Page 12 - Jackpot Magazine Tunica ~ June, 2026

PLAY TO WIN
Blackjack players can take a seat anywhere
“Every empty seat holds the promise of a new story.”
~ Anonymous, (Happy Father’s Day)
I’ve often written about my father, who was a blackjack enthusiast. He had some definite thoughts about the game and how it should be played. One of his habits was to play at an empty table, one where no one else was seated. He didn’t want some newbie, or even someone with years of playing time, to make what he considered a mistake in play — a mistake that would cost him money.
But when he did have to play at a full table, I would cringe when a player took a risk and hit their hand, getting the face card my dad was sure was meant to bust the dealer and give him the win. When instead of the 10 the player just got, the dealer turns over a low card to win the hand, I could see the frustration in my father’s face — and sometimes even hear it as he expressed his displeasure.
I tried to tell my dad something best- selling author and gaming expert Henry Tamburin once wrote: “Sometimes a playing mistake will cause everyone to win and other times it will cause everyone to lose. It’s a 50/50 proposition — only most blackjack players have selective memory and only remember
matters where players
sit at a blackjack table.
In a past column for
Jackpot!, Tamburin
wrote about the
subject. Let’s see what he said, starting with the correct terminology for the positions:
As you face the dealer, the player spot to the far right is known as first base. The player in the last player position to the far left of the table is known as third base, with the player seated in that spot known as the anchor player.
The first base player is the first player that must act on his hand (decide whether to take another card, double down, split or stand). Because the dealer quickly points to the first base player for a decision, my recommendation for beginners is to avoid sitting in that position.
If you need a little more time to decide how to play your hand then it is best that you take a seat in the middle of the table so you can decide how you are going to play your hand (the dealer will point to each player starting with the first base player and go clockwise for a hand decision).
The third base playing spot usually garners the most attention from players. The reason is that the player seated there is the last to act before the dealer. There is a misconception amongst most blackjack players that the skill of the anchor player has an effect on whether the dealer makes a hand or busts. Many players will grumble and groan when a beginner sits at third base and makes a playing mistake that caused everyone to
lose.
Let me set the record straight. It doesn’t make one bit of difference what the skill level is of
the anchor player on the other players’ chances of winning. Sometimes a playing mistake will cause everyone to win and other times it will cause everyone to lose. It’s a 50/50 proposition — only most blackjack players have selective memory and only remember the hands they lose when the anchor player screwed-up.
Look at it this way. If a clueless player sitting at third base can cause everyone else to lose, don’t you think the casinos would hire a bunch of players to sit at third base and make incorrect plays? The fact of the matter is that in the long run the skill level of the anchor player seated at third base has no effect on the other player’s chance of winning.
But let’s get back to reality. Because so many blackjack players have this notion that the third base player can affect the outcome of the round by the way they play their hands, I recommend that novice players simply not sit at third base. This will avoid the aggravation that unfortunately some players heap on a third base player.
The fact of seat position at blackjack is this: If you are a recreational player, it doesn’t make any difference, as far as your odds of winning, which seat you take. One seat is just as good as another. The bottom line is that most players shouldn’t worry about seat position when they play blackjack. Just play where you are comfortable and are having an enjoyable time playing the game.
Do you have a question on the best way to play to win? Email us at jackpotmagazine@gmail.com.
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the hands they lose when the anchor player screwed-up.”
My dad remembered those hands, but that got me thinking about whether it
12 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • June 2026
THE SOUTH’S LARGEST GUIDE TO GAMING & FUN • www.jackpotmagazine.com