TT and A9 v 6 in huge count.. how much did I lose?

Let's start with A9v6 since this is identical to 10dv6 easier to calculate.Your friend was rather pessimistic when he estimated your edge at 70%.In fact, for TC+20 and that's what you had,your ev on this play was an astronomical 125%!
Now for the Ten-split it's even better because you can resplit and at TC+20 this will be very likely.Let's not talk about doubling on an eventual soft21 since this will draw too much heat.
With almost half of the remaining cards being tens your additional ev will be roughly 20% for a total of 145%.
With your conservative way of playing the hand you had an ev of 81%, so you gave away 44% and 66% respectivly. I guess with your bets that was roughly 300 bucks!But that's purely theoretical. I'm sure if you had played it correctly, the dealer would have made a twentyone:-).

Francis Salmon

PS. The above figures are for S17. But I'm not sure whether it's really an advantage for the dealer to have to draw with soft17 at TC+20.

And yes, I was quite positive I was giving up hundreds of dollars in EV. The problem was, two suits were there and one made some kind of question about the sudden big bet. Having claimed "I was just trying to get even in one hand" I would be hard pressed to whip out a pile of hundreds and go ballistic. I like getting a couple hours of blackjack in before and after my poker tournies there and I'd like to keep it that way :D

Poker is treating me quite well, thanks. And yes, it's been far too long. Just renewed Green Chip tonight. I've been playing a whole lot more of both blackjack and poker games lately, as I have some time off work for the early part of the year. Figured it couldn't hurt to see how everyone was, now that they'll finally drop the hammer on people in GC if necessary!

M.

If you make the optimal play with 2 suits watching you it is almost guaranteed if you are not backed off then and there, you will be the next time you show up to play. They would almost certainly review your past play and give you the boot, IMO.

Most of the experts will argue that it is better to take maximum advantage over longevity, but I enjoy playing. So I will take longevity over maximum EV anyday, unless I don't care if I get backed off at a particular place that I won't play again for a while. In fact I was backed off tonight at a pretty deeply dealt game, but I won't be back there for 6 months so who cares. There's a good chance they will be out of business, under new management, or won't have a playable game in 6 months.

mostly because it was only going to add one additional bet to the mix.. splitting TT v 6 in a fat count is of course a recipe to add many more max bets if you intend to double TA or resplit TT. I double A8 routinely when the count warrants it, as I find it generates just as much/little heat as correctly playing A7 at most places. We also have NHC so I can routinely chalk up soft doubles to "trying to take the dealer's small card" to their 5 or 6, and I make it a point to look impressed (instead of disgusted!) when I get a 5 on my A7-A9 doubles.

Nevertheless, my left hand was already on my wallet and if I didn't pull it out of my pocket and sit on it I was going to go berzerk. I was happy with my choice, too. I like playing as well. I can already hear DD' (whereever he might be) castigating me for choosing longevity first.

Email me if you want to hear a happy postscript to this story.

Either way, it's hard to fault the decision.

I on the other hand would have been sorely tempted to double the A9 then split the TT .. and split and split and double and double like a derelict drunk until I ran out of cash or true count.

A +20 with 40 cards to go; wow, how cool is that. Yeah I know +20 is +20 but with 40 cards left, you can almost feel the tens and aces coming out. Those are the plays that make showing up fun.

The mental picture of the dealer and the pit being helpless only to watch as you pull endless C-Notes out of your wallet to keep splitting and doubling is hard to shake. After I beat Doyle Brunson's T2 again tonight, I'm sure this story will get some run on the High-Def monitor in my brain. And against a 6 no less. Geeminee.

And if that dealer spikes a T5, so be it, he earned it.

Thanks for the story.

I hope the next time that happens, if it ever happens again in my life, I'm at a place that I don't care about longevity. Do one in true St. Uston style!