February 2010 - Blackjack Apprenticeship

Archive: Feb 2010

  1. Split Double Destroy – Comped Against My Will

    6 Comments

    Here’s a first: I just got comped–against my will.

    I arrived at the large tribal casino knowing I had been backed off here before. If I had any chance for earning EV, I would have to fly under the radar. I would hit the graveyard shift in “Disguise #1.” The following morning (different shift) I would play in “Disguise #2.” Complication: only when I arrived did I realize that the nearest motel was half an hour away, equivalent to an hour of lost playing time for each round trip, so I ended up just booking a room at the casino. More pricey and risky, but I deemed it worth the trade-off in a very tightly scheduled weekend of play. (more…)

  2. Split Double Destroy – Throw A Tantrum

    2 Comments
    Split Double Destroy Army Man

    If there ever is an appropriate time to throw a tantrum—it is now.

    When the new dealer stepped up I was betting two hands of $500 each at an advantaged count. She burned a card, waited for a player to finish fumbling with his bet, burned a card, and dealt out the round.

    Catch that? Two burn cards.

    I got a hard 13 and a hard 14. Dealer got an ace.  Cue tantrum. (more…)