M
Mike_25
Guest
Determining if there's still a decent stack of tens and aces left in the deck is kind of an art form in blackjack. Don't worry, with enough practice at the tables, you'll get pretty good at eyeballing the remaining deck.
For starters, keep a mental count going of the tens and aces as the cards are dealt. If you notice a bunch of tens and aces hitting the table early on, you'll know the deck is rich in them. But if hardly any have been dealt yet, there probably aren't too many left. This only gives you part of the picture, but every bit helps.
Pay attention to the suits too. If a ton of hearts have been dealt but only a few spades, there are likely more tens/aces in spades left in the deck. See how the tens/aces have been dispersing - if they've been dealt real sporadically, more are probably still in there. But if a bunch have been hitting in a row, you can assume fewer remain.
Another tip: look at what percentage of tens/aces have been dealt compared to the total number of cards that have come out of the deck so far. Early on, maybe 2-3% of the cards dealt have been tens/aces, so at least a couple dozen are likely still left. But if half the deck has been used and only 5% have been tens/aces, probably only 10-15 remain.
Use your common sense and instincts too. Earlier in the deal, the deck is usually rich in tens/aces since the cards are fresh from the shuffle. But as the hand progresses, the remaining content starts to normalize. The best you can usually do is get a general sense of whether the deck moderately favors or disfavors you.
The only way to really improve at this is by experiencing it, a bunch. Make your best guess on whether it's worth splitting, doubling down or sticking - and see if the deck proves you right or wrong. Over time, your estimating abilities will sharpen up for sure. But don't worry too much about precision here - a rough sense of the deck composition is good enough for most decisions.
For starters, keep a mental count going of the tens and aces as the cards are dealt. If you notice a bunch of tens and aces hitting the table early on, you'll know the deck is rich in them. But if hardly any have been dealt yet, there probably aren't too many left. This only gives you part of the picture, but every bit helps.
Pay attention to the suits too. If a ton of hearts have been dealt but only a few spades, there are likely more tens/aces in spades left in the deck. See how the tens/aces have been dispersing - if they've been dealt real sporadically, more are probably still in there. But if a bunch have been hitting in a row, you can assume fewer remain.
Another tip: look at what percentage of tens/aces have been dealt compared to the total number of cards that have come out of the deck so far. Early on, maybe 2-3% of the cards dealt have been tens/aces, so at least a couple dozen are likely still left. But if half the deck has been used and only 5% have been tens/aces, probably only 10-15 remain.
Use your common sense and instincts too. Earlier in the deal, the deck is usually rich in tens/aces since the cards are fresh from the shuffle. But as the hand progresses, the remaining content starts to normalize. The best you can usually do is get a general sense of whether the deck moderately favors or disfavors you.
The only way to really improve at this is by experiencing it, a bunch. Make your best guess on whether it's worth splitting, doubling down or sticking - and see if the deck proves you right or wrong. Over time, your estimating abilities will sharpen up for sure. But don't worry too much about precision here - a rough sense of the deck composition is good enough for most decisions.
