This was my first time at a table this week at Winstar, so I'm a big newbie to it. I thought it was not a good idea to split tens. My friend did this a few times even when I told her it wasn't a good move. Another guy came into the game and he was splitting tens.

I left the game cause I was getting my ass kicked- even the dealer commented on how much my hands sucked. I just watched for a while and someone was trying to split tens again but a new guy at the table--who obviously knew what he was doing would stop someone from splitting tens or hitting on 14, 15, 16 when the dealers card was a 6. This seemed to happen every 5 or 6 hands.

Everyone started calling him the coach. I got back in again and lost almost every hand. Decided to quit trying and colored up what little I had left. The crappy thing was everyone else was winning but me.

I know a cooler is someone who brings bad luck or cools off a hot table. I asked my poker loving friend what you call someone who doesn't win but every one else at the table wins- she said that is simple-- a loser -- I gave her the finger.

 

We call that player 'the sacrificial lamb' - usually accompanied by the imitation of a sheep's bleeting sound - "Ba-a-a-a-a!"

Never split tens....or fives....not ever... unless you're in a tournament & you're behind.
Learning basic strategy is easy. I advise anyone wanting to play blackjack to learn it... usually, telling them that playing basic strategy will lower the house edge to less than 1%...that is enough to convince them.

There is a "correct" way to play every single hand....that doesn't guarantee a winning session (sorry) - it just guarantees that, in the long run, the house will take less than 1% of the money you bet.

When the cards "go bad" on me, I will sit out a few hands (on a shoe game or CSM), or sit out until the shuffle on a two-deck game. If that fails, I change tables...if that fails, I change casinos.

Don't give up on blackjack... give it more time, learn basic strategy...you will see better results... I promise.

 

Unless you're counting I would never split tens

 

I was playing the other day and heard this explained as the rule of "Fuh". Never split Fours, Fives, or Faces.

 

Actually, I will split 4s against a dealer 5 or 6, when DAS is permitted (3:2, H17, two-deck, DAS).

 

If the player isn't counting splitting 10's is like trading in a Mercedes for two Hondas.

 

Was playing at Ballys about 15 years ago at a $10 table with one other player. I'm playing green chips.
A guy is standing behind the table watching the action.
At one point the guy who was watching jumps in and bets multiple blacks(can't remember exact bet)

He is dealt two tens and splits them.I say WTF are you doing?
He is dealt a 20 and 19 dealer breaks.
Picks up his chips and walks.
Looking back he was probably back counting and it was so good he thought it was the right play.
Or.............he was a lucky idiot.

 

jmd - the guy was likely counting...even so, unless the dealer had a 5 or 6 showing, and the count was very positive, he still should have stayed with his 20.

 

I've seen it here and there. One of my cousins first time playing, he split tens and i still give him shit about it lol. I won't do it, because in order for the hand to be valuable, you must win both hands.. otherwise its a push or double the loss. I don't like those odds.

 

In one of the only events in over 30 years of playing blackjack, when another player's "bad play" actually caused a negative effect on my outcome:
I had a very positive count, so my bet was 4x my base. I was sitting at 3rd, and the guy to my right split his tens....I had a 6-5.
His first hand drew another 10 and he split that too. He then drew a 9, (stand), an 8, (stand), and a 10 (stand). This took a +5 count at the start of the hand to minus-1.
I had been planning to double against the dealer's 8, but with the count ruined, I simply hit... I drew a 5, giving me 16. I hit again and busted.
Dealer had 18, as I knew she did.
Had this guy kept his 20, I would have had 21 & won 8x my base-bet.
Instead - I lost 4x my base... a 12-bet turn-around.
If I had not been aware of his incorrect play, I would have doubled & still lost. So - in this (rare) case, his bad play actually did have an adverse impact - but only because I bet the count & because he depleted the tens from that good count...and he did it before I could hit.

Normally, one would say (including me) that his play could have just as easily helped me as it hurt me.
In this case, he took away high cards that I had actually bet would be there.

However, as this was the only time he did it, I suspect he was counting as well...still, with an 8 showing for the dealer, he still should have stayed with his 20.