Some dealers (ploppies on the other side of the table)
Most dealers learned their vesion of how to play blackjack from the average players that they deal too. That said, most are poor players and do not know basic strategy. But if we are saying that to be a real ploppy you must also force your bad opinions on others and degrade those who do not follow your way, then most dealers are not ploppies but some are like super ploppies.
At a casino in California, where dealers keep their own tokes, there may be an extra incentive for some dealers to be ploppies. I know this dealer who deals fairly fast and gives decent penetration but loves to take trusting novices under his evil wings and guide them through the perils of playing blackjack. The "scam" works because, as we know, the worst blackjack player in the world is capable of having a lucky streak and if it happens while under the guide of this dealer, that player will help fill the dealers toke box.
The dealer will give the player advice and some of it is very wrong. Never, ever split your 4-7's or your 9's and 10's. He is right on the 5's and for basic he is right on the 10's but way off on everything else.
Never hit your 16 vs dealer 7 because there are only 5 cards the dealer could have to make a hand. Forgetting that 2-4 are good cards for a dealer showing a 7, and that dealers will hit stiffs and make hands often.
Never hit 12 vs 2, let the dealer bust.
Never surrender, the casino would not have this rule if it was good for the player.
Always take even money, it is the only sure bet in the whole casino.
So I play at this guys table with the poor novice and another player who often takes the dealers wrong advice.
I get a blackjack against his ace in a neutral count, refuse even money after he automatically gave me the chips. He states for everyone, "you can never win in this game if you refuse even money" Then he checks his hole and pays me 3/2. About a half dozen hands later I split 9's vs his 8 and he now tells the other two players that the book (no book I ever read) says never split 9's it destroys the flow of the cards. I get a 19 and a bust and push the total against his 18 and he says see the mistake you made! I smile and tell him my 18 pushed anyway.
When I surrendered a 16 vs his 10, his comment was something like, I told you that surrender is a house rule and bad for players. My answer, "if the house only puts in bad rules like surrender, why then is even money a good rule" I am now offically declared "hopeless"
Meanwhile, I am winning and breaking about all of his rules. When I split 6's vs his 4 and land up with 4 6's and 2 double downs and win 6 bets vs his bust, he declares (finally something correct) that anyone can get lucky.
When the count goes high and I want to get the most cards on what I think will be the last hand of the shoe and go to three hands, he tries to talk me out of it. I win all three and as he shuffles he is still trying to convert me, telling me how lucky I have been (I am up over $2,500 against him) and that I will quickly give it all back and that he knows what he is talking about because he has been dealing for 10 years.
The next shoe the count goes negative and I see the relief dealer coming (who gives poor penetration) so I color up. Now the dealer is trying to get a toke out of me. I tell him, "since you think I will go broke quickly the way I play blackjack, I think I had better keep every cent I have for myself."
The funny thing is, I think we both left the table with the exact same opinions about eachother. That the other guy is an assho#%.
Finally, an hour later, at a different table, I ran into the novice he had been giving advice too. The poor guy asked me a real key question, "how come I got advice that was completely different from the next dealer" I told him, they are dealers and that's it. Some know how to play but most really do not but unfortunately most players are no better. Did give him some advice, as I told him where he could download a basic strategy chart.
Some dealers are ploppies.