This is a little on the philosophical side. Hopefully it will force each person who reads this to learn a little more about themselves. We keep throwing around this term "SKILL" every time we turn around. This game requires more skill! Or this game requires less skill! Or this game requires no skill at all! Or this game has 2 advance per table so more skill is required! The list goes on forever. So, what do me mean by skill as it relates to Blackjack Tournaments? A dictionary definition of skill: The ability that comes from knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well. Blackjack tournament play only requires 6 abilities (as I see it) and those only have to do with aptitude and knowledge:1) The ability to memorize countless rules and tables of mathematical probabilities. 2) The ability to instantly recall that mountain of rules. 3) The ability to make complex math calculations in one's head in an instant. 4) The big one - THE ABILITY TO COUNT CHIPS. (Ya, thats a joke but we have to live with it.) 5) The ability to "read" an opponent. (We run about 50/50 on this so I'm not sure it should be here.) 6) The ability and open mindedness to learn. If one can do all the above well, then that person has "skill" - at least by definition. But does that person play well even if he/she has skill? Often not! Can that person play all games with a mixture of rules well: 1 advance, 2 advance, 3 advance, accumulation, BJ pay 2:1, etc.? Again, often not! So is it not more accurate to say that a player is skilled in only certain games with certain rules because once the rules change that player throws up his/her hands and says "its too muck luck". But then another player comes along and says "I can use those rules to my advantage" so is he not more skilled than the first player who refuses to learn? Every rule change in a Blackjack Tournament requires adjustments to how one plays that particular game. Every game can give the truly skilled player an advantage but only if he/she has the "skills". If a player says the game is a "crap shoot" then that persons lacks the needed skills to win that game - over the long term - because he/she is not willing to research and learn the needed skills. Remember: If luck is equal, skill counts for everything - author cannot be recalled.
nice post nice post toolman I would add one more - based on personal experience - the ability to actually consistently apply what you know - I have found that I am a very 'sloppy' player - sometimes making 'automatic' plays without really thinking them through - where if I did take a few more seconds to think the bet/play through, I would know to make a better play/bet - and I know this has cost me some final tables - as too often these seem to occur on the last hand of a semi-final table - it seems that if you give up 2% of your potential advantage - it will jump up and bite you 100% of the time I guess that I would term that the ability to 'focus' and utilize all your skill/knowledge on every hand.
Automatic Plays I sometimes make a play that is correct for one situation but wrong for the situation I'm in. Other times I forget options because the situation is slightly different. Take for example the following situation: .....................BkRll..........Bet BlueLight.......12,700.........175 Newbie..........12,500........500 I had a slim lead going into the last hand. The dealer counted the chips and announced the totals and said I had a 200 lead. I thought about betting 1/3 of my BR 4,000 and if Newbie made a bigger bet I could double to correlate and only a swing would beat me. If I bet only 175 to take the low and cover the loss-push swing and then Newbie could bet big I would only have the low and I could never correlate with a double down if he got a good hand. I could remember times overbetting slim leads and an alert good player immediately took the low and I ended up losing the hand. After much thought I decided to bet the theoretical 175. As soon as my bet went out Newbie said "is that your bet?". He then tossed in a 500 chip just enough to win if we both win. At the time I thought this was a little to small a bet, and forgot about it. He could have bet as much as 4000 limiting my options. Now I thought that all I could hope for was him to not win a 52% chance. The cards were delt and I got 2 little cards and he got an A and a 9, the dealer had an 8 up. I took 2 hits and busted and needed the dealer to make a 20 or 21 about a 14% chance. What I had forgot about that I could have doubled and now if the dealer busts I end up with more chips than Newbie. The dealer busting would add 24% for me advancing for a total of 38%. However the dealer turned over a 10 for a total of 18. So I didn't have to kick myself all the way home. A lesson learned the easy way. ...........................BlueLight Woke up and realized that doubling would give up the loss-push swing so that reduces my advancing chances to 32%.
