Hello all, One expression I never quite understood as a non-native english speaker is "(when) push is as bad as a loss". In which (kind of) cases is it useful to apply ? Does it imply a mere adjustment of the basic strategy ? In short : what's the meaning and what are the consequences of this sentence ? For my part, I always had the feeling it was sort of a sub-strategy to adopt in situations where you definitely need to WIN your hand... thanks in advance for any explanation ! greetings from Belgium,
You are correct. It is a slight adjustment to strategy when you must win the hand. Simplest example: final hand, leader has $2000 and bets only $10. You have $1800 and bet $300. Let’s say you are dealt 16 vs ten. Basic strategy says hit, but in this case you should stand. (This is a very close call anyway, and part of the value in hitting 16vT comes from the possibility of a push. Since that is not useful to you, the optimal strategy is now to stand, and hope the dealer busts.) I’m sure there is a list somewhere here of the few strategy changes that are appropriate when “a push is as bad as a loss”. P.S. Your English is excellent!
Wong calls this "Push is as Bad as a Loss" and has some basic strategy deviations in his book, "Casino Tournament Strategy". I find it easier to call it "Must Win". There is a thread here https://www.blackjacktournaments.com/threads/strategies-for-must-win-one-bet.8201/ where several members contributed to a complete strategy for this situation, including how to handle splits.
Wow, I didn't realize such complete a strategy had been already devised ! I must also confess I didn't dig that far and deep into the forum archives before registering (till early 2015 at the earliest)... Thanks ! As for splitted pairs, wouldn't it be more "productive" to use Ken's pair-split strategy as in his eBooks ? Or is his strategy rather meant to win (or "not lose") BOTH hands instead of just one bet "netto" ? many thanks again in advance for your lights !
If I recall correctly, the only pair split strategy I published was indeed for use when you need to win two bets, not just one.
