Is stupid play costly to other players GIVEN he unnecessarily busts!

[PromVRT]

It helps just as much as it hurts. You're thinking has been debunked numerous times.

In the long run yes, but given the outcome of the unnecessary hit the odd shifts in dealer’s favour (if he busts) and in player’s favour (if he survives), so if the outcome is bust, the losing chance slightly increases due to lower deck count.

[ShipTheCookies]

In the long run yes, but given the outcome of the unnecessary hit the odd shifts in dealer’s favour (if he busts) and in player’s favour (if he survives), so if the outcome is bust, the losing chance slightly increases due to lower deck count.

I know you mentioned a NHC game, but what if it was a HC game and the 3rd base player was a HC'er? This is where your logic fails miserably.