As we said in the previous article, for a basic strategy player, reducing the number of hands played per hour is one of the most important goals. There are a number of factors to to considered, including how crowded a table is, what shuffling method is used, how fast the dealer deals etc. Apart from selecting a favorable table, there are also perfectly legit ways for a player to further slow down game speed.
For starters, you should buy-in in increments so that the dealer needs to stop the game more often to count your money. The dealer would have to check the sum and then call out the amount and wait for the pit boss to acknowledge it.
Also, you should use smaller denominations so that the dealer has more bills to count. This may seem unnecessary at first glance, but it will make a difference in the long term. Such game pauses may agitate other players but ultimately, slowing the game benefits all.
Another way to tone down the speed is to take bathroom breaks while the cards are in play, instead of waiting for the shuffle. A good time for this would be after many 10-valued cards have been dealt. The best timing is after a shuffle but before the next round is dealt. The dealer will save your spot and watch for your chips but make sure to reenter the game after the next shuffle.
One of the best ways to slow down the game is to begin a conversation with the dealer or join others’ discussions. Any interaction with the dealer will ultimately slow them down, at least to a minor degree, depending on their experience. You don’t need to be asking questions all the time, you can also be a good listener and stop your entire play while others, especially the dealer, are talking. This way you have a completely legit way to stall the game.
And even if you are alone at the table and dealers doesn’t want to chit chat, you can still affect game speed by asking the dealer for professional advice on what your next move should be. An answer would require some time, even if seconds, and you can earn some extra moments by pretending you are considering the advice. Of course, you should do no such thing as in most cases dealers know much less about the game than you, especially if you are employing proper basic strategy.
Best Online Blackjack Bonuses
HarrahsCasino.com
100% up to
$100
+ 100 Spins
Sloto'Cash Casino
100% up to
$500
Uptown Aces
150% up to
$750
Lucky Tiger Casino
No Deposit Bonus
$ 55
Shazam Casino
Exclusive No Deposit Bonus
$ 50
Vegas Casino Online
No Deposit Bonus
$ 20
You could, however, listen to the dealer once or twice, so that they believe you are really asking for help and the next 10 pauses seem justified. Also, each time the dealer’s up-card is an Ace and you are presented with the opportunity to take insurance, you can act for a few seconds that you are really considering it.
Penetration
As a basic strategy player, you would want to participate in games with poorer penetration. Penetration means how far into the deck or shoe the dealer shuffles. Basically, the dealer puts a “cut” card, a different-colored plastic card, in the deck/shoe, and once it is reached, the dealer begins to shuffle.
In single-deck games, dealers most commonly employ the “rule of six” penetration. According to this rule, the dealer shuffles the cards when the sum of the players at the table and the number of rounds played add up to six. Thus, a single player will get 5 rounds of play before the next shuffle, two players will play 4 hands etc.
Double-deck games often see shuffles when the dealer deals one deck of cards, while in six-deck shoe games the cut card is often placed at around the fourth deck.
Slowing Down Blackjack Game
Money Management in Blackjack
Single Deck Blackjack Basic Strategy
Double Deck Blackjack Strategy
Shoe Games Blackjack Strategy
As a basic strategy player, you would want to play poorly-penetrated games because the dealer will have to make more shuffle pauses. As a card counter, however, you would want exactly the opposite as the infrequent the shuffles are, the more cards you can count and the larger your advantage over the house is.
Poor penetration games are offered by many casinos as a protection measure against card counters, which however encourages basic strategy players. You should take advantage of that.
Naughty
However, some casinos employ additional tricks to discourage card counters. Dealers can sometimes choose to abandon the fixed penetration and instead shuffle cards at some other point. For example, if a player suddenly raises his bet, the dealer might suspect that that player is counting cards and now sees a large enough advantage. The dealer can then prematurely shuffle cards so that the alleged card counter’s track record is erased. This is called preferential shuffling.
Moreover, some dealers do card counting themselves and might decide to shuffle in order to raise the casino’s advantage, even if no one has raised their bets. In this sense, shuffling at a non-consistent pace should be avoided by both card counters and basic strategy players.
It is important to react to changes in game conditions like this. Apart from leaving a table with non-consistent shuffling, you need to go elsewhere if other players leave the table, regardless how lucky you got over past hour. You should always look for crowded tables.
Also, if you’ve found a dealer dealing at a favorably slow pace, but that dealer is substituted by a faster one, or just takes a break, you should leave or take a break as well. If there is currently not a single suitable table, don’t just sit on any because you are feeling lucky and want to play, rather be patient.
