Treating the Unseen Burn Card

[DonR]

Almost as a rule of thumb, the dealers do not show the first burn card, at the beginning of the shoe, in the casinos I go to.

What would be the proper way of treating that card? I always felt that asking for it might draw a little bit of unwanted attention. I just ignore it completely, and treat it as an unseen card. Would a somewhat more conservative approach be to treat it as a 10, instead? Personally, I don't think that 1 unseen card will change a lot in the grand scheme of things, in the lousy 8D game, but it would be interesting to hear what you guys do in better rules games.

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

Treat it as any card behind the cut card. Don't change your count to account for the burn card.

 

[shadroch]

I just ignore it. Just be thankful theres only one. There are some places that burn as many as eleven cards. They take the original burn card and flip it over. If its a four,they burn four more. If its a ten, they burn ten cards, ect, ect. I believe this started a few years ago at the Vegas Club and has spread to a joint out on Boulder.

 

[johndoe]

It's not such a big deal to ask to see it, as long as your act is OK. Plenty of superstitious types do, or people who want to see "what they would have had".

I suppose it's more important to know late in the shoe, though, during a dealer change for example.

Otherwise ignore it, treat it as part of the cutoff.

 

[bjcount]

It's not such a big deal to ask to see it, as long as your act is OK. Plenty of superstitious types do, or people who want to see "what they would have had".

I suppose it's more important to know late in the shoe, though, during a dealer change for example.

Otherwise ignore it, treat it as part of the cutoff.

I just ask the other players if they want to see the card. Usually someone does and they ask the dealer to show it.

BJC

EDIT: otherwise it's as Shadroch, Callpygian, and Johndoe say treat it as part of the cut off.

 

[callipygian]

The broadest answer is that any card which is not actually seen should be treated as if it were behind the cut card.

If you arrive at a table when 3 decks out of 6 have already been played (unseen by you), and then backcount 1 deck with a final RC of +10, your TC is +2 (RC +10 divided by 5 decks unseen), not TC +5 (RC +10 divided by 2 decks unplayed).

If you play through the first deck of a 4 deck shoe with an RC of -4, take a bathroom break and miss playing 1 deck, and return to play another deck with an RC of +8, your TC is +1 (RC +4 divided by 2 decks unseen), not TC +2 (RC +4 divided by 1 deck unplayed).

 

[Blue Efficacy]

This is an advantage for first base, you have an excuse to be legitimately curious. Of course the gambling compact with my states tribes demand the card be shown if requested. Applies to Double Deck too

 

[DonR]

Thanks, guys! That is what I do, ignore the unseen burn card.

Shadroch, that thing about burning multiple cards at the beginning of the shoe...total madness! Hopefully it does not spread around, but the way casinos are getting paranoid more and more, you never know.

Callipygian, most likely it's not very advisable to jump in the middle of the shoe, or even after a few hands, and only start counting from that point on. I assume you only presented it as an example of how the proper TC is calculated, with regards to all the unseen cards.