I had a controversial hand on Saturday night. Atlantic City.
I bet about $100. I've got 11, dealer is showing 4. I double-down,
get 21. Dealer draws to 21. Push.
Now I've got $200 on the table. So I let it ride. Can't remember, I
got either 10 or 11. Dealer was showing a 6. So I doubled down, got
20. Dealer drew to 20. Another push!
Now I've got $400 on the table. I get 11, dealer is showing 5. We've
got the following hands:
Player 1 - 14 total, $15 bet
Player 2 - A9 (soft 20), $15 bet
Player 3 (me) - 11, $400 bet
Of course, I have to double AGAIN. I take all the cash from my
pocket, but I don't have the full $400. So Player 1 places some money
on my hand, so does Player 2. Then a spectator also adds some money.
Now there is a total of $800, 4 people involved. At this point, we've
gathered a small crowd of curious bystanders.
I get an 8 for 19 total. Dealer flips another 5 for 10 total. Then a
King for 20 total. Dealer wins. Ugh.
BUT WAIT, Player 2 has thrown the red flag! We've got a challenge on the field.
During the chaos, Player 2 doubled on his A9. Sure enough, he had $15
next to his original $15 bet. If the dealer had dealt correctly,
Player 2 would get the 8. I would get the King for 21 total.
By the book, you don't double on A9. You just stand. But doubling A9
against dealer's 5 isn't the worst play in the world. You're assuming
the dealer will bust with his 5. And there are several cards that
give you a strong total.
The dealer denied everything. "Sir, you didn't say anything. You
didn't ask for the double down."
Ummmmm. Why does the player need to ask? Player 2 put his $15 on the
table. It is the dealer's responsibility to recognize the bet. But
the dealer was so focused on my large bet, he simply overlooked Player 2's bet.
Of course, all of this is on camera. There is video evidence. Player
2 placed his bet properly. He didn't post-bet.
Now we've got the dealer and the boss. They're sticking to the story. Player 2 didn't say anything, not the dealer's fault.
1) Once again, it is the dealer's responsibility to deal correctly. The players are supposed to drink and have fun. We're not supposed to
supervise the dealer.
2) When would Player 2 have said something? The dealer dealt me, then
he dealt himself. That's 1-2 seconds.
So we go to the camera. After 10 minutes, the casino rules that the
dealer's 20 will stand. All players have the "option" to cancel their
bet. Wow, what an option.
Obviously, I cancelled my bet.
Does anybody know, is this standard policy? Is it worth pursuing? Don't care about the money. But if the casino violated any law/policy, I'd like to document the incident.
The dealer made a simple mistake. No big deal. But why should the players be penalized for his mistake?
I bet about $100. I've got 11, dealer is showing 4. I double-down,
get 21. Dealer draws to 21. Push.
Now I've got $200 on the table. So I let it ride. Can't remember, I
got either 10 or 11. Dealer was showing a 6. So I doubled down, got
20. Dealer drew to 20. Another push!
Now I've got $400 on the table. I get 11, dealer is showing 5. We've
got the following hands:
Player 1 - 14 total, $15 bet
Player 2 - A9 (soft 20), $15 bet
Player 3 (me) - 11, $400 bet
Of course, I have to double AGAIN. I take all the cash from my
pocket, but I don't have the full $400. So Player 1 places some money
on my hand, so does Player 2. Then a spectator also adds some money.
Now there is a total of $800, 4 people involved. At this point, we've
gathered a small crowd of curious bystanders.
I get an 8 for 19 total. Dealer flips another 5 for 10 total. Then a
King for 20 total. Dealer wins. Ugh.
BUT WAIT, Player 2 has thrown the red flag! We've got a challenge on the field.
During the chaos, Player 2 doubled on his A9. Sure enough, he had $15
next to his original $15 bet. If the dealer had dealt correctly,
Player 2 would get the 8. I would get the King for 21 total.
By the book, you don't double on A9. You just stand. But doubling A9
against dealer's 5 isn't the worst play in the world. You're assuming
the dealer will bust with his 5. And there are several cards that
give you a strong total.
The dealer denied everything. "Sir, you didn't say anything. You
didn't ask for the double down."
Ummmmm. Why does the player need to ask? Player 2 put his $15 on the
table. It is the dealer's responsibility to recognize the bet. But
the dealer was so focused on my large bet, he simply overlooked Player 2's bet.
Of course, all of this is on camera. There is video evidence. Player
2 placed his bet properly. He didn't post-bet.
Now we've got the dealer and the boss. They're sticking to the story. Player 2 didn't say anything, not the dealer's fault.
1) Once again, it is the dealer's responsibility to deal correctly. The players are supposed to drink and have fun. We're not supposed to
supervise the dealer.
2) When would Player 2 have said something? The dealer dealt me, then
he dealt himself. That's 1-2 seconds.
So we go to the camera. After 10 minutes, the casino rules that the
dealer's 20 will stand. All players have the "option" to cancel their
bet. Wow, what an option.
Obviously, I cancelled my bet.
Does anybody know, is this standard policy? Is it worth pursuing? Don't care about the money. But if the casino violated any law/policy, I'd like to document the incident.
The dealer made a simple mistake. No big deal. But why should the players be penalized for his mistake?