11a. What Should You Do?
Date: Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:46 pm ((PST))So here is the question: If you were in this situation, what would
you do? This was a pretty smart guy, I could have explained both the
theory and the practice for the game he was playing and he would have
picked it up immediately. But for the situation he was in, short time
period, limited number of hands, playing a fairly high variance game,
what I could well have done is limit his potential instead of helping him.
If / when he was playing blackjack, was he using a LEARNED basic strategy, card counting perhaps - or just winging it, and going on "hunches" and "how the table's going" sort of guidance? That may tell you whether he's receptive to "correct" strategy concepts.
It certainly doesn't hurt to explain the concept that each hand presents alternative actions and that some have higher EV than others -- but as per other advice, always explain that the correct play doesn't guarantee the correct outcome.
Regardless, he certainly ought to be receptive to the concept of a better pay table!!
And yes, your point is certainly well taken concerning the fact that short term outcome is not going to relate to correct strategy as well as long term outcome -- but if he's a big time gambler, seems like he'd already have learned that lesson!
If he's really thinking of switching to VP from table games as his primary play, and if he goes to gambling venues very often, he will begin to approach "long term" over time, of course.
You could buy him a book or software if he seems interested. But I have friends who just don't want to spend the time to "learn" a game -- but who will nevertheless argue why their own strategy is better (even when / perhaps especially when their strategy is not consistent for the exact same decision -- because they change their strategy according to the "situation", which is based on factors that have nothing to do with the outcome of the next hand).
He may also be concerned about comps, and depending on his play, may or may not do better with VP comps than he did with table games - and that MAY even be facility-dependent.
--BG
ยทยทยท
================