How to Deal with Long-Winded, Advice-Giving, Down-on-Basic-Strategy Dealers

Many of us have probably had the same experience I have had. You lose several hands playing good basic strategy, and, AFTER the hand is over, you receive commentary from the dealer as to why your play was wrong.

In one instance, I lost a hand that in which I played basic strategy, and I commented that I had made the correct play. The dealer went so far as to say, "Who won that hand?.........then you didn't make the correct play."

It's amazing how many telepathically gifted dealers there are. They seem to know AFTER THE HAND IS OVER the perfect way to have played a hand. I felt like telling this gentleman, "Look, would you please just deal the cards. I appreciate your uncanny ability to predict AFTER THE FACT :), but please just deal the cards." How do you all deal with dealers who have been dealing for 500 years, hate their job, and are more than willing to tell you (and in so doing, waste your time and therefore money) why basic strategy is the wrong way to go.

Simply don't respond to or acknowledge his comments. Try to pick up the pace by playing quickly. As he is collecting cards from one hand, have your money in the circle for the next. If this doesn't work and it is still bugging you, find another table.

Since he is basing the merits of your play on the result, take it to the logical extreme.

If you hit your 14 against his face card and pull a 7 start loudly bemoaning that you should have doubled. If you make a correct stand but the dealer ends up making a five card 21, apologize to the table for not hitting your hard 19 against the dealer 6 (you would have lost either way, but could have saved the table).

My personal favorite is to point out that your blackjack was only possible because you took that hit that the dealer disagreed with several hands before.

Oh, and whatever you do - DON'T TIP!

Smile and thank him for his advice and then continue to play the right way and after you do the opposite of what he suggests look puzzled and ask him "that was right was it?"

Tell him, "Yeah, but I just had a hunch."

Your anger at their infuriating remarks is like a measure of how far you are from the outcome-indifferent Zen-esque psychological neutrality in which optimal blackjack occurs.

I'm equally far from said Zen-esque neutrality. Recently amid a non-trivial extended downswing, at a particularly low moment a civilian made a remark, after I'd lost a hand, about my playing decision on the hand. I tried to take a breath, pause, not respond, but still through gritted teeth, with various veins twitching all over face and neck, I hissed, quietly but with as much wrath as I have ever known: "Do. Not. Tell. Me. How. To. Play blackjack."

Etc. Knowing all the while that answering in that, um, vein, could only possibly hurt my overall cause in the casino. It was EV-negative but I did it anyway. And that's something you never want to have to say.

I know how you feel. On my last trip I was hitting a soft seventeen when a woman in a loud voice said "Why is he hitting a Seventeen" A few minutes later a man told the dealer I would never make any money just betting $5 dollars. I left the table 19 units up as the know it all was digging in his wallet for more money...

Players and dealers base so much on useless hindsight it is really laughable.
Let me place my bet, hit or stay only after I know what the dealer's hole card and what the next couple of cards out of the shoe are and I pretty much am sure to be a winner that day.

Not too long ago I split 9,9 and landed up pushing with a dealer who would have busted had I just stayed and first base lost a big hand and started saying something.
He puts out a big bet on the next hand, gets a blackjack and I say, "your welcome", and you know what, it goes right over everybody's head.