STREETWISE BLACKJACK

Streetwise Blackjack

Winning Ways

By Peter Ruchman

Several recent phone calls to the Gambler's Book Shop prompt this column. They came from different people over a span of several weeks and emanated from a wide geographical area but stuck together in my mind as they seemed to be related in one aspect -- each one begged the question: "Can you really win at blackjack?"

The bottom line is that you can win, but there are a lot of qualifications thrown in the mix. I'll start off by submitting that few out there can step up to the tables and win the money without doing some work in the trenches first. This means study and attention to the factors that help you win. I covered some of this territory elsewhere, but as the questions keep on coming, I assume that there are thoughts that bear repetition. Unlike some of the more esoteric casino games, we are fortunate in the blackjack universe that there exists a diverse body of knowledge and writing. There is a large body composing a well-written history as opposed to oral tradition. Mathematicians, philosophers, probability experts, sociologists, psychologists, and yes, even gamblers have been writing about the theory and practice of blackjack for about fifty years.

Let me state outright, you don't have to read any of these writings. Nor do you have to read any prior history books to consider yourself a historian. Don't be too dismayed when no one else takes you very seriously. As in any other of life's endeavors, there are different levels of commitment and understanding. How many times have I seen a tourist right off the McCarran runway saunter up to a blackjack table and announce that he really knows how to play the game. Naturally, this is immediately followed by moves of a highly dubious nature. They first strut into the Gambler's Book Shop contending they know Basic Strategy before sheepishly admitting they are just learning.

Would you think of investing your time and money in an activity you knew very little about? Probably not. Then why is that so many people insist on playing blackjack or other gambling games with a decided lack of understanding? The most frequent response is that these people, "just want to have fun." Did the thought ever cross their minds that they can have even more fun if they understood what they were doing so they win?

There are different levels of understanding and appreciation, but even the most cursory attention to basic strategy will lower the house odds and elevate your chances of winning. Blackjack is a deceptive game, elusive and simple on the surface. I've heard the game described and explained so many ways, I could write a book on that subject alone. There's a general misunderstanding about the fundamental nature of the game, so much so that it allows the casinos to beat about 99 percent of all who play. That's mind boggling!

The worst possible thing that can happen is for a beginning to player to win right away by sheer luck. When that occurs, there is an immediate misconception by this player, that he/she knows how to win. When hard reality strikes and the inevitable losing streak starts, there is a lack of comprehension how this could happen. He/She didn't truly understand why the winning took place, so it goes with the losing.

I was talking with a dealer at a local casino last week when an aggressive player strode up to the table with a young man. This charmer introduced the kid as his 21-year-old birthday boy. He demanded a $1000 marker plunked the chip down in the betting circle. Unfortunately, he won the hand. I say , "unfortunately because this obnoxious idiot had no idea what kind of message that sent to his son.

Having been around professional gamblers for many years, I can attest that the real good ones usually don't parade and strut. They don't preen and act like peacocks in heat. The live ones don't brag about their latest killing and flash their bankrolls for all to see. The real satisfaction that comes with winning is a very personal and private experience, not a public show-and-tell display.

When I was growing up in this town many years ago, there was a relatively small group of professionals who prided themselves on their play. They shared their victories with each other in small talk, bemoaned their defeats together, but never ran around town crowing. They almost never felt the need or desire to demonstrate their skills in an inappropriate manner. These people were winners. They were well aware there was a time and place and wouldn't think of gambling on the street to prove a point no more than Andre Agassi would demonstrate his tennis skills in the middle of a casino.

Why all this fuss? In the first place, you might not have noticed but there are people who hang around casinos with less than honorable intentions. They see money flashed or hear about a big score and they just might decide to help themselves to some. Then there's the matter of the casinos. If they perceive you as a threat, you won't be invited back. Finally, there's the matter of a professional attitude and that old World War II phrase, "Loose lips sinks ships."

With that said, I believe that at no other time in history has there been so much information available to the novice or intermediate player hoping to learn more. I simply go back to when John and Edna Luckman started the Gambler's Book Club/Shop in 1964 at their kitchen table; at that time there were a total of 18 books in print on gambling, in English. Compare that situation to the present where currently there are about 20 different blackjack computer programs, 3 major monthly or quarterly blackjack periodicals, and almost 100 books currently in print on the subject. And that is just blackjack, not counting all of the thousands of books and periodicals on other gambling pursuits.

The lazy man's approach will always be the most popular. It will also be the path well trodden by losers. It is a cliché but remains true to this set of eyes, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well." Think about it the next time you approach a blackjack (or any) gaming table. Do you really know what you are doing? Or are you just hoping to get by?