to sit yet because they've been winning and they don't want the flow of the cards to stop. Would you sit or not sit down?
Yes
No
Don't know
If it's at one of my local joints I want to look like a gambler too so I agree with the player, am very kind and act like I understand what he means about THE FLOW. If I'm back counting the whole time and know the TC is good I'll wait until he loses a hand and "re-check" with the player to see if NOW I could join in to help "re-shift" the "flow".
Well, this is one example where “there are other players at the table?” may not apply. If the table has a high limit compared to other tables in the casino, you might want to move on. If he is a counter using a line, you don’t want to be at the same table. If he is a jerk playing fairly high stakes, the casino probably doesn’t want him bothered.
If it’s a lower stake table, and the count is positive, “there are other players at the table?”
"I don't think outside the box; I think of what I can do with the box." - Henri Matisse
The way I handle it is similar to you as well. If Im in a decent mood I tend to let them lose one hand but once they lose i go straight in. Again this whole jumping in the table depends on my mood, if im in a bad mood or just experienced bad beat after bad beat ill just jump in and not pay anyone any attention whatsoever.
If the count is good and it's time to wong in and the player asks me not to...
I wait until he loses a hand. When he does, he will be the one who'll ask you to come in. If he doesn't ask and he plays decent BJ, he's probably an AP also. I don't wong in to another AP's table; same way I don't like them jumping in on my table at good counts.
Norm beat me to the infamous line, however...
This situation usually occurs when back-counting, and my threshold is usually TC +2, depending where in the shoe we are. After the player's request, what I typically do is ask the dealer if this is a NMS table (of course I already know the answer). When she says no, I'll say to the player, "I'll give you a couple of hands or until you lose a hand, whichever comes first." If the big cards come out the next few hands, I'll move on. If not, I'll jump in and hopefully my sitting down will change the flow of the cards, causing him to leave
I voted yes since I don't like the idea of losing out on EV because of somebody else's superstitious beliefs. The way the question was worded it almost sounded like the person was asking you not to play at this table period. My local stores only have 3 or 4 pits, so BJ games at the stakes I want are limited. It's asking a lot to tell me to not play at all, especially during the mornings and afternoons when there's only one (maybe two) tables that are at my level.
However, speaking of when the intent is 'I'd prefer if you didn't play right now' I'd probably do what most of us here would and try to give a reasonable compromise such as waiting till the end of the shoe (if I missed a large chunk or the count is super negative) or going in after a few hands. The higher the count, the more people, the less likely I'm going to oblige and wait too long. Sometimes I feel a bit like a hypocrite being so willing to 'interrupt' a shoe if it's money I'm missing out on yet preferring people to keep out when I play (during the high counts)--I'm sure I must look that way to some of the ploppies--but you're the one in for the long grind. If someone is really adamant, I might yield, but I have no qualms trying to get my good EV and prioritizing that over the guy simply trying to 'preserve the flow'.
Blackjack has to be the game with the most selective memory. The game is so fast paced that people save so many bad images in their head and replay back in their mind when it happens again, but they never remember the good ones that helped them. It's hilarious.
On another note have you ever heard the phrase "The dealer always seems to get a ten as their upcard!" What these idiots dont understand is how many times they get a 10 as a first card as well, but it's the initial mental effect that they believe they will lose the hand because the dealer has a 20 and that sticks in their head. It's annoying as hell. There should be a thread on here of things ploppies have said at the table.
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