Blackjack statistics when players make mistakes?

Question

If you play blackjack with ONE deck, I understand why it would matter whether the other players at the table know what they're doing. A mistake made by a player could shift the odds in favor of the dealer. But when the casinos are playing with SIX or EIGHT decks in a shoe, doesn't that effectively eliminate the impact of a stupid player? Or am I mistaken (and even with many decks, people's choices could still impact the game)? What are the statistics behind this? What is the math? Thanks.

Answer 1

The foolishness or wisdom of the other players at the table NEVER matters. It feels like it does when, for instance, the player in the last seat hits a 12 against a 6 and takes the 10 that would have busted the dealer, or when the player who goes right before you sits on 16 against a 9 and you end up with the 5 that would have given him 21, but instead turns your double down 11 into a lousy 16. The thing is that examples like those could just as easily go the other way- the anchor might have drawn the 5 that would have busted the dealer, or your predecessor might have passed on the very 10 that you wanted. So the play of the others at the table does affect which cards you get and which cards the dealer gets, but it does so in a random way. Good play or bad play on someone else's hand is equally likely to lead to good or bad outcomes for you.

The only controllable thing that will affect your personal outcomes is how well YOU play.