What do you say to a guy like this?

I have a friend. He has said numerous times that "blackjack is a great game because the house edge is only 0.5 percent." The guy refuses to split eights vs. a dealer's 9 or higher. "I don't want to lose twice as much money." He stands on all soft 18's. He refuses to double an 11 vs. 10, "too risky." He never splits nines, "I don't want to break up my strong 18." He doubles A3 vs. 3.

What in the world would make him say that the house edge is only 0.5 percent?