. . . and don't look
back!
17 June 2005
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark, I am going out to Las Vegas in a few
weeks to do a lot of gambling. I've been working
on a method for playing blackjack that I want to
try, but I recently read an article online that
made me worry my system would not even be
playable. My question is, if a table limit is,
for example, $5 - $100. If I initially bet $100,
and am given cards that either allow me to split
or double down, am I allowed to bet more to
perform that split or double down? Or, will the
casino tell me that I cannot bet any more
because I am at the maximum bet? The article I
read was saying the maximum was actually the
maximum that you will ever get paid back. So
according to it, if you bet $100 on the table
limits previously mentioned and hit Blackjack,
the casino would only award you $100, not $150
(assuming you were playing at a 3-2 table). Joey
S.
Here's a little casino trade secret, Joey,
concerning systems. No Lamb, even with a system,
slaughters the butcher. Do ya think Steve Wynn
just bucked-up nearly three billion to build
Wynn Las Vegas so you can give him a
shellacking? Notta chance! He didn't spend
bazillions on his gambling joint so that Joey
can come in, beat the hell out of the place, and
ask him for the keys to the front door. I'm also
going to poke a bit of fun at your question,
because your query was a gimme. If you are going
to take a whack at Steve's bankroll, you should
have at least known this particular rule of
blackjack. Newbies I'll excuse for being wet
behind the ears, but if you are going to chunk
that kind of dough on the layout, you should at
least know all the rules of the game you're
playing on. Betting limits on table games
establish the minimum and maximum amounts of
money you can wager on your original bet. You
cannot wager less than the minimum or more than
the maximum amount posted. The key word two
sentences back was your "original" wager. Let's
say your initial wager is $200 on a $200 maximum
bet blackjack table. When you double down, you
turn your cards face up, double your $200 bet,
and receive one, and only one more card. The
advantage of doubling down is that you are
allowed to increase your bet after you've seen
your hand and the dealer's upcard. You should
ALWAYS be able to make another wager that equals
the original bet, even if the total amount
wagered is above the table maximum. The same
holds true for a blackjack. You should always be
paid 3 to 2 for a natural, no matter what the
table limit is. (Note: There is a single deck
blackjack game where a blackjack pays 6:5. Look
for a review of this game in an upcoming
column.) As for that article you read on the
internet, I suggest that you become more
skeptical regarding content online. Sure,
there's a lot of great stuff on gambling,
however it's also a dumping ground for content
that is inaccurate, out-of-date (including a few
of my earlier columns floating around in
cyberspace), and sometimes deliberately
misleading content. Exercise some caution. One
final point, Joey. If you just happen to come
across a casino were they pay you less than the
appropriate amount for a blackjack, find the
nearest door, and just keep running!
Gambling quote of the week: "Just as outlawing
alcohol did not work in the 1920s, current
attempts to prohibit online gambling will not
work, either." - US congressman John Conyers
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