On 27 Apr 2000, Anda1man wrote:
< snip, preliminaries >
> Here is my problem. The Player may choose to play exactly the same
> rules as the Dealer is REQUIRED to play; or the Player may choose some
> of the other options. Since the Player has more choices or options in
> play than does the Dealer, why does the Dealer have the statistical
> advantage? It seems to me the Player would have the advantage. Can
> you help? (I have one year of college statistics.)
Yes, well, you'll need rather more probability theory than you're likely
to have encountered heretofore, if you want a thorough analysis. That
notwithstanding, there are one or two things one can observe ...
(1) The house ALWAYS has the statistical advantage. Else it wouldn't
include that game among its offerings. (Agreed, this is oversimple...)
(2) The Dealer's required strategy is in fact the optimal fixed
strategy, even against Players using the same strategy; partly because
in the case of a tie the Dealer wins (if I remember correctly), and
partly because the Dealer plays last, after the Players have had ample
opportunity to "stick" when they shouldn't have.
(3) It is true for Blackjack, unlike nearly all other Las Vegas-type
games, that a variable strategy on the part of the Player can change the
statistical advantage to the Player's side. It should not surprise you
that only a certain type of variable strategy, among a very large number
of possible strategies, can have this effect; and that Players showing
evidence of pursuing such a strategy very rapidly become persona non
grata at the gaming tables.
-- DFB.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Donald F. Burrill [EMAIL PROTECTED]
348 Hyde Hall, Plymouth State College, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MSC #29, Plymouth, NH 03264 603-535-2597
184 Nashua Road, Bedford, NH 03110 603-471-7128
===========================================================================
This list is open to everyone. Occasionally, less thoughtful
people send inappropriate messages. Please DO NOT COMPLAIN TO
THE POSTMASTER about these messages because the postmaster has no
way of controlling them, and excessive complaints will result in
termination of the list.
For information about this list, including information about the
problem of inappropriate messages and information about how to
unsubscribe, please see the web page at
http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/
===========================================================================
