Table Games How do you handle your last Blackjack hand?

How do you play your last hand of a session?

In theory every hand can result in you needing to lay out an additional 7 times your original bet (split to 4 hands, all doubled).

So, assuming you're not leaving up;
Do you always have 8 units left when you decide to quit?
Do you go all in with the chips on the table and re-buy if you need to?
Do you bet half your chips and hope you don't need to make more than one split or double?

What if you're determined not to re-buy and you get a double opportunity?
Would you ignore the double and just play the hand out?
Would you fall prey to superstition and only take one hit regardless of the result because you were only 'supposed' to take one card by doubling?

I usually bet half my remaining chips and will re-buy in the unlikely event I get more than one split.

Interested to hear what other folks do and why.
I've had a couple of horror stories and a couple of 'from felt to profit' too!

 

If I'm down, I'll play my last chips on my last hand. If I get a double or split hand, I dig.
If I lose the hand anyway, I still leave. If I win, I may very well play one more hand with the 'double' winnings.

 

It's practically inevitable you'll get a double or split when you bet the last of your chips. At least it feels that way.

 

I generally go into a session looking to double up my buy in, or bust out. If I'm down, I'll just play the hand, with whatever is left, and not re-buy regardless of the hand.

If I've hit my win goal, I'm often times over by a couple units. So I'll take the full overage, and divide it somehow between the dealer and I (generally evenly), and play it all on my spot and say "x is mine, y is yours, we're going to play 3 hands and let the winnings ride until the end". Any pushes don't count... It's pretty fun, the dealer loves it, and were either sittin pretty or, at the win goal. And I won't double or split unless I'm feeling really loose!

 

Lol - how true! I'm glad that I'm not the only one that experiences this phenomenon. Has happened more times than I can count!!!

Guess we are all in it together.

 

This is why I usually leave the table after the penultimate hand.

 

i don't think that is possible. LOL!!!

 

I didn't want to influence the answers by saying that up front, but it's happened to me a load of times too!

 

I usually play at the maximum I'm comfortable with, so letting it ride would give me even more on a dilemma on the new 'last hand'. I'd still want to split or double it if needed, but the cost would be prohibitive (mentally, if not financially!)

 

That's a great idea for winning sessions.

 

I don't hold with superstition, knock on wood , but I swear that splitting and/or doubling down on the last hand occurs with ridiculous regularity. In fact, whenever Ms. Gecko or I decide it's going to be our last hand (for whatever reason), we automatically get ready to slide out additional chips.

Other than that, we NEVER play down to our last chips and never stick around if we lose more than half, usually less, of our buy-ins. Yes, that means the additional chips on the table are basically window dressing, but they provide a comfy buffer for that rare last splitting and doubling situation when multiple hands are involved. It certainly avoids ending a session with nothing. Sure, the overall results are the same, but leaving a table empty handed, being totally wiped out, can be psychologically damaging. In our opinion, digging into your purse or wallet for additional money for that last hand, and usually holding up the game in the process, is the mark of a true amateur and loser. We've observed more times than not, that when someone does buy additional chips for their last hand, win or lose, they'll continue playing until the new chips are gone, too. It's pathetic!

Okay flamers, I know someone will say they've played down to the last chip, won, and ended up making a fortune. It happens – anything can happen; BUT … come on, it's rare. There's a clear message when you've gotten down near the bottom of the stack; it's wise to heed it!

 

It does seem that way a lot more than it should be in my smallish amount of BJ play, and when it happens, I dig.

And leaving a $10 table and going to the cashier with ~$30 of your $200 left is much better for the psyche? You're forcing yourself to do a walk of shame. :evillaugh

 

Not to pour gasoline on the fire, but I don't know where you came up with "going to the cashier with ~$30 of your $200 left," as I purposely didn't give any dollar amounts. I did, however, say that we almost never give up more than half our buy-in, usually less, per session! We don't do the "walk of shame!"

 

It is uncanny how often this happens.

I usually hang until the bitter end. I'll even push Blues or Kennedy's out there to get to $5 or $10.

If I double or more my buy-in, I won't go below that, except for the inevitable split or double-down.

Knowing when to quit, it's just a feeling I get, like, time to move on, Breeze. Or when I start to get fuzzy-headed and start making mistakes, time to go.

I bet tango style, I add a chip each time I win up to 4 (or 5), depends. I never vary from that. As you can tell, I don't count, relying strictly on dumb luck.

 

My bankroll and buy-in for a BJ session are not the same. I usally buy in for $100 and have a couple more hundred at the ready in my wallet.

I'll widdle that buy-in down to nothing. If my last hand is a double or a split, it depends on how "good" of a double or split it is as to whether or not I'm going to dig for more cash. 11 vs. a 6, yes I'm doubling. 11 vs. a face card, hit. 8's a against any little card, I'm splitting. 8's against a face card, hit. Etc.

It seems like there's been many times where I've been down to my last two or three units (usually $10 units for me, I'm a low roller) and then come back to break even or actually make a profit from the session. That's why I have no problem widdling my buy-in down to nothing. It's gambling.

 

Sorry, I glossed over the detail about the buy-in when reading your response initially, leaving with a half a buyin is obviously better for your psyche. And I just was using the numbers as a better illustration. It sounds better than 3 units of a 20-unit buyin. I didn't mean to insinuate that was your play level.

But unless you play the other half of the buy-in somewhere else where doubling doesn't matter...you still have to bother with the cashier at some point, no? Not saying you want to lose, but at least you don't have to wait in a cashier line when you do go broke I suppose. When it comes to gambling in general though, I tend to overroll myself and don't often go "totally broke" (and why I can rebuy when I need a split/double). But I do hate that "went broke" feeling.

 

Tringlomane: No problem. When we lose a session, be it for $5 or a couple $100, we usually add "fresh money" to bring our next session buy-ins back to our normal amounts. That's just us; there are probably an infinite number of ways to handle this stuff. I've never lost even half my gambling funds per trip in the 28 ½ years I've been playing! (I realize that means absolutely nothing, other than reiterating that I don't play down to the bottom – and that I probably bring too much with me.)

Sorry, I tend to alternate between "I" and "we." Ms. Gecko, my usual gambling partner, and I bet and play the same way, so we often pool our funds at the beginning of a trip and settle up the profits (and sometimes losses) at the end. It helps make for peaceful coexistence and tends to smooth out the bumps.

 

That's a bit harsh. Hopefully it's hyperbole for dramatic purposes.
I wish the written word could convey the sentiment better.

This next comment is intended humorously and is no way a flame at you. Here's the opinion from the other side of the table:

In my opinion, not using all your buy in chips and cashing out down, usually holding up the game in the process, is the mark of a true amateur and poser.


Perhaps this is the difference between a player and a gambler?

When you're in a hole, stop digging!
vs
When you're in a hole, keep going - you may strike oil!

 

Sorry, you pretty much lost me on that one. Are you saying that you SHOULD play down to your last chips on the table? I'll sometimes end a session with a small win, a small loss, or exactly even – it depends entirely how it's going. I'll admit that coloring up, which is done at the end of the shoe, takes longer when you still have chips to color, but holding up the game? Huh? And I'm afraid I'm sticking with my comment about those who really do hold up the game while they dig for more money to play that last hand.

Actually, I don't care all that much if the game is paused for a minute or two while they hunt for more money. I'm seldom in a hurry during a weeklong trip. I just hate seeing players tapped out.

 

I think it's more like holding up the game to lay a bet on an opportunistic hand. I've dug many a time and it turned the tide and ended up a winning session.

Jeez, I take that as a harsh remark.

I think I have landed in a nest of high rolling counters.