Mastery at Blackjack for
Just a Buck
23 February 2004
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I need some Hickok history regarding the "Dead
Man's Hand." I know it consisted of Aces and
Eights, but do you know what the "kicker was?
Marcus S.
Eight years ago when replying to a "Wild" Bill
Hickok Dead Man's Hand question, I identified
the kicker (fifth card) as a queen of hearts.
However, further research over the years has my
altering that answer. Since the complete hand no
longer exists, the composition of the hand can
never be proven with total certainty, but,
Marcus, I have found a few new nominees.
The five of Diamonds - the town of Deadwood has
this card on display, claiming it to be the
actual card.
The nine of Diamonds - according to supposed
eyewitness accounts at the time.
The jack of Diamonds - according to the
transcripts of McCall's trial, a witness claims
that this was the card.
The queen of Clubs - Ripley's Believe It Or Not
has this card on display.
Then there are the documentaries, movies and
plays that depict it as the Jack, Queen or King
of Spades.
Although we will never know exactly what cards
"Wild" Bill Hickok had when he was shot, when
dealt black Aces and black Eights, be assured
you're holding a Dead Man's Hand.
Dear Mark,
I have probably bought ten different blackjack
cards over the past five years, some costing as
high as $6 each. In both quality of information
and manufacture, nothing comes close to yours.
Of all the money I have spent to improve my
gaming, nothing touches your $1 cards, and I
mean it brother. John H.
For disclosure purposes, John is neither my
brother, nor brother-in-law. But, he does bring
up an interesting point: Can $1 really improve
your blackjack game? Absolutely, that is, if you
want to drop the casino edge to less than one
percent.
How so, you ask? Well, I have found that in my
18 years working the Green Felt Jungle, even
players who believe they are experts at basic
strategy misplay about 15 percent of their
hands. My laminated basic strategy chart, a crib
card matrix of 270 hand situations, is designed
to give you a concise and definitive play for
every starting hand you will be dealt. And as
long as you do not bring a blackjack game to a
dead halt, most casinos will allow you to use
your strategy card right at the table. You
definitely want to use it, or lose it ($$$) when
referring to the tough decisions, like, what you
should do with a 12 against a three? How about
an Ace/3 facing a five? Should you split a pair
of 7's eyeing a seven? Your replies should be
"hit, double and yes."
Obviously, $1 didn't seem like much to John, and
trust me folks, when you see the new laminating
process I'm using to improve the quality of
these cards even more, you won't either. Like
others who produce strategy cards, I could
charge 5X more for them, but a dollar is
approximately what they cost to produce them,
and let's just say I get my giggles when I get
mail from the likes of John (he's not my cousin
either). The only profit to be made is by YOU at
the blackjack tables. So, my friends, if you're
interested in one of these laminated cheat
sheets, send a buck and a self-addressed stamped
envelope to: Winners Publishing, ATTN: BJ
Strategy Card, P.O. Box 1234, Traverse City, MI
49685.
Gambling quote of the week: "More skullduggery
goes on in a pool room than anywhere. It's the
greatest place in the world to learn what life
is all about." --Billy Walters
|
