| I play perfect basic strategy |
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| I never play blackjack |
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| I play the abbreviated basic strategy |
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| I've read several books on card counting, but I haven't practiced enough for them to do me much good |
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| I'm a dyed-in-the-wool seat-of-the-pants player (hunches) |
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| I play my own version of basic strategy |
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| I haven't memorized basic strategy, so I use a strategy card |
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| I kinda watch for aces and high cards and move my bets accordingly |
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| I've been backed off blackjack games at more than one casino |
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| I keep the running count, but figuring the true count is a little beyond me |
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| My advantage-play techniques are way beyond card counting |
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| I've been read the Trespass Act and 86'd from at least one casino |
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| I'm an expert card counter |
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| I scout for and take advantage of hole-carding situations |
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Analysis
This was kind of a strange one all around. It was the transition poll between the old website and new; originally, you had to be logged in to vote, before we corrected that; and the statistics are ... ambiguous.
The first thing we see is that something like 25%-30% of respondents don’t even play the game. The poll says 22%, but the allowance of multiple selections depresses that number.
For the same reason, the 7% tally of those winging it from the seat of their pants is also understated, and we suspect grossly so, due to respondents either not wanting to cop to doing it, or more likely, not realizing that they are.
Not to cast aspersions on the 22% who claim they play perfect basic strategy, but ... according to play-of-the-public statistics and our own empirical evidence, this is also likely to be highly overstated. Perfect basic strategy isn't that easy to learn and apply, so the perception of playing perfectly often doesn't match the reality -- as expressed by the player who commented, "I play almost perfect basic strategy." That we can believe. It’s a fact that many players jump to counting cards even before they’ve completely mastered basic, which is a mistake.
On the other hand, 5% of respondents say they use a strategy card, which certainly bumps up the “perfect” total.
As for the expert players, we imagine the same 1%-3% answered the bottom six questions about card counting and advantage play. Even this low number seems somewhat inflated, although it could be a product of the caliber of player who comes to our website.
In summary, we’d guess that players have a generally inflated view of their playing abilities, a perception that casinos have nurtured and profited from for years. Props to the 9% of respondents who say they’ve read books on the game, but never got into it enough to achieve expert status, both for trying to improve and also realizing that simply reading one book does not an expert make.
Our somewhat skeptical stance notwithstanding, the results paint an interesting picture of a collective playing level that will sustain the game and allow casinos to continue offering it indefinitely.
Thanks, as always, to everyone who voted and left comments, which you can read below.
