Gambling In Vegas  People Gambling

Dear Mark:
I disagree with you in that a player at third base in blackjack has no effect on the outcome of the game. I'mve seen dumb players take the dealer'ms bust card far too many times to believe otherwise. Willy H.

I'll stick by my past statement that poor play on third base does not affect the overall outcome of all hands dealt. Each card dealt is random and since you, the dealer, fellow players, and yes, even the player at third giving the house a 4-5% edge by playing poorly, has no idea what the next card is, the play at third will not have any repercussions on the game in general, just on his or her hand.

Also, Willy, you overlook in your statement the times when a player took a card that would have helped the dealer, resulting in the dealer's going bust with the following card dealt. For the decade plus that I had dealt cards, or oversaw a pit full of dealers, I can tell you unequivocally that having viewed a kazillion hands, I have seen it go both ways about equally.

Dear Mark:
I noticed that the last time I visited the Gulf Coast that your column appears in the Biloxi Sun Herald. Here's one for you. Have you ever heard of a game called Mississippi Stud? Greg M.

Heard of it, yes, played it, no.

Mississippi Stud is but another poker variant in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds. A form of seven-card stud, Mississippi Stud is generally played pot limit, with fourth and fifth street cards dealt without a betting round between them, and seventh-street dealt face up.

ShuffleMaster has their own table game version of Mississippi Stud where players compete against a paytable rather than against other players or a dealer, and win if their hands consist of a pair of 6s or better.

Although I haven't seen this table game version, I hope those who have will drop me a line and share their thoughts on the game so I can pass them along to Greg.