougt I knew it I have no idea I guess because I had spent so many hours playing black jack what an eye opener this game was. The game became temporarly unavaliable and now has been taken off there site completely.I enjoyed playing this almost as much as black jack for money. So can you help me do you know of any simular programs thanks Bruce

Bruce Vaughn

Dear Bruce,

Regards,

Henry Tamburin