Is it better to play say a double deck where the dealer doesn't hit soft seventeen but only deals 1.2 decks out or double deck where the dealer hits soft seventeen but deals 1.4 to 1.5 decks out?
"Is it better to play say a double deck where the dealer doesn't hit soft seventeen but only deals 1.2 decks out or double deck where the dealer hits soft seventeen but deals 1.4 to 1.5 decks out?"
This sort of comparison is very sensitive to almost every extra card that is dealt out. See BJA3, p. 250.
I can tell you that, for 62/104, S17 vs. 70/104, H17, the numbers are very close. Once you start towards 78/104, then H17 is clearly better.
You didn't mention whether DAS or what the spread is.
Don
Both games would be DAS. On the H17 game I have used a 1to8 but on the S17 game I pretty much use 1to6 just to keep from attracting too much attention. Thanks Don for chiming in since this is truly your area of expertise.
the one where the casino has the best tolerance. These types of discussions have zero to do with your long term profitability...they are merely theoretical in nature (I hope you realize this). You will make the large majority of your lifetime EV at the casinos with typically average games that let you play without any heat or other issues. (Those casinos also usually make the most money because they don't sweat the action and don't scare away or back off otherwise good customers by mistake).
While I don't disagree entirely with what you've written, your "dismissing" the technical analysis as, mostly, useless is, in my view, begging the question.
What if the two games discussed were offered at the same casino, with an equal amount of tolerance for both? What if they were offered at different casinos, with an equal amount of tolerance for both?
NOW, is the question "legitimate"?
The point is, in all likelihood, the questioner already knows what you've written; what he didn't know was the answer to his question!
Don
And yes you have a point. My response would be that since both games are obviously great from a technical standpoint, the best one would be the one where you can get a seat. :-)
blackjackwinner21,
From CVCX for Heads-up, HiLo Full Indexes, DD, DAS:
S17, deal 1.21/2 decks, spread 1:6, SCORE 48.08
H17, deal 1.40/2 decks, spread 1:8, SCORE 73.28
Thus, the H17 game is much better, partly due to the wider spread. If we limit the H17 game to a 1:6 spread also, then the SCORE falls to 58.70: still better than the S17 game, due to the better penetration.
Hope this helps!
Dog Hand
Answering something like this is always tricky. Not only is the exact penetration to the card important, but also spread, number of players at the table, and number of indices used.
So, for example, if you do the same study with a somewhat more realistic three players at the table and just the I18 (or, rather, Sweet 16, without ten-splitting), the comparison, as I mentioned, is much, much closer: 43.20 to 46.56.
Don
