Blackjack: Is It A Team Sport?

In its strictest sense, Blackjack can be considered a purely solitary sport. After all, the game is between you and the dealer, and what the other people at the table do has no direct effect on the outcome of your game. You are not playing for the group or anyone else at the table, you are in this for yourself. But that’s what other people may think.

Because Blackjack can be a team sport and many have done it and shown that it can be so. Normally, players would only pay close attention to what they are playing in their hands and completely ignore what other players have at the table. But if all players do so, the house will gain the greatest advantage and all players at the table will eventually lose. But the table can work together to really affect the decisions and outcomes of each deal – players will have a better chance of beating the house and winning.

Learning from history

One of the greatest masters of the game of team blackjack is Tommy Hyland, who is known not only as an exceptional blackjack but also as an effective blackjack team manager, one of the most successful in the history of the game. Tommy constantly improved his game by reading and studying other players, and from there he concluded that an effective blackjack team is necessary to achieve many achievements in this game.

His first team had been very successful in a short period of time, although there were several challenges and problems along the way. However, he never gave up, although many of his team members left. He soon went on to work with other players and led them to lasting success which was attributed to his great organizational skills and loyalty to his members who eventually earned his trust, a vital ingredient in achieving success in this game.

Tommy Hyland and his team weren’t the only ones to achieve great success working as a team to bring down the house. There was Ed Thorp, who tested his blackjack theories with two-pair teams in Las Vegas. Another is Ken Uston, who made millions at casinos through his elaborate but structured network of players who worked with him for several years. The most famous of these teams are the MIT math students who brought the house down with their exceptional computer-enhanced card counting skills that earned them more than $ 400,000 in a single weekend.

Work with a blackjack team

So how did they achieve this? How did this team manage to beat the house? Although their main weapon in their arsenal is their card counting skills, it is not what could ensure their success in these games. Teamwork, proper coordination, proper positioning, and honing the skills of others, should also maintain effective communication methods to share information about card counting, as well as pool their resources to have stake values. Taller.

While it is not necessary for every member of the blackjack team to be exceptional at card counting techniques, each member has a specific role to play in ensuring the success of the team. There is the observer behind who counts the cards and points to other teammates, particularly the “gorilla” who moves from table to table. And then there is the “big player” who eventually handles the bets at a table with more favorable card counting odds.

Advantages and disadvantages of Team Play Blackjack

There are certain benefits and pitfalls when it comes to working with a blackjack team. There are definite advantages that would entice other people to leave their solo game behind and work as a team. But there are also downsides that would make one rethink their strategies when playing this game.

Advantages of team play

• Pooling their sources will allow each player to have a larger budget that they can use to allow themselves to play higher stakes games and bet larger amounts of money. The higher the stakes, the higher the income everyone will eventually earn.
• Instead of going alone, you now have a good team working with you, behind you and supporting you at all times. Everyone can learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing each member to eventually improve their own game and have fun doing it.

Disadvantages of team play

• Friendships could be strained or damaged if things don’t go well with the team. A team member can panic in the heat of the game and do things their own way, apart from the original team game plan.
• There could be a possibility of betrayal, especially for team members you don’t really know that well.

Making up a good blackjack team

The total number of players on a blackjack team is not fixed, although it would make sense to start with four members. The key here is to stay off the radar of the casino watchers. Although team play and card counting is not illegal, casinos disapprove of this practice and will eventually blacklist any team identified for doing so.

The characteristics of a good team that will have a better chance of beating the house and winning the game of blackjack are as follows:

• Team members must be honest and trustworthy
• Members have specific skills and play skills depending on the role they play.
• Each player must share the same philosophy and expectations.
• Like-minded and with the same goal

Lastly, the team should have someone who is willing and able to take on the leadership role and as the team manager. He is responsible for making sure everyone on the team sticks to the game plan and follows the rules that everyone has agreed to. He would also be the one who would make the final decisions that would be in line with the objectives and goals of the team.

By having all of these elements together and correctly in place, they would all be on their way to financial success in this team sport called blackjack.