people throwing their money away

I was playing in AC recently, and some guy stood with (A,5) against a dealer 6. I politely told him that he might as well take a hit, because he has a soft 16, so the next card could only help him. He looked ticked and explained that the dealer would probably bust and he didn't want to chance the hit. Why do people like this even play the game? Anyone have an opinion on whether it is good practice to offer advice to clueless players? Most of the time they do not seem to appreciate it, and would prefer to lose their money than admit they know nothing about the game....

I had the same experiance in New Mexico. Was told not to interupt the flow. How absurd. When she lost her bet and I won mine I commented "A fool and her money," colored up left and swore never to give advice again.

Pyth

I watched a guy bet $250 in a monster count and not split aces against a face. He drew 2 tens and busted. I let out a "f***.." under my breath but the dealer caught it, and rolled his eyes too. The ploppy turned beet red and left.

unless you are asked for it. Offering advice when it is not asked for is unappreciated as you have found out. Also when you are asked for advice, state your answer in the terms "Well, I would ..." ie You are not TELLING the person what to do, merely stating what you would do.
Giving advice is also bad because if the pit overhears, you have identified yourself as someone who knows how to play as opposed to just another happy idiot.

I sometimes cannot resist the urge to give advice to an unknowledgeable player at a table. I do not like to give advice because blackjack is a game of probabilities, rather than certainties or near-certanties. When I give advice, I make some initial judgements: Is the unknowledgeable player unsure of how to play a hand and thus likely to be receptive of advice, or someone who thinks that he knows what to do and thus likely to be hostile to my advice. Is the unknowledgeable player drinking heavily or disagreeable and likely to become hostile, especially if my advice causes him to lose?

I never give advice unless asked, and then I take it even a step further then you, to wit: "If it were my hand, and my money, I would [whatever]. But you play your hand."

Besides, it seems that when I give someone advice, it almost never works out like it is supposed to.

The last time I was at Pauma; sitting next to me was BIG man on his 6th or 7th Bud making one bad play after another. Staying on a 14 against a 7, doubling on soft 16 against a 9,and the best was splitting 5-5 against a 8. I was going to say something but I did not. He cashed out $300 up and lost $300. Saying something is a no win situation.

I won't give advice at all. If they were interested in the game, they would have some idea about how to play it. I just tell them that it's their money, and do what they want. I would guess, that if there is someone else at the table, they'll get some advice.

From HJ Simpson:

Why do people like this [He chose to stand on a soft 6] even play the game? Anyone have an opinion on whether it is good practice to offer advice to clueless players? Most of the time they do not seem to appreciate it, and would prefer to lose their money than admit they know nothing about the game....

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Myself

Generally, I find that most people believe that the game of blackjack is 98% luck and no furthur study is required...Once they have accepted this false premise, they then come up with ridiculous decisions such as the one about standing on a soft 6.

I have decided that if a person shows no desire to increase their knowledge about the game, that the faster they lose their money with their silly ideas, the sooner they will return to some other achievement in life in which, hopefully, they will have a better belief system then the one that they are using to play blackjack.

Recently, a woman who was doubling down on a two card total of 7 against almost any dealer card, was being instructed by another player about her mistakes...She gave some silly reason for her decision and was smirking through it all...Since the dealer was shuffling cards at the time, I simply said---Rather than laugh---lady, you should listen to what he is saying...Buy yourself a book...You dont understand this game as much as you think you do.

That is almost more than I should have said.

I never offer advice to other players without being asked. When asked and pressed for an answer, I ask them if they are feeling lucky, or do they think a bust card is coming next. If they specifically say what would you do on this exact play, hit or stand, I say it all depends on whether I'm feeling lucky.

I would never tell another player a correct play, or to "get a book". This phrase often crosses my mind, especially if the person is nice and if they have somewhat of an idea what they are doing. But the phrase never crosses my lips.

The reason for all this? Cover.

The reason for not getting aggravated? As the other posters above stated quite well, there is little to gain. I have offered to teach people I know and trust the rudiments of blackjack. Some want to learn. To them, outside a casino, I will say, "Get a book". But many others say, hey I don't want to be bothered by all kinds of rules and things I have to memorize. I am going to the casino to have fun and escape all the rules I have to follow in everyday life. I'm going to gamble. I know I'm probably going to lose money, but actually I won a couple hundred on July 10th, and my spouse just hit a big one on the slots, and really I just want to see how my luck is running.

An interesting phenomenon is that this attitude seems more prevalent among high level executive types.

Few people want advice, even if they ask for it.

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