BS cards at the tables.

On my last couple of trips to Vegas, I've seen something that I thought was very odd. There was more than once that someone came to a BJ table, placed a BS card on the table in front of them and referred to the card as they played. Now, it has been happening for quite a while that dealers have been helpful by telling what you should do according to "the books" i.e. split, DD, stand, etc. if you ask them. I could not at the time say for sure that they were giving correct advice (since I was a recreational player who only played adhering loosely to my understanding of BS from experience) but they didn't seem to mind at all offering advice. But it was really surprising to me that they allowed someone to actually play with a BS card in front of them. I thought the casinos frowned on any player aids that lower the house advantage.

I'm not sure what this actually means since if you are a really good player you should have BS ingrained to the point of it being second nature anyway. It was just really interesting to me that they allowed players to play with the cards in front of them.

This is pretty common everywhere I have been. Only suggestion is that it should not be used so much it slows the game down. IE if someone needs to refer to it for _every_ hand, they ought to play in the beginner's table where they give some instructions on playing BJ.

I think the casinos don't care as (a) more will come if they can pack the card with them as they feel like they can win; (b) the casino knows that BS leaves the house with an advantage that can't be overcome by the card alone.

BS cards are fine to have at the table. Dealers shouldn't tell a player how to play his/her hand, but they can offer advice if asked. It is YOUR responsibility, as a player, if you choose to follow or not to follow that advice. Just like on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, you can ask the audience. Most of the time they may be right, but just cause the audience votes a certain way, doesn't always mean its correct.

Oh, that is just downright devious! :)
Lull the masses into a false sense of security so you can take them for everything. (sarcasm mode on)I can't imagine the casinos would actually try to create an unfair advantage over the player!(sarcasm mode off)

Agreed. I've seen several players thru the years using these cards at
the tables. The casino people know this card alone will not give a
player any advantage alone over the game. Many casinos sell these
cards in their gift shops.

about the cards or printout sheets from the internet.They need to be a 1/4 of a page or smaller (like the card). They don't want you setting them on the table or cup holder. Can't block camera view of your chips with BS sheet for very long. I used to use one as cover when I started counting. Found out the rules real quick.

Of course I have seen these cards on the tables often, the casinos sells them. The funny thing is often they are in two parts DAS and NDAS and the user of the cards is most often using the wrong set of rules.

H17 or S17. Changes a couple of plays. DA2 or not. etc...

There is BS by the book and there are many versions of BS by the ploppies. In my local casinos many times I saw people bringing with them a BS chart on the table but many of these folks don't actually follow it 100%. Many play the ploppy version of BS such as stand on A7 against dealer's 9,10,A. Stand on A7 against dealer's low cards 3-6. Never split 9,9. Stand 12 against dealer's 3. And there are others. Many people started learning BS from the chart but at the table they are under the ploppies community pressure forcing them to play the ploppy version. At first they probably don't listen to others but then how many times they hit A7, got an 8 and then follow another card to bust and meanwhile, dealer up card 10, hole card 6 and proceed to bust with a face card. It's true that once in a while when hitting A7, they got a 2 or 3, but people seem to remember the bad experiences better than the good ones. Casinos know about this and they are never bothered that someone can bring a chart to the table, they know eventually people will play the ploppies version. I don't see this pattern (ploppies BS versions) a lot in Vegas, perhaps because Vegas, especially on the strip, is mostly a tourist hangout, but this pattern is very obvious in all my local casinos.

Last time I played, I was forced to sit at 3rd base, and got an A7 vs Dealer 10 and hit it on a neutral count. I drew a 10 for a hard 18 and stood, dealer drew a 5 for a 21 and a couple of the people up the table started the "Why on earth hit a soft 18 and ruin it?" I chose to not respond.

Naturally, the _very_ next hand I got an A8 vs an A, and stood. Dealer drew the 2 for a 17 and this guy lost his double. More howling. "How come you hit an A7 vs 10, but stand on A8 vs A? Same exact hand. Same exact difference in points. Same expected outcome." I simply said "not the same expected outcome" got up and moved to another table. :)

That's why I say 3rd base is for baseball players, not counters. I generally try to wait, but this was a $25 dollar table and I expected better. Guess there are well-off ploppies as well as more serious players. :)