The Dealer's Mistakes

We all have experienced the "double dip" look at a 4 in the hole under a 10, but this is the first time I have seen the 4 turned over. I was playing two hands. The first, with a toke, totaled nine. I could not double down, so I hit and caught an ace. The second hand was fourteen, so I stood. Instead of me breaking, the dealer broke and I won.

The second time was at the MGM. A super-fast dealer did not wait for me to double after splitting 7-7 against her 6, when I caught an ace on the second 7. She flipped up her hole card, a 10, before I could even blink. I screamed for the pit boss, who let me double down. When the dealer broke I won.

The third time was at Sundowner. I wanted to double down on ten against an ace because of a high count. I stupidly laid my hand face down as I reached for my wallet. The dealer thought I was standing and turned over her hole card, a 4. The pit boss was understanding and said I could stand, hit, or double. I doubled, and this dealer also broke.

Cover Plays
If you are playing blackjack in a casino in which the dealers check hole cards under 10s, tells are a possibility; that is, you may be able to learn about the hole card under the 10 by watching the dealer closely after s/he checks under the 10. For this reason, most casinos no longer have their dealers check hole cards under 10s. But in case you encounter such a situation, here is a story from Peter Giles:
I had 4-4 once when the pit boss was watching the game. The dealer had 10 up and I read her for 9 or 10 in the hole. I laid my two cards side by side on the table for a split. I got about halfway out with my chips and then stopped. "Wait a minute," I said, "I think I'll double down." Then I stopped again and finally threw in my cards. "I surrender," I said. The pit boss laughed — as well as the other players and the dealer. Someone said, "Go get 'em, Tiger!" I acted embarrassed. But I smiled when the dealer showed twenty.
Later, when the pit boss was watching again, I had a four-card soft twenty-one. I looked at the cards as though I were trying to add them up. I finally threw them in for a bust. The dealer dutifully placed them under my chips for me.

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Dealer Errors
A reader says:
For my last 150 hours of play in Atlantic City, playing two spots per round, I received a grand total of two gifts. Both times, against different dealers, I surrendered $75 bets, handing the dealer $12.50 in chips. The dealers were so grateful for my help that they left my $75 untouched.

Bosses on Commission?
A reader asks:
Do pit bosses or any pit personnel receive a commission or bonus based on the profit of their particular pit? They all seem to be very concerned over anyone with even the slightest win!
Pit bosses get salaries, and the dealers get salaries plus tips. Many pit bosses are afraid of getting chewed out if their pits lose. Many dealers are afraid of getting chewed out if their tables lose. Casino employees have no job security.
Some casino managements are more enlightened. They strive for a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Their pit bosses are happy if you win and sympathetic of you lose. These casinos get more customers and make more money.

Biorhythm
A reader asks:
Have you checked your "biorhythm" against winning and losing days? If yes, what were the results?
I checked and found that my winning and losing days do not run in regular cycles. If the biorhythm theory is valid you cannot prove it by my wins and losses.
Predicting wins and losses is just like predicting stock market ups and downs — you know they are going to happen but you never know which is going to happen next. You can look back and see cycles, but you cannot project these cycles into the future.

Grossman Wins
Howard Grossman wrote this in 1981:
On the blackjack scene I can offer two interesting items. The first is the fact that my play coupled with Peter Griffin's single-deck double-exposure strategies has stunned the Las Vegas "21" machine society. The play against the slot machines netted my friend and me about $10,000 between the $1 and 25-cent slots in about two months. The "Wide Open" machines have since been changed or removed. Now the player can double only on ten or eleven and no splitting allowed of mixed 10s. I have been barred at two places from playing these machines.

The second item is even more exciting. I am playing a $40,000 challenge match against the Nevada Palace. It started Wednesday, 5-13-81, and will continue until I win $40,000 or lose $40,000 or more and wish to give up. The rules of the match are a one-deck game, dealer hits soft seventeen, with all the other standard options. I can bet anywhere from $100 on one hand to two hands of $400 each. The dealer deals three rounds and then must shuffle. As of Friday, 5-15-81,1 am up $18,500. There will be some local media coverage of the match and I hope the Nevada Palace will get some good publicity.
(later)

The Nevada Palace match lasted four days and I won almost $25,000. As my win steadily rose the owner became very tense and realized he had made a losing deal. The end result was that he hired me as a consultant and host at a nice salary.

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