No shoe for you!
15 June 2007
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark: Why is it that casinos do not allow
you to make a decent sized bet halfway through a
shoe? I recently made a table maximum bet, but
was sternly told that I had to wait until the
shuffle? I'm guessing that had I made a table
minimum $5 bet versus a $500 one, they would
have let me play. Marty C.
It's hard to say, Marty, that had you plunked
down just $5, they would have let you put one
toe in the water to see if you liked the
temperature. I'm going to give the casino a fair
shake here and state that there is the
possibility that there was a sign posted on the
blackjack table that stated NO Mid-Shoe Entry.
A NO Mid-Shoe Entry policy is just one of many
casino countermeasures used by casinos to ward
off card-counters. Mostly applied to shoe games,
once a dealer shuffles the cards and starts
dealing, any new player who comes up to the
table cannot place a bet after the first round
has been dealt, but must wait until the final
hand of that shoe. The same holds true for the
player who stops betting for a round; that
player also will not be allowed to re-enter the
game until the shoe is shuffled.
One of the main reasons for this rule is to
discourage "table hoppers." The hopper counts
down the shoe as a spectator, and then when the
shoe turns favorable, enters the game with big
bets.
Dear Mark: In poker, where is the best place to
sit against a loose player, to their left, or
right? Ken G.
Over the long haul, Ken, I think you will find
that you will make more money sitting to the
left of a loose player. By acting after the
loose player, you can trap him/or more likely
her into your pots when you raise. If you're
sitting to the right, you act beforehand, and
your raises will often chase Mr/Ms. Loose out of
the hand and you'll end up winning nothing.
Dear Mark: Is there a different strategy to
playing blackjack when dealer doesn't take a
hole card until all the players finish their
hands? Also, sticking with the dealers not
giving themselves a hole card, have you ever
heard of a casino taking not only the original
bet, but also all additional bets if the dealer
has a blackjack? I've heard that some casinos do
this. Melvin H.
Any blackjack game in which the dealer does not
take a second card until after all player hands
are finished is a No Hole Card game. If a player
splits or doubles, that hand loses and only the
original bet is lost when the dealer has a
natural.
A player's strategy and house edge remain the
same as in a game where the dealer takes a hole
card and checks it.
If the player loses the entire wager on splits
or doubling against a natural, this game is
called "European No Hole." With this game, if
the dealer gets a natural blackjack, a player
who has split or doubled down loses not only his
or her original bet but also all additional
wagers. The name of this rule derives from the
many games in Europe that are played with this
rule in effect.
I've never seen this thievery in the States, nor
know of it at any of the Canadian casinos, but
if you ever happen upon one, I'd recommend you
exit stage left.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week:
"Children gamble because they are greedy. They
want to have everything, and are astounded when
they don't get it." --Mario Puzo
|
