If
you want to know what really matters when playing
blackjack, it's
shopping for best rules at hand.
Dear
Mark,
If the object of blackjack is to get as close
to 21 as possible, why do
you stop at 17, 18, or even 20? Kathy S.
The
objective of blackjack is to avoid going over
21 when the dealer
does, or to beat the dealer by having your hand
total higher than the
dealer's hand. Your assumption, Kathy, is amiss,
and it would take a
pricy toll on your bankroll if ever employed.
Say your hand totals 18,
and you're thinking maybe you'll say "Hit
me", when ZAPPO! -- a frantic
gray cell points out that only three cards are
safe at this point, the
Ace, 2, and 3, while any one of the rest - ten!
Count 'em - will sink
you like a lead dollar.
Dear
Mark,
I pretty much stick to basic strategy except for
one hand. I never hit
a 12 when the dealer' has an up card of 2 or 3.
Every time I have hit
my 12 in the past, out comes a 10 and I bust.
Would you recommend just standing when this scenario
happens? Brett H.
No
doubt, Brett, a 12 is a crummy hand, yet you will
win more often
over the long haul when you hit those 12's. Here's
the rithmetic'. If
you hit your 12 against a 2 or 3 you will win
37% of the time and lose
63%. If you stand, you will win 35% of the time
and lose 65%.
Personally, I prefer to win 37% of the hands rather
than 35% of them.
Wouldn't you?
Dear
Mark,
If you win 50% of the hands at blackjack, where
is the house edge?
Larry F.
Yo,
Larry, no one wins 50% of his or her hands in
blackjack.
Discounting ties, which happen 9% of the time,
you will win, on
average, 47% of your hands and lose 53%.
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