| | Silly Superstitions
Have you ever been playing at a Blackjack table when one of the players who has been getting a run of bad luck has made the declaration, "I'm going to sit out a hand to change the cards" or has refused to take a double down or a split because "the dealer is lucky". Unfortunately I hear some variation of these comments every day. I see players who will drop their bets simply because the dealer has changed or as a result of seeing another player make, what is to them, a bad decision. I can tell you this from experience - it doesn't make a difference. The fact is, the way other people play their hands does not in any way determine whether or not you will win or lose, neither will it influence the dealer's hand.
The cards come out of the shoe in a completely random order, the sequence of which nobody could know. The fact that another player before you either does or does not take a card will not affect the odds of you either pulling a 5 on a 16 or getting an 8 to go with your 12. If the card is there then the card is there. Who's to say that he is not helping by removing a 10 before your much needed 5. The foolish or stupid plays by other players do not alter your long-term results. The flow of the cards may be altered, but the final results offset. You are just as likely to win a hand or lose a hand as the result of a player's "mistake" in play. How many times have you seen a player drop his bet because the dealer changed, only to receive a 20 or a blackjack on the next hand? Yes the new dealer did burn a card and yes, this does change the sequence of the coming shoe, but for better or worse, who knows? The same applies to the player who refuses to double his 11 proclaiming "I can't win a hand against this dealer " and then is promptly dealt the 10 he needed.
All of these superstitions are just that - superstition. Playing proper basic strategy gives you the best odds of winning against the house with any given hand and by not following those guidelines you are just playing into the hands of the casino.
(Stephen Mead)
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Entertainment - Silly Superstitions
