Introduction

• Blackjack Strategy Dealer Stands On Soft 17
• Blackjack Strategy Dealer Hits Soft 17

The first, and most obvious, is that video poker is played against the computer rather than a dealer or other players. This means that there’s no requirement to 'read' opponents or discern tells. By making a grid with the dealer up card across the top, the two player cards on the left, and filling each spot with an abbreviation indicating the player action, everything needed for perfect blackjack play is easily contained in a very small space. As you learned in section 6.2, the arrangement of a video poker strategy chart is different. Adopt a Consistent Strategy. Another big key to becoming a great poker player (and perhaps one of the most important poker tips on this strategy guide) is to consistently apply a winning strategy. A dealer button is used for all forms of poker in which the opportunity to act last in each round of betting — a distinct advantage when it comes to poker strategy — rotates around the table.

MODIFIED THREE-CARD POKER STRATEGY WHEN YOU KNOW ONE OF THE DEALER’S CARDS When you have the advantage of seeing one of the dealer’s cards, you should change your basic strategy. If the dealer card is: A Jack or Lower = Always Make a Play Bet.

It is not unusual to find a Three Card Poker dealer who inadvertently exposes one of his cards. This is due to height and location of the shuffler. It is natural for right handed dealers to grab the cards on the side, potentially exposing the bottom one to the players as he puts them down on the table. The best view is usually at first base, or the first position to act.

This advantage play has been known for years, and most dealers are trained to keep the dealer's cards low and parallel to the table, or to leave them in the shuffler until the dealer's turn. Still, I find dealers who flash often, especially in smaller casinos.

This is not the first time I wrote about this: I covered it briefly in my book and my September 6, 2003 newsletter. However, I feel it is time to quit holding back and let everybody in on this.

Strategy

Here is the strategy if the player can clearly make out the rank of one of the dealer's cards, according to the card exposed.

• 2 to J: Raise always.
• Q: Raise with Q-9-2 or better.
• K: Raise with K-9-2 or better.
• A: Raise with A-9-2 or better.

If all you know is that the dealer has a face card, then you should raise on Q-J-5 or better. If all you know is the dealer doesn't have a face card, then you should always raise, whether or not you can rule out the card being an ace, which you often can.

Odds

The following table shows the probability of each net win on the Ante bet assuming the player can make out the rank of one dealer card. The pays are based on the common pay Ante Bonus pay table that pays 5 for a stright flush, 4 for a three of a kind, and 1 for a straight. The lower right cell shows a player advantage of 3.48%.

One Rank Exposed Return Table

Blackjack Strategy Dealer Stands On Soft 17

If the player can categorize the dealer's card as an ace, 2-10, or face card, then the player advantage drops to 2.41%. My book incorrectly stated this was the advantage for the paint or not-paint situation. The player should not play at all if he can't distinguish an ace from a 2-10, because the house would have a 2.43% advantage. To any players who may have played paint or not-paint games because of my book, I deeply apologize for the error.

The next table shows the player advantage under the 5-4-1 and some other known Ante Bonus pay tables.

One Rank Exposed Return Table

Links

Both editions of Beyond Counting by James Grosjean cover Three Card Poker with lots of additional information. The first edition covers this topic in chapter 43, and the second in chapter 60. For example, he also covers the strategy for two known dealer cards and adjustments to make based on the cards held by other players.

Introduction

The Dealer Bonus is a simple pai gow poker side bet based on the value of the dealer's hand. I first saw it at the Red Rock in Las Vegas on May 26, 2016.

Rules

The Dealer Bonus is a side bet based on pai gow poker. Briefly, pai gow poker is played with a 53-card deck, including a partially wild joker. The joker can be used to complete a straight or flush. Otherwise, it is counted as an ace. The player and dealer are each given seven cards. The Dealer Bonus is based on the value of the dealer's seven cards. Following is the pay table. Only the highest qualifying hand pays.

Dealer Bonus

Blackjack Strategy Dealer Hits Soft 17

Analysis

Following is my analysis of the Dealer Bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.72%.

Dealer Bonus