When AC first started, they had early surrender and positive expectation games. There were rows and rows of $2 blackjack tables too; and not too many slot machines, and no parlor games.
They also had a sign out front that said professional blackjack players were prohibited from play.
Of course, then came Ken Uston, and it was all downhill after that.
I want to thank everybody for your feedback on this thread -especially NORM and GMan..
I've only put in 12 hours of play so far. Roughly 2 hours at a time, then practice and review of rules at home. Improving.
Much appreciated!
Last edited by tal32bur; 03-20-2021 at 05:49 AM.
Don, you think average player ability has changed at all in the past 34 years since that study was conducted?
Read an article by Shackleford that suggested house edge for the purpose of comps was calculated at .75%. Less than the house edge when considering basic strategy + cost of player errors (as calculated by Griffin in '87).
Bad rules and bad decisions yes. Plus side bets with horrendous odds. Also, casinos have spread across the nation. Folks who wouldn't have thought to travel a distance can take a shot in a local casino. We also have the Internet. The Internet is an extraordinarily useful resource -- when used correctly. It is also the greatest source of misinformation ever conceived, filled with online casino sites and YouTube videos created by frauds. If people believe that the container ship recently stuck in the Suez Canal was actually a human trafficking ship associated with a past presidential candidate, they'll believe anything. (Yes, that is a current widespread claim.)
There is no way to know the average EV as played and I wouldn't try to guess. But, I think it's substantially worse than basic strategy advantage of a decent game. And I continue to believe casinos are way over paranoid about player abilities.
"I don't think outside the box; I think of what I can do with the box." - Henri Matisse
Well, there is the way Griffin did it. Somewhat random and tedious, but maybe better than nothing. Two concepts today that may make the number worse than what he estimated are, indeed, side bets, which carry large house edges, and 6:5 blackjack, which adds about 1.4% to the BS house edge.
Don
While it's only anecdotal personal observation, I would agree that the ability of the average BJ player is WAY over-stated. I will opine that while many more (since the 80's) CLAIM to know "basic strategy", they do NOT play it correctly for the rules of the table nor CONSISTENTLY. I have heard many times, "I know the book says to play this hand differently but I just had a feeling". Hey if EVERYONE was AP at the tables, games would be gone in a NY minute!!!
"Women and cats will do as they please, and Men and dogs should just relax and get used to the idea" --- Robert A. Heinlein
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