Hello,
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Just curious, i have heard arguments concerning this and they say over the long haul,(what they mean by long haul i am not sure) a player won't really lose or win a lot. After all how many times have you seen a player take a hit to bust, and that card would have given the dealer a better hand than you ? i.e in your example if the 3rd base guy takes a hit on 17 and pulls a 6 or 7. He busts and saves the table of the dealer getting that card for a 20 or 21. He saves the table, but do you thank him for it ? Probably not !
After all if you see someone who doesn't know what they are doing, after a few hands sit out a hand or two and even leave the table. I remember what this character looks like and won't ever play with him again.
Just my humble experience....thanks and have a great day !