The Macho Mentality
The lure of playing beyond one’s limits is sometimes difficult to ignore. Some blackjack players feel a sense of superiority when they are placing the highest wagers at a table. Others feel that they have a leg up on weaker players whenever they deign to explain some aspect of the game to them. Some are too proud to admit that they can’t count and play as fast as the dealer can deliver the cards, and consequently end up playing an inferior game. These are all forms of a losing “macho” mentality.
It is more exciting to bet a black chip rather than a red one; there is no doubt about that. But if you do so, unless your blackjack bankroll is at least $5,000 and the TC is good, you are playing with your emotions instead of with the odds (see the TC wagering guide in chapter 6). Players who regularly overbet and thus play somewhere out there beyond their safe depth are easily recognized. They are apt to be more concerned with who’s watching them play than with whether they’re winning. They typically care more about the virile “he-man” image that they are valiantly trying to project to other players at the table or to specific casino personnel. Tragically, they too often are using money that they cannot really afford to lose. One should feel a little pity for these macho-blackjack-masochists.
If you find yourself being rushed into making playing decisions by a dealer, don’t let foolish pride compromise your ability to win. Who can play faster is not the issue, so there is no reason to be drawn into this silly type of competition. Remember that the dealer is at your disposal, like an employee; you have nothing you need to prove to her. You are there to make money, not to engage in battles of one-upmanship with strangers who are merely showing how efficiently they can do their job.
It is a simple matter to slow down a dealer. She cannot pass you by until receiving a stand signal. Control the pace of the game from the start by examining your cards carefully and deliberately, even if you know at a glance what you are going to do. Give yourself time to calculate the TC and recall relevant MBS plays. Then be clear and decisive with your hand signals, thereby forcing the dealer to conform to your playing rate. There is no need to overdo it by slowing the game to a crawl just to prove who’s really the boss, especially if there are other players at your table.
Whatever you do, don’t foil prey to this macho-type battle between yourself and the dealer. If your ego can stand the beating, it’s much better to appear as a novice player who wins, rather than a “good” player who doesn’t. Be content to let your financial successes soothe your injured pride, and leave the macho posturing for the losers to practice.
