Page 12 - Jackpot Magazine Tunica ~ October, 2024

PLAY TO WIN
Making the right move when dealer shows 5 or 6
“When you start the game with an ace, it’s always better.”
— Tennis player David Goffin
Everyone loves aces, right? If you get an ace while playing blackjack, you generally feel pretty good about your hand. After all, there are a lot of good cards out there to go with that ace. Any face card would work (and there are more of those in the deck than any other card) as well as any 10. Nines are also good with aces.
Of course, we moan a bit when we see the dealer with an ace. Are they going to turn over a blackjack? Is their 20 going to nudge out your 19?
There are two cards, however, that we generally don’t mind if the dealer has as their upcard. Gaming expert Henry Tamburin explained the reason these cards are bad for the dealer and good for us is that the dealer is more likely to bust with a 5 or 6 than with
any other upcard. When
a 5 or 6 is showing,
players can rethink their
playing strategy and go
from a passive style to a
more aggressive one.
Tamburin, author
of Blackjack: Take The
Money and Run, gave
specific advice on how
to play certain hands.
Assuming a six-deck
game, when the dealer
has a 5 or 6 showing, remember these tips:
Hard Hands
• Always double down on two-card 9, 10, and 11.
• If you are dealt a pair of 5s, treat the hand as a hard 10 and double down.
• Always play your stiff hands
conservatively and stand (hoping the dealer will bust).
Soft Hands
• Always double down soft 13 through soft 18.
• If the rules are h17, then you should also double soft 19 against a 6.
Pair Splitting
• Always split all pairs, except 5-5 and 10-10; see next rule for 4-4.
• Split 4-4 only when the rules allow doubling after pair splitting (i.e., das).
• Never split 5-5; always double down.
Even though the dealer will bust more often with a 5 or 6 upcard, the more of these cards that are present in the unplayed decks, the better it is for the dealer. Tamburin said that is because the
in multi-deck games, depending upon the rules. What happens to that expectation when 5s and 6s are
removed from play? You are basically creating a deck that has an excess of high-value cards, which gives players the advantage.
Card counters track the 5s and 6s (as well as other cards) as they are played and they start drooling when they see an excess of them dealt because more than likely their count is now positive, indicating that the edge has swung in the player’s favor; therefore, they will bet more.
An interesting bit of trivia about 5s was offered by Tamburin. Some players are aware that Dr. Edward Thorp became famous when he invented his Ten-Count card-counting system in 1962 and published it in his best-selling book, Beat the Dealer.
However, according to another blackjack expert and author, Arnold Snyder, Thorp’s first card-counting system was the Five-Count. Thorp simply counted the 5s as they were dealt from a single-deck game dealt to the bottom, and when all four 5s had been played, he would raise his bet.
Granted, Tamburin added, this was a weak system by today’s standards, but back then, it would have gotten you the money.
Pay attention to the 5s and 6s the next time you play blackjack. If you see a whole lot of them dealt with not many picture cards and 10s, that might be a good time to bump up your bets.
Do you have a question on the best way to play to win? Email us at jackpotmagazine@gmail.com.
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playing rules require dealers to hit their hands that total less than 17, and when the remaining cards are rich in 5s and 6s, the dealer will often wind up with a pat hand. That’s a good situation for the dealer but not so good for the player.
Tamburin also shared that a basic strategy player, which many of us are, has about a negative 0.5 percent expectation
12 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • October 2024
THE SOUTH’S LARGEST GUIDE TO GAMING & FUN • www.jackpotmagazine.com