The game of blackjack has changed since most of the literature was published, Thorp, Snyder, Wong etc. For one, the side bets placed in the little circles above the standard layout have since become very popular. Most non-counters play these side bets almost every hand, and try to win money from them more than from the standard blackjack game. If you don’t play these side bets, non-counters will usually razz you about the matchplay payouts that you’ve missed. Isn’t it an easy tell for the pit boss to monitor a player’s amount of side bet play? Also, the deck penetration generally isn’t what it used to be, and there’s mostly shoe games now.