A veteran dealer shares some hard truths. By Al O’Grady
As a dealer, I have seen so many different types of players come and go: from the advanced, semi-professional type to the casual Saturday night player to the complete novice. But if I could give just one bit of advice to all of them, it is simply this. Learn basic strategy. That is it. Learn basic strategy completely and I am not talking about 90-95 percent accuracy. I am talking about knowing 100 percent basic strategy. Knowing what to do in every situation and playing it all the time. No exceptions.
It sounds like such a simple thing but it is amazing the number of players that do not know this. I am not exaggerating with this statement but, of the players that I encounter (including high rollers), less than two percent play 100 percent perfect strategy all the time.
I am not kidding. Ninety-eight percent of you do not play 100 percent perfect strategy all the time. Is it any wonder that casinos are a license to print money? Winners will credit their good luck when luck had nothing to do with it. Losers will blame their bad luck. Again, luck had nothing to do with it. When someone walks away after I have taken their chips, I hear them whining about their luck, how another player screwed up the hand when he took a card when he should not have or any other lame excuse like the weather, the fix was in or it was the dealer’s fault.
The dealer’s fault?
That last one is comical. Do you honestly believe the dealer has some sort of magical power to control the cards that come out of the shoe? Do you really believe that? If so, you deserve to lose for your ignorance. If dealers truly had this magical power, we would not be 
dealing. We would be playing and using our superhuman power to bleed the casino dry.
The bottom line is this: Before you blame anything or anyone, look at yourself in the mirror. I know it is a blow to your pride or ego, but you cannot expect to win on a consistent basis if you are not playing correctly.
Many people have the mindset of “It is my money and I will play any way I damn well feel.” That is true. It is your money and this is a free country. But your ignorance and arrogance are costing you money. Good luck with that.
Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result. Do what you have always done and you will get what you have always gotten. A fool and his money are easily parted. Please stop me before I use another cliché but you get the picture. If you are constantly losing, examine your play. If you are not playing perfect strategy, try it. You might like it.
Finding perfect strategy is easy and free. Simply go on the Internet and do a Google search for ‘perfect blackjack strategy.’ The information is there. Find a chart and print it. Believe it or not, but you can take it with you to the casino just so long as it is not stored on an electronic device. If you do not do that, many casinos offer strategy cards. Just ask for one. As a last resort, if you have an experienced dealer, ask the dealer the correct play. We will tell you, because we want your tips. The information is there. It is up to you if you choose to use it. You can lead a horse to water. Sorry, another cliché.
Logic vs. superstition
The kind of player that really baffles me is the semi-regular who is familiar with basic strategy – but not completely – and his reasons for not playing perfectly are puzzling. I have heard many of them say that the casino industry has written “The Book” to put the game in its favor. This is simply not true. Again, go on the Internet to do some basic research about the history of blackjack strategy. It got its start in the 1950s from four guys in the U.S. Army that went on to do post-graduate work in mathematics or statistics. The casino had nothing to do with it.
The casino wants you to play perfect strategy. Why? Blackjack has one of the best odds for the players; however, there is still a house edge. It is a 51-49/52-48 game in favor of the house, assuming you play perfect strategy. The casino is playing the long game. It operates 24-7, 365 days a year so it will profit over the long haul even with that slim edge. If you are playing perfectly, your chances of winning will increase and it will be an enjoyable experience. You will stay longer or, if you win, you will return only to give your winnings back to the casino. The casino profits from human nature.
What’s bewildering is how people pick and choose certain elements of perfect strategy. Some players will say “I never win when I double down against a 10,” or “I never hit 16,” or “I never win when I split eights against an ace so I will not do it.”
Whenever they say, “I never win when I double down against a 10,” I guarantee you that that statement is simply not true. It is the law of probability. There are times when you will win. They are in denial. They remember the handful of times when it did not work out for them and it completely overshadows the times they did win. For those, the pain of losing is greater than the joy of winning in that given circumstance.
The same is true for those that never hit on 16. Yes, you will go over a significant number of times but the only way you win on 16 is if the dealer busts. Yes, it is correct to stand on 16 against a dealer’s two-six, but if the dealer is showing a seven or greater, you must hit. If the dealer is showing a seven or greater and his down card is a 10, you have nothing to lose by hitting even if you go over.
The moral
There are plenty of examples where players take exception with basic strategy and play their own hunches or biases however misguided they may be. They remember the times where they went against “The Book” and won. This by no means is scientific research. This is confirmation bias. Basic strategy is a percentage play. It has undergone millions of hands of computer simulation to give you the best chance of winning.
Just because you won a hand does not mean that you played it right, and, conversely, just because you lost a hand does not mean that you played it wrong. After all, it is called gambling. The question is, do you want to be a smart gambler playing the percentages in the long run or do you want to go with hunches and gut checks that do not stand up to scrutiny? The choice is yours. Good luck at the tables and do not forget to tip the dealer.
*** This article was originally published in the March 2025 edition of Casino Life Magazine Issue 175***
