This section contains simulations on the Big Player type of team play covering a few subjects I have not before seen in print.

Just Get Me to the Church on Time

(With apologies to Lerner and Loewe.) So, the spotter is sitting at a table, and the count goes up. Time to signal the Big Player. But, can the BP instantly appear at the table, or will he miss a hand or two? Positive counts are precious in this game. In the below chart, we see four sets of bars for two to five players at the table, including the Big Player. The heights of the bars indicate the percentages of rounds that will be played at that table. The spotter calls in the BP at a FELT count of +4 and waves off the BP if the count drops before the BP arrives. The BP leaves with a count of +2. The blue bars provide the percentages if the BP is able to appear before the next round begins. Green indicates a one-round delay and red a two-round delay.

With two players, the rounds played drops from 9.4% to 8.7% to 8.0% with one- and two-round delays in this scenario. But, as we add players, the cost of delay grows substantially. At five players, a two-round delay drops the percentage from 12.4% to 7.8%. The good news is that two rounds with five players use up a great deal more time. But, one round of delay is not unusual if the BP is called over near the end of the round.

www.qfit.com/book/z4050Chart.gif

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger