StevenBlack

Anyone know where one may buy a used or new auto shuffler. I realize they are probably hard to find, and I don't want to be unethical in obtaining one.

Hello all, I just just joined this forum. I think it's great; I've been on 3 other blackjack forums but when it comes to the issue of clumping, I was starting to sense that they either didn't understand clumping or weren't open to it. I have several point: Interestingly, I still seem to notice a 14-16% advantage (that I think is due to clumping) even when using Basic Strategy. This is good for me because it seems to take some of the guess work, the grey area, the "art" rather than the "science," of the decision making away. Anyway: 1) I was under the impression that clumping favored the player, not the house, at least when it comes to the clumping of high cards, not low cards. Isn't this correct, at least with the use of basic strategy? 2) I read an article that I think was based off of Boris's writing indicating that clumping works best with 2-4 players (including me). Do you all agree with this? In contrast, when it comes to clumping, what is wrong (in other words, why doesn't clumping work) with playing head-to-head against the dealer (i.e., 1 total player) or playing with, say, 4 other players at a table for a total of 5 players including me? I can see that perhaps with 5 players, the clump get interrupted. Correct? 3) It seems my player advantage went way down when trying to use my clumping strategy against a no hole card dealer at Celtic casino online blackjack. Do you all think that the absence of a dealer whole card somehow negatively impacts the player advantage when it comes to clumping? (For instance, perhaps the delay in the dealer getting her second hand represents a break in the clump?)? 4) How do you all deal with "rent bets," or bets that are necessary to make to stay seated at the table but don't necessarily hold any player advantage? By phone, I found a table at the Palace Casino in Mississippi that is a $3 minimum table. Or, I guess one can still sit at a table and not bet, say, on a large part of the shoe as long as the casino isn't especially busy. Any other ideas?