What was your most Whacky BJ play?

In Barry Meadow's Blackjack Autumn he really surprised me when he made several strategy deviations that seemed way out there. I thought the first play was a misprint, or something! He hit a 17 vs. an ace!!!!!!!!!!! So I went running to Wong's strategy tables and sure enough - there it was: stand at -6, or higher. In a very negative deck you actually hit a 17!!! (Don't think I'll try that at my home casino.)

So I read a little farther and then he hits - not splits - 2 aces vs. an ace!!! This is impossible. This can't be right. Off I went to Wong's tables and just like before - there sat a pretty index of -7. Again, in a very negative game you do hit a pair of aces. Whoa, this is mind bending. (Incidentally, he won both hands. yeaaah!)

Now some of you battle-worn veterans are probably saying, What's the big deal? I guess this is old hat to you. But to a novice counter like myself (pst! I think I have now graduated from out and out newbie status), this is mind altering. So anyway, I added these indexes to my repetoire although I will probably never use them unless I take a trip to Vegas, baby. I've memorized over a hundred indexes although it worries me how seldom I use them - sometimes, no doubt - because they just don't "surface" at the appropriate time. Hey, we gotta keep trying, right?

So here's my wildest deviations - and no laughing, either. First, the dumbest one. I doubled a 9 vs an 8 during a neutral count! (I think my brain confused the matrix with that of a pair of 9s - "split at 9 or less, except 7". And I won too, although I don't think ignorance should be so handsomely rewarded: it might encourage more ignorant play!

My next play was a proper one, for a change. I hit a 14 vs 3 and stunned the dealer. I think he thought that I was a skillful player until that move convinced him otherwise. Luckily, I won. The index is - 4, and the count was lower than that. The next one was where I stood on 15 vs. 10 (count was above +5). I'm sure the dealer just saw it as a cowardly play, and not a counting one. These variations are so cool when they work. I've had others but I just can't remember them right now.

So, speak up. What are your most memorable plays. Make me smile, or go Wow!!!!!!!! Thanks, 49.

Those are my three most bizarre plays.

I stood on 5 in a very positive deck as an endplay move. There was a thread on this move a few months ago.

I hit 18 on a hole flasher and looked like a genius when I drew a 3.

And on occasion I double a blackjack as coverplay.

-9 UAPC Usually I will be long gone from a table by that point but sometimes you are in the middle of nowhere with no one else to burn thru the negative decks but yourself. SM

Dealer had a 5 or 6 showing. I decided I wanted another round of cards so I stood so as to not eat the big cards in a monster of all monster counts. BTW, it was 1D and no DAS. I asked if I could stand on each one card six. PC said to "Enjoy". D busted having a face under and another came. Got to play another two hands probably because I didn't eat too many cards on the hand before. It seemed as though the PC sort of challenged me, so I did it. Left soon after. Started to feel some heat.

Scooter, I can understand the other two plays, especially the hole card play if you can get away with it or if you are now leaving, but I have seen blackjack doubled on 3/2 games several times and even for cover I feel there are better cover plays.
Of course the count and the dealers up card are very significant in making this play but also what must be taken into consideration is the fact that you will be doubling your bet to try and win 33% more than what you win by not doubling.

This is not a move I have done more than a few times, and I use it to make the point that I am a goofy vacationer just trying to have fun. I think the biggest bet I have ever used this on is $10. But it has ALWAYS worked. That simple move can buy me hours of unmolested play.

I was trying to holler out "big one" or "paint" or some crap, and in stead, I said the count. It was neutral, so I didn't call out a number. If it had been say +3 and the dealer had a 16, it would have sounded a bit strange saying "THREE", ie, asking the dealer to get 19! Luckily, I realized what I was saying as the word was half way out of my mouth and I choked on it. Nobody noticed, but I felt foolish for playing so tired. If you play when tired, don't try to participate in the "fun". Just act drunk and sleepy or depressed because your "in the hole", but keep your mouth shut! It's kind of funny when I think about it now. Envision yourself at a full table and the dealer's ready to pull his card...say "four"! Picture the whole table looking at you like...what the hell? If it happens to you, just say..."I always ask for what I don't want cuz it's my luck I'll get the opposite". If you yell "even", this won't work, so pick up your chips and run.

The dealer asked me some off-the-wall question like "What are ya gonna do with that?" I answered "Three".

Was playing DD in Vegas. Got to Fitzgerald's and they had a DD table empty and ready to go, so I couldn't tell where the shuffle card was. Sat down with my son and as soon as we put up our first bets, the dealer took 1/3 of the pack and put it into the discard tray. That was 33% of the cards. We played 5-6 rounds and I noticed that the shuffle card was about 2/3 deck from the back of the pack, giving us 33% penetration.

I pretended my cell phone buzzed, carried on a short "conversation" while the dealer shuffled, then said "color us up, got to meet my wife." Son started "what is wrong"? "Is everything OK?" "Why are we leaving in such a hurry?" "what's happened?" "Did they have a wreck or something?" "did someone get sick?" Etc. And I could only say "we need to meet your mom, which apparently drove his anxiety higher." After we got away, I told him "the damned game was unplayable, mom is fine, next time remember that that is a good way to leave a bad game in a hurry..."

OK. I did n't do it then but I should.
It was a game allowing unlimited doubling at Ecuador. The max was only US$30. I bet $30, got A2 vs dealer's 6. I doubled and got an Ace, doubled again with $60 and got a duce. I doubled it and got an A. I doubled the soft 17 with $240 and got a Ten. I stopped with 6 cards hard 17 against dealer's 6. Total bet was $480. Thenext card was a 4. The catch was that the casino would pay 7 to 1 with 7 cards 21! If I doubled that hard 17 I would have won $6,720 and I should douuble the hard 17 even against dealer's 6 with the 7 to 1 bonus.

I was playing at a DD table about a year ago, sometime last summer. The RC was around zero, I don't remember exactly. My wife walked up with my son and asked "we want something to drink, I left my purse in the room, do you have five bucks?"

argh.

Apparently this was at a critical "mental" moment, because my next bet was a max bet, as were the next 4 before the shuffle card came out. Yep. Totally mangled my RC and replaced it by "5". :) I then remembered that the RC was _not_ +5 at the time. Too late. Fortunately it only cost me about $200 bucks... Damned expensive cokes, even though the big hotel/casinos are pretty proud of their soft drinks. :)