Four blackjack questions that separate men from the boys

Casino blackjack is an entirely beatable game, but do you have what it takes to beat it? We've been over the vital stuff many times in this column, but I see very few players who have a realistic chance of winning when I'm in the casinos.

So I'm going to print four critical multiple choice questions for you. If you don't answer all four of them right, you're playing right into the casino's hands and have no long range chance to win. Either retool your game according to what matters, or remain a confused loser for the rest of your blackjack life.

1. You're playing your first hand off the top of a six-deck shoe at a seven-handed table. The dealer has an Ace up. Of all seven starting hands, there's not a single 10 on the table. You have A/9. Your correct play is to:

A) Take Insurance regardless of your hand.

B) Refuse Insurance regardless of your hand.

C) Take Insurance because you have 20.

D) Take Insurance for just one-fourth of your bet.

2.

A) Stand according to the cardinal rule of not taking the dealer's bust card.

B) Hit because that would be Mom's correct basic strategy, and playing her hand correctly is most likely to bring the best results not only to Mom, but to all others at the table.

C) There's nothing Mom can do to improve your chances of winning your hand. So it makes no difference to you what she does.

3) You sit down at a $50 table where it's customary for players to receive more personalized treatment. The floorman comes over holding a sign and cordially invites you to make it a "No-Mid-Shoe" table -- which forbids any new players from entering the game until the next shuffle. The main accomplishment of a "No-Mid-Shoe-Entry" sign is that it:

A) Keeps the game shorthanded, which in turn causes the cards to be dealt more truly to form.

B) Pampers high-rolling "live ones" with valueless perks, while stopping expert players from counting down the shoe from behind, then jumping in with big bets at advantageous times.

C) Stops new players from barging in during the shoe and corrupting the natural order of the cards, which works against the current players.

4. You're standing behind a blackjack table, scouting the action and deciding whether to play. On the first hand of the shoe, the dealer has a deuce up. First base splits a pair of 4's, catches a 7 on each 4, doubles down on both hands and makes two 16's. The next player doubles down with 8, but catches a 3, sticking him with 11. Center field stands with 12, then third base splits a pair of 5's! He catches a 7 on each 5 and proceeds to double down on both 12's, finally ending up with two hands below 17. The dealer promptly rips off a five-card 21! What's your move?

A) Dive right in and play two hands at a time, betting extra on each hand.

B) This table is filled with morons. Run for your life!

C) Watch the next few hands to see if the dealer cools off.

D) Wait until the kamikaze at third base leaves, so he won't kill everybody else, then sit down in his seat and control the cards.

Check in for the correct answers and explanations next week.