Tell Me Why I'm Wrong: Bad Blackjack Players Do Not Hurt The Rest of The Table's Chances
I started writing about this in my Dumping Them Out blog last night, where I just put out a bunch of random thoughts & Boob GIFs, but then decided I wanted to give this topic it's own blog.
This situation has bothered me my whole life. The video of Steven Cheah & Hank streaming blackjack on the Barstool Sports Online Casino is from a few weeks ago, but it's the first example I could find of what I'm talking about.
Here's the situation. Steven Cheah (sitting right next to the dealer) was dealt a 12. The dealer showed 3. Steven Cheah hits, and it's a K. Cheah busts. Dealer flips over 9 to make 12. Then deals himself a 9 to make 21. If Steven Cheah doesn't hit, the dealer would have dealt himself that K, and the dealer would have busted. Everyone wins.
That sucks. Tough situation. If only Steven Cheah didn't hit, then everyone would have won. It's a classic Blackjack situation. You're playing with some random drunk guy at a casino in Atlantic City. He hits on a 16, takes the dealers bust card, and ends up fucking everybody over.
Obviously, that is frustrating. But here's my problem: Is it not equally likely that Steven Cheah hitting there could help everyone at the table? What if he took the dealers 9? Then the dealer gives himself a K? That is just as likely to happen. Math.
So who the fuck cares? If it's all just random, then the dumbass sitting next to you is just as likely to help you as he is to hurt you. Am I right in saying that? I think I am. Since you don't know what the next card in the deck is going to be, SOMEONE HITTING ON A BAD NUMBER IS EQUALLY AS LIKELY TO HELP YOU AS IT IS TO HURT YOU. So why get worked up about it?
TO BE FAIR, I will say, if you are playing like 2 or 3 deck blackjack, and you've been counting cards, then all bets are off. You have a right to be mad in certain situations if you actually know what cards are left in the deck. But assuming all things are random, and you haven't been counting cards (which is pretty much everyone in my experience, because most casinos play with 100 decks nowadays), then I just don't understand why people get so worked up about it.
The Steven Cheah example isn't even a great one. Cheah has a 12, so it's at least kind of reasonable that he would hit. Personally, I never hit with 12 if the dealer is showing a bust card. I always assume that the dealer has a 10 underneath, and the next card in the deck is a 10 as well. I don't like doing math, so I keep it very simple.
That is all. Please tell me why I'm wrong. I would genuinely love to hear an explanation for how a bad blackjack player at your table effects your chances of winning. I just don't think there is one.
Steven Cheah and Hank will be streaming blackjack from the Barstool Sports Online Casino once again tonight at halftime of the Monday Night Football game (on the Barstool Casino Twitch tonight). Maybe tonight we'll get the similar situation, and it will end up helping the table. Either way, be sure to tune in. It's always good for a few laughs.
If someone can give me an explanation that proves me wrong, I will be the first to admit it. But the explanation can't just be, "it's bad etiquette". I'm looking for a real reason for why a player hitting on a bad number makes you or anyone else at the table less likely to win or lose.
